House rules: Firearms

Firearms are ranged weapons and use base ranged attack scores and modifiers. Unless specifically indicated in the description, firearms do piercing damage. Using a firearm is similar to a trained skill: it is not possible to pick one up for the first time and have any chance of using it properly. Firearm training does not use up a skill slot, but it still requires time, instruction, and the firing of 1d6 live rounds of ammunition from each type of firearm to be used. Once someone has been given training on a firearm, they may use any other firearm, but at a -4 proficiency unless they receive training in the specific type of weapon being used.

Firearms are effected by cover rules just as are other missile weapons. Certain firearms can penetrate certain cover materials, see the individual firearms for specifics.

Enhanced Criticals - Instant Kills

Firearms have a chance of instantly killing a target in one shot regardless of target hit points. Any time that a critical threat is made against a target within the firearm's kill range and results in a successful critical hit, there is a threat of an instant kill. If an instant kill threat roll results in another successful hit on the target, the target dies. Creatures that have been instantly killed drop to -10 hit points and are dead, not just bleeding or unconscious. As with regular critical hits, it is not necessary to roll another critical when resolving an instant kill threat; it is only necessary to roll a successful attack.

Only creatures that can be critically hit can be instantly killed. Amorphous creatures, constructs, undead, and certain other types of creatures cannot be critically hit and therefore cannot be instantly killed either.

Example: Pistol Pete fires his .38 revolver at an attacking bugbear that is 15' away.

  • He rolls a 19 which is a critical threat
  • To resolve the critical threat he rolls another attack DC: 9. With his range BAB and bonuses that is just enough to break the bugbear AC
  • This means two things: Pete has successfully gotten at least a critical hit, and there is a threat of instant kill
  • To resolve the instant kill threat he rolls another attack DC: 5. Even with Pete's ranged BAB and bonuses that is a miss

    • Pete does critical damage for the .38 revolver. Had he rolled another 9 or higher on the instant kill threat the bugbear would have instantly died.

    The Aiming combat action

    Beings using a firearm are entitled to use a new combat action: Aiming. This works very similar to the Delay combat action, but for every five initiative rounds spent Aiming, the user may add +1 to the critical range of the firearm. In order to Aim the user must specify a target, the target must be stationary or moving in a regular and easily detectable pattern, and the Aimer cannot change the target without losing the benefits of Aiming.

    This affects only the critical threat range for the weapon. Base chance to hit and kill range are NOT impacted by Aiming.

    An example: Pistol Pete uses a .38 revolver which has a critical threat of 20. He is concealed and is Aiming the pistol at a specific guard who is standing at attention. He spends the entire round Aiming, all 20 inititative rounds. His inititiative order is affected as if he had Delayed for the entire round, and his next shot from the pistol at that specific guard will have a +4 critical threat range, or 16-20 instead of just 20.

    It is possible to spend as many rounds as desired in Aiming, eventually insuring that the critical threat of the firearm is 1-20. Note that a 1 is always a fumble threat regardless of time spent aiming (see the fumble house rules).

    The Burst Fire combat action

    Automatic weapons may fire a burst of rounds rather than one at a time. A normal burst consists of three rounds. A user can fire as many rounds in the burst as she wishes, but each additional round above three causes a -2 penalty to the attack roll.

    When firing in a burst, the wielder targets an area instead of or in addition to a specific item or creature.

    For the aiming point, if there is one, cover works exactly as described in the Players Handbook and modifies the defenders AC. Other effects, such as Blink, Displacement and Invisibility also function as described in the Players Handbook.

    It is not possible to use the Aiming combat action and the Burst Fire combat action together. Either you Aim or you Burst Fire but never both.

    Calculating Burst Fire Damage
    If the firearm user misses the attack DC, nothing in the area of fire is struck. Successful attack DCs require the DM to “match up” the rounds fired in the burst and the possible targets in the area of fire.

    The aiming point, if there is one, is automatically hit by one round.

    For each remaining round, calculate the number of rounds per target. This is (number of rounds unresolved) / (number of targets in area of fire). If there are more rounds in the burst than targets this number will be more than one.

    Starting with the target closest to the center of the area of fire (which will be the aiming point if there is one), roll a D100. If the result is less than the number of rounds per target, then the current target is hit. If the rounds per target is greater than one, the current target is automatically hit by one round, the rounds per target number is reduced by one, and the current target rolls d100 against the remaining rounds per target number.

    Once all of the rounds that may hit a single target are resolved, subtract the rounds that have been accounted for and start over with the next closest target to the center of the area of fire. The number of targets does not change during this process but the number of bullets remaining continually decreases. Continue until all possible targets have been resolved, or all possible rounds of the burst are used. Any rounds that remain when all targets have been resolved zing away harmlessly or bury themselves into something inert.

    Example: Pistol Pete is packing a 9mm automatic carbine when he is accosted by a group of four bandits. One of the bandits is partly behind a tree (50% cover) and one of them is wearing a ring of Blur. The leader stands in the middle and demands that Pete “stand and deliver”. Panicking, Pete looses a burst of eight shots in the general direction of the bandits, pointing the weapon at the leader. Pete will be –10 on his attack DC due to the number of bullets in the burst. He rolls a 17, and even with the penalty this is a successful hit against the aiming point AC (the bandit leader).

  • Since the bandit leader was the aiming point, he automatically takes one of the bullets. With no special protection, the leader eats 2d8 damage
  • This leaves four possible targets in the area of fire, including the leader, and seven bullets remaining
  • The DM determines that the bandit leader is also the closest target to the center of the firing area, and calculates his rounds per target percentage as 175% (seven bullets left for four targets). This means the leader takes one more bullet automatically and has a 75% chance of taking another: the DM rolls D100 and gets 60 so the last bullet gets the leader too. The leader is uncovered and has no special protection and is therefore damaged by both incidental bullets, taking 4d8 of damage (2d8 per bullet) and slumps to the ground dead
  • The next closest target to the middle of the firing area is the Blurred bandit. The rounds per target percentage is refigured at 125% (four starting targets, five bullets left). One round automatically hits the Blurred figure and the DM rolls D100 for the 25% chance remaining on the other: rolling a 12, the second bullet will hit the Blurred figure as well. But Blur gives the bandit a 50% chance of actually being ethereal as the shots arrive, and the DM D100 roll of 86 indicates that the bandit was elsewhere and takes no damage. The two bullets that would have hit him are still considered to be resolved
  • The next possible target is the bandit behind the tree. The rounds per target number is recalculated at .75% (four starting targets, three bullets left). There are no automatic hits, and only a 75% chance of the tree bandit being hit at all. The DM rolls a 42 on D100, bandits being the unlucky sort that they are and there is indeed one bullet with the tree bandit’s name on it. But the tree bandit has 50% cover: if the DM rolls 49 or less on D100 the tree will be struck and not the bandit: D100 roll is 18 and the tree bandit gets away free, although his bullet is still considered resolved
  • The last bandit, furthest from the center of the area of fire has only a 50% chance of being hit at all (four starting targets, two bullets left). The DM rolls a 91 and the last two bullets zing away harmlessly into the surrounding woods

    • Note that Huge or larger creatures can be both the aiming point and the entire area of fire for a burst attack

    Firearms

    Shotguns
    Shotguns may only make critical hits within their kill range regardless of the attacker DC. Damage after one range increment is halved, quartered after two range increments, and there is no damage at all at distances greater than three range increments. Shotgun damage is treated as blunt weapon damage.

    Sawed off versions weigh 75% of the full version, have all range numbers cut in half, and are more easily concealed.

    Weapon Weight Fire Speed Ammo capacity Reload
    12 gauge pump action 15 partial action 7 3 rounds

    Ammunition Weight ea. Damage Range Increment Kill Range Critical Threat Critical Damage
    12 ga lead shot .15 lbs 3d10 100' 50' 19-20 x3

    Handguns
    These are the smallest, lightest, and most concealable firearms. But there is a trade off as they are less accurate over distance, generally only single-fire, and often do not have the penetrating power of heavier weapons.

    Weapon Weight Fire Speed Ammo capacity Reload
    .38 revolver 3 partial action 6 full action
    .44 semi-auto 6 partial action 13 partial action (a)

    Ammunition Weight ea. Damage Range Increment Kill Range Critical Threat Critical Damage
    .38 steel jacketed .05 lbs 1d6 40' 20' 20 x3
    .44 magnum .1 lbs 1d8 (b) 50' 30' 19-20 x3

    (a) to change clips. Refilling a clip requires 4 full rounds
    (b) Penetrates 6" of water, 2" of wood, 1/4" steel

    Automatic Carbines
    Carbines are heavier and more powerful than handguns but not so much as rifles. Automatic carbines load with clips or clip-like devices and are capable of sustained rates of burst fire.

    Weapon Weight Fire Speed Rounds Reload
    .45 tommy gun 20 partial action 120 partial action (a)
    9mm auto carbine 9 partial action 30 partial action (b)

    Ammunition Weight (ea) Damage Range Increment Kill Range Critical Threat Critical Damage
    .45 centerfire .05 lbs 1d8 50' 20' 19-20 x3
    9mm HiPower .08 lbs 2d8 (c) 120' 30' 19-20 x3
    (a) to change clips. Refilling a clip requires 10 full rounds
    (b) to change clips. Refilling a clip requires 5 full rounds
    (c) Penetrates 6" of water, 2" of wood, 1/4" steel