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Medieval Firearms an Equipment Supplement for D&D by Ben Mowbray

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Medieval Firearms an Equipment Supplement for D&D by Ben Mowbray MEDIEVAL FIREARMS AN EQUIPMENT SUPPLEMENT FOR D&D BY BEN MOWBRAY Firearms have historically been a part of medieval on the die, and early renaissance firearms misfire warfare since the early 14th century and became on a roll of 1 to 2 on the die. commonly found on the battlefield through the high If a firearm misfires, the shot automatically middle ages and early renaissance periods that misses, and the shooter takes the weapon’s fantasy worlds often portray. damage dice in fire damage, which can be reduced This document is meant to introduce early fire- to half damage with a successful DC 12 Dexterity arms into your D&D game. Just as in the real world, check. For example, if you are firing an arquebus these weapons come with advantages and draw- and roll a 1 on your attack roll, you take 1d12 fire backs. damage, or half on a successful DC 12 Dexterity The statistics presented here for the pistol and save. In addition, the weapon is jammed and must musket are earlier versions of those found under be properly cleared which takes 10 minutes of “Firearms”, from chapter 9, “Dungeon Master’s work, or can instead be repaired instantly by cast- Workshop”, of the Dungeon Master’s Guide. ing a mending spell on the weapon. FIREARMS EXPLOSIVES Firearms slowly evolved during the mid to late me- In addition to Gunpowder, as described under dieval periods and gradually rose to prominence. “Explosives”, in chapter 9, “Dungeon Master’s Workshop”, of the Dungeon Master’s Guide, Black- MEDIEVAL FIREARMS powder is used in more primitive firearms. Medieval firearms are both experimental and tem- peramental, attempts att miniaturising blackpow- BLACKPOWDER der artillery designs such as bombards. They are Blackpowder is a primitive form of gunpowder inaccurate, cumbersome, and prone to misfire, and which is both less explosive and less reliable than yet, are inexpensive, can be quickly learned and the gunpowder used in later firearms. Blackpowder moved about on the battlefield. is used to propel the shot from medieval firearms. Setting fire to a container full of blackpowder can EARLY RENAISSANCE FIREARMS cause it to explode, dealing fire damage to crea- Gunpowder mixes were greatly improved by the Sampletures file within 10 feet of it (2d6 for a powder horn, dawn of the renaissance, as were the firing mech- 6d6 for a keg). A successful DC 12 Dexterity saving anisms used in firearms. However, plate armour throw halves the damage. Setting fire to an ounce was still being fielded by heavily armed knights and of blackpowder causes it to flare for 1 round, shed- larger, more cumbersome weapons were used in ding bright light in a 20-foot radius and dim light order to penetrate their armour. for an additional 20 feet. The renaissance firearms presented in the Dun- geon Master’s Guide are from the late renaissance NEW WEAPON PROPERTIES to revolutionary period, and use a better firing mechanism called a flintlock and a more effec- Firearms have several special properties not de- tive mixture of gunpowder that greatly reduces scribed under “Weapon Properties”, in chapter 5, the chance of misfiring. The musket by then had “Equipment”, of the Player’s Handbook. shrunk in size due to the fact that heavy armour Braced. This weapon requires a weapon brace was no longer being used on the battlefield. to fire without disadvantage on attack rolls. If you have a Strength of 17 or more, you can ignore this MISFIRES requirement. Blackpowder and gunpowder are volatile materials Inaccurate. This weapon is not reliably accu- in the best of conditions, but during the heat of bat- rate. You suffer disadvantage on attacks with the tle, can become outright dangerous. Combined with weapon, even if you are proficient with it, unless the primitive state of early firearm designs, there is you are within 20 feet of your target. a risk that the gunner may experience a misfire and Long loading. This weapon takes a long time to become injured. load and requires specialised equipment. You can Whenever an early firearm is fired, there is a only ever fire this weapon once in a round. Further- chance that it will misfire. This chance is deter- more, the weapon can only be reloaded by spend- mined by the result of an attack roll before modifi- ing both your action and movement in the following ers. Medieval firearms misfire on a result of 1 to 3 round. These costs do not need to be consecutive. 2 FIREARM WEAPONS Adventuring Gear Descriptions of medieval and early renaissance fire- This section describes items that have special rules arms have been provided below, mostly to familiar- or notes of import. ise the reader. Bandolier. This is a leather strap worn over the Arquebus. A small-calibre matchlock firearm with shoulder with 24 wooden tubes attached by cord a stock braced against the stomach or shoulder. which hold the exact powder charge required when Fire Lance. A primitive gunpowder weapon con- reloading a firearm. Using a bandolier reduces the sisting of a long tube with a touch hole. The fire tube time required to reload a firearm with the Long uses pound of black powder and the target must Loading weapon quality to a single action, freeing make a DC 10 Dexterity check or catch fire. If on up the user’s movement. fire, the target takes 1d4 fire damage at the start of Gonner’s Kit. This includes a set of ramrods and each of its turns but can spend an action to extin- tools for cleaning, maintaining and loading firearms. guish the flames to make a DC 10 Dexterity check. Keg, Powder. A powder keg weighs 5 lb. empty Hackbut. A heavier handgonne with a hook for and holds up to 20 lb. of blackpowder or gunpowder. bracing. Hand Culverin. A portable one-man cannon. Handgonne. A primitive firearm consisting of a EXPLOSIVES barrel of reinforced iron holding a charge of powder Item Cost Weight and a stone or iron ball. The bore and weapon Blackpowder, keg 300 gp 20 lb. length can vary greatly. Blackpowder, powder horn 45 gp 2 lb. Musket. A heavy matchlock longarm almost six feet in length which is designed to defeat plate armour and requires a brace to use effectively. ADVENTURING GEAR Pistol. A small-calibre firearm around two feet in Item Cost Weight length which uses a matchlock firing mechanism. Bandolier 5 5 lb. Pot De Fer. A weapon consisting of a flash-shaped Gonner's kit 3 gp 5 lb. bell of barrelled iron from which a heavy, four foot Holster, pistol 8 sp 1 lb. long arrow called a quarrel is fired. Keg, powder 5 sp 5 lb. Powder horn 5 gp 1 lb. Shoulder belt, arquebus 12 sp 2 lb Slow-burning match 3 gp — Weapon brace 1 gp 3 lb. EARLY FIREARMS Medieval Items Cost Damage Weight Properties Martial Ranged Weapons Sample file Fire lance 65 gp 2d6 fire 10 lb. Ammunition (range 20), inaccurate, loading, two-handed Hackbut, heavy 150 gp 2d8 piercing 25 lb. Ammunition (range 40/120), braced, inaccurate, long loading, two- handed Hackbut, light 110 gp 2d6 piercing 9 lb. Ammunition (range 30/90), inaccurate, long loading, two-handed Hand culverin 125 gp 3d4 bludgeoning 12 lb. Ammunition (range 30/90), inaccurate, long loading, two-handed Handgonne 80 gp 2d4 bludgeoning 8 lb. Ammunition (range 20/60), inaccurate, long loading, two-handed Handgonne, short 50 gp 1d6 bludgeoning 5 lb. Ammunition (range 20/60), inaccurate, long loading, two-handed Pot de fer 60 gp 2d6 piercing 20 lb. Ammunition (range 30/90), inaccurate, long loading, two-handed Ammunition Quarrel 1 gp — 4 lb. — Shot, hand culverin (3) 2 gp — 1 lb. — Shot, handgonne (5) 2 gp — 1 lb. — Shot, heavy hackbut (10) 2 gp — 1 lb. — Shot, light hackbut (14) 2 gp — 1 lb. — Early Renaissance Items Cost Damage Weight Properties Martial Ranged Weapons Arquebus 300 gp 1d12 piercing 9 lb. Ammunition (range 40/120), long loading, two-handed Musket 400 gp 2d8 piercing 18 lb. Ammunition (range 50/150), braced, long loading, two-handed Pistol 200 gp 1d10 piercing 3 lb. Ammunition (range 30/90), long loading Ammunition Shot, arquebus (16) 2 gp — 1 lb. — Shot, musket (10) 2 gp — 1 lb. — Shot, pistol (24) 2 gp — 1 lb. — 3.
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