Building Bhakashal - The Crack of Thunder - Firearms
I wrestled with this for a while when I was creating the setting. D&D, for me, has always had a pulp vibe, and this included weapons of various kinds. I also have a special affection for modules like Temple of the Frog and Expedition to the Barrier Peaks.
However, I didn’t want everyone with handguns and regular machine gun fights. So I spent some time thinking about how to make it work.
Then, the penny dropped. To see how, a brief digression.
I decided when I was making Bhakashal that I wanted magic to be a big deal, but not pervasive. So there are over 400 new spells and around 200 new magic items, but these are not common, magic, and more powerful magic items, are under the control of various factions in the setting. So there are no “continual light” street lamps and flying cars in the setting. Magic is tightly controlled by the Noble Houses, under the direction of the Magus Warlocks who run each House.
PCs and levelled NPCs represent a thin slice of the overall population in the setting, and other than House connected warlocks and adventurers, people do not have easy access to magic or magic items. Bhakashal is not a “magic is a stand in for modern tech” kind of setting.
In an environment like this, the people controlling magic would be very concerned with the proliferation of firearms, as firearms would allow a very deadly technology to be used by those without the allegiance to a Noble House, or the training and knowledge of the Warlocks who control them. In short, firearm technology in Bhakashal is artificially restricted to a pre automatic weapon stage. Single shot reloading weapons and basic revolvers are all that are allowed, any attempts to innovate beyond this have been ruthlessly put down.
There are no mass manufactured guns in Bhakashal, every firearm in the setting is a unique weapon made by a master craftsman, sometimes a warlock, sometimes a blacksmith, but always under the supervision of a Warlock from a Noble House. Even within Noble Houses only certain Warlocks have firearms, and they are not used publically or in duels very often, the less the public knows about them the less likely they are to be duplicated or improved upon. For the most part firearms are only found in the hands of warlocks. When found in the possession of anyone else, they usually become a target.
Warlocks protect their power jealously.
Indeed, the ambitious referee could easily make this into a whole campaign arc, the discovery of some distant (or local) warlock who is trying to either mass manufacture guns or make automatic guns and the subsequent attempts to squash this innovation. Or perhaps the party will attempt to make that innovation themselves...
Types of Firearms - Bhakashal
- The weapons with a single weapon speed are one shot then reload, the weapon speed reflects the time to reload and discharge the weapon. Dual listed speeds are for six-shooters, the smaller speed applies when the weapon is loaded, when the last bullet fires, the listed weapon speed applies to the next shot, this reflects reloading time.
- Firearms do the same amount of listed damage against SM and L targets, this reflects the ability of traditional weapons to do greater damage due to size
- Ranges are shorter than bows and crossbows at the Long range, but are higher at the lower ranges.
- Where guns are SIGNIFICANTLY better than traditional weapons isn’t damage, it’s the likelihood of damage, reflecting the fact that bullets can pass through a body with minimal damage, but are very likely to cause damage and penetrate armor. So short, medium and long range all get bonuses to hit (where standard missile weapons are Short no mod, Medium -2 and Long -5)
- Guns are also significantly better on Weapon versus Armor Class modifiers, there are no penalties for guns (standard weapons have penalties against metal armor in most cases) and the bonuses are much higher.
- The Critical Effects for guns are significant.
Remain - Bullet remains in target doing base dice damage per round until removed. Removal requires a saving throw versus petrification with DEX bonus. Failure does regular dice damage again.
Bleed - Bullet hits a vein, target loses 1-3 HP per round until wound bound.
Blind - Make a saving throw, on a success target temporarily blinded for 2-4 rounds (-4 to hit) due to blood, fail saving throw, eye shot out, -6 to hit for 1-2 weeks, then -5 for a month, with 1 point less penalty per month thereafter until -1.
Numb - Bullet hits a bone or significant muscle on arm or leg, target area numbed and useless (no attacking with limb, no walking on limb) until healed.
Magical Firearms
Magical Firearms in Bhakashal are made by binding minor demons to the weapons using a process created by Foslan Demonfane of House Klis. Foslan created a custom spell used to summon and bind minor demons to guns.
Foslan Demonfane’s Binding Call
Level: 8, Casting Time: 1 hour, Range: 2”, Duration: permanent, Area of Effect: one weapon, Components: V,S,M, Saving Throw: special.
When Foslan Demonfane’s signature spell is cast, the warlock summons a demon and binds them to a firearm. The firearm must be of the highest possible workmanship, and must be made of cold iron. The firearm is engraved with symbols which help to focus the binding spell which keeps the demon inside the gun. If the spell is cast successfully then the summoning works, to determine if the binding works, it is necessary to deduct the demon’s magic resistance from the caster’s [“to know” + level]. The remaining percentage is the chance that the binding will be successful. If the demon’s magic resistance is greater than the casters “to know” + level the demon cannot be summoned.
If the binding is not successful, there is a 5% chance per HD of the demon that they will attack the caster, otherwise they will disappear upon the failed attempt to bind them.
Depending on the type of demon bound to the gun the wielder will have two other spell-like powers they can use, the first up to 3x per day, the second once per day, as follows:
Guns vrs Characters
Magical firearms are powerful items that house demons, those demons will always be eager to leave their binding and be free. Whenever the character wielding the magical firearm is reduced to below 1/4 of their total hit points, make the following calculation:
Demon Magic Resistance / 5 = % chance the demon will take over the PC.
Check this once per hour until the PC is healed back to above 1/4 their total HP.
If the demon possesses the PC they cannot directly harm them (e.g. get them to shoot themselves), however, they will use them to sow chaos and destruction until others are forced to deal with them, and if they are slain in righteous retribution for their chaotic acts the demon is freed and the PCs soul is bound to the gun instead, unable to pass on to the afterlife.
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