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| "Draw..." |
I've always liked guns in my fantasy
worlds. The guns in LotFP are gritty and dangerous and cool. My hunter in WoW used a gun. I love the mountain-man gunslinger I play in my friend's Pathfinder campaign. I even made an
Artillerist playbook for Dungeon World.
What I don't like is needlessly complex
rules that make firearms overly powerful while “balancing”
them with clumsy complications. I'm quite happy with
reskinning a crossbow and calling it a rifle. For me, fantasy
firearms are more about style than trying to get an advantage. That's
why I like the rules for firearms in the 5th Edition
Dungeon Master's Guide. They do slightly more damage than
crossbows but have worse range and are a bit more
expensive. That's it. No weird misfire or reloading rules. Perfect.
Just what I want.
Gnomes with Guns
The Gray Gnomes of Pangloss have a proud tradition
of gunsmithing. Each weapon is an individually crafted
work of art—a deadly mix of clockwork and alchemy. Gnomish firearms use glass cartridges that contains gunpowder and a catalyst liquid. Spring-driven triggering mechanisms break the glass cartridge, allowing the propellants to mix. The resulting explosion fires the heavy metal slug through the barrel towards the target. Gnomes jealously
guard the secrets of crafting gunpowder and catalyst. No other race has mastered
the mechanical intricacies required to craft firearms, although the
Hobgoblins have tried with limited results.
Gray Gnomes are a race of hard-bitten
survivors. They long ago lost their subterannean kingdoms and
their god to the forces of the Underdark. Now, their adopted island
home of Gnomeria is under siege by the armies of the Ashen Queen.
Gnomes have fled Gnomeria en masse, forming small communities wherever they can. Their tenacity,
marksmanship, and grim humor has kept them vibrant no matter where
they settle.
The Gray Gnomes of Pangloss
Gray Gnomes conform to the Rock Gnome
subrace found in the Player's Handbook
with one change:
- Gnome Weapon Training (replaces Tinker): You have proficiency with the pistol and the musket.
- (Note that you still have to purchase your gun, which won't be cheap).
The
Refugee
background from the Glitterdoom adventure from Goodman Games is very appropriate for many Gray
Gnomes.
Other
Rules
Pistols
and muskets are martial weapons. A non-gnome character who has
proficiency with martial weapons can become proficient with firearms
by training
(PHB p.187) under a gnomish tutor (250 days at 1gp a day). A
character may also use the Weapon
Master feat
to become proficient with the Musket and the Pistol (each count as a separate weapon).
Ammunition can be readily purchased in any gnomish community, although merchants are usually reluctant to sell to non-gnomes. Any
Gray Gnome proficient with alchemist's tools can craft gunpowder.
Other races will have to learn the formula through research, gnomish
tutelage, or other sources.
New Feat: Gunslinger
(It's just Crossbow Expert
re-skinned, I won't lie....)
Thanks to extensive practice with
firearms, you gain the following benefits:
• You ignore the loading quality of
firearms with which you are proficient.
• Being within 5 feet o f a hostile
creature doesn't impose disadvantage on your ranged attack rolls.
• When you use the Attack action and
attack with a one-handed weapon, you can use a bonus action to attack
with a loaded pistol you are holding.
