Aethersteel double barrel

1. Aethersteel Double-Barrel

Weapon (firearm, double-barrel), very rare (requires attunement by a spellcaster or artificer)

Description: A heavy double-barrel shotgun of dark, fused metal that never chips. Each barrel contains a rune-etched chamber that can hold a spell. Brass bands and tiny vents whisper with stored aether when the chambers are charged.

Stats

• Damage (normal shot): 2d8 piercing (each barrel).
• Properties: Two-handed, heavy, reload 2 (each barrel), range 30/90.
• Magical: Counts as a magical weapon for overcoming resistances.
• Bonus: +1 to attack and damage rolls made with this weapon.

Attunement & Storing Spells

• Requires attunement by a creature with the Spellcasting feature (any class that casts spells) or an Artificer.
  
  
• The shotgun has two spell chambers (one per barrel). It can store spells whose combined levels do not exceed 6th level. No single stored spell can exceed 5th level. (Example: you may store a 3rd-level + a 3rd-level (total 6), or a single 5th + a cantrip (total 5+0).)
  
  
• To store a spell: As an action, while attuned, you may cast a spell into an empty chamber by expending the spell’s slot as normal. The spell is then consumed into the chamber and represented by a faint rune glow above that barrel. You may also spend a short rest and expend slots to charge either or both chambers (choose spells when charging).
  
  
• Stored spells remain until fired or dispelled. The shotgun can hold stored spells across rests.

Firing the Shotgun

When you take the Attack action to fire the shotgun, you may choose per barrel whether to:

1. Fire it normally — make a ranged weapon attack (use your Dexterity modifier for attack rolls unless you prefer using Strength for a heavier, grittier style) dealing 2d8 piercing on a hit; or
2. Release a stored spell from that barrel instead of making a normal attack.

Spell release rules:

• If the stored spell normally requires a spell attack, use the shotgun’s attack roll (your spellcasting modifier applies for spell attack bonus and to spell DC calculations).
• If the stored spell normally has a range other than the shotgun’s weapon range, you may still use the spell but the effect is launched from the shotgun and uses the weapon’s maximum range (long range halved mechanic still applies). Area spells center on the target point chosen within the permitted range.
• Releasing a stored spell consumes it — the chamber becomes empty.

You may fire one barrel as part of the Attack action (standard), or fire both barrels if you use the Attack action to make two attacks (Gain the normal extra attack features if any). Firing both barrels in the same turn is allowed; if both barrels contain spells of combined level 6 or higher, see Backlash below.

Special: Arcane Payload

• Cantrips: Count as level 0 for capacity.
• Concentration: If you cast (and store) a concentration spell into a chamber, it is treated as non-concentrated while stored; releasing it requires a creature to maintain concentration if the spell normally does so. The attuned caster may regain concentration on that spell if they release it and attempt to concentrate (normal rules apply).

Backlash (Downside / Risk)

The shotgun is powerful but unstable when pushing divine aether and iron together.

1. Overcharge Risk: If you release spells whose combined spell levels on a single attack equal 6 or more, roll a d20. On a roll of 1–4, the weapon backlashes:
• The attuned wielder takes force damage equal to the total spell levels × 4d6 (DM can scale).
• Both chambers are emptied and the shotgun is disabled for 1d4 hours (smokes, vents, and must be repaired by a smith or artificer to function sooner).
2. Shatter on Severance: If Severance (the pinnacle Dark Tarot) or equivalent reality-rewrite magic is active in the region, the shotgun’s stored spells are unstable — any attempt to release a stored spell automatically triggers a free random card draw from the Dark Tarot (DM discretion).

Flavor Abilities

• Reinforced Frame: The metal is effectively indestructible by mundane attacks; the shotgun grants advantage on saving throws to avoid being disarmed (it’s heavy and well-balanced)
• Echo Runes: Once per long rest, when you release a stored spell from a barrel, you may choose to have the next normal shot from the other barrel echo that spell’s elemental type (e.g., a fire spell leaves the next pellet shot dealing +1d6 fire). This does not duplicate the spell’s full effect — only a small elemental punch.

Example Uses

• Store fireball (3rd) into one barrel and hold person (2nd) into the other (combined 5 ≤ 6). Fire barrel 1 to detonate a fireball centered at the ranged point; later fire barrel 2 to cast hold person on a single target.
• Charge two cantrips for unlimited quick magical buckshot, or keep one barrel as a physical slug and the other as a stored spell for versatility.

Crafting / Repair Notes (for DMs)

• Forged from aethersteel or Yaran deep-alloy. Repair requires smith tools and an artificer or a priest of Orryn: DC 18 Smith tool check + 250 gp of rare components to restore after a Backlash disable
• Destruction: If destroyed, any stored spells are released chaotically (DM determines) and the attuned owner suffers a curse (loss of spell slot equal to total stored levels, or similar).

It’s up to you to decide whether a character has proficiency with a firearm. Characters in most D&D worlds wouldn’t have such proficiency. During their downtime, characters can use the training rules in the Player’s Handbook to acquire proficiency, assuming that they have enough ammunition to keep the weapons working while mastering their use.

Notes: Range, Two-Handed, Ammunition (Firearms), Reload, Push