Setting:Unified Setting/Guns

Part of the Unified Setting for /tg/

Question: Do firearms exist in the Unified Setting?

Short answer: No.

Long answer: If the first thought of the players (or DM) when told that there are firearms in a fantasy setting is "Awesome! I'm going to get/make me a six-shooter/Uzi/sniper-rifle!!!!" then the answer remains no.

If instead they think about an electrum-plated, single-shot dueling pistol inherited from their disgraced noble father, then the answer is maybe. Firearms in the Unified Setting are chrome, they are there for decoration. Few races bother with these loud and noisy toys, since a trained wizard is far more lethal, versatile and reliable under all but special cases. It is in those special cases that firearms flourish.

(It should go without saying that Rule Zero always applies. If you want to run Deadlands in the Unified Setting, more power to you.)

History of Firearms

If the GM decides firearms do exist, this is how they appeared...

Goblin Firearms

The idea of using an explosion to propel a projectile first came to the goblins. Goblin alchemists kept trying to find ways to enhance the rather weak sling. Eventually they created boom jelly, stuck it to the side of a rock, and put a piece of cloth around it. They lit the cloth, and in mid-swing the goblin wielder died of a rock to the face, which then exploded.

After further research with stones and explosives, the matchlock as we know it came into fruition.

Boom jelly is a variation of alchemist's fire, made with a mineral found only in the highlands of the Goblin Islands. It is a stable, water-proof, heat-triggered low explosive that the goblins use in the pistols and cannons of their hybrid merchant/naval/pirate fleet. They hold a monopoly on it and any goblin selling it to an outsider would be beheaded....after they were made an example of.

Goblin buccaneers carry as many as six pistols when they go into combat, but rely mostly on their cutlasses during battle. Ships of the goblin fleet sometimes carry cannon, but use them only against necro-ships and their zombie crew. Other vessels are far too valuable to fill with holes that might send them to the bottom.

Even though goblins will not part with boom jelly, two of their biggest trading partners were enamored with the potential and decided to replicate it.

Dwarven Firearms

The first were the dwarves, who tell hilarious stories of death and dismemberment as their scientists tried to replicate the properties of boom jelly. Eventually they stumbled on a mixture of charcoal, sulfur and bird shit which when properly mixed formed an explosive black powder. Being the poetic beings they are the dwarves dubbed it black powder.

Originally intended for close-quarter fighting in a dwarven fortress the dwarves soon learned the limitation of firearms. They can only be fired in combat once, requiring a lengthy loading time and are prone to malfunction. Plus bird shit was not readily available making black powder expensive. While most fortresses have the recipe for black powder laying around, it is mostly (and rarely) used as a mining tool.

Dwarven craftsmen turn out a small number of firearms every year. Many are snapped up by goblin and human collectors who admire their superior design and workmanship, but the rest are reserved for dwarven users. Who these dwarves work for and what it is they do is never spoken of.

Human Firearms

The residents of Barthelmia (aka the Lawless Human Cities of Lindwurm) are also big traders with the goblins. Compared to the human homeland of Solaris, the Goblin Islands are closer and do not require crossing the dangerous Sea of Ghosts. Like the dwarves the Barthelmians needed a close-combat weapon for enclosed spaces when exploring draconian ruins. Like the goblins they needed an equalizer for dealing with the threats found in the Sea of Ghosts.

Only one of those worked out. Gunpowder doesn't work when damp and the other races haven't quite figured out how to preserve and use the very expensive black powder while at sea. On land they worked...OK. Still prone to malfunction and misfire, firearms are useful under certain circumstances. Plus they are hideously expensive to own and operate. Those who do use them, mostly ruin-hunters, swear by them.

Firearms have also become a fashion statement amongst the richer inhabitants of Barthelmia. These are more for conspicuous display and to appear as dangerous as the admired ruin-hunters than for actual use. A sharp sword is the faster and preferred method for settling conflicts in the bars and back alleys of the lawless human cities.

State of the Art

Matchlocks are the most advanced firearms in the Unified Setting. These smooth-bore, muzzle-loading weapons hold a slow burning match-cord at the end of a lever. The trigger sends the match-cord against a flash pan connected to the barrel, igniting the powder or boom jelly within. Match-cord burns at the rate of one foot per hour, and firearms rarely carry more than an inch. Once readied they must be used within five to fifteen minutes or they must be re-readied.

Preparing a firearm for action is an intricate, time-consuming process. Even the fastest of pistoleros can rarely do it in less than a half-minute, and loading one in the middle of combat is impossible. They also suffer from a number of other drawbacks. They are short-ranged compared to a bow, extremely loud and prone to malfunction, especially in damp environments. In darkness, the glow of the match can give away your position. The distinctive smell of burning match-cord can also alert enemies to your presence. As noted above they are also hideously expensive to purchase and maintain and few are skilled in their use.

They are also immune to enchantment. No matter how powerful the sorcerer, no firearm can be upgraded via magic. Why this is true is unknown and likely to remain so since they are such a niche weapon. No part of a gun can be enchanted and efforts to create magical slow-matches have all ended in failure. It is possible to enchant projectiles, provided they are made of sufficiently exotic materials. However the cost of such makes them rarer than hen's teeth.

Despite the many drawbacks, Lindwurm ruin-hunters and Everocian dwarves with a reputation for solving problems of an unspecified nature swear by firearms. While they are only good for one shot in combat it is a VERY potent shot. The startling flash and deafening boom they make can also be advantageous. In underground combat the startling effects can buy a delver precious seconds in which to act.

Firearms are most commonly found in pistol form. Arquebuses (primitive muskets) were created by the goblins, who abandoned the idea since six sharp-shooters in the mast proved less valuable than an additional swordsman on the deck. Cannon are used exclusively by the goblins as naval weapons against the necro-ships that haunt the Sea of Ghosts. Other races refrain from such crude weapons, preferring to capture enemy ships as valuable prizes. So do the goblins, but they prefer to send necro-ships back to the bottom from whence they came.

Mechanics

These are general guidelines rather than specific rules. Most mechanics use other weapons as a basis of measurement, so they should be easily adapted to any system. These are provided so GMs without official or home-brew stats for guns can make their own.

Firearm pistols

• Single-shot. Can not be loaded in combat.
• Short-range. Triple the range of a thrown dagger.
• High damage. A projectile from a pistol inflicts three times the damage of a longsword strike. (Roll longsword damage times three)
• High cost to purchase. A basic pistol costs four times as much as a longsword. Better looking and more reliable pistols (not always the same thing) cost even more. Dwarven pistols, crafted by Everocian craftsmen are universally regarded as the most reliable and stylish pistols ever made. They fetch ten times the price of a longsword.
• High cost to operate. Enough powder, shot and match-cord to fire a pistol ten times costs as much as a longsword.
• Unreliable. When firing a pistol, roll a d10 in addition to the to-hit roll. On a roll of 1 the weapon doesn't fire and must be reloaded. More creative GMs can create mechanics to avoid the extra die and/or create failure tables that may include half-damage (from badly packed powder), the weapon being ruined or the weapon exploding, inflicting half-damage on the user.
• Enhancement. A gun can never be magically enhanced in any way. A magically-enhanced user can use a gun as they would any other weapon. Enhanced projectiles are up to the imagination of players but should always be hideously expensive.
• Exotic weapons. For skill and proficiency systems, firearms are a unique class of weapon. Untrained users can't hit a thing with them.
• KABOOM! The flash and bang of a firearm have no game mechanics. Generous DMs may award bonuses for descriptive players describing the effect against inexperienced foes.

Arquebuses and cannon are outside the scope of this article.