Ignition Weapons

Ignition weapons are a type of modified traditional weapon that makes use of gunpowder to increase the damage output and versatility of the weapon. Most commonly they involve the addition of ignition cubes to either armored gauntlets or a melee weapon, though ignition rounds for older forms of ranged weapons have been said to exist as well.
Ignition weapons take cubes of condensed black powder to operate. Once inserted, a mechanism shaves off a section of the cube, approximately one tenth, which is then made to combust out through ventilation points on the weapon. Someone trained in the use of these weapons can use this to distract opponents, blind or deafen them, or even jet the explosion outward to deal unexpected damage. However, due to the volatile nature of black powder, ignition weapons are extremely dangerous to use for an untrained wielder, and can do as much damage to the one using the weapon as their target.

Manufacturing

Ignition weapons are produced from specialized forges within the Empire of Shar. While other nations have attempted to reverse-engineer whichever weapons they can get their hands on, the mechanical precision required means that these attempts are either unsuccessful or require some amount of alteration.

Access & Availability

While the Empire of Shar's rapid expansion has ensured that some amount of ignition weapons and ignition cubes have fallen into the hands of other nations, the Empire and Cult of the Oracle have thus far kept the secret to their design a closely-guarded secret.

Discovery

According to the Cult of the Oracle, ignition weapons are only one of the many technologies gifted to the Empire by the Oracle. The truth of their invention are obscured in myth.