Firearms were invented in the late Age of Enlightenment, coming into standard usage among the
Barisean navy in 3096. This was permitted by wider access to
blackpowder. Currently, crude firearms are commonplace in
Montbay,
Kai'Rin,
Barisea,
Fyra, and
The Protectorate-Commonwealth.
All firearms require the usage of ammunition, as well as some powder, which propels the ammunition. This is typically either
blackpowder or
redpowder, though rarer chemicals also exist. Most firearms require the replacement of both powder and ammunition between every shot, though modern (and quite rare) versions of firearms exist that merely require cartridges, ammunition with powder included, and allow the loading of multiple cartridges at once.
History
Predecessors
Fire Lance (~IC 3010)
Forms of the fire lance have existed since about IC 2340 in
Kai'Rin, but it was exposed to the broader world around the establishment of
The Powder Triangle. The fire lance makes use of
blackpowder to propel forth javelins, arrows, and other missile projectiles at high speeds.
Handguns
Handguns are firearms which can be fired (but not necessarily loaded) with one hand.
Handcannon (IC 3096)
The handcannon is a short, blunt handgun, about the length of one's forearm. It was the first firearm ever created, and requires external ignition of its propellant after ammunition (typically called a "ball") has been loaded.
Dual Cannon
The dual cannon was an evolution of the handcannon which featured two barrels. Both barrels remained difficult to reload.
Pistol (IC 3148)
The pistol emerged as an alternative to the long-barreled arquebus and the explosive dragon. It allows directed, controlled firing while being relatively small, and capable of being held in a holster at one's side. Pistols typically have a reserve of blackpowder, requiring the loading of only a single cartridge (per barrel).
Double-Pistol
Taking inspiration from the dual cannon, the double-pistol was a pistol with two barrels. Both barrels can be reloaded at once.
Coat Pistol
The coat pistol is primarily a black market design, intended for civilian use, especially where firearms were illegal in the public sphere. It is a smaller pistol, capable of fitting into a coat pocket. It has become a favorite tool of assassins, especially those associated with anti-government movements.
Dagger Pistol
The dagger pistol is a coat pistol with a small blade attached above its barrel. The blade is typically flippable, so that the pistol can still be hidden within a pocket when it is flipped back. This is not always the case, however, especially when somebody haphazardly attaches the dagger on their own.
Cane Pistol
The cane pistol, contrary to the coat pistol, has become a favorite self-defense instrument among some nobles. The weapon itself appears as a cane, though the cane's hilt hides a coat pistol with an extended sword attached, normally sheathed within the cane-like shell. The weapon itself is impractical for regular usage, and misfiring can cause the sword to break and swing back, causing fatal slashes and lacerations. Still, it's quite the fashion statement!
Dragoneer
The dragoneer is a final evolution to the pistol, prefacing the invention of the pepperbox. It was specifically designed with cavalry in mind, ushering in the concept of the dragoon. The pistol is more stable, capable of firing at longer distances, and its cartridges have three segments, permitting multiple shots. The dragoneer can sometimes ignite all three segments when it misfires, resulting in dangerous explosions, and the pepperbox's multi-barrel design was invented as a remedy to this.
Pepperbox (IC 3187)
The pepperbox is a more-modern rendition of the pistol. It features six barrels, each of which can hold one cartridge at a time. The barrels fire one at a time, and must be manually rotated into the ignition slot before the trigger is pulled. All three barrels can be reloaded at once.
Salter
The salter is a variation of the pepperbox that uses alchemical cartridges instead of standard ammunition. These cartridges are typically loaded with small amounts of
minamite, which explodes at the force of the ammo's connection with its target, splitting open the cartridge to splash out the alchemical compound, which is typically acidic.
Rifles
Rifles are firearms that require two hands to be fired.
Arquebus (IC 3118)
The arquebus is the earliest long-barreled firearm. It requires both ammunition (called a "bullet") and propellant to be loaded down the barrel.
Musket (IC 3162)
The musket adds a stock, which allows greater stability and accuracy when firing. It is loaded from the barrel, taking in bullets, but has a reserve of powder.
Double-Barreled Musket
The double-barreled musket has two adjacent barrels and two triggers, permitting one to fire either at a time. This permits reloading both barrels at once.
Axe Musket
The axe musket is an adjustment to the standard musket which attaches an axe to its barrel, both for purposes of survival and combat. The axe is a battleaxe, typically on a short handle, as the musket itself functions as a handle alone.
Hammer Musket
The hammer musket is similar to the axe musket, though it has a warhammer attached to the top of the barrel, on a wide and barrel-long hilt. The bottom of the warhammer is just above the opening of the barrel.
Carbine
The carbine is the rifle of choice of dragoons and other firearmed cavalrymen, and a predecessor to the jezzail. It is a musket designed to fire at higher range, with better accuracy. It holds a dragoon cartridge, which can be fired three times before being expended.
Jezzail (IC 3211)
The jezzail is the modern evolution of the musket. It is loaded from the top, and placing one cartridge into the top of the rifle is a swift process.
Revolving Rifle
The revolving rifle combines the jezzail with the pepperbox, providing four rotating barrels. It is heavier than the regular jezzail, with a higher chance of misfiring, which sometimes results in all barrels firing off at once.
Blunderbusses
Blunderbusses are special fire arms which deal area-of-effect damage in a 15-foot cone.
Culverin (IC 3105)
The culverin is an early evolution of the handcannon, first emerging with a flippable shoulder stock that helped aim, stabilize, and reduce the danger of its predecessor. It later developed a flared end, which allowed smaller ammunition to scatter in a broad radius. This flared end has become popularly associated with the culverin, and culverins without it are more often known as variations on the handcannon.
Hand Bombard
The hand bombard is the predecessor to the culverin, without its flared end. It does not scatter shot, but can launch larger balls of ammunition at long range, making it deadly against large and distant targets.
Musketoon (IC 3126)
The musketoon is a return to the model of the arquebus, with the explosive capacity of the culverin. Musketoons require ammunition to be loaded through the barrel, but a propellant reserve is placed into a side-opening, somewhat simplifying usage.
Splitshot
A splitshot is a double-barreled musketoon, which fires both barrels at once, both at the same target. It has an astounding amount of recoil, and is difficult to handle.
Dragon (IC 3131)
The dragon is an attempt at building a compact culverin. Ammunition is loaded into the barrel, and a packet of propellant can be filled for multiple shots.
Ginfire
"Ginfire" arms refer to those which make use of an engine to operate. Typically, they consist of a heavy metal backplate which contains a flammable chemical and an ignition fluid. The fluid is set alight and the ginfire sprays until it runs out of combustibles. More modern versions of the ginfire, exclusive to military usage, typically have backplate designs that separate sprays into bursts, requiring ignition of each individual segment. This allows for shorter-term usage, though it's still impossible to fully control duration.
Steamblower (IC 3150)
The first ginfire arm was the steamblower, which heats water to high temperatures and propels it outwards. The steamblower has usage in naval combat, where it can set wooden ships and sails alight and scald crewmembers.
Fireblower (IC 3203)
The fireblower is an evolution of the steamblower created in 3203 which expels superheated flames in an unpredictable cone outwards. This has permitted it broader uses in land combat, though it has largely fell out of favor due to its short range, general danger, and the production of higher-quality firearms.
Special Qualities
Cartridge: A weapon with this quality requires a bonus action to reload, and only the use of one hand.
Close-Quarters: A weapon with this quality may be used in melee range without provoking attacks of opportunity or reactions.
Dangerous: A weapon with this quality is unwieldy; its recoil and misfire chance causes its damage to be centered on the user on a critical failure.
Front-Load: A weapon with this quality requires an action to reload, as well as two free hands (or appendages).
Reserve: A weapon with this quality
and front-load can be reloaded as a bonus action instead of an action.
Scatter: A weapon with this quality deals its damage to everybody within a cone of the specified range in front of the user. Everybody in this range must pass a Dexterity saving throw with DC equivalent to their AC to avoid this damage.
Statistics
Ammunition
Powder labeled as "dose" requires manual replenishment of powder after every shot. Powder labeled as "reserve" requires replenishment after about ten shots.
Powder
Firing redpowder casts a magical ability, and has potential to bring forth miscasting effects.
