Sample file A Complete History: Preview Edition ragons and orcs and goblins and fiends. Swords and shields and wands and magic. We've seen it Full Version Contents all, in fantasy setting after fantasy setting. Some Chapter One outlines a fictional history of a fantasy world like to spice up their settings by adding black that developed magical weaponry, commonly called powder weapons, advancing the timeline from runearms or firearms. This history is broken up into four "ambiguous medieval period" to "ambiguous distinct periods, the first of which is available in this Renaissance period" with the introduction of D preview. cannons and weaponry. The way of the gun can become a mythic art in these worlds, treated with the kind of Chapter Two introduces the actual mechanics and romantic reverence usually afforded to knights in shining descriptions of runearms, spanning the different periods of armor. their technological development. The proto-runearm But not all players are interested in mixing firearms and known as the runelance is available in this preview, as are fantasy. The introduction of black powder weaponry in the the earliest spellstone grenades. real world led to numerous changes to society and warfare, Chapter Three is available in the full version and offers a and not everyone is interested in the ramifications that black variety of new character archetypes for a world of powder has for a fantasy setting. This supplement presents a runearms and other magical technologies. hypothetical progression of magical arms, from an advanced staff called a runelance all the way to and grenades Chapter Four is available in the full version and offers that might look more familiar and accessible to a modern guidelines and variant rules for running a campaign in a reader, all without delving into the complications or tonal world where firearms are commonplace. dissonance brought by black powder. Chapter Five is a short glossary, available in the full version that looks at the origins of real-world terminology for What's in This Preview? weapons and firearms in order to help you better apply This preview contains the first part of Chapter One, giving these terms to your fantasy world. you an idea of the history and lore present in the full version. It includes the rules for the runelance, a new arcane weapon that can fire bolts of magical energy by using expensive charges. It also includes the rules for an unattuned runelance, which can be used by spellcasters as an arcane focus. Using special runestones, a spellcaster can enhance their spells by casting them through the runelance. The full version of this book includes over 50 new runic weapons, including rifles, hand mortars, and grenades, which are all fully compatible with Matthew Mercer's Gunslinger Martial Archetype. The full version of this book also includes seven new archetypes, as well as suggestions for campaign concepts and variant rules.

Sample file

INTRODUCTION 1 Chapter One: From Runelance to Rifle ver since nations clashed on the battlefield, Fire lances were also useful during attacks on certain they always sought technological structures, as their magical flames quickly ignited dry dominance: the strongest armor, the wooden palisades or thatched roofs. However, in many cases deadliest weapons. In a world of magic, there was still an advantage to using flaming arrows of wizards and other spellcasters always have various types, as the arrows could be fired in an arc, while the the upper hand. One well-trained fire lance had a completely flat trajectory. Espellcaster is a living piece of artillery, reshaping the battlefield to their whims. Even without their Development and Variations most powerful spells, casters can use cantrips, and while no Eventually, as the process of enchanting runelances and cantrip has the range of a longbow, the effects of these spells creating Energy Runes was streamlined, variations on the fire are considerably greater. lance started to come into use. The acid lance, or caustic lance, for example, fired the Acid Splash cantrip, and could Part One: The Runelance be used to target massed groups of soldiers. However, its shorter range made it difficult to deploy except as a last- Changing the Face of War resort defensive weapon. The first step toward a man-portable magic weapon was the Other weapons developed included the ice lance, or frost runelance. Essentially a long staff, broader on one end, the lance, which fired Ray of Frost. This could be used to chill runelance was a specialized arcane focus item, allowing and slow oncoming enemies, and created great discomfort spellcasters to modify spells in new ways. The runelance’s among enemy soldiers. The bone lance, as it was commonly broad end had a divot carved out which allowed for the called, could target a foe with Chill Touch. Necrotic energy insertion of runestones. These runestones augmented the caused wounds to fester and linger, and the spectral, skeletal magic channeled through the lance. The most common runes hands generated by the spell were devastating to enemy were: morale. Double Rune, which duplicated the channeled spell Far Rune, which increased the spell's distance Limitations of the Runelance Piercing Rune, which made the spell harder to resist One challenge of the runelance is that the attuned version Power Rune, which strengthened the spell's effect had no trigger mechanism. While a spellcaster using a Time Rune, which enhanced the spell's duration runelance as an arcane focus could cast a spell through it as an act of will, a non-spellcaster wielding a fire lance did not The next technological leap was a specially-crafted have that luxury. After loading the lance with an Energy runelance, comprised of exotic wood and treated with Rune, the had only a moment to aim and fire before magically-resonant oils. These runelances were enchanted, the weapon discharged of its own volition. attuned to a single spell. With a new type of runestone, an As a result, these weapons were commonly operated by Energy Rune, a non-spellcaster could, for the first time, two-person teams: one person to hold and aim the weapon launch a single cantrip by wielding the lance. Each shot and the other to load it. required its own Energy Rune stone, which meant that firing these weapons was costly, and ammunition was time- consuming and expensive to create. Energy Rune stones The Thunder Grenade came to be known simply as charges. While working on perfecting man-portable magical weaponry, Since the runelance could only accept a single rune, this another discovery was made. Certain cantrips lend meant that non-spellcasters were limited to the “default” themselves to being used in a manner akin to longbows or versions of cantrips. As one of the common cantrips in use crossbows, but others, such as Sword Burst and was Fire Bolt, these became commonly known as fire lances, Thunderclap, create effects that surround the caster. fire canes, or fire staffs. Artificers and generals alike were interested in bringing these types of spells to the battlefield, in hopes of decimating The Fire Lance in War massed armies and shattering city walls with thundering blows. Fire lances were generally used defensively, fired as a last line of defense before armies charged a gate or wall. Common armor in use at the time provided a measure of protection against the piercing of arrows and the chopping of blades, but was poorly suited to defend against bursts of searinSampleg magical flame. In addition, the chaos created by file gouts of fire was disruptive to enemy morale, and fire lances could be used in conjunction with flammable pitch to quickly spread fire across a battlefield.

CHAPTER ONE | PREVIEW 2 The first spellstones were created through a labor-intensive and expensive process that allowed for the enchantment of a catapult or trebuchet stone. Enchanted ballista bolts soon followed. Eventually, around the same time that magewrights and artificers were perfecting the runelance, they were able to create finely-crafted runestones, akin to the Energy Rune stones of the fire lance, that could be used by themselves. They were not perfectly stable, and were dangerous to store in large quantities, but these thunder bombs were powerful and excellent for causing confusion in enemy ranks and even disrupting cavalry charges. The first stable runestones that held Thunderclap spells shattered upon impact, releasing the spell and peppering the area with tiny stone fragments. These fragments reminded soldiers of the seeds of a fruit, such as a pomegranate, and so the handheld bombs gained the nickname “grenades.”

Sample file

CHAPTER ONE | PREVIEW 3 Chapter Two: The Runearm in Play cross the ages, these magical marvels known as Explosive runearms evolved to fill a variety of roles for A runearm with the explosive property deals damage to the adventurers creeping through dungeons, target and has a “splash damage” effect to squares in a radius hunters stalking through the woods, and around the target. A weapon will indicate its splash damage soldiers facing off on the battlefield. The and effect radius in the parentheses after the explosive following pages introduce all the rules and property. Creatures in the splash damage area can attempt a Amechanics you need to introduce these Dexterity saving throw to avoid taking damage. powerful weapons into your game. The rules in this chapter Grenades deal no initial damage to a struck target but are based on, and are compatible with, the rules presented in create an explosive burst that affects all targets in range. Matthew Mercer's Gunslinger Martial Archetype. Firing Modes A weapon with the firing modes property can alter the area of Weapon Properties its effect, most commonly by rotating a glyph-covered ring New weapon properties are described below. Some weapon fitted around the outside of the weapon’s barrel. For the types require targets to make saving throws. The DC for scattergun, this ring is called a choke. The available firing these saving throws is equal to 8 + the wielder’s proficiency modes for a weapon are indicated in parentheses after this bonus + the wielder’s Dexterity modifier. property. A weapon’s firing mode can be changed by a proficient user as a bonus . Accurate The thorn and the manticore are rare weapons that Frost incorporate magic similar to the Magic Missile spell, and A runearm with the frost property causes targets that take their shots are guided toward their targets. Weapon attacks damage to have their speed reduced by 10 ft until the start of made at close range have advantage, and a wielder of these the wielder’s next turn. weapons does not receive disadvantage on long range attacks. Incendiary A flammable object hit by this weapon's attack ignites if the Bombard object is not worn or carried. A bombard weapon must be fired at a high arc. If such a weapon is fired in an area with insufficient vertical clearance, Line its range is halved. A weapon with the line property indicates that it deals damage in a 5 ft wide line of the indicated length, extending Brilliant from the wielder’s square. Weapons fired in a line require Runearms that deal radiant damage can cause targets to be creatures in the area to make Dexterity saving throws to dazzled by the brilliant light fired from the weapon. A target avoid taking damage. that takes damage from a brilliant weapon takes a -2 to attack rolls if they rely on sight. This penalty lasts until the start of Misfire the wielder’s next turn. Whenever you make an attack roll with a runearm and the dice roll is equal to or lower than the weapon's misfire score, Cone the weapon misfires. The attack misses, and the weapon A weapon with the cone property indicates that it deals cannot be used again until you spend an action to try and damage in cone of the indicated length, extending from the repair it. wielder’s square. Weapons fired in a cone require creatures To repair your runearm, you must make a successful in the area to make Dexterity saving throws to avoid taking Tinker’s Tools check (DC equal to 8 + misfire score). If your damage. check fails, the weapon is broken and must be mended out of combat at a quarter of the cost of the runearm. Creatures Corrosive who use a runearm without being proficient increase the A target struck by a corrosive weapon takes additional acid weapon’s misfire score by 1. damage, indicated in parentheses, at the end of its next turn. Reload Enervating The weapon can be fired a number of times equal to its A target struck by a weapon with the enervating property reload score before you must spend one action or one attack cannot regain Hit Points until the start of the wielder’s next to reload. You must have one free hand to reload a runearm. turn. Some weapons have the reload (slow) property, which Samplemeans that for every shot fired, ofilene action or one attack is required to fully reload the weapon. This applies to experimental weapons with multiple barrels, such as the chimera or the hydra.

CHAPTER TWO | PREVIEW 4 Oversized A weapon with the oversized property is too large to be wielded by creatures of Medium size or smaller, and imposes Sidebar: Reloading and Misfiring disadvantage on all attack rolls made with the weapon. A Unless otherwise specified in the weapon's Medium or smaller creature wielding such a weapon can only properties, all runearms across every period, make attack rolls at targets within the weapon’s close range, including the attuned runelance, have the as the weapon becomes completely inaccurate at longer properties reload 1, misfire 1, meaning that a ranges. wielder has to spend one attack or one action to A weapon with the oversized property can be steadied by reload the weapon after a single shot, and the resting the barrel of the gun atop a stationary firing platform, weapon misfires when rolling a 1 on an attack roll. which then allows the weapon to be fired normally. Weapons of this type are commonly used for defense, as they can be rested atop a wall or fired from a loophole (arrowslit). Versatile A versatile runearm works differently than a versatile melee weapon. A runearm with the versatile property can be wielded in two hands for a significant increase in effective range. The numbers in parentheses following the versatile property indicate the weapon’s new range if it is wielded in two hands.

Sample file

CHAPTER TWO | PREVIEW 5 The Runelance Weapon Cost Damage Weight Properties Runelance (attuned) 400 gp Special 12 lb. Ammunition (charges), heavy, misfire 2, two-handed Charge (Fire Bolt) 50 gp 1d10 fire 1/2 lb. Incendiary, range (120/--) Charge (Ray of Frost) 50 gp 1d10 cold 1/2 lb. Frost, range (60/--) Charge (Chill Touch) 50 gp 1d8 necrotic 1/2 lb. Enervating, range (120/--) Charge (Acid Splash) 50 gp 1d6 acid 1/2 lb. Explosive (1d6, one adjacent target), range (60/--)

Early Spellstone Grenades Weapon Cost Weight Properties Thunder Grenade 75 gp 3/4 lb. Explosive (1d6 thunder, 5 ft) Sword Burst Grenade 75 gp 3/4 lb. Explosive (1d6 force, 5 ft) Light Stone 50 gp 3/4 lb. Special

Early Arcane Weaponry Sword Burst Grenade This weapon can be thrown, and it explodes on contact, The early years of arcane weapons research were fruitful but releasing a cloud of spectral blades. All creatures within 5 were limited to duplicating the effects of the weakest spells in feet of an exploding sword burst grenade can attempt a DC existence. Still, the attuned runelance was a marvel of 12 Dexterity saving throw to avoid taking damage. magical engineering that would eventually develop into the arquebus, the , and the runelock rifle. These advanced Light Stone weapons can be found in the full version of this book. This grenade is used to illuminate enemy positions. Upon impact, the light stone activates, providing bright illumination Runelance (attuned) out to 20 feet and dim illumination for another 20 feet An attuned runelance is designed to fire a single cantrip, beyond that. An activated light stone lasts for 1 minute before either Fire Bolt, Ray of Frost, Chill Touch, or Acid Splash. burning out. The runelance has no effect on its own and requires a matching charge in order to be fired. A charge is consumed after a single shot. Putting the wrong charge in an attuned runelance has no effect. An attuned runelance that misfires causes the charge to be Sidebar: Grenades wasted, but the weapon itself is so simple that generally no As an action, a character can throw a grenade at a harm is done when it misfires and the weapon can point up to 60 feet away. immediately be used again. As an optional rule, if a character is not proficient with simple weapons, the range of a Thunder Grenade grenade is halved, as they are not able to accurately This weapon can be thrown, and it explodes on contact into a throw it beyond 30 feet. stunning and cacaphonous burst of thunder. All creatures within 5 feet of an exploding thunder grenade can attempt a DC 12Sample Dexterity saving throw to avoid taking damage. file

CHAPTER TWO | PREVIEW 6 The Runelance Focus Weapon Cost Weight Properties Runelance (arcane focus) 100 gp 12 lb. Special Double Rune 35 gp 1/2 lb. Special Far Rune 35 gp 1/2 lb. Special Piercing Rune 55 gp 1/2 lb. Special Power Rune 50 gp 1/2 lb. Special Time Rune 20 gp 1/2 lb. Special

Runelance (Arcane Focus) Power Rune An unattuned runelance is, like the attuned version, a large When a cantrip that deals damage is cast through a two-handed staff-like implement about the size of a glaive or runelance with a Power Rune, the caster can re-roll up to two halberd. An unattuned runelance is able to accept spell of the spell's damage dice. The result of the re-roll must be modifier runestones which allow a spellcaster to enhance the used. The Power Rune does not burn out if no dice are re- effects of their cantrips. Even without runestones, a sorcerer, rolled. warlock, or wizard can use a runelance as an arcane focus. If artificers exist in your campaign, they can use a Time Rune runelance as well. Some artificers or enchanters are able to When a cantrip with a duration of 1 minute or longer is cast create extravagant custom runelances, attuned only to their through a runelance with a Time Rune, that cantrip's person and unusable by any other caster. Sometimes these duration is doubled. personal runelances were smaller than the standard runelance, but still had to be wielded with two hands. Any rune used in the runelance burns out after modifying a single spell. Double Rune When a cantrip that deals damage is cast through a runelance with a Double Rune, you can target a second creature within range with the same cantrip. The cantrip must target only one creature and cannot have a range of self. Far Rune When a cantrip that deals damage is cast through a runelance with a Far Rune, that cantrip's range is doubled. If the cantrip has a range of touch, the cantrip's range increases to 30 feet. This rune has no effect on a cantrip with a range of self. Piercing Rune When a cantrip that requires a saving throw is cast through a runelance with a Piercing Rune, one target of the cantrip receives disadvantage on its first saving throw made against the spell. Sample file

CHAPTER TWO | PREVIEW 7 Credits & Legal Stuff Some artwork © Forrest Imel. Some artwork © 2015 Dean Spencer, used with permission. All rights reserved. Publisher’s Choice Quality Art © Rick Hershey / Fat Goblin Games. Halfling sapper and elven . Original art by Aly Toy (@gloomygamer). This product was prepared using the Homebrewery, accessed at https://homebrewery.naturalcrit.com.

Thanks to all my friends and supporters, especially @negsquareroot, @esk_100, @MrPuddins, @Hypermycotic, and @GalenKuro, and special thanks to my loving and encouraging wife.

DUNGEONS & DRAGONS, D&D, Wizards of the Coast, Forgotten Realms, Ravenloft, Eberron, the dragon ampersand, Ravnica and all other Wizards of the Coast product names, and their respective logos are trademarks of Wizards of the Coast in the USA and other countries. This work contains material that is copyright Wizards of the Coast and/or other authors. Such material is used with permission under the Community Content Agreement for Dungeon Masters Guild. All other original material in this work is copyright 2019 by Ian Lambert-Brown and published under the Community Content Agreement for Dungeon Masters Guild.

If you enjoyed this preview, please check out the full version!

Sample file

CREDITS & LEGAL STUFF 8