The secret of gunpowder has been known by the more technologically advanced islands of the Skies for awhile now, and was initially used primarily for cannons and fireworks. It is only recently, in the last 100 years or so, that true firearms were invented. Simple firearms such as muskets, single-shot pistols, and blunderbusses, are fairly common in the Skies and easy to get ahold of on most developed island.
More modern firearms, such as revolvers, shotguns, and rifles, are rarer, and harder to get ahold of, and are generally found either for sale on extremely advanced islands and in the hands of military officers. Such weapons are a newer technology, and as such, are much more expensive than simple fire arms and more difficult to create.
Shot and Bullets:
There are two kinds of ammunition that fire arms take. Simple firearms take shot, which are simply rounded chunks of iron or steel, while modern firearms use bullets, which are a special kind of ammunition that contains gunpowder within it, and propels itself. Bullets come in different caliber, each designed for a different kind of gun.
As time has passed, various factions have invented, through magic and science (or some combination of the two) different kinds of ammunition that accomplish different things. Generally these specialty bullets are rarer, more expensive, and only available in select shops, or carried by powerful individuals.
Proficiency:
Firearms are a specialized class of weapon, but share common traits with other ranged weapons. They require much less time to learn how to operate, but require just as much time to master as any weapon. Fighters are the only class that gains proficiency with them at level 1, but other characters must be either taught to use firearms proficiently or else gain proficiency from a feature such as a background.
Gaining proficiency in firearms outside of character creation requires two things: time and a person who is proficient with firearms to teach you. It takes roughly 30 days of practice to become proficient with firearms. The 30 days need not be consecutive, but ideally would take place within a period of one to two months. An instructor charges 10 rarity 2
Slivers per day for their education (or an NPC companion or fellow party member may do it for no charge or as a favour to be paid back later).
Properties:
Firearms have special properties related to how they are fired and reloaded, and what form of ammunition it can take.
Ammunition. The ammunition of a firearm is destroyed upon use.
Caliber. Weapons with this property can only fire bullets of their own caliber. There are three kinds of caliber: small, medium, and heavy.
Reload. A limited number of bullets can be fired with a weapon that has the reload property. A character must then reload it using a action.
Firearms:
| Simple Firearm |
Cost |
Damage |
Weight |
Properties |
| Pistol |
25 rarity 2 SL |
1d10 piercing |
1.5 kg |
Ammunition (30/90 ft), loading, light |
| Musket |
50 rarity 2 SL |
2d8 piercing |
4.5 kg |
Ammunition (40/120 ft), loading, two handed |
| Blunderbuss |
80 rarity 2 SL |
3d6 piercing |
6 kg |
Ammunition (15/30 ft), loading, heavy, two handed |
| Modern Firearm |
Cost |
Damage |
Weight |
Properties |
| Revolving Pistol |
25 rarity 1 SL |
1d10 piercing |
1.5 kg |
Ammunition (50/150 ft), caliber (small), light, reload (6) |
| Rifle |
50 rarity 1 SL |
2d10 piercing |
4 kg |
Ammunition (80/240 ft), caliber (medium), two handed, reload (5) |
| Shotgun |
80 rarity 1 SL |
4d6 piercing |
5 kg |
Ammunition (30/90 ft), caliber (heavy), two handed, reload (2) |
Ammunition:
Below is the different kinds of ammunitions found in the Skies, their cost, and their associated special rules and effects. For sake of organization, the lists have been separated into shot and bullets.
Shot list:
- Basic shot. Cost: 1 rarity 2 SL for 10.
- Enchanted shot. Cost: 5 rarity 1 SL for 1. You have a +1 bonus to hit and damage while using this ammunition.
- Homing shot. 10 rarity 1 SL for 1. Bullet enchanted to never miss its target. The bullet magically curves back around to strike the intended target. If the initial attack misses, at the beginning of your turn, roll once again to see if the homing shot hits. The homing shot only stops if an attack succeeds, or if the target ends their turn behind full cover.
- Burning shot. 10 rarity 1 SL for 1. Bullet enchanted with elemental flame. A target hit by ammunition of this type takes 1d6 fire damage at the beginning of each of their turns until they take an action to remove the shot. Removing the shot takes a DC 10 Wisdom (Medicine) check.
Bullet list:
- Basic bullet (any caliber). Cost: 1 rarity 1 SL for 10.
- Scattershot bullet (heavy caliber). Cost: 2 rarity 1 SL for 5. Using this ammo, you can only make attacks within your first range increment. You gain advantage to hit targets that are of the large size category or larger. Additionally, when you take the attack action against a target, any target within 5ft of your first target (except anything directly behind them of the same size category or lower) also suffers the attack. It is still considered a single attack.
- Incendiary bullet (any caliber). Cost 50: rarity 2 SL for 5. Attacks made using this ammo do an additional 1d6 fire damage.
Gunpowder and Explosives:
Gunpowder is chiefly used to propel a bullet out of the barrel of a pistol or rifle, or it is formed into a bomb. Gunpowder is sold in small wooden kegs (25 rarity 1 SL for 9 kg) and in water-resistant powder horns (35 rarity 2 SP for 1 kg).
Setting fire to a container full of gunpowder can cause it to explode, dealing fire damage to creatures within 10 feet of it (3d6 for a powder horn, 7d6 for a keg). A successful DC 12 Dexterity saving throw halves the damage. Setting fire to an ounce of gunpowder causes it to flare for 1 round, shedding bright light in a 30-foot radius and dim light for an additional 30 feet.
Grenades are explosives that combine gunpowder with other elements to produce explosions of varying intensity for varying purposes. As an action, a character can throw a grenade at a point up to 60 feet away. All grenades weigh 0.5 kg unless otherwise noted. Below is listed the various kinds of grenades and their effects.
- Fragmentation grenade. Cost: 5 rarity 1 SL for 1. Each creature within 20 feet of an exploding fragmentation grenade must make a DC 15 Dexterity saving throw, taking 5d6 piercing damage on a failed save, or half as much damage on a successful one.
- Smoke grenade. Cost 6: rarity 1 SL for 1. One round after a smoke grenade lands, it emits a cloud of smoke that creates a heavily obscured area in a 20-foot radius. A moderate wind (at least 16 km per hour) disperses the smoke in 4 rounds; a strong wind (32 or more km per hour) disperses it in 1 round.
- Acid smoke grenade. Cost: 7 rarity 1 SL for 1. One round after a smoke grenade lands, it emits a cloud of smoke that creates a heavily obscured area in a 20-foot radius. Creatures who begin their turns within the smoke must make a DC 15 Constitution saving throw, taking 4d10 acid damage on a failed save, or half as much damage on a successful one. A moderate wind (at least 16 km per hour) disperses the smoke in 4 rounds; a strong wind (32 or more km per hour) disperses it in 1 round.
- Dynamite. Cost: 1 rarity 1 SL for 1. As an action, a creature can light a stick of dynamite and throw it at a point up to 60 feet away. Each creature within 5 feet of that point must make a DC 12 Dexterity saving throw, taking 3d6 bludgeoning damage on a failed save, or half as much damage on a successful one.
A character can bind sticks of dynamite together so they explode at the same time. Each additional stick increases the damage by 1d6 (to a maximum of 10d6) and the burst radius by 5 feet (to a maximum of 20 feet).
Dynamite can be rigged with a longer fuse to explode after a set amount of time, usually 1 to 6 rounds. Roll initiative for the dynamite (using your Intelligence modifier). After the set number of rounds goes by, the dynamite explodes on that initiative.
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