And then there's the damage. A medieval pistol does like 1d10! Seriously, if you got shot with a pistol (medieval or no) at point blank, it's gonna deal a lot more than 1d10! These things are why I just don't use firearms in my campaigns, or any futuristic things. D&D is, at its core, about medieval fantasies with spells, not technology! (If I did use firearms, I would definitely include some kind of ruling about how if you hit at close range, it's an auto crit or something.)
And then there's the damage. A medieval pistol does like 1d10! Seriously, if you got shot with a pistol (medieval or no) at point blank, it's gonna deal a lot more than 1d10!
Why? Normal folk like you and me only have 4-5 hp so 1d10 is pretty dang dangerous. Movie heroes can get shot a couple times and not hurt much so...same same. However, at the mid/upper levels, normal bullets are too weak. BUT we "live" in magical times so Magic Bullets and guns!
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"real life is a super high CR."
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"............anybody got any potatoes? We could drop a potato in each hole an' see which ones get viciously mauled by horrible monsters?"
I think this may be an issue more about reliability and precision at range. Early firearms were far more primitive and harder to aim, especially before rifling and high quality ammunition.
Bows on the other hand had been perfected over hundreds of years and longbow men who were able to adjust for wind and other factors could hit at incredible range.
If you want your firearms to have a longer range I'd simply argue that they are more advanced and tweak them.
If you want your firearms to have a longer range I'd simply argue that they are more advanced and tweak them.
This seems reasonable. Just say to DM “I’d like to spend downtime designing a rifled barrel and elongated ammunition to increase the range on this weapon.” A quality DM would probably require you to make an INT check for drawing up the plans, then have or pay for the tools and raw materials, or give the design to a hired smith, who spends a reasonable amount of time crafting. Or if doing it yourself, make a check of some sort for successful smithing. Maybe performance or DEX. If all goes well “OK. Your gun’s ranges have doubled.”
If you want your firearms to have a longer range I'd simply argue that they are more advanced and tweak them.
This seems reasonable. Just say to DM “I’d like to spend downtime designing a rifled barrel and elongated ammunition to increase the range on this weapon.” A quality DM would probably require you to make an INT check for drawing up the plans, then have or pay for the tools and raw materials, or give the design to a hired smith, who spends a reasonable amount of time crafting. Or if doing it yourself, make a check of some sort for successful smithing. Maybe performance or DEX. If all goes well “OK. Your gun’s ranges have doubled.”
I like the skill challenge thing as a GM. It makes succeeding as a player more valuable/fun/appreciated. But I'd argue that for your character to even have the idea for ballistic ammunition could be a skill challenge, and a hard one but one that will feel "earned" when achieved.
Example Requirements (and not one I've thought through at all, and this isn't something I'd allow anyone with a firearm to just do, the player would need to be demonstrating a real desire to do this before I whipped this out):
You must have fired 100 rounds in during combat in the campaign to represent all the rounds you would have fired out of combat and before the campaign so that you could even notice anything scientific about the rounds and get ideas.
At 100 rounds, and every 10 rounds thereafter you get to make an INT check. Maybe it starts at a 20 and goes down by one each attempt? Or maybe you set it at 50 rounds initial, but DC starts at 25? It would depend on the character and their modifiers.
Now they're inspired! They want to build something. Now they'll need to pass an INT check (maybe max once per week) to come up with possible solution.
Got a possible solution, now it's time for the doing of the thing. If the solution is the ammunition, the player or a smith will need to pass a STR check (smithing tools), if it is powder based, DEX (alchemy). Also limited to once per game time week.
If that passes we have a working and proven solution! Now ammunition production can begin. GM can set the speed for how many rounds of sufficient quality can be produced per week. Maybe 1d4+1 rounds or something. If it was my campaign I'd want to keep the supply of special rounds small, but if that isn't an issue in your campaign maybe you just set a higher cost for the ammunition and they can buy 20 a week or something.
What. The. Bleep.
The range on a Rifle, Hunting (aka sniper rifle) is 80/240
The range on a Longbow? 120/600
Why?
(I know this is a D&D thing and not a DDB thing. But SERIOUSLY what's the logic there?)
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I'm guessing smoothbore
They have a separate black powder version. Also, even that would have a longer range than an arrow.
Playtesting Fugare Draconis, an epic tale of adventure, loss, and redemption
And then there's the damage. A medieval pistol does like 1d10! Seriously, if you got shot with a pistol (medieval or no) at point blank, it's gonna deal a lot more than 1d10! These things are why I just don't use firearms in my campaigns, or any futuristic things. D&D is, at its core, about medieval fantasies with spells, not technology! (If I did use firearms, I would definitely include some kind of ruling about how if you hit at close range, it's an auto crit or something.)
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Why? Normal folk like you and me only have 4-5 hp so 1d10 is pretty dang dangerous. Movie heroes can get shot a couple times and not hurt much so...same same. However, at the mid/upper levels, normal bullets are too weak. BUT we "live" in magical times so Magic Bullets and guns!
"Sooner or later, your Players are going to smash your railroad into a sandbox."
-Vedexent
"real life is a super high CR."
-OboeLauren
"............anybody got any potatoes? We could drop a potato in each hole an' see which ones get viciously mauled by horrible monsters?"
-Ilyara Thundertale
I think this may be an issue more about reliability and precision at range. Early firearms were far more primitive and harder to aim, especially before rifling and high quality ammunition.
Bows on the other hand had been perfected over hundreds of years and longbow men who were able to adjust for wind and other factors could hit at incredible range.
If you want your firearms to have a longer range I'd simply argue that they are more advanced and tweak them.
This seems reasonable. Just say to DM “I’d like to spend downtime designing a rifled barrel and elongated ammunition to increase the range on this weapon.” A quality DM would probably require you to make an INT check for drawing up the plans, then have or pay for the tools and raw materials, or give the design to a hired smith, who spends a reasonable amount of time crafting. Or if doing it yourself, make a check of some sort for successful smithing. Maybe performance or DEX. If all goes well “OK. Your gun’s ranges have doubled.”
I like the skill challenge thing as a GM. It makes succeeding as a player more valuable/fun/appreciated. But I'd argue that for your character to even have the idea for ballistic ammunition could be a skill challenge, and a hard one but one that will feel "earned" when achieved.
Example Requirements (and not one I've thought through at all, and this isn't something I'd allow anyone with a firearm to just do, the player would need to be demonstrating a real desire to do this before I whipped this out):
Anyway, those are just some ideas.
Playtesting Fugare Draconis, an epic tale of adventure, loss, and redemption