CHANGELOG

-1.1: Tweaks to numbers and phrasing of rules

-1.2: Added Rifled Pistol and Rifle
-1.3: Added Bayonet and Hand Cannon, added several weapon properties.
-1.4: Added powder keg and firearms related adventuring gear.
-1.5: Added optional Gunslinger feat. Rephrased Reload quality to make firearms more
useful for characters without Extra Attack feat. Tweaked numbers to make the advantage
of rifled weapons clearer.
-1.6: Attempted to balance out Firearms against bows and crossbows by making them
slower to load, but very powerful. Also made ammunition more expensive by halfing
quantity per 'buy'. Cleaned up language of rules. Changes to layout.
-1.7: Changed damage of higher reload time weapons.

FOREWORD
These rules were born from the personal wish to create firearms for the campaign I am
in, without upsetting the balance of the game. I was inspired by Matthew Mercer's rules
for firearms for his excellent Gunslinger class, but decided to go for less advanced
technology while still skipping over a couple of steps in the evolution of firearms (i.e.
hand cannons, matchlock firearms), that would make little sense for a small group of
character in mostly non-warfare combat. The weapons listed underneath are not
intended to be mass produced weapons, but fine examples of good craftsmanship, worthy
of being used by heroes and villains instead of lines of infantry. The numbers may or may
not be representative of how these weapons might work in real; the ultimate goal was to
create a sensible framework for such firearms in the ruleset of D&D 5th edition.
If you enjoy these rules or have some constructive criticism, leave a comment on the
DMG.

STORY IDEAS
One of the first questions you will probably think of will be: how do you integrate these
weapons into the typical medieval / early renaissance fantasy setting without firearms?
There are a couple of basic plots that come to mind. These are just some suggestions, to
get you inspired, should you not have an idea yet. Whatever you might go with, make
sure to have your players work for getting their hands on these weapons and also keep
them. You probably shouldn't find these being sold in some shops.
The Inventor : Someone has to come up with the idea to put a hollowed out metal rod
into a wooden body, load it with explosive powder and shoot a ball at someone or
something with the resulting explosion. That someone could be a player character of the
necessary curiosity and ingenuity, having the right skill set (i.e. a blacksmith, an
alchemist, a tinkerer etc.), or a friendly NPC of your campaign. To make it more fun, you
could go through the process of experimentation, finding the right combination of
ingredients for the powder, having a lot more misfires and simple fails than would be
usual in the process. Also be creative in what could be used for the powder. Stuck in the
Underdark? How about taking some Torchstalk spores to replace the sulfur?
The Dream : Many supernatural forces are at work in the typical D&D campaign –
deities, ghosts, demons and many many more forms of powerful, magical beings. A
character of the group or a friendly NPC might be driven by dreams, to build that thing
he or she saw. Probably to a degree of obsession if not simple insanity. Is it a boon of the
gods? A blessing in disguise? Or a curse, giving the character that strange new power of
technology to corrupt them with that same power and drag them down the path to evil?
The Foreigners : This is a more historically inspired approach for how things went for
lots of countries during various points of history. Just because firearms have not yet
been invented in the part of the world you are in, doesn't mean they haven't been
somewhere else. Imagine how bizarre and utterly alienating it must be, to see people,
who look completely different, speak a completely different language, with their foreign
habits and unknown goals, demonstrating the potentials of these strange things in
combat or just attempt to intimidate the native population into submission.

FLINTLOCK FIREARMS
Name Cost Damage Weight Properties
Simple Ranged Weapons
Dragon 200 gp 1d8 piercing 5 lb. Ammunition (range 10/30), reload 2,
scatter
Blunderbuss 400 gp 1d10 piercing 10 lb. Ammunition (range 15/30), reload 3,
scatter, two-handed
Martial Ranged Weapons
Pistol 250 gp 1d12 piercing 5 lb. Ammunition (range 60/240), reload 2
Rifled Pistol 350 gp 2d8 piercing 6 lb. Ammunition (range 100/400), reload
3, unreliable
Carbine 400 gp 2d10 piercing 8 lb. Ammunition (range 100/400), reload
2, two-handed
Musket 500 gp 2d12 piercing 10 lb. Ammunition (range 125/500), heavy,
reload 2, two-handed
Rifle 750 gp 3d10 piercing 11 lb. Ammunition (range 200/800), heavy,
reload 3, two-handed, unreliable
Hand cannon 1250 gp 4d12 piercing 30 lb. Ammunition (range 150/600), brace,
massive, reload 4, two-handed
Martial Melee Weapons
Bayonet 100 gp 1d6 piercing 2 lb. Attachment, versatile (1d8), finesse

Item Cost Weight Item Cost Weight

Ammunition Gear
Ball and powder (10) 10 gp 2 lb. Powder flask 1 gp 1 lb.
Shot and powder (10) 7 gp 2 lb. Holster belt 10 gp 1 lb.
Cannonball and powder (5) 50 gp 10 lb. Holster 1 gp -
Powder keg 5 gp 3 lb.
Cannon belt 3 gp 1 lb.
WEAPON DESCRIPTIONS
DRAGON : A dragon is a muzzle-loading pistol similar to a blunderbuss with a short,
large caliber barrel, which is flared at the muzzle. When fired, it covers the area in front
of it in a shower of shot or similar projectiles of equivalent quantity and size, but is only
effective in a very short range.
BLUNDERBUSS : A blunderbuss is a muzzle-loading rifle with a short, large caliber barrel,
which is flared at the muzzle. When fired, it covers the area in front of it in a shower of
shot or similar projectiles of equivalent quantity and size, but is only effective in a very
short range, but still further, than the dragon.
PISTOL : This firearm usually has a short barrel and commonly is used in conjuction
with a melee weapon. It may have a curved grip or a more pistol shaped grip of modern
weapons. Loaded with a solid ball of lead.
RIFLED PISTOL : Basically identical to a regular pistol, the spiraling grooves on the inside
of the barrel add a stabilizing spin to the ball, allowing it to go further more accurately.
But the ball barely fits into the snug barrel, that needs to be cleaned more frequently.
CARBINE : A shortened version of a musket, this weapon is less heavy and bulky and
ideal for use on horseback or by small folk. This comes at the price of power and range.
Loaded with a solid ball of lead.
MUSKET : This is a muzzle-loading long gun, with an undeniable amount of bulk, to be
used in hand-to-hand combat if need be. Can be loaded with a solid ball of lead or shot.
If loaded with shot, it gains the scatter property, however, since there is no flare at the
muzzle allowing a big spread, it is a line, not a cone of 30 feet.
RIFLE : In essence, this weapon is identical to a musket – the difference is the barrel
inside. Spiraling grooves have been added to the barrel, to give the ball enough spin, so
that it is stabilized and can be fired further more accurately. But these weapons take a
lot of extra care and the barrel is so tight fitting, that loading takes a longer time.
HAND CANNON : In a world with imposingly large and powerful creatures and stronger than
life individuals, there is no reason why man carried weapons didn't go the direction of
becoming larger than life too. Intended as a sort of anti-dragon and siege weapon, the
hand cannon is a small, lightweight muzzle-loaded bronze cannon with two handgrips
and a leather belt, worn over the shoulder, to brace it for being fired.
BAYONET : Putting a bladed attachment to the muzzle-socket of a two-handed firearm
allows the wearer to engage in melee without having to switch weapons, using it like a
spear. The bayonet can have various shapes, from a simple spike, to something similar
to a knife or a short sword blade.

WEAPON PROPERTIES
Many weapons have special properties related to their use, as shown in the Firearms
table.
AMMUNITION : You can use a weapon that has the ammunition property to make a ranged
attack only if you have ammunition to fire from the weapon. Each time you attack with
the weapon, you expend one piece of ammunition. Drawing the ammunition from a
quiver, case, or other container is part of the attack. In case of firearm ammunition, you
can't recover your ammo after the battle.
If you use a weapon that has the ammunition property, to make a melee attack, you treat
the weapon as an improvised weapon (see "Improvised Weapons" in the PHB).
 ATTACHMENT : Weapons with this quality are most useful when socketed in to an
appropriate weapon (i.e. a carbine, musket or rifle). If used as a weapon on it's own, it
becomes one handed melee weapon and deals slashing damage instead of piercing
damage.
BRACE : This weapon's mass and it's kickback are so overwhelming, that you need to
take a bonus action to brace this weapon, before firing. When firing, you have to pass a
DC 12 strength save or be knocked prone by the recoil. If you moved more than half your
movement range this round, you have disadvantage on your attack roll.
HEAVY : Small creatures have disadvantage on attack rolls with heavy weapons. A heavy
weapon's size and bulk make it too large for a Small creature to use effectively.
MASSIVE : Small creatures and creatures with a Strength score less than 16 can't wield
massive weapons. A massive weapon's impressive size and bulk make it too large and
heavy for small or weaker creatures to use at all.
RELOAD : Load, ram, breech – three steps to get ready for one shot. You have to spent a
number of actions indicated by the number after the reload property to get ready to fire
another shot. You can fire the weapon at the end of the last action needed to reload.
SCATTER : When firing a weapon with scatter, you make an attack against each creature
within a 30 feet cone from your position, targeted at the creature or point you shot at.
The rules for range apply to each singular target. Advantage against swarms and
creatures of the size large or bigger.
TWO-HANDED : This weapon requires two hands to be used.
UNRELIABLE : Due to factors of needing intensive care, these weapons are prone to
malfunctions and misfires. Whenever you roll a natural 1-3 with this weapon, consult
the Misfire table.

GEAR DESCRIPTIONS
POWDER FLASK : A container for powder; also used to dispense the powder into the
muzzle-loader (anything besides the hand cannon). Can be made out of metal or bovine
horn (then called powder horn). Can hold up to 10 charges of powder.
HOLSTER BELT : A belt, worn diagonally over the shoulder, made to attach one up to three
holsters for small firearms onto it.
HOLSTER : A shaped piece of leather, to hold a small firearm (i.e pistol or dragon) in
place but allowing for a quick drawing or holstering. Allows the switching between two
pistol sized weapons as a free action.
POWDER KEG : A small wooden barrel, containing larger amounts of powder. Can contain
up to 50 charges of powder for normal firearms or up to 5 charges for the hand cannon.
Can also be used as an explosive, if lit on fire with a fuse or hit with fire damage. Deals
6d8 fire damage to everyone within 20 feet.
CANNON BELT : A belt designed to help holding a specific hand cannon. Nullifies the
disadvantage due to movement when firing a hand cannon.
FEAT: GUNSLINGER
Thanks to your extensive practice with firearms, you gain the following benefits:
• The reload property of any firearm is reduced by 1 for you, to a minimum of 1.
• Being within 5 feet of a hostile creature doesn't impose disadvantage on your
ranged attack rolls.
• When you use an Attack action and attack with a one-handed melee or ranged
weapon, you can use a bonus action to attack with a loaded one-handed firearm
you are holding in your other hand or if you are carrying one in a holster on a
holster belt and have a free hand.

MISFIRING
While the possibilities of flintlock firearms are great, they are not without drawbacks. A
generally high reload time, high costs for the ammunition and a need for regular cleaning
being the most obvious ones. However there is also the risk of misfiring, with damp
powder, too much soot in the barrel from prolonged use or simple user errors.
Whenever a player rolls a natural 1 while firing, the player has to roll a d20 and
compare the result to the misfire table, to determine the exact nature of the misfire.

MISFIRE TABLE
Roll Effect
1 BOOM! The barrel is clogged or you loaded too much powder into it, turning it
into a pipe bomb. The explosion damages the barrel and a shower of shrapnels
hits everyone within 5 feet of the weapon. Roll the weapon's damage. You take
the full damage and anyone within the 5 foot radius half of the damage. The
weapon's barrel has to be replaced (50% of weapon's cost) before being usable
once more.
2-8 THUMP! There is a large cloud of smoke and a muffled sound of an explosion,
as the powder explodes without firing out the ball or shot. You have to spent an
action to clean the barrel with a DC 14 DEX check during combat, or just some
extensive cleaning out of combat before being able to fire the weapon once more.
9-18 ZZZT There is a bit of smoke and sizzling, as the charge in the breech ignites,
but the main charge does not. You have to reload once more, before you can fire
again. The already loaded shot is wasted.
19-20 ... You are not sure what happened. It ought to have fired. It really should ha-
BANG! The powder took a bit before it ignited. There is a 50/50 chance, that you
shoot at another target or just shoot into the air. The DM determines at random
the target if you shoot at another target; any target in front of you is a viable
choice, including your allies and neutral NPCs. Roll another attack roll with
disadvantage against the new target. Another natural 1 is just a miss.

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