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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 are commonplace. Chapter Five on page 49 is a short glossary that looks at the origSampleins of real-world terminology for weapons and firearms file 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 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 | 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. shattered upon impact, releasing the spell and peppering the The runelance in Eberron was a bulky but area with tiny stone fragments. These fragments reminded effective defensive weapon, allowing arcaneers to soldiers of the seeds of a fruit, such as a pomegranate, and so fire spells with greater power and range. On the battlefields of the Last War, it saw minimal use due the handheld bombs gained the nickname “grenades.” to its size and cost, and these elements, common to both the attuned and unattuned versions made it an unpopular item among adventurers and non- Part Two: Bigger is Better spellcasting soldiers. However, as in other worlds Solving the Range Problem of magic, the runelance and the siege staff would From the earliest development of the runelance, the biggest eventually give way to smaller, more convenient obstacle to practical battlefield use of these weapons was armaments. their limited range. A spellcaster with a runelance focus could employ a Far Rune to boost the range of a Fire Bolt but an average runelancer could do no such thing. Artificers and magewrights worked tirelessly to improve the range of these Early cannons suffered from the same problem as the weapons and attempted to integrate the magic of the Far runelance: they had no trigger mechanism. The only way to Rune into the construction of the lances themselves. Every fire one was to load it, and once loaded, it was immediately attempt was met with failure. going to fire by consuming the components and the energy Artificers eventually began to speculate if weaving these from the runestone charge. The burnt-out runestone could enchantments might be more suited to a larger delivery then be removed from the barrel of the cannon, allowing it to system, similar to how large siege weapons can withstand be reloaded. massive amounts of tension, enabling them to launch projectiles at greater ranges. The Cannon, Improved Arcane engineers set to work, constructing giant staves out As artificers sought to create more durable cannons, they of tree trunks and attempting to enchant them with powerful began to cast them out of metals such as bronze or iron. magic. The engineers moved beyond simply trying to Casting such weapons, rather than trying to carve them, gave duplicate cantrips and instead set out to create original the engineers the ability to create them to more precise arcane weaponry. specifications. Newer cannons were cast with a separate breech cover that attached to the main body of the weapon Cannons and Cartridges with a sturdy hinge. The breech was built so that it would Just as many spells require certain material components, the accept either the component cartridge or the runestone engineers found that to create a stable weapon they would charge, while the other firing component was inserted into need to provide such components to power each shot. Large the barrel of the cannon. stones and crystals were used, engraved with Energy Runes The breech could be left open until the weapon was ready and enchanted, while components were bundled into paper to be fired, at which point the breech would be closed. With packages called cartridges. The simplest way to put all this the breech closed, the completed weapon, the charge, and the together and allow the components and the charge rune component cartridge were all in contact with one another, stones to contact the weapon was at first to create divots in and the spell energy would be released. It was not necessary the oversized staff, placing the measured components in one to have the cannon be completely hollow, but they remained and the charge rune in the other. this way in order to use reduce the amount of metal and to Due to the massive amounts of magic involved, this created make the barrels easier to clean. discharges of energy, and it was decided to hollow out the giant staff, and insert the components and charge runestone inside it. This created a large tube and allowed the weapon to contain the discharge. These large, hollow siege staffs becamSamplee known as cannons. file

CHAPTER ONE | PART TWO 3 Part Three: Hand Cannon The Arquebus Attempts were made by artificers and engineers to The Runelock Revolution streamline these hand cannons, and the greatest success in As cannon technology improved, artificers and soldiers alike this era came to be known as the arquebus, named for the wondered if there were a way to eliminate the need for the hook-like protrusion on the weapon’s underside which made costly Energy Rune stones that powered the weapons. the weapon suitable for steadying on battlements. Soldiers Engineers sought to design magical weapons that held a could also use portable fork rests to help aim the weapon. permanent charge, in the way that swords and armor could These poles could easily be planted in the ground and be permanently enchanted. allowed an arquebusier to set up a stable firing position While artificers and engineers were devising a permanent nearly anywhere. cannon, arcane focus technology was improving for The arquebus was man-portable but still heavy, and relied spellcasters. The bulky runelance was able to have its on paper component cartridges like its predecessor. Its functionality duplicated by smaller items, such as wands, design made it an excellent defensive weapon, and it was the rods, and staves. These weapons made their way to the first hand cannon to incorporate design elements from battlefield and runelancers were eager for similar crossbows, including a trigger mechanism and a stock that developments. While attuned runelances like the fire lance allowed the weapon to rest against one’s shoulder. Trigger became cheaper and easier to develop, they were still large technology varied and improved, but ultimately all had the and unwieldy weapons, best suited for defense. same purpose: to move a piece of metal into place to complete a magical glyph. Combined with the hook to steady The Mighty Glyph-Guns the weapon, the trigger allowed for the arquebus to be aimed After many years of research, the breakthrough came and with two hands, and greatly improved its accuracy over early cannons were developed that no longer needed charges to be hand cannon designs. fired, only component cartridges. While this initial These powerful runelock weapons became more development was a success, some sort of trigger mechanism commonplace as their development became cheaper. Armies was needed after the elimination of the runestone charge. began to develop new tactics that revolved around runelock Arcane runes and glyphs etched into the cannons helped to cannons and formations of arquebusiers, and these weapons streamline the enchantment process and became a perfect would come to dominate the battlefield. trigger. The glyphs were purposely incomplete, with a small hole left in the cannon known as a touch hole. The artillerist manning the cannon had a long pole, at the end of which was an engraved piece of metal that filled the hole and completed the glyph. The completed runes then activated, consuming the component cartridge and discharging the weapon. This was the breakthrough that runelancers were waiting for. These permanently enchanted "rune-locked" cannons were able to be scaled down into smaller, man-portable weapons albeit with greatly diminished effects. The first "hand cannons" were bulky and prone to misfire, although their range was significantly greater than the now-archaic fire lance. Like the original cannons, they had no trigger mechanism, and were instead fired by inserting a component cartridge, which would quickly discharge the weapon. Some later hand cannons had touch holes, like heavy guns, but it was difficult to aim the weapon with one hand and complete the glyph with the other.

An real-world arquebusier prepares to fire. The runelock arquebus described above has a trigger mechanism, rather Samplethan a touch hole. file

CHAPTER ONE | PART THREE 4 Part Four: Modern Day The Age of the Gun As the development of the arquebus progressed year by year, artificers were slowly succeeding at decreasing the size and weight of the weapons. These smaller arms had much more complex and dense engravings to be able to contain their magic, and it was this distinguishing feature which gave them their name: rifled guns. Eventually, they were known simply as rifles. Smaller weapons that could be held in one hand commonly became known as pistols. Around this time as well, improvements in alchemy and engineering allowed components to be compressed into small balls reminiscent of sling bullets. These component balls were usually covered in a thin glaze or other protective coating to prevent them from breaking up. They were slightly more expensive to design and manufacture but they were easier to transport than paper cartridges, which could be easily torn or ruined by moisture. Runic guns of the modern era can accept either cartridges or bullets, and the difference in cost to an adventuring character is negligible. Runearms are often provided to local militias and town guards, and these weapons are paid off as part of a person's service. Guards and militia members found runearms to be exceptional weapons for hunting and sport shooting, and often use them for this purpose outside of their official duties. As the technology has become more widespread, many towns have local magewrights or tinkers that can help repair and maintain runearms, as well as manufacture ammunition cartridges.

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CHAPTER ONE | PART FOUR 5 Chapter Two: The Runearm in Play cross the ages, these magical marvels known as runearms evolved to fill a variety of roles for adventurers creeping through dungeons, Sidebar: Cartridges and Bullets hunters stalking through the woods, and On the following pages, some of the weapons do soldiers facing off on the battlefield. The not have a listed damage type. For these runearms, following pages introduce all the rules and prices for cartridges or bullets are for those that Amechanics you need to introduce these deal either fire or thunder damage. These are the powerful weapons into your game. The rules in this chapter most commonly available component cartridges are based on, and are compatible with, the rules presented in for general-purpose runearms, but such weapons Matthew Mercer's Gunslinger Martial Archetype. can accept other types of cartridges. For cartridges that deal acid, cold, lightning, or poison damage, I recommend doubling the cost of Weapon Properties the cartridge. For cartridges that deal radiant or New weapon properties are described below. Some weapon necrotic damage, triple it. While rare, there exist cartridges that allow runearms to deal force or types require targets to make saving throws. The DC for psychic damage. Such cartridges, when available, these saving throws is equal to 8 + the wielder’s proficiency cost four times the listed price. bonus + the wielder’s Dexterity modifier. Accurate The thorn and the manticore are rare weapons that incorporate magic similar to the Magic Missile spell, and Explosive their shots are guided toward their targets. Weapon attacks A runearm with the explosive property deals damage to the made at close range have advantage, and a wielder of these target and has a “splash damage” effect to squares in a radius weapons does not receive disadvantage on long range around the target. A weapon will indicate its splash damage attacks. and effect radius in the parentheses after the explosive property. Creatures in the splash damage area can attempt a Bombard Dexterity saving throw to avoid taking damage. A bombard weapon must be fired at a high arc. If such a Grenades deal no initial damage to a struck target but weapon is fired in an area with insufficient vertical clearance, create an explosive burst that affects all targets in range. its range is halved. Firing Modes Brilliant A weapon with the firing modes property can alter the area of Runearms that deal radiant damage can cause targets to be its effect, most commonly by rotating a glyph-covered ring dazzled by the brilliant light fired from the weapon. A target fitted around the outside of the weapon’s barrel. For the that takes damage from a brilliant weapon takes a -2 to attack scattergun, this ring is called a choke. The available firing rolls if they rely on sight. This penalty lasts until the start of modes for a weapon are indicated in parentheses after this the wielder’s next turn. property. A weapon’s firing mode can be changed by a Cone proficient user as a bonus action. A weapon with the cone property indicates that it deals damage in cone of the indicated length, extending from the Frost A runearm with the frost property causes targets that take wielder’s square. Weapons fired in a cone require creatures damage to have their speed reduced by 10 ft until the start of in the area to make Dexterity saving throws to avoid taking the wielder’s next turn. damage. Incendiary Corrosive A flammable object hit by this weapon's attack ignites if the A target struck by a corrosive weapon takes additional acid object is not worn or carried. damage, indicated in parentheses, at the end of its next turn. Line Enervating A weapon with the line property indicates that it deals A target struck by a weapon with the enervating property damage in a 5 ft wide line of the indicated length, extending cannot regain Hit Points until the start of the wielder’s next from the wielder’s square. Weapons fired in a line require turn. creatures in the area to make Dexterity saving throws to Sampleavoid taking damage. file

CHAPTER TWO | WEAPON PROPERTIES 6 Misfire Whenever you make an attack roll with a runearm and the dice roll is equal to or lower than the weapon's misfire score, Sidebar: Reloading and Misfiring the weapon misfires. The attack misses, and the weapon Unless otherwise specified in the weapon's cannot be used again until you spend an action to try and properties, all runearms across every period, repair it. including the attuned runelance, have the To repair your runearm, you must make a successful properties reload 1, misfire 1, meaning that a Tinker’s Tools check (DC equal to 8 + misfire score). If your wielder has to spend one attack or one action to check fails, the weapon is broken and must be mended out of reload the weapon after a single shot, and the combat at a quarter of the cost of the runearm. Creatures weapon misfires when rolling a 1 on an attack roll. who use a runearm without being proficient increase the weapon’s misfire score by 1. Reload The weapon can be fired a number of times equal to its reload score before you must spend one action or one attack to reload. You must have one free hand to reload a runearm. Some weapons have the reload (slow) property, which means that for every shot fired, one 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. Oversized A weapon with the oversized property is too large to be wielded by creatures of Medium size or smaller, and imposes disadvantage on all attack rolls made with the weapon. A Medium or smaller creature wielding such a weapon can only make attack rolls at targets within the weapon’s close range, as the weapon becomes completely inaccurate at longer ranges. A weapon with the oversized property can be steadied by resting the barrel of the gun atop a stationary firing platform, 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 | WEAPON PROPERTIES 7