I really like a lot of the feats that you have developed here. If you don't mind, I'd like to steal them and put them into my campaign setting and my current game, with attribution of course. I'll put your name on My Obsidian Portal page. Good work.
I live and work in Japan, near Mt. Fuji, teaching English to High Schoolers. In my spare time I also happen to be a husband, a father, and an Otaku. I run a biweekly DnD game on Sundays and blog about it every other day of the week at http://thedumpstat.blogspot.com
I really like a lot of the feats that you have developed here. If you don't mind, I'd like to steal them and put them into my campaign setting and my current game, with attribution of course. I'll put your name on My Obsidian Portal page. Good work.
Yeah, go for it.
Re: Bayonet I'm thinking something similar, but only usable when attached. Maybe a heavy blade option, and a spear option, with polearm - if I only do one, it'll be the spear. Not really a priority though.
I need some kind of pistol-focused combat style. Or perhaps something that meshes ranged and melee together.
Black Hat Style Any one-handed firearm While named for the color of hat most often associated with the criminals and bandits that popularized the style, the Black Hat style traces its origin back to a skilled shootist who remains nameless to this day. The style is one of utility, built around firearms duels and shoot-outs. Those who practice this style of gunplay are experts at controlling the fight with a series of fast, deadly shots - enough to either drive their foes back, or to buy enough time to take cover themselves. A Black Hat gunslinger's fast hand and keen eye are the stuff of legends.
Black Hat Student [Lesser Style] Prerequisite: Ranger, rogue, or warlord; proficiency with any one-handed firearm. Benefit: You gain a +2 feat bonus to Intimidate checks. When you are attacking with a one-handed firearm and you have proficiency with that weapon, you also gain the following two benefits. Whenever you miss with a power associated with this feat, you can shift 1 square. Whenever you have combat advantage against an enemy and hit it with a power associated with this feat, you slide that enemy 1 square. Associated At-Will Powers:careful attack (Ranger PH), disheartening strike (Rogue MP), paint the bull's eye (Warlord MP2).
Black Hat Bandit [Greater Style] Prerequisite: Rogue, Black Hat Student feat. Benefit: If you are attacking with a one-handed firearm and you have proficiency with that weapon, you also gain the following two benefits. When you attack with a power associated with this feat, the power gains the Rattling keyword (Martial Power 2, p 57). You can use a power associated with this feat as a ranged power instead of a melee power and you can attack using a firearm instead of a light blade. If a power associated with this feat can already be used as a ranged power, you can use that power in place of a ranged basic attack.
Black Hat Boss [Greater Style] Prerequisite: Warlord, Black Hat Student feat. Benefit: If you are attacking with a one-handed firearm and you have proficiency with that weapon, you also gain the following two benefits. When you attack with a power associated with this feat, the power gains the Rattling keyword (Martial Power 2, p 57). You can use a power associated with this feat as a ranged power instead of a melee power. If a power associated with this feat can already be used as a ranged power, you can use that power in place of a ranged basic attack.
Level Associated Encounter Power Source 3rd Steel Monsoon PH 147 7th Sudden Motivation MP2 89 13th Beat Them Into the Ground PH 149 17th Warlord's Rush PH 150 23rd Rabits and Wolves PH 151 27th Brutal Setup MP 116
Black Hat Shootist [Greater Style] Prerequisite: Ranger, Black Hat Student feat. Benefit: If you are attacking with a one-handed firearm and you have proficiency with that weapon, you also gain the following two benefits. When you attack with a power associated with this feat, the power gains the Rattling keyword (Martial Power 2, p 57). You can use a power associated with this feat in place of a ranged basic attack.
Level Associated Encounter Power Source 3rd Cut and Run* PH 106 7th Spikes of the Manticore PH 108 13th Hammering Volley MP 50 17th Suppressing Shots MP2 41 23rd Dazing Volley MP 55 27th Hail of Arrows PH 113 * Only when used as a ranged attack
I am actually very interested in seeing how these run with the Amethyst campaign setting (a 3rd party campaign setting). I did a review of that product and thought that using these weapons and feats for echan classes with low tech gear, and then have the techan ones with their tech, could be a cool way to have a bunch of fire arm goodness.
I live and work in Japan, near Mt. Fuji, teaching English to High Schoolers. In my spare time I also happen to be a husband, a father, and an Otaku. I run a biweekly DnD game on Sundays and blog about it every other day of the week at http://thedumpstat.blogspot.com
I am actually very interested in seeing how these run with the Amethyst campaign setting (a 3rd party campaign setting). I did a review of that product and thought that using these weapons and feats for echan classes with low tech gear, and then have the techan ones with their tech, could be a cool way to have a bunch of fire arm goodness.
Sounds interesting (though I don't know the difference between echan and techan classes ). I really need to look at Amethyst at some point.
I'm kind of exicted - I find that I have renewed interest in this little set of homebrew stuff, because I have a bit more of a direction in mind for it: a fantasy western D&D setting.
That all said: another new Combat Style! This one gives Fighters and Melee Warlords some love - and yes, it still focuses on firearms.
Mad Dog Style Any scattergun The Mad Dog style is an oddity. Wheras other firearm styles focus on accuracy and range, it instead leverages the potent short-range power of the scattergun to focus on close combat skirmishing. Practitioners of Mad Dog are often those who would normally be more at home in melee combat. They learn to blend the weapon with their normal attacks, giving themselves a short-ranged option with serious potency.
Mad Dog Student [Lesser Style] Prerequisite: Fighter or warlord; proficiency with any scattergun. Benefit: You gain a +2 feat bonus to Endurance checks. When you are attacking with a scattergun and you have proficiency with that weapon, you also gain the following two benefits. You can choose to use the scattergun as a melee weapon with the reach property. You do not provoke opportunity attacks when using a scattergun as a melee weapon. When you hit an adjacent enemy with a power associated with this feat, you deal +2 damage. This damage increases to +3 at 11th level, and +5 at 21st level. Associated At-Will Powers:reaping strike (Fighter PH), viper's strike (Warlord PH).
Mad Dog Guard [Greater Style] Prerequisite: Fighter, Mad Dog Student feat. Benefit: If you are attacking with a scattergun and you have proficiency with that weapon, you gain the following three benefits. You can choose to use the scattergun as a melee weapon with the reach property. You do not provoke opportunity attacks when using a scattergun as a melee weapon. When you score a critical hit on an enemy with a power associated with this feat, you mark each enemy adjacent to the target until the end of your next turn. You can use a power associated with this feat either as a melee power, or as a Ranged 5 weapon power. If you use the power while charging, you must use it as a melee power.
Mad Dog Marshal [Greater Style] Prerequisite: Warlord, Mad Dog Student feat. Benefit: If you are attacking with a scattergun and you have proficiency with that weapon, you gain the following three benefits. You can choose to use the scattergun as a melee weapon with the reach property. You do not provoke opportunity attacks when using a scattergun as a melee weapon. When you score a critical hit on an enemy with a power associated with this feat, it gets a -2 penalty on attack rolls until the end of your next turn. You can use a power associated with this feat either as a melee power, or as a Ranged 5 weapon power.
I am actually very interested in seeing how these run with the Amethyst campaign setting (a 3rd party campaign setting). I did a review of that product and thought that using these weapons and feats for echan classes with low tech gear, and then have the techan ones with their tech, could be a cool way to have a bunch of fire arm goodness.
Well, there are extremely low tech weapons in Amethyst (pocket pistol, revolver, dragoon, break-action shot pistol, bolt rifle), but like all the firearms in the game (120+) they carry a set of rules to govern their use. We did this because weapons fell into three size categories, from one-handed pistols to platform-mandated super heavy weapons. We don't just have a "firearm" property. We have properties for sonic, gauss, laser, plasma, etc. It takes a move action to reload one of our weapons and only certain feats and powers can improve that.
So if you wanted to just have one person with a revolver or limit the technology in the entire game to blunderbusses, the rules presented here are more than adequate. You wouldn't need to combine them with Amethyst.
Amethyst has dozens of weapons a low-tech game would never need along with having analogues of all the weapons listed here.
By the way, echan = fantasy classes, techan = modern classes. It's a fluff thing. The last chapter in Amethyst Foundations talks about how to employ firearms with fantasy classes.
Instead of assigning a Load Minor or Load Standard to your blunderbuss guns why not do it like it is done in Gamma World.
Blunderbusses are easy to use, just point and pull the trigger, but loading it is a somewhat time consuming and complicated operation.
Using a blunderbuss would be like using a magic item with an encounter power, you need a short rest to reload it.
It takes training to speed reload a blunderbuss. This training can be represented by a feat that reduces this time to a full round action or maybe just a standard and move action, granting combat advantage to adjacent enemies.
Instead of assigning a Load Minor or Load Standard to your blunderbuss guns why not do it like it is done in Gamma World.
Blunderbusses are easy to use, just point and pull the trigger, but loading it is a somewhat time consuming and complicated operation.
Using a blunderbuss would be like using a magic item with an encounter power, you need a short rest to reload it.
It takes training to speed reload a blunderbuss. This training can be represented by a feat that reduces this time to a full round action or maybe just a standard and move action, granting combat advantage to adjacent enemies.
I think this was answered a bit up-thread. The names may, at this point, be misleading - I'm aiming for more of a Western feel at this point (as a part of a larger project now).
Load minor is terribly generous with frontloaders, especially since replacing the clip on a repeating weapon is load standard. Reloading a frontloading firearm is much more time intensive than replacing a clip, even a primitive one.
Historically, the advantage a firearm has over a bow is the lesser degree of training a firearm requires for lethal effect... less training = larger army in less time.
Firearms are, by that metric, generally simple weapons, but with very high range and damage compared to other simple weapons. The tradeoff? Load standard. A user would most likely carry around several loaded pistols to use one after the other rather than attempt to reload during a fight (note: people actually did this) For a two-handed firearm, after a shot went off one would switch to the bayonet, and use the weapon as a polearm.
Nah, I'm in no way attempting to make these realistic. I want fun, clearly balanced, options, that will see regular use. I'm also aiming for a more "steampunk" feel - at a technology level closer to an odd "wild west" than renaissance weaponry. I was going to say more, but that about covers it - we're looking at two different things, from two different perspectives, and I have no interest (at this time) in adding "historical" firearms to my game.
I'm really not a fan of the whole "Load Standard" idea. It translates to the historical "fire and swap" in gameplay, yes... but that's the only real use for the weapons (the alternative being one shot every other round). Not even thrown weapons so badly encourage you to carry around a "sack-o'-weapons". With "Load Standard", firearms are mechanically left filling a "few times per combat" niche, that is going to see them under-used in just about any game that would include them.
The design space for renaissance-style firearms is, in my opinion, better found somewhere around the "alchemical items" equipment, "magical ammunition", or general wonderous item balancing.
Something more like... (to use the AV1 alchemy rules without adjustment, for simplicity - I'd tweak them to at least use something from the player for attacks, but whatever).
Musket Level 2+ Lvl 2 25 gp Lvl 17 2,600 gp Lvl 7 100 gp Lvl 22 13,000 gp Lvl 12 500 gp Lvl 27 65,000 gp Alchemical Item Power (Consumable): Standard action. Make an attack: Ranged 10/20; +5 vs. Reflex; on a hit, the attack deals 2d10 damage. Level 7: +10 vs. Reflex; 2d10 damage. Level 12: +15 vs. Reflex; 3d10 damage. Level 17: +20 vs. Reflex; 3d10 damage. Level 22: +25 vs. Reflex; 4d10 damage. Level 27: +30 vs. Reflex; 4d10 damage.
I could see including something like that in a game... but it's not going to do what I want it to.
EDIT: Modified the enchantment to work with the other repeating firearms offered. Also removed the attack penalty and associated fluff. Okay, I was just browsing the homebrew thread and came came across this forum. My first thought: Wow, this is some good stuff. I have an idea for a magic item enchantment for the repeating guns, though I'll probably butcher the formatting. Oh, well.
Barrage Weapon Level 2+ Lvl 2 +1 520 gp Lvl 17 +4 65,000 gp Lvl 7 +2 2,600 gp Lvl 22 +5 325,000 gp Lvl 12 +3 13,000 gp Lvl 27 +6 1,625,000 gp Weapon: Repeating pistol, Repeating rifle, Telescoped repeater Enhancement: Attack rolls and damage rolls Critical: +1d6 damage per plus Power (Daily): Standard Action. Make a ranged basic attack with this weapon targeting a number of enemies up to the number of rounds left in the firearm's chamber, or make a number of attack up to the number of rounds left in the firearm's chamber targeting a single enemy.
Anyway, great thread, greatfrito.
Note: This magic item was inspired the the 3.5 homebrew class hexgunner, found here.
EDIT: Modified the enchantment to work with the other repeating firearms offered. Also removed the attack penalty and associated fluff. Okay, I was just browsing the homebrew thread and came came across this forum. My first thought: Wow, this is some good stuff. I have an idea for a magic item enchantment for the repeating guns, though I'll probably butcher the formatting. Oh, well.
Barrage Weapon Level 2+ Lvl 2 +1 520 gp Lvl 17 +4 65,000 gp Lvl 7 +2 2,600 gp Lvl 22 +5 325,000 gp Lvl 12 +3 13,000 gp Lvl 27 +6 1,625,000 gp Weapon: Repeating pistol, Repeating rifle, Telescoped repeater Enhancement: Attack rolls and damage rolls Critical: +1d6 damage per plus Power (Daily): Standard Action. Make a ranged basic attack with this weapon targeting a number of enemies up to the number of rounds left in the firearm's chamber, or make a number of attack up to the number of rounds left in the firearm's chamber targeting a single enemy.
Anyway, great thread, greatfrito.
Note: This magic item was inspired the the 3.5 homebrew class hexgunner, found here.
The thread, it LIVES!!!!
I think that property might be a bit... much? I don't know - maybe not.
Damn. Now that I'm looking at this thread again, it makes me want to jump back on the "Western Pseudo-Setting" stuff. Oh, and I was working on an ocean/pirate themed setting as well! Damn! So many projects tossed by the wayside when I got my 40k stuff (and was studying for the Bar).
). I really need to look at Amethyst at some point.
I have an idea for a magic item enchantment for the repeating guns, though I'll probably butcher the formatting. Oh, well.
