If the argument that they're in the DMG and variant rules were the case then Oathbreaker Paladin and Death Cleric wouldn't be easily accessible. Optional and variant rules are no excuse for something that is blatantly allowed.
The DMG explicitly says that firearms, when allowed by the DM, are considered martial weapons.
This pretty much needs to be added, and it should not have taken this long.
So in summary, D&D Beyond was saying that they didn't implement firearms with Kensei because they were "firearms" not "Martial" or "Simple" weapons. When it was pointed out to that that the DMG lists them as "Ranged Martial Weapons" they switched to saying that they were an optional ruleset from the DMG and not all optional rules have been fully integrated yet. When it was pointed out that Death Cleric and Oathbreaker Paladin were optional rules that had been implemented they stopped responding on this thread, over a year ago.
I would hate to think that to get attention directed to this thread once more people would have to start being vocal about this issue on sites like Twitter, Twitch, YouTube, and other places. It would be much easier for everyone involved if someone from D&D Beyond came back and either said, "No, we are not going to do this even though Kensei should be able to take them because..." or "We are working on it and hope to have it implemented [Time Frame]". That would be SO MUCH EASIER for everyone involved.
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I am unsure if anyone knows this, so I wanted to share, but you can manually add proficiency for the firearms you want. I did that for my kensei monk and now it works just fine. I also made it a dedicated weapon, but I did not notice any changes when I did that. I hope this has some value for those wanting a solution.
It's not just dedicated weapon that I am talking about. I'm talking about the Path of Kensei Weapon Choice.
I recognize this. I know it is not a fix - what I was trying to offer was a workaround to get the same effect. You get one melee kensei weapon and one ranged initially. I just manually added the firearm I wanted (in my case a musket) on my character sheet, and when I attack, will just apply the subclass features as I would any other applicable ranged weapon. It is not perfect, but it does seem to work and it is not a major inconvenience outside of having no ranged weapon chosen in the character editor page.
Can somebody resolve this please. There's literally no reason why the DMG Musket or Pistol shouldn't be allowable to be a Kensei weapon.
Kensei Weapons. Choose two types of weapons to be your kensei weapons: one melee weapon and one ranged weapon. Each of these weapons can be any simple or martial weapon that lacks the heavy and special properties. The longbow is also a valid choice.
The Musket and Pistol (and all other firearms for that matter)
"Each of these weapons can be any simple or martial weapon that lacks the heavy and special properties"
Firearms are not simple or martial, they are their own category of "Firearms Ranged Weapon". They wouldn't be a valid choice for Kensei by RAW.
"Firearms Ranged Weapon" as a group doesn't actually exist per the core rules. There's only Simple and Martial groups that then have sub-groups within them. The only difference firearms have a specific variant rule that says they must have proficiency with firearms, but this doesn't make firearms NOT martial. This works much in the same way that a High Elf Wizard can have proficiency with specific Martial weapons from their racial background but without having proficiency with all martial weapons, it doesn't make a Longsword or Longbow not martial. The kensei weapon rules do not specifically preclude firearms thus shouldn't be a problem in a campaign that allows firearms unless said firearm is heavy or special which none of the DMG optional ones are.
The only content on DND beyond that groups firearms separately than other ranged martial weapons is Critical Role content NOT core content. Beyond that all of the Critical Role content firearms are NOT the same as the DMG firearms even if they have the same name.
The whole of the Dungeon Master's Workshop chapter of the DMG is optional rules that DMs can add to their game and a discussion on how to do so.
I'm not saying that firearms shouldn't be possible for a Kensei, but I expect that they are not available as standard because firearms are an optional rule.
Badeye has said previously that it is intended to fully support all optional rules eventually.
As has been previously mentioned Oathbreaker Paladin and Death Cleric are both options, variant encumbrance and tracking of coin weight are also options that I can enable with or without a DMs approval for my character anyway.
This post from Stormknight is from January 2019 and here I am responding to this in May 2022 and this is still unresolved.
With the release of Spelljammer and Giff having firearm proficiency, I was interested in making a Giff Gunk only to run into this same problem.. years later. I guess we can just use guns and "pretend" they are kensei weapons as it's not like it's too hard to just apply the bonuses without it being official but it seems silly that I can't just toggle firearms as an optional rule like CR content or Oathbreaker and just make them kensei weapons. It doesn't seem like this would be a difficult thing, it's just being ignored.
I'm glad to see I'm not the only person with this issue... I've always wanted to create a Gunk since January 2019 (when I originally created this post)
Also for those who keep saying that Firearms aren't simple/martial weapons, I would like to direct your attention to the Firearms section of the DMG where they have a table that shows weapons like pistol, musket, revolver, rifle, shotgun, laser pistol, etc. as "Martial Ranged Weapons"
I know this is probably not an ideal solution, but while you wait, have you tried to re-create the various Firearms you would like to use, using the Homebrew system and classifying those weapons as the same category as say Crossbows, or Bows? Basically just copy/paste the original Firearms stats onto a new item with a different weapon classification.
It's a cheeky trick if it works, but it might allow you to bend around their restrictions. Just spit-balling ideas here.
So in summary, D&D Beyond was saying that they didn't implement firearms with Kensei because they were "firearms" not "Martial" or "Simple" weapons. When it was pointed out to that that the DMG lists them as "Ranged Martial Weapons" they switched to saying that they were an optional ruleset from the DMG and not all optional rules have been fully integrated yet. When it was pointed out that Death Cleric and Oathbreaker Paladin were optional rules that had been implemented they stopped responding on this thread, over a year ago.
I would hate to think that to get attention directed to this thread once more people would have to start being vocal about this issue on sites like Twitter, Twitch, YouTube, and other places. It would be much easier for everyone involved if someone from D&D Beyond came back and either said, "No, we are not going to do this even though Kensei should be able to take them because..." or "We are working on it and hope to have it implemented [Time Frame]". That would be SO MUCH EASIER for everyone involved.
Why? That is EXACTLY what should be done. There is no percentage in not going nuclear from square one.
Still waiting...
Please continue to spend more money on new books in dnd beyond, even though we don't have all the existing options available from old ones!
If the argument that they're in the DMG and variant rules were the case then Oathbreaker Paladin and Death Cleric wouldn't be easily accessible. Optional and variant rules are no excuse for something that is blatantly allowed.
The DMG explicitly says that firearms, when allowed by the DM, are considered martial weapons.
This pretty much needs to be added, and it should not have taken this long.
Fire arms are still under Marital weapons. Same way as a bows are in a category but are still martial weapons.
Joining in on this bandwagon, makes me very sad.
So in summary, D&D Beyond was saying that they didn't implement firearms with Kensei because they were "firearms" not "Martial" or "Simple" weapons. When it was pointed out to that that the DMG lists them as "Ranged Martial Weapons" they switched to saying that they were an optional ruleset from the DMG and not all optional rules have been fully integrated yet. When it was pointed out that Death Cleric and Oathbreaker Paladin were optional rules that had been implemented they stopped responding on this thread, over a year ago.
I would hate to think that to get attention directed to this thread once more people would have to start being vocal about this issue on sites like Twitter, Twitch, YouTube, and other places. It would be much easier for everyone involved if someone from D&D Beyond came back and either said, "No, we are not going to do this even though Kensei should be able to take them because..." or "We are working on it and hope to have it implemented [Time Frame]". That would be SO MUCH EASIER for everyone involved.
GM of The Bonus Role - We are playing a 5E game set in my homebrew world of Audra check us out Sunday's at 10 AM CST and follow us at the following social media links.
https://www.twitch.tv/thebonusrole
@BonusRole
I am unsure if anyone knows this, so I wanted to share, but you can manually add proficiency for the firearms you want. I did that for my kensei monk and now it works just fine. I also made it a dedicated weapon, but I did not notice any changes when I did that. I hope this has some value for those wanting a solution.
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It's not just dedicated weapon that I am talking about. I'm talking about the Path of Kensei Weapon Choice.
I recognize this. I know it is not a fix - what I was trying to offer was a workaround to get the same effect. You get one melee kensei weapon and one ranged initially. I just manually added the firearm I wanted (in my case a musket) on my character sheet, and when I attack, will just apply the subclass features as I would any other applicable ranged weapon. It is not perfect, but it does seem to work and it is not a major inconvenience outside of having no ranged weapon chosen in the character editor page.
DM mostly, Player occasionally | Session 0 form | He/Him/They/Them
EXTENDED SIGNATURE!
Doctor/Published Scholar/Science and Healthcare Advocate/Critter/Trekkie/Gandalf with a Glock
Try DDB free: Free Rules (2024), premade PCs, adventures, one shots, encounters, SC, homebrew, more
Answers: physical books, purchases, and subbing.
Check out my life-changing
Can somebody resolve this please. There's literally no reason why the DMG Musket or Pistol shouldn't be allowable to be a Kensei weapon.
The Musket and Pistol (and all other firearms for that matter)
"Firearms Ranged Weapon" as a group doesn't actually exist per the core rules. There's only Simple and Martial groups that then have sub-groups within them. The only difference firearms have a specific variant rule that says they must have proficiency with firearms, but this doesn't make firearms NOT martial. This works much in the same way that a High Elf Wizard can have proficiency with specific Martial weapons from their racial background but without having proficiency with all martial weapons, it doesn't make a Longsword or Longbow not martial. The kensei weapon rules do not specifically preclude firearms thus shouldn't be a problem in a campaign that allows firearms unless said firearm is heavy or special which none of the DMG optional ones are.
The only content on DND beyond that groups firearms separately than other ranged martial weapons is Critical Role content NOT core content. Beyond that all of the Critical Role content firearms are NOT the same as the DMG firearms even if they have the same name.
As has been previously mentioned Oathbreaker Paladin and Death Cleric are both options, variant encumbrance and tracking of coin weight are also options that I can enable with or without a DMs approval for my character anyway.
This post from Stormknight is from January 2019 and here I am responding to this in May 2022 and this is still unresolved.
With the release of Spelljammer and Giff having firearm proficiency, I was interested in making a Giff Gunk only to run into this same problem.. years later. I guess we can just use guns and "pretend" they are kensei weapons as it's not like it's too hard to just apply the bonuses without it being official but it seems silly that I can't just toggle firearms as an optional rule like CR content or Oathbreaker and just make them kensei weapons. It doesn't seem like this would be a difficult thing, it's just being ignored.
Same problem applies regardless of source :( it's just relevant again.. Good luck
I'm glad to see I'm not the only person with this issue...
I've always wanted to create a Gunk since January 2019 (when I originally created this post)
Also for those who keep saying that Firearms aren't simple/martial weapons, I would like to direct your attention to the Firearms section of the DMG where they have a table that shows weapons like pistol, musket, revolver, rifle, shotgun, laser pistol, etc. as "Martial Ranged Weapons"
Even the "Optional Rule: Firearm Proficiency" section for the Artificer class in the Wayfinder's Guide to Eberron points to the above section of the DMG.
I know this is probably not an ideal solution, but while you wait, have you tried to re-create the various Firearms you would like to use, using the Homebrew system and classifying those weapons as the same category as say Crossbows, or Bows? Basically just copy/paste the original Firearms stats onto a new item with a different weapon classification.
It's a cheeky trick if it works, but it might allow you to bend around their restrictions. Just spit-balling ideas here.
I tried, but it doesn't work really...
I got a little tired of waiting, so I posted on twitter:
https://twitter.com/Mac_Shihab/status/1567217784026701824
Feel free to jump on
The support would be LOVELY
RAW is wrong in this case. The Lv 6 feature says "any weapon without the special or heavy feature" regardless of type. THis is a bug.
Why? That is EXACTLY what should be done. There is no percentage in not going nuclear from square one.
if this was the only thing, It would be a lot less annoying. Lets get working class features for Clockwork soul and Aberrant mind too, hmm?
Still an issue.. Please fix this.