Sample file Introduction ragons and orcs and goblins and fiends. Swords and shields and wands and magic. We've seen it all, in fantasy setting after fantasy setting. Some Sidebar: Forgotten Realms like to spice up their settings by adding black By the will of Gond, deity of crafting and smithing, powder weapons, advancing the timeline from the chemical compound that we on Earth know as "ambiguous medieval period" to "ambiguous gunpowder does not function in the Forgotten DRenaissance period" with the introduction of Realms. Other sources say that it was Mystra, cannons and flintlock weaponry. The way of the gun can goddess of magic, whose power prevented the become a mythic art in these worlds, treated with the kind of function of gunpowder. romantic reverence usually afforded to knights in shining In lieu of gunpowder, enterprising organizations armor. have developed a semi-magical alternative called But not all players are interested in mixing firearms and smokepowder. Depending on your campaign's fantasy. The introduction of black powder weaponry in the version of arcane science or your interpretation of real world led to numerous changes to society and warfare, the Forgotten Realms, the technologies presented and not everyone is interested in the ramifications that black in this book could be based on smokepowder. For instance, the attuned runelance described in powder has for a fantasy setting. This supplement presents a Chapter One, Part One could rely on specially hypothetical progression of magical arms, from an advanced formulated smokepowder charges to provide the staff called a runelance all the way to muskets and grenades magical potential energy needed to fire the that might look more familiar and accessible to a modern weapon. Similarly, the grenades presented in this reader, all without delving into the complications or tonal book could be enchanted ceramic or metallic dissonance brought by black powder. spheres, filled with smokepowder and other alchemical compounds that serve as catalysts for How Can I Use This Book? the grenade's effect. The hand cannon and its descendents, described in Chapter One, Part Three You might use this product to expand or progress the timeline and Part Four, use paper cartridges containing and history of your favorite setting. You might skip straight magical components; in the Forgotten Realms, ahead to the discovery of modern runearms and drop them smokepowder could be the essential ingredient right in to a campaign world. Maybe these weapons are not that allows these weapons to function. modern at all, but forgotten products of an ancient age that The degree to which Gond and the other gods of are just now resurfacing in the world. Perhaps you discard all Toril are amenable to these new weapons of war is the flavor text entirely, and convert these new weapons into a up to you. black powder arsenal! That's fine, too! However you use this information, it is my hope that you will enjoy the speculative fiction and the new character options presented herein. Contents Chapter One begins on the next page, and outlines a fictional history of a fantasy world that developed magical weapons which are commonly called runearms or firearms. This history is broken up into four distinct periods. Chapter Two begins on page 6, and introduces the actual mechanics and descriptions of runearms, spanning the different periods of their technological development. Chapter Three begins on page 20, and offers a variety of new character archetypes for a world of runearms and other magical technologies. Chapter Four begins on page 37, and offers guidelines and variant rules for running a campaign in a world where firearms Sampleare commonplace. file Chapter Five on page 49 is a short glossary that looks at the origins of real-world terminology for weapons and firearms in order to help you better apply these terms to your fantasy world. 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 lancer 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 aSamplegainst the piercing of arrows and the chopping of file blades, but was poorly suited to defend against bursts of searing magical flame. In addition, the chaos created by 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 | PART ONE 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 Sidebar: Eberron followed. Eventually, around the same time that magewrights The history of man-portable arcane weaponry in the and artificers were perfecting the runelance, they were able world of Eberron begins with the siege staff and to create finely-crafted runestones, akin to the Energy Rune the arcaneer. Siege staffs were arcane artillery that stones of the fire lance, that could be used by themselves. saw use during the Last War, but they still required They were not perfectly stable, and were dangerous to store a spellcaster to operate. Arcaneers, colloquially in large quantities, but these thunder bombs were powerful referred to as wandslingers, were soldiers trained and excellent for causing confusion in enemy ranks and even to channel magic through an arcane focus item, disrupting cavalry charges. such as a wand, rod, orb, or staff. Arcaneers were The first stable runestones that held Thunderclap spells incapable of using magic without these tools.