Gunslinger questions

[Clyde]

Im looking for some information or rule set on the effects of gunfire in close combat, so far I havent been able to find anything on the effects the sound does to nearby creatures let alone muzzle flash, at the very least it should be similar to a thunderstone every time a gun is fired. What about fouling the barrel after "x" many shots or the effects a dirty gun has on accuracy ?

I also have questions on reloading, take a feat then use alchemical charges and you are allowed to take a full-round reloading muzzleloader and fire in 6 seconds or less ? I shoot weapons including blackpowder rifles and even with modern tech and a pre-measured load an on-target shot in the heat of combat in that amount of time is almost impossible and Ive been shooting for over 30 years.

The next problem I see is the use of gunsmithing to make gunpowder, ammo, alchemicl charges, etc. A gunslinger is allowed to automaticly craft such things with the correct tools at a percent of the cost of the items and doesnt require a craft check ? If it doesnt require a craft check shouldnt it be limited as to how many he can have per day such as the alchemist's bombs or a skill check per item or batch if allowed unlimited uses ? Have you seen a reloading bench or a smelter and molds for bullets. Crafting ammo/powder is an involved process that the required tools are not something easily carried and require a great deal of skill.

Any ideas, thoughts, or points in the right direction are greatly appreciated.

[MurphysParadox]

No rules for perceiving gun fire sound or flash, but one could say it is quite loud and thus have a very low DC to notice. It can even be negative as to further overcome distance/intervening matter penalties.

No rules for dirty guns. Generally tracking that level of detail is beyond the game's purview.

As with most of the game, reality is not always represented by the game. Guns have to do two things: Fit within the general rules of combat (6 second turns) and still be interesting to use (reload and fire in one round). Who would use a musket if it took 3 turns to reload it? It isn't realistic but it is relatively balanced.

If you value your sanity, don't think too hard about the realism behind most parts of the game. While some of it is just plain magic, a lot of it is still simple abstraction and simplification.

As for gunsmithing: You are required to have a gunsmithing kit. While it requires no craft check, you can still only make 1000 gp worth of stuff a day. A day, for crafting purposes, is 8 hours. That means it takes 1 hour to make 125g worth of supplies (at 10% market price). So yes, at 1g market price for a single bullet, a gunsmith can pump out 1250 bullets in an hour.

However, gunsmithing always takes minimum 1 day, even if you only make a single lead bullet.

So yes, there are limits to the amount of crafting in a day. In no way is this realistic but it isn't meant to be. The idea is that a Gunslinger doesn't have to care about normal bullets. He should also be able to make much more interesting bullets like adamantine (61g market price means 163 bullets for 1000g and 1 day of work) for a price but not a great time sink.

I have seen a device for packing buckshot into cartridges and that did appear to be rather portable, if bulky. Also remember you aren't making jacketed slugs, you're making metal balls and the associated gunpowder packet (at least until advanced firearms, but that's even more abstracted), so it doesn't take more than a small furnace and some molds.

If you want to upgrade the system, go for it. Require ammo tracking. Remove the 90% reduction in cost and/or require a stationary product and/or require the player to take craft (gunsmithing). These are all practical solutions. Add a system where-in every X shots raises jamming probability by 1. You could even ban alchemical cartridges entirely, though musket users will probably never again appear in the game; even as powerful as firearms are, being stuck with a every-other-turn attack pattern is just too limiting.