Ranged Weapons
Upon Valerick, as the world moves full bore into the heart of an age of industrialization, ranged combat becomes more and more prominent especially in any sort of skirmishes or conflicts between the various nations of the continent. The modernization of war has led to a much wider variety of ranged weaponry, so much so, that it is best to divide these into two sub-groups here.
Pre-Smokepowder Ranged Weapons and Post-Smokepowder Weapons. Within this there are further divisions worth noting below;
Bows and Crossbows: These are the most commonly thought of weapons when it comes to ranged weapons pre-smokepowder, but they are far from alone in that group. This group is however, without question the most diverse.
Slings: The humble sling, by itself simple and rarely lethal alone, but a useful weapon nonetheless. However with more modern materials, even without using smokepowder, more impressive slingshots, and even the sling-staff turn this small bird hunting and rodent hunting tool into a deadly battlefield weapon.
Chymech: These weapons are the first category of the new age alphabetically. They do not all use smokepowder, but they are chemical weapons of a kind, pretty much all developed by the Suranthi peoples, the birthplace of Chymech power and locomotion. These weapons are admittedly complex and difficult to maintain and care for, but devastating in their capabilities.
Engineering: The weapons in this category are your more complex firearm systems, like the revolver, the Gunnarsson-Action Rifle, Emburley Repeating Carbine, or the Emburley Shardgun.
Explosives: These few weapons are designed to be thrown, but you can't just light the fuse and throw them without any technique. Its all about timing and fuse control which is why these cannot be seen as mere throwing weapons. They take a whole other evolution in training and practice to use these dangerous weapons effectively.
Firearms: Firearms are the future of war and the future is now. These are the most common weapons of the Post Smokepowder subgroup. They are the dominant ranged weapons of choice in most modern forces and armies. From the Wheel-lock pistol to the Rifled Musket, these are the ranged weapons of choice for most on Valerick, with bows and crossbows still bringing up a close second, because they are more affordable and still measurably effective in comparison (though harder to learn to use, requiring more practice).
Magnetech: These, like Chymech weapons, are exceedingly rare. They are most common in or near Waston, as the weapons noted here were all developed adjacently to the Maginetech Engines that run the Sky-Ships on Valerick, a gnomish discovery and invention. These strange weapons are exceedingly complex to maintain and difficult to operate, along with being very unique in their effects upon targets they strike.
When you start with a ranged weapon, it is assumed you start with ten ammunition if ammunition is needed. This is assumed to be 1/10 of the price of the weapon. So if a weapon costs 10 gold, then ten ammo for it costs 1 gold, or 1 silver per ammunition.
Weapon Properties
Once again, there are some properties here that are not part of base 5e material, so those I shall outline. Any properties that appeared in melee section, I will not detail again, merely direct you to look in melee section. Do note, the only weapons that naturally can add Strength Modifier to damage here are Bows and Slings. No other weapons do so, as they are not powered by merely humanoid power, but are modern equipment using other means. In fact none of the other weapons shown here add any of the six statistic modifiers to attack rolls or damage rolls by their base nature. Only if they have the Accurate quality does this option become available to you using Wisdom. The reasoning behind this rule choice is to represent the difference between the idea of alternative fighting. With melee weapons, Finesse makes senses. If you are nimble, quick, and swift fighter that is fundamentally a different approach to the base idea of mere strength and footwork. You don't rely on power, you are relying on speed to get your weapon to a vulnerability presented by your opponent before they can react. Its a uniquely alternative method of fighting.
With ranged weapons, that isn't really the alternative. You either rough aim at the general target "Shoot center of mass" which is the baseline of no stat bonus, or you are an experienced sharpshooter with practiced skill and technique. With ranged weapons such a person is far more focused on discipline, breathing control, perceptiveness, aim, and timing. So given Wisdom is tied to the Perception Skill, it seemed the best fit for the Accurate Quality.
Accurate: This weapon is meant to be used with practice and careful aim. You may add your Wisdom Modifier to attack and damage rolls. This does replace Strength if you choose to do so, where Strength would be applied.
Armor Penetration: A weapon with this quality naturally does not use any statistic modifier to attack or damage rolls, but the number in brackets beside this quality is added to all attack rolls with this weapon
Ablaze: Weapons with this quality, on a critical hit, in addition to the extra damage, also light targets on fire.
Battery Cell: Unlike other weapons with a capacity, the RAESP uses two metal pins hooked to the gun itself by a copper fibre like substance. When shot, it digs in and creates a connection to the target, and delivers the initial shock, consuming a charge of the battery cell. From then on, unless the target gets the hooks out of them, every round the person with the RAESP only need to roll an attack roll against base AC of 10, and they deliver another shock, consuming another battery charge. It is a full round action to remove the hooks, and if the target tries to do so, they provoke attacks of opportunity, including from the person holding the RAESP, and must make a DC 17 Constitution Save to actually even get loose if shocked again, to fight through the muscle locking effect of this weapon. It takes another full round to rewind the wirelines and reload the barb hooks. The battery cell is a quick change however, only taking a move action.
Bayonet: Weapons with this quality come with a bayonet lug and bayonet. The bayonet is basically a dagger by itself, though using it as such is at disadvantage as it has no proper handle. However you can attach it to the lug as a move action, and turn your gun into a simple spear. You gain a spear's melee attack and damage, and reach. However this is slow and unwieldy compared to a real spear, so you cannot attack with this more than once in an attack action. If the gun is loaded however, you can spear someone and if you could make a second attack, pull the trigger, which turns your shot into a touch attack.
Blast: These weapons hit more than the initial target, having a blast radius that extends out in every direction from initial target a distance as listed in brackets. Anyone in the radius has the attack roll applied to their AC as well, and if it would hit them, they too take the damage.
Capacity: Weapons with a Capacity have a number in brackets beside it. This is how many shots you can take before the weapon temporarily gains the Loading Property. Basically these weapons allow multiple attacks a round, but do not reload until you actually eat through the capacity. Unlike normal crossbows or their like, they also take notable time to reload, a full round worth of actions, though you can spread this out (for example, Jeremiah the Ranger with a Revolver has one bullet left. He shoots and kills the orc closest to him, and wishes to begin his reload with his move action. The next round he still does not wish to move, so his move action is finishing the reload, meaning he can attack again.)
Consumable: This property denotes a weapon that is one use only. The price listed only buys you one. It is a single use item.
Concussive: A weapon with this quality deals a lot of its damage not from the shrapnel, but the shockwave. If it scores a critical hit, the targets effected must roll a DC 14 Constitution Save or be Deafened and Stunned for 1d4 rounds
Corrosive: A weapon with this quality, on a critical hit, also damages one piece of equipment the target struck is wearing, likely the armor, dealing acid damage every round.
Dangerous: A weapon with this property can be a danger to its user. On a natural one, the weapon experiences a catastrophic failure, breaking and dealing double its normal damage to the wielder, as it explodes in their hands. This explosion always also has Blast (5ft).
Mounted: This weapon can be used while in the saddle without any special training or feats or abilities for mount or rider. Often times in fact it was designed for that purpose, like the recurve bow (also known as the rider's bow to some).
Pistol Any weapon with this quality can be used as a melee weapon in a pinch, in a move called a pistol whip. This is a strength based attack that deals 1d6+Strength Modifier.
Spread: A weapon with this quality doesn't just hit the target you shot at. If any creature is adjacent to your target, your attack roll is applied to that creature's AC as well, and if you would hit, so is the damage you deal. If there is more than one creature adjacent, you may choose whom you hit, but you must hit an adjacent creature if one is available.
A final note about firearms specifically. If you roll a 1, even if it doesn't have the Dangerous quality, that's still a misfire/jam. That weapon is offline, you need to fix it. Now this doesn't apply. Things like the Revolver or the Emburley Repeating Carbine, both use a Revolver style cylinder. If you roll a natural 1, that chamber is blocked up. The misfire didn't have the bullet leave the chamber, or not all of it. So you have a partial or full jam, in that chamber. The easy way to deal with this. Until you fix it, the gun's Capacity attribute is lowered by 1. Alternatively, you can choose to keep trying to use that chamber. However that singular chamber now has the Dangerous quality.
Pre-Smokepowder Ranged Weapons and Post-Smokepowder Weapons. Within this there are further divisions worth noting below;
Pre-Smokepowder Ranged Weapon Groups
Bows and Crossbows: These are the most commonly thought of weapons when it comes to ranged weapons pre-smokepowder, but they are far from alone in that group. This group is however, without question the most diverse.
Slings: The humble sling, by itself simple and rarely lethal alone, but a useful weapon nonetheless. However with more modern materials, even without using smokepowder, more impressive slingshots, and even the sling-staff turn this small bird hunting and rodent hunting tool into a deadly battlefield weapon.
Post-Smokepowder Ranged Weapon Groups
Chymech: These weapons are the first category of the new age alphabetically. They do not all use smokepowder, but they are chemical weapons of a kind, pretty much all developed by the Suranthi peoples, the birthplace of Chymech power and locomotion. These weapons are admittedly complex and difficult to maintain and care for, but devastating in their capabilities.
Engineering: The weapons in this category are your more complex firearm systems, like the revolver, the Gunnarsson-Action Rifle, Emburley Repeating Carbine, or the Emburley Shardgun.
Explosives: These few weapons are designed to be thrown, but you can't just light the fuse and throw them without any technique. Its all about timing and fuse control which is why these cannot be seen as mere throwing weapons. They take a whole other evolution in training and practice to use these dangerous weapons effectively.
Firearms: Firearms are the future of war and the future is now. These are the most common weapons of the Post Smokepowder subgroup. They are the dominant ranged weapons of choice in most modern forces and armies. From the Wheel-lock pistol to the Rifled Musket, these are the ranged weapons of choice for most on Valerick, with bows and crossbows still bringing up a close second, because they are more affordable and still measurably effective in comparison (though harder to learn to use, requiring more practice).
Magnetech: These, like Chymech weapons, are exceedingly rare. They are most common in or near Waston, as the weapons noted here were all developed adjacently to the Maginetech Engines that run the Sky-Ships on Valerick, a gnomish discovery and invention. These strange weapons are exceedingly complex to maintain and difficult to operate, along with being very unique in their effects upon targets they strike.
When you start with a ranged weapon, it is assumed you start with ten ammunition if ammunition is needed. This is assumed to be 1/10 of the price of the weapon. So if a weapon costs 10 gold, then ten ammo for it costs 1 gold, or 1 silver per ammunition.
| Weapon | Rarity | Cost | Damage | Range | Weight | Properties |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| - | - | - | Bows and Crossbows | - | - | - |
| Hunting Bow | Common | 25 gold suns | 1d8/piercing | 150/600 | 2 lbs | Two-Handed, Accurate |
| War-Bow | Uncommon | 50 gold suns | 1d12/piercing | 200/800 | 3 lbs | Two-Handed, Heavy, Accurate |
| Recurve Bow | Scarce | 70 gold suns | 1d8/Piercing | 100/400 | 3 lbs | Mounted, Finesse, Two-Handed, Accurate |
| Crossbow Pistol | Rare | 100 gold suns | 1d6/Piercing | 15/60 | 1 lb | Concealable, Loading, Light, Accurate, Mounted |
| Crossbow | Uncommon | 85 gold suns | 1d10/Piercing | 100/400 | 5 lbs | Loading, Two-Handed, Accurate |
| Repeating Crossbow | Rare | 120 gold suns | 1d8/Piercing | 80/320 | 6 lbs | Capacity (5), Two-Handed, Accurate |
| Steel Crossbow | Scarce | 100 gold suns | 1d10/Piercing | 120/480 | 12 lbs | Loading, Heavy, Two Handed, Armor Penetration (1), Accurate |
| - | - | - | Slings | - | - | - |
| Sling | Common | 1 silver moon | 1d4/bludgeoning | 15/60 | Less than 1 lb | Concealable, Special, Mounted |
| Slingshot | Uncommon | 1 gold sun | 1d6/bludgeon | 30/120 | 1 lb | Concealable, Finesse, Two-Handed, Mounted |
| Sling-Staff | Scarce | 15 gold suns | 1d6/Bludgeon | 50/200 | 3 lbs | Two-Handed |
| - | - | - | Chymech Weapons | - | - | - |
| Black Adder | Exotic | 700 gold suns | 1d12+1d6 corrosive damage | 50/200 | 5 lbs | Capacity (15), Corrosive, Dangerous, Heavy | Volcano Spitter | Exotic | 1200 gold suns | 1d10+2d10 fire damage | 150/600 | 20 lbs | Ablaze, Capacity (10), Dangerous, Heavy, Two-Handed |
| - | - | - | Engineering Weapons | - | - | - |
| Emburley Shardgun | Rare | 350 gold suns | 2d8/piercing | 50 | 7 lbs | Armor Penetration (3), Capacity (7), Spread, Two-Handed |
| Revolver | Rare | 450 gold suns | 2d6/Piercing | 100/400 | 5 lbs | Armor Penetration (2), Capacity (5), Accurate, Light, Mounted, Pistol |
| Gunnarsson-Action Rifle | Exotic | 1400 gold suns | 2d12/Piercing | 300/1200 | 10 lbs | Armor Penetration (4), Capacity (4), Accurate, Heavy, Two-Handed, Bayonet |
| Emburley Repeating Carbine | Rare | 900 gold suns | 2d10/Piercing | 250/1000 | 8 lbs | Armor Penetration (3), Capacity (5), Accurate, Two-Handed, Mounted |
| - | - | - | Explosive Weapons | - | - | - |
| Grenado | Scarce | 25 Gold Suns | 4d8/Bludgeon and Piercing | 10/40 | 1 lb | Dangerous, Blast (5 ft), Concussive |
| Incendiary | Rare | 50 gold suns | 3d6/Bludgeon and Piercing+1d10 Fire | 10/40 | 1 lb | Dangerous, Blast (5 ft), Ablaze, Consumable |
| - | - | - | Firearms | - | - | - |
| Wheel-Lock Pistol | Scarce | 150 gold suns | 1d10/Piercing | 50/200 | 4 lbs | Armor Penetration (1), Loading, Dangerous, Accurate, Pistol, Light, Mounted |
| Double barreled Pistol | Exotic | 210 gold suns | 1d10/Piercing | 50/200 | 5 lbs | Armor Penetration (1) Loading, Dangerous, Pistol, Light, Mounted |
| Coat Pistol | Rare | 180 gold suns | 1d8/Piercing | 10/40 | 2 lbs | Loading, Dangerous, Light, Concealable, Mounted |
| Blunderbuss | Scarce | 100 gold suns | 2d6/Piercing | 50 | 10 lbs | Armor Penetration (3), Loading, Dangerous, Spread, Two-Handed, Heavy |
| Rifle | Scarce | 140 gold suns | 2d8/Piercing | 100/400 | 10 lbs | Armor Penetration (2), Loading, Dangerous, Accurate, Bayonet, Two-Handed, Heavy |
| - | - | - | Magnetech Weapons | - | - | - |
| RAESP Pistol | Exotic | 1540 gold suns | 2d6/Lightning damage | 20/80 | 4 lbs | Accurate, Battery Cell (10) |
| Hailstorm | Exotic | 2480 gold suns | 2d10/Piercing | 100/400 | 8 lbs | Accurate, Capacity (40), Armor Penetration (5), Two-Handed |
Weapon Properties
Once again, there are some properties here that are not part of base 5e material, so those I shall outline. Any properties that appeared in melee section, I will not detail again, merely direct you to look in melee section. Do note, the only weapons that naturally can add Strength Modifier to damage here are Bows and Slings. No other weapons do so, as they are not powered by merely humanoid power, but are modern equipment using other means. In fact none of the other weapons shown here add any of the six statistic modifiers to attack rolls or damage rolls by their base nature. Only if they have the Accurate quality does this option become available to you using Wisdom. The reasoning behind this rule choice is to represent the difference between the idea of alternative fighting. With melee weapons, Finesse makes senses. If you are nimble, quick, and swift fighter that is fundamentally a different approach to the base idea of mere strength and footwork. You don't rely on power, you are relying on speed to get your weapon to a vulnerability presented by your opponent before they can react. Its a uniquely alternative method of fighting.
With ranged weapons, that isn't really the alternative. You either rough aim at the general target "Shoot center of mass" which is the baseline of no stat bonus, or you are an experienced sharpshooter with practiced skill and technique. With ranged weapons such a person is far more focused on discipline, breathing control, perceptiveness, aim, and timing. So given Wisdom is tied to the Perception Skill, it seemed the best fit for the Accurate Quality.
Accurate: This weapon is meant to be used with practice and careful aim. You may add your Wisdom Modifier to attack and damage rolls. This does replace Strength if you choose to do so, where Strength would be applied.
Armor Penetration: A weapon with this quality naturally does not use any statistic modifier to attack or damage rolls, but the number in brackets beside this quality is added to all attack rolls with this weapon
Ablaze: Weapons with this quality, on a critical hit, in addition to the extra damage, also light targets on fire.
Battery Cell: Unlike other weapons with a capacity, the RAESP uses two metal pins hooked to the gun itself by a copper fibre like substance. When shot, it digs in and creates a connection to the target, and delivers the initial shock, consuming a charge of the battery cell. From then on, unless the target gets the hooks out of them, every round the person with the RAESP only need to roll an attack roll against base AC of 10, and they deliver another shock, consuming another battery charge. It is a full round action to remove the hooks, and if the target tries to do so, they provoke attacks of opportunity, including from the person holding the RAESP, and must make a DC 17 Constitution Save to actually even get loose if shocked again, to fight through the muscle locking effect of this weapon. It takes another full round to rewind the wirelines and reload the barb hooks. The battery cell is a quick change however, only taking a move action.
Bayonet: Weapons with this quality come with a bayonet lug and bayonet. The bayonet is basically a dagger by itself, though using it as such is at disadvantage as it has no proper handle. However you can attach it to the lug as a move action, and turn your gun into a simple spear. You gain a spear's melee attack and damage, and reach. However this is slow and unwieldy compared to a real spear, so you cannot attack with this more than once in an attack action. If the gun is loaded however, you can spear someone and if you could make a second attack, pull the trigger, which turns your shot into a touch attack.
Blast: These weapons hit more than the initial target, having a blast radius that extends out in every direction from initial target a distance as listed in brackets. Anyone in the radius has the attack roll applied to their AC as well, and if it would hit them, they too take the damage.
Capacity: Weapons with a Capacity have a number in brackets beside it. This is how many shots you can take before the weapon temporarily gains the Loading Property. Basically these weapons allow multiple attacks a round, but do not reload until you actually eat through the capacity. Unlike normal crossbows or their like, they also take notable time to reload, a full round worth of actions, though you can spread this out (for example, Jeremiah the Ranger with a Revolver has one bullet left. He shoots and kills the orc closest to him, and wishes to begin his reload with his move action. The next round he still does not wish to move, so his move action is finishing the reload, meaning he can attack again.)
Consumable: This property denotes a weapon that is one use only. The price listed only buys you one. It is a single use item.
Concussive: A weapon with this quality deals a lot of its damage not from the shrapnel, but the shockwave. If it scores a critical hit, the targets effected must roll a DC 14 Constitution Save or be Deafened and Stunned for 1d4 rounds
Corrosive: A weapon with this quality, on a critical hit, also damages one piece of equipment the target struck is wearing, likely the armor, dealing acid damage every round.
Dangerous: A weapon with this property can be a danger to its user. On a natural one, the weapon experiences a catastrophic failure, breaking and dealing double its normal damage to the wielder, as it explodes in their hands. This explosion always also has Blast (5ft).
Mounted: This weapon can be used while in the saddle without any special training or feats or abilities for mount or rider. Often times in fact it was designed for that purpose, like the recurve bow (also known as the rider's bow to some).
Pistol Any weapon with this quality can be used as a melee weapon in a pinch, in a move called a pistol whip. This is a strength based attack that deals 1d6+Strength Modifier.
Spread: A weapon with this quality doesn't just hit the target you shot at. If any creature is adjacent to your target, your attack roll is applied to that creature's AC as well, and if you would hit, so is the damage you deal. If there is more than one creature adjacent, you may choose whom you hit, but you must hit an adjacent creature if one is available.
A final note about firearms specifically. If you roll a 1, even if it doesn't have the Dangerous quality, that's still a misfire/jam. That weapon is offline, you need to fix it. Now this doesn't apply. Things like the Revolver or the Emburley Repeating Carbine, both use a Revolver style cylinder. If you roll a natural 1, that chamber is blocked up. The misfire didn't have the bullet leave the chamber, or not all of it. So you have a partial or full jam, in that chamber. The easy way to deal with this. Until you fix it, the gun's Capacity attribute is lowered by 1. Alternatively, you can choose to keep trying to use that chamber. However that singular chamber now has the Dangerous quality.
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