This exquisitely-crafted long rifle once belonged to the Sanguine Lotus, a notorious assassin who preferred dealing with her targets at extreme ranges. The body of the rifle is carved from the femur of an ancient moonstone dragon and bears arcane sigils and runes. The barrel is solid mithril and is capped at the end by a gold-plated steel flash hider. The chamber and firing mechanism is made from intricately assembled adamantine tubes, plates, and gears to protect the user from explosions as a result of a misfire.
The Alabaster Tragedy was crafted specifically for the Sanguine Lotus, and as such, has a number of modifications that separate it from typical rifles of similar design.
The overall length of the rifle is 4' long, and the weight is approximately 6 lbs thanks to its mithril barrel. The design suggests it was made for a person with a less-than-average strength and shorter frame. The original owner might have been 5'3" ft tall, according to researchers that have handled the rifle.
Sitting above the chamber, in its own gold-plated steel claw, is a single, marquise-cut Crimson Tourmaline gemstone about 4" long. The gemstone has been enchanted with the Eyes of the Eagle. The user can expend one use of the weapons charge to activate the gemstone, granting them vision out to 1000 feet. When the user activates the Eyes, three arcane circles materialize above the gemstone and operate as lenses that auto-focus the user's vision for long shots.
The Alabaster Tragedy uses hand-crafted bullets, custom made specifically for its chamber. Each bullet is nearly 4" in length and is made of diamond-tipped adamantine. These rounds are capable of piercing even the sturdiest of armors and structures. The cartridge itself is made from alchemically-altered brass, with a single arcane circle on the primer. The brass shell is custom-designed to house the special propellant for the adamantine bullet. The propellant is an alchemical liquid, highly volatile, called Xerum. It has been purified specifically for use in the bullets of the Alabaster Tragedy.
The Alabaster Tragedy is a single-shot rifle. Each bullet is loaded into the chamber by racking an 8" recondite bolt far enough back to release the hermetic seal and vent the chamber of gases from the previous shot. Once the atmosphere is introduced to the chamber the spent shell casing inside is ejected rapidly. The new cartridge can then be slid into place, then the recondite bolt and hermetic seal can then be slid back inside and locked down, effectively making the chamber airtight. Any amount of oxygen still left inside the chamber after the trigger is depressed can cause catastrophic damage to the rifle. Once the bolt is back in place and the chamber is airtight, the user may charge the eldritch rune plate on the rifle's grip thus expelling any oxygen from inside the chamber and activating the arcane sigil on the firing pin. The rifle is now ready to fire again.
As far as firearms historians are aware no one is quite sure how the Sanguine Lotus died (or even if she is dead) or how the Alabaster Tragedy left her possession. Arcanologists and artificers that have had the chance to study this rifle remark on a strange magnetic quality it possesses, as if it is trying to get back to its master. No academic has been able to determine if the rifle is sentient or not.
You may expend one charge from the rifle to add necrotic, radiant, or psychic damage to the bullet. You may only use this feature once per day.
Firearms are a new and volatile technology, and as such bring their own unique set of weapon properties. Some properties are followed by a number, and this number signifies an element of that property (outlined below). These properties replace the optional ones presented in the Dungeon Master’s Guide. Firearms are ranged weapons.
Reload. The weapon can be fired a number of times equal to its Reload score before you must spend 1 attack or 1 action to reload. You must have one free hand to reload a firearm.
Misfire. Whenever you make an attack roll with a firearm, and the dice roll is equal to or lower than the weapon’s Misfire score, the weapon misfires. The attack misses, and the weapon cannot be used again until you spend an action to try and repair it. To repair your firearm, you must make a successful Tinker’s Tools check (DC equal to 8 + misfire score). If your check fails, the weapon is broken and must be mended out of combat at a quarter of the cost of the firearm. Creatures who use a firearm without being proficient increase the weapon’s misfire score by 1.
Explosive. Upon a hit, everything within 5 ft of the target must make a Dexterity saving throw (DC equal to 8 + your proficiency bonus + your Dexterity modifier) or suffer 1d8 fire damage. If the weapon misses, the ammunition fails to detonate, or bounces away harmlessly before doing so.
Ammunition
All firearms require ammunition to make an attack, and due to their rare nature, ammunition may be near impossible to find or purchase. However, if materials are gathered, you can craft ammunition yourself using your Tinker’s Tools at half the cost. Each firearm uses its own unique ammunition and is generally sold or crafted in batches listed below next to the price.
THIS IS UNOFFICIAL MATERIAL
These game mechanics are usable in your campaign if your DM allows them but not refined by final game design and editing. They aren’t officially part of the Dungeons & Dragons game and aren’t permitted in D&D Adventurers League events unless otherwise stated.
Notes: Damage: Psychic, Damage: Radiant, Damage: Necrotic, Bonus: Ranged Weapon Attacks, Advantage: Perception, neutral or evil character, Damage, Combat, Two-Handed, Reload, Misfire
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