Dem Guns and Dragons

During the three hundred years where magic had failed, the races of the world had to turn to other means to protect themselves. Alchemy flourished to new heights, including the dwarves invention of blasting powder, though rumors suggested that the rudiments of the concoction went back to the third age.

While it had been used for bombs for years, and simple smokewands were already in use as curiosities amongst the aristocracy and some members of the Crafts guild, it wasn’t until the great Underwar, when gnomes and dwarves went against men and elves, that smokewands began to be developed into truly practical weapons of war.

Soon, smokewands, smokerods and smokestaves began appearing in the hands of small units and specialists. The noise and expense was a small tradeoff for the ability to carry more ammunition than any archer and hit as hard the front line mages of old.

It was the Battle of Tightgulp, where over a hundred soldiers died to the hands of a pair of brothers with clockwork smokerods, that caused the Guilds to become involved. Like the other aspects of war, the Guilds put strictures on it and even the Dwarves, still relying upon the guilds to do business, relented and reigned in the developments of their weapons.

By the Seventh Age, it is established that “One’s a fight, two’s a battle and three’s a war.” Smokewands of any sort may not carry more than three rounds (without requiring reloading) inside guild controlled outposts, strongholds or citadels. The Guilds have also established the four sizes of solid projectiles (tacks, pins, nails and spikes) as well as the two approved sizes of canister loads (shots, scoops). As such, while smokewands are still rare, they do appear in the hands of adventurers, the wealthy and the well provisioned.

Rules:

Damage and range: The Damage and range of a smokewand is determined by the size of the round used in it. A smokewand may only use the size of ammunition it is built for. Smokewands that use Long Ammuition may use regular ammunition as well.

Recoil: If you fire a smokewand and its recoil (after modifiers) is higher than your strength score, you are at a disadvantage on any ranged weapon attack or ranged spell attack until the end of your next turn.

Burst Damage: Some weapons can be fired multiple times as part of a single attack. If so, this amount of damage may be added, depending on range.

Close/Long range: Close range is the weapons normal range. Under some circumstances, the range may effect the weapon’s damage (see Burst below). Multipliers to range from the frame multiply both the Close and Long range.

Proficiency: Smokewands are simple weapons. If used in melee combat, they are considered improvised weapons. You may not apply your proficiency bonus when firing in a burst.

If a character is proficient in all martial weapons, they may apply their proficiency bonus to burst fire. If the weapon has a bayonet, a dagger body, a mace body, ax body or a balanced body, they may apply their proficiency to melee attacks with the weapon as well.

Reload: Reloading a single round or a magazine is an object interaction. Reloading a second round is an action.

Action: Most smokewands have a barrel that tilts forward and ejects spent shells. Some have an internal magazine that allows for multiple shells to be loaded. Clockwork firearms are especially delicate; if you roll a 1, the smokewand is fouled and needs a dc10 intelligence check to make work again; this will take an hour to accomplish and may be done during a short rest.

How to design a smokewand:

1. Choose the caliber
2. Choose the frame
3. Choose the action; any costs based on the frame or ammunition are based on those options base cost
4. Choose additions; any costs based on frame use the base cost of that option.
   

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1. Choose the calbier/ammunition

2. Choose the Frame

*All smokewands have the Reload  property

3. Choose an action/magazine type

*For each type of Burst a weapon has, they must have an additional Burst Trigger option.

4. Choose the options:

Long ammunition:  Frame costs +50gp, ammo costs x2. Reroll 1’s, taking second value.

Slug Ammunition: Fired from scoop and shot smokewands; loses Scatter property. Same cost and weight.

Detachable magazines:  Internal or Clockwork actions only, frame +25gp, 1gp per round, reusable.

Heavy Barrel: Same cost as frame, Recoil -1, +5/20 to ammunition’s range (before frame)

Mace Body: +10gp, wands only. Able to be used as a mace as well.

Dagger Body: +20gp, wands only. Able to be used as a dagger in close combat.

Axe body: +20gp, wands and rods. Able to be used in close combat, 1d6 slashing

Balanced Body: +30gp, Stave’s only. May be used as a staff.

Bayonet: +20gp for the mount, 5gp for the bayonet. Rod or Staff; able to be used in close combat. 1d8, piercing

• The bayonet may be removed. If so, treat as a dagger.

Burst Trigger: +50gp, allows for either short, long or double bursts.  If a weapon is capable of more than one kind of burst, it must have this option for each one (representing a switch or control that allows you to implement them all). Switching between types of bursts does not require an action. Clockwork smokewands include this option.

Mixed Ammo: +50gp to frame. Only available for Double, Triple and Quad barrel smokers. Not all barrels have to have the same caliber. Use price for highest caliber when creating the smokewand. Use the smallest caliber for determining damage during a burst, but use the highest burst damage modifier and recoil (A smokerod has two barrels that are sized for pins, one that is sized for a scoop. If all three barrels were fired, it would do d8+8 damage if it hits, recoil 17 for the shot).

Qualities:

Scatter: Advantage at first range, disadvantage at second range.

Burst : You may fire a number of rounds, gaining additional benefits

1. Double shot – Uses Two rounds.  1 target; +1 to hit at close range, roll 1 die + burst damage at close range,  +1 recoil
2. Short burst – Uses 3 rounds.  1 target;  advantage to hit at close range. 1d+ burst damage at close range, 1 die+ burst damage long range  +2 recoil
3. Long burst –  10 rounds, +4 recoil, advangage to hit/1die plus 4x burst damage at close range, 1die +2 xburst damage long range,
4. Spray – as Burst in the DMG