Gifts from Earth: Firearms from 1850 to 2000 by Mark Gellis Sample file Sample file buckshot or slug rounds and 1d6 Rules and Options piercing with birdshot. Shotguns loaded with rock salt do no damage This supplement attempts to model but on a hit will stun the targeted some of the more common firearms of creature for one full turn. the last two centuries. The author has attempted to draw as much as possible Weights assume loaded weapons and from the guidelines provided in the 5th are rounded to the nearest pound (or edition Dungeon Master's Guide . The half-pound if the weight is less than 2 weapons listed in the Dungeon Master's lbs.) Ammunition is assumed to weigh 1 Guide provided enough information to lb. and cost $10 for 10 rounds; larger develop a generic scale for damage. The weapons may have heavier and more scale also corresponds fairly well with costly ammunition. the values in the d20 Modern books. For the most part, the range for each Who can use firearms? Firearms are weapon is based on what is listed in the assumed to be martial ranged weapons. Dungeon Master's Guide (pp. 267-268) Characters from worlds where firearms unless the available data for a specific are common and who can use martial weapon and/or cartridge suggested the ranged weapons will be proficient in use of some other range. Game masters them. Anyone else will have to train— may tweak these figures as necessary. the specifics are left to individual game masters—and such beings will not be It is important to remember that able to apply their proficiency bonuses Dungeons and Dragons abstracts to attacks until they have done so. combat to a degree, and does so more than many other game systems, in the Damage is mainly based on muzzle name of playability. For this reason, the energy, but other factors including bulletSample subtlefile differences that exist between size were taken into account. Generally many firearms will often drop below speaking, small caliber handguns (.25 what might be called a "horizon of ACP, .32 ACP, etc.) do 2d4 damage, most granularity." In Dungeons and Dragons, other handguns (9mm. Parabellum, .45 for example, two pistols that real world ACP, etc.) do 2d6; many shotguns and shooters could spend hours discussing, rifles, and a few large caliber handguns debating how a few extra ounces or how (e.g., .44 Magnum) do 2d8. More a difference in barrel length can affect powerful rifles do 2d10, and the very accuracy, or how different types of largest hunting rifles (and heavy ammunition (soft-nosed, armor-piercing, machine guns) do 2d12. etc.) might affect damage, are, in game terms, almost identical. This is neither 12 gauge, 16 gauge, 20 gauge, and 28 good nor bad; it is just the way Dungeons gauge shotguns all do 2d8 piercing with and Dragons handles such things. buckshot or slug rounds and 1d8 piercing with birdshot. 10 gauge shotguns do To add greater realism without 2d10 piercing with buckshot or slug complicating things too much, one can rounds and 1d10 piercing with birdshot use a variation on the rules for massive .410 shotguns do 2d6 piercing with damage (DMG, p. 273) to model serious Gellis: Gifts from Earth Page 3 bleeding. Whenever a creature takes rules for shooting at distant targets still massive damage, rather than rolling the apply). This stacks with bipods, tripods, result on the table provided in the DMG, or mounts. one may simply assume the creature is bleeding at a dangerous rate and will In the unlikely event that adventurers lose 1 additional HP per minute until it are using and/or being attacked with receives appropriate medical care. heavy artillery, one can scale up the kind Details are determined on a case-by- of damage created by grenades. The case basis by the game master; care can shell or warhead creates a blast radius include surgery, first aid, healing spells, of piercing damage; creatures within the etc. If a creature drops to 0 HP due to blast radius must make a DC 15 Dexterity bleeding, it dies from blood loss. saving throw to take half damage. If one has to calculate damage from warheads Differences in the quality of individual larger than one pound (i.e., a grenade weapons can be modeled by applying a that does 5d6 piercing with a 20-foot modifier (+1 for well-made weapons or -1 blast radius), one may assume damage for poorly made or badly maintained increases by 1d and blast radius by 5 feet ones in most cases; +2 or -2 can be used according to the following progression: in special cases) to appropriate attack 2-3.9 lbs., 4-7.9 lbs., 8-19 lbs., 20-39 lbs., and/or ability rolls. Specific details are and so on. left to individual game masters. In other words, a round from a three- Taking a full turn to aim before firing inch naval gun or an 81mm mortar will at an unsuspecting, unconscious, or normally do 8d6 piercing with a blast otherwise helpless target allows you to radius of 35 feet. A 105mm howitzer double your proficiency bonus on your round will normally do 9d6 piercing next attack. (Optionally, a game master damage with a blast radius of 40 feet. may let the character have advantageSample on Afile five-inch naval gun round will normally the attack roll rather than doubling his do 10d6 piercing with a blast radius of or her proficiency bonus.) A laser sight 45 feet. A 155mm. howitzer round will ($250, 0.25 lb.) provides this bonus normally do 11d6 piercing damage with a without requiring one to aim. blast radius of 50 feet. A 1,000- lb. bomb Adding a silencer to a firearm ($1,000, or a missile with a 1,000-lb. warhead will 1 lb.) means that other creatures will be normally do 14d6 piercing damage with at disadvantage to make a Perception a blast radius of 65 feet. As the ranges roll to hear the firearm being used. for artillery pieces and missiles can vary enormously, game masters should use A bipod ($100, 2 lbs.) on a suitable the ranges listed in standard reference weapon will increase ranges by 50% (if a works. weapon requires a bipod, tripod, or to be mounted, this is listed and included in One can calculate other effects by the cost and weight). This stacks with assuming that a 1-lb. block of high telescopic scopes. explosives not designed to create fragments will do 3d6 bludgeoning Using a telescopic scope on a weapon damage with a blast radius of 5 feet. ($500, 1 lb.) doubles its ranges (normal Larger blasts can be calculated using Gellis: Gifts from Earth Page 4 the same progression employed above radiation (radiant damage) will extend for fragmentation damage (e.g., a 10-lb. three times as far. Apply all relevant bomb made with high explosives will do damage types depending on distance 6d6 bludgeoning damage and have a from "ground zero." For example, a 15- blast radius of 20 feet). The exception kiloton nuclear weapon ( 30,000,000 is land mines that rely on blast effects; lbs. of explosives) would produce 25d6 these lack a blast radius because they of bludgeoning damage to 1,000 ft., 25d6 are pointed upwards. of poison damage to 2,000 ft., and 25d6 of radiant damage to 3,000 ft. All hits Anti-tank weapons using shaped charge within half of the innermost blast radius (e.g., HEAT) warheads will do double fire (500 ft. in this case) will automatically be damage against the target they actually critical hits (i.e., a total of 150d6 or 50d6 hit and a reduced blast (half damage) to of each of the three kinds of damage). it and any surrounding targets. Sabot All creatures in the radii of effect can rounds will do 1d8 piercing per 5mm of make a DC 15 Dexterity saving throw to caliber, with all fractions rounded down take half damage, not that it will (e.g., a 37mm anti-tank gun does 7d8 probably matter very much. piercing). It is beyond the scope of this short Incendiary explosives (e.g., napalm) do supplement to provide rules for every the same damage and have the same possible special circumstance related blast radius as regular explosives but do to firearms and/or explosives (vacuum, fire damage instead of bludgeoning underwater, swallowed by a dragon, damage. etc.). Enjoy your research. One option for creating magical versions It is unlikely that one will ever need to of weapons is to change the damage convert dollars into gold pieces. It may type. There is no reason, for example,Sample befile assumed, however, that in terms of why the bullets from a magic revolver what one can buy, a gold piece is roughly could not do acid or radiant damage equal to $100. A pound of silver, using instead of piercing damage. this scale, is worth $500. Because someone will eventually ask about this, the approach does break down somewhat at the level of nuclear weapons. One can still calculate the damage (bludgeoning, poison, and radiant) by using warhead yield, but use reference works, etc. to determine radii of effect; these can vary quite a bit due to detonation altitude and other factors. For simplicity, one may round radii to the nearest thousand feet and assume that radiation (poison damage) will extend twice as far as concussive blast effects (bludgeoning damage) and that thermal Gellis: Gifts from Earth Page 5 Simple Ranged Weapon Cost Damage Weight Notes Mills Bomb $40 5d6 1.5 lbs.