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An Iron Kingdoms PDF: Firearms Basics v1.0, Page 1 of 2

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New Skills & Feats

In The Witchfire Trilogy Book I: The Longest Night, firearms were introduced to the Iron Kingdoms game setting, and several new Craft and Profession skills were listed. Here is addressed in more detail the actual operation of firearms in combat. Note that Iron Kingdoms firearms are quite different than their real-world historical counterpartsthey are not intended to adhere exactly to Earth history. More importantly, they are not intended to replace bows and crossbows in the game. The ability to use pistols, rifles and cannon is dependent on the character possessing the Exotic Weapon Proficiency feat. Small Arms (meaning handguns and long guns only) should be added to the list of Exotic Weapons found on PH 99. Cannon should be added to the Exotic Weapons list as well, though a treatment of these heavy weapons will have to wait. Using a pistol or long gun in combat also requires a new skill: Craft (small arms), which is a class skill for Fighters, Paladins, Rogues and Warriors (DMG 39); it is unavailable to Barbarians. Craft (small arms) allows a character to reload a weapon, clear a misfire and clean a weapon to keep it in working order. It does not allow design or repair of small arms. Similarly, the reloading and maintenance of heavy blasting-powder projectile weapons requires Craft (cannoneer), which is an exclusive skill available to Fighters, Paladins and Warriors. It is considered a cross-class skill for Paladins.

Reloading a firearm of any kind always takes at least one standard action and a successful Craft (small arms or cannoneer) roll. The action details and the DC of the roll depend on the complexity of the weapon. Pistols and rifles usually require 1 or 2 standard actions to reload, but a more complex weapon such as a cannon could take many full-round actions to service, perhaps even involving more than one operator. The DC of the reload roll will usually be 10 or less for small arms, so taking 10 to reload weapons before or after combat guarantees success. If the Craft roll succeeds, the weapon will be reloaded after the necessary actions are spent. If the roll is failed, or if a multi-round reload in progress is disrupted, the reloading process must begin anew. If the roll is failed by 5, the reload is fumbled and the ammunition is ruined. Lastly, all reload actions provoke attacks of opportunity. Soldier with military sidearm

Open Game Content

The game rules in this document are released by Privateer Press as Open Game Content. This includes all new skill and feat descriptions, as well as the sample firearm stats and the rules given for reloading them. Artwork and the descriptions of how firearms and ammunition operate are Privateer Press product identity, and are not Open Game Content as described by the Open Game License. The use of this D20 System game content requires the Dungeons & Dragons 3rd Edition Players Handbook, published by Wizards of the Coast. Dungeons & Dragons and Wizards of the Coast are Registered Trademarks of Wizards of the Coast and are used with permission. The D20 System and the D20 System Logo are trademarks owned by Wizards of the Coast, and are used under the terms of the D20 System Trademark License.

Copyright 2001 Privateer Press LLC. All rights reserved. Firearms Basics PDF v1.1, 2/16/02

Privateer Press Presents

An Iron Kingdoms PDF: Firearms Basics v1.0, Page 2 of 2

Privateer Press is the publisher of The Witchfire Trilogy of adventures and other fine D20 System products. To learn more, please visit our web site at privateerpress.com.
During reloading, the operator has a few tasks to perform. First, the breech must be opened. Next, the powdery remnants of the old charge need to be cleaned out. The new ammunition needs to be seated firmly in the firing chamber, and the breech needs to be closed. Lastly the spring-loaded firing mechanism must be wound or cocked. All of these steps are covered by one skill roll. time. A detailed treatment of the process is outside the scope of this document, but lets just say it isnt trivial. Ammunition costs 610 gp for a pistol charge and 812 gp for a rifle charge. A cannon charge costs 2050 gp depending size. Costs for ammunition can vary dramatically depending on the location and demand; at times, ammunition may be unavailable at any price, turning guns into expensive, lavishly decorated clubs. Ammunition is fragile; it is ruined if it gets wet or if it takes 1 point of physical damage. It is also flammable, and any exposure to flame will destroy it. Alchemical blasting powders burn fiercely, but like modern gunpowder they will not explode unless they are confined. Lastly, since ammunition magical, it can be rendered inert temporarily by dispel magic (PH 196). The ease with which it can be suppressed depends on the level of the creator, but in general a dispel check of DC 18 will render blasting powders inert for 1d4 rounds. Most ammunition contains a simple lead ball, but there are other options available. Incendiary, poisoned or even enchanted projectiles are available for the right price. Cannons fire a much larger projectile, and so there are some especially fiendish projectile options for the cannoneer to choose from. Of course, specialty projectiles increase the cost of ammunition dramatically, particularly if they are magical.

Sample Firearms
Firearms all have at least 2 dice of damage and a crit rating of 1920/x3 or better. The reload rating is shown as 2S/DC8, where 2S is the number of standard actions required and 8 is the DC of the Craft (small arms or cannoneer) skill roll. Weapons that require full-round actions to reload will display an F instead of an S. DMs can make up new weapons easily by varying these stats. More powerful weapons should have longer and/or more difficult reloads, as well as more expensive ammunition. Repeating weapons should be very rare.
Small Pistol: This weapons main virtue is that it is easy to conceal, being only 9 in. long. 400 gp, 2d4 piercing, reload 1S/DC6, crit 1920/x3, range 40 ft., 4 lb. Military Pistol: This is a larger, more powerful pistol typically issued to military officers. It is 1 ft. in length, with a fat barrel. 600 gp, 2d6 piercing, reload 1S/DC8, crit 1920/x3, range 80 ft., 5 lb. Military Rifle: A basic military rifle is usually between 3 and 4 ft. in length. Rifle regiments are quite rare. 1200 gp, damage 2d8 piercing, reload 2S/DC12, crit 1920/x3, range 200 ft., 15 lb. Small Cannon: These stats are typical for the smallest variety of cannon, such as those placed on compact warships. 3000 gp, 2d12 piercing, reload 3F/DC12, crit 1920/x3, range 150 ft., 200 lb.

A Word on Feats and Skills

By the book, a PC needs to have a base attack bonus of +1 to take the Exotic Weapon Proficiency feat. That means that there will be a lot of first-level characters that cant pack a pistol, and that may not fit your gaming groups style. If thats a problem, bend the rules! One of the original IK PCs here at Privateer Press was a goggle-wearing Sor1 toting a pair of pistolsand if we did it, you can do it too. So please, bend or break class skill restrictions if you have a good reason. For example, in the Iron Kingdoms wizards get Decipher Script as a class skill and rogues dont, because it always seemed to make more sense to us that way. Likewise, if a barbarian PC with a rifle fits your campaign, bend the rules and let him in.

A typical small pistol

Ammunition
Small arms ammunition consists of blasting powder and projectile wrapped together into a tight cylinder. To make ammunition, a spellcaster must have the new feat Craft Blasting Powder, which any arcane spellcaster of at least 5th level can gain. The process also requires the Alchemy skill, special reagents, expensive equipment and a great deal of

Copyright 2001 Privateer Press LLC. All rights reserved. Firearms Basics PDF v1.1, 2/16/02

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