Hi, I figured there's no way to publish homebrew fighting styles on here so I'm putting them on this thread instead. Specifically, I'm looking to introduce firearms into my game with some fairly standard vanilla mechanics and stats to ensure they're not OP, whilst also having their own mechanical niche. Essentially they are a more expensive, heavier hitting alternative to the crossbow, which shouldn't necessarily require the feat tax they currently do to even use.
My solution to this without just granting all martials firearm proficiency is to introduce some fighting styles which grant you firearm proficiency and a specific way to use them! These are:
Musketeer
When you learn this fighting style, you gain firearm proficiency. You can only switch out this fighting style if after doing so you would have firearm proficiency from another source.
You do not suffer disadvantage to your attack rolls when firing crossbows and firearms from prone. In addition, when using crossbows or firearms as improvised melee weapons, you gain a +1 bonus to damage rolls with that weapon.
(1-handed weapons are treated as improvised clubs. 2-handed weapons are treated as improvised greatclubs. A bayonet may be added to switch the damage type to piercing.)
As you can imagine, this style is geared towards your typical infantryman (including crossbowmen in this case) who use their crossbow or firearm as their primary weapon, and enables them to transition from a sort of braced sniper position to get cover from projectiles, into a sort of CQC brawl / bayonet charge. It gives them a good bit of versatility while still being vastly outshined in close combat by the other fighting styles, and similarly vulnerable to melee combatants if caught prone.
Pistoleer
When you learn this fighting style, you gain firearm proficiency. You can only switch out this fighting style if after doing so you would have firearm proficiency from another source.
You can pre-load any firearms you possess before combat begins, allowing you to draw and fire a preloaded pistol or duelling pistol with a single hand. You can also stow a firearm, then draw another firearm as a single object interaction on your turn.
This is then more of your skirmisher or swashbuckler, the sort of archetypal pirate who runs around with a sword and a pistol, and solves the reload problem of trying to use hand crossbows in this manner quite elegantly imo, assuming you can afford a bandolier of pistols! Historically this is also very similar to the fighting style of several late cavalrymen.
So feel free to use these, and otherwise anyone have thoughts on this? Btw, the firearm stats I'm using are my own, and they're simply pistol/duelling pistol/musket, which are identical to hand/light/heavy crossbows, but with the damage die increasing by one size and the prices 125gp/250gp/500gp. So nothing too crazy there.
Hi, I figured there's no way to publish homebrew fighting styles on here so I'm putting them on this thread instead. Specifically, I'm looking to introduce firearms into my game with some fairly standard vanilla mechanics and stats to ensure they're not OP, whilst also having their own mechanical niche. Essentially they are a more expensive, heavier hitting alternative to the crossbow, which shouldn't necessarily require the feat tax they currently do to even use.
My solution to this without just granting all martials firearm proficiency is to introduce some fighting styles which grant you firearm proficiency and a specific way to use them! These are:
As you can imagine, this style is geared towards your typical infantryman (including crossbowmen in this case) who use their crossbow or firearm as their primary weapon, and enables them to transition from a sort of braced sniper position to get cover from projectiles, into a sort of CQC brawl / bayonet charge. It gives them a good bit of versatility while still being vastly outshined in close combat by the other fighting styles, and similarly vulnerable to melee combatants if caught prone.
This is then more of your skirmisher or swashbuckler, the sort of archetypal pirate who runs around with a sword and a pistol, and solves the reload problem of trying to use hand crossbows in this manner quite elegantly imo, assuming you can afford a bandolier of pistols! Historically this is also very similar to the fighting style of several late cavalrymen.
(If you wanna know what I'm refferring to, read this post: r/dndnext: Why l believe the Crossbow Expert feat failed to achieve its intended goal)
So feel free to use these, and otherwise anyone have thoughts on this? Btw, the firearm stats I'm using are my own, and they're simply pistol/duelling pistol/musket, which are identical to hand/light/heavy crossbows, but with the damage die increasing by one size and the prices 125gp/250gp/500gp. So nothing too crazy there.