Double Barreled firearm and misfire


Rules Questions


Ive been having this disgussion with a guy i usually play with.

What happens if a double barreled firearm gets a misfire on both barrels in the same shot, is it broken or wrecked/destroyed?

Silver Crusade

Two misfires are still two misfires. Gun goes boom. There are, in fact, actual downsides to using double barrels on a weapon that has a tendency to explode in your hands.


ErrantPursuit wrote:

Two misfires are still two misfires. Gun goes boom. There are, in fact, actual downsides to using double barrels on a weapon that has a tendency to explode in your hands.

I agree on that.

But he argues that the misfire rules state that your your gun will only explode if you fire it while broken, and as the two barrels fire at the same time the gun cant explode as it was not broken when fired.


I am playing a Goblin Gunslinger in our home game and it happened to me during combat. Both barrels are now broken and if you attempt to fire again--while broken--and they misfire, then it will "blow up" and be destroyed.


Dorian 'Grey' wrote:
I am playing a Goblin Gunslinger in our home game and it happened to me during combat. Both barrels are now broken and if you attempt to fire again--while broken--and they misfire, then it will "blow up" and be destroyed.

that makes no sense, the barrels are not seperate weapons but part of the same, it cant get broken twice. its like saying that a double weapon can be broken twice because it has two ends.


Mikkel Rugholm wrote:
Dorian 'Grey' wrote:
I am playing a Goblin Gunslinger in our home game and it happened to me during combat. Both barrels are now broken and if you attempt to fire again--while broken--and they misfire, then it will "blow up" and be destroyed.
that makes no sense, the barrels are not seperate weapons but part of the same, it cant get broken twice. its like saying that a double weapon can be broken twice because it has two ends.

But for any real intent, the barrels are two separate weapons. Since you can fire both barrels at the same time, that means that this is a side by side weapon, with two sets of triggers, two primer pans, etc. Damage to one would not necessarily cause damage to the other.


Pagan priest wrote:
Mikkel Rugholm wrote:
Dorian 'Grey' wrote:
I am playing a Goblin Gunslinger in our home game and it happened to me during combat. Both barrels are now broken and if you attempt to fire again--while broken--and they misfire, then it will "blow up" and be destroyed.
that makes no sense, the barrels are not seperate weapons but part of the same, it cant get broken twice. its like saying that a double weapon can be broken twice because it has two ends.
But for any real intent, the barrels are two separate weapons. Since you can fire both barrels at the same time, that means that this is a side by side weapon, with two sets of triggers, two primer pans, etc. Damage to one would not necessarily cause damage to the other.

In real life i sure would avoid fireing a dual barrel gun that had just blown a barrel, pretty good chance a blowout would damage both barrels.

and in pfs its pretty clear that a double barreled firearm is a single weapon, so when the weapon gets broken its the entire weapon, not just a single barrel.

The Exchange

For a more complete look at how the rules work and how they are worded (copied from my thread located at: http://paizo.com/threads/rzs2pyy1?Doublebarrel-misfire)

* * *

"When you fire both barrels "at once", you have the chance to get a double jam.

The wording is as follows:
"This musket has two parallel barrels; each barrel can be shot independently as a separate action, or both can be fired at once as the same attack."

or

"This pistol has two parallel barrels; each barrel can be fired independently as a separate action, or both can be shot at once with the same action."

The operative words here are, "separate action" and "at once". Separate action is clear. "At once"; the only definition for this is that you pull one trigger or two at the same time and either one or both barrels fire. If you were playing at a table you would pick up one or two D20s and roll them together.

If you misfire, your gun gains the "broken" condition.

"Early Firearms: If an early firearm with the broken condition misfires again, it explodes."

The operative words here are, "with the broken condition" and "misfires again".

Using a double gun (pistol or musket) begins the round without the broken condition. It fires, regardless of how many misfires you roll (one or two - these happen at the same time as established above), at the end of those two barrels firing you NOW have the broken condition.

"If an early firearm with the broken condition..." It does not have the broken condition until the results of the barrels firing simultaneously are known. "...misfires again", no additional misfire in a separate action is happening.

Obviously, if you want to jam your gun and then try to shoot out the same barrel again (when it has not been properly cleared) then of course you're asking for trouble. This makes clear sense to me. This is one of the risks involved in shooting any gun - you need to keep them clean and free from obstruction.

Using a double gun that rolls two misfires (at the same time as established above), you get what I term a "double jam". Regardless of how many jams, it takes a standard (or move with quick clear) to clean it out and have it ready again. ((ADDED - I'd be happy that you had to clear each barrel individually costing you two actions))

At NO point do you take a broken gun, load it and fire it. Therefore the argument that a double misfire on the first causes it to be broken and on the second makes it explode is simply inaccurate as per the written rules which are 100% linguistically clear."

* * *

So, in summation, if the barrels were fired, "independently as a separate action" then yes, Mikkel would be correct, however they are fired, "at once" meaning at no point were you firing a "broken" gun.


when a misfire happens on a double barrel weapon it gains the broken condition. this is because it is only 1 weapon. if you fire again and misfire, THEN it explodes.

just because it fired two rounds at the same time when it originally misfired, doesn't mean it misfired twice. in order to misfire twice, you have to make 2 attack rolls and two critical failures, one following the other. so even if you were to roll two attacks (one for each barrel) they happen at the same time and it would still only be one misfire. seeing as how you only make one roll with a double barrel weapon this becomes easier. one attack roll=1 missfire.

The Exchange

You actually make two rolls when firing a double barrelled gun and each is at a -4.

"If both barrels are shot at once, they must both target the same creature or object, and the pistol becomes wildly inaccurate, imposing a –4 penalty on each shot."

So you do roll for, "each shot". You are correct in stating that because they are fired at the same time it is not two separate actions (which is what is stated is needed for a firearm to explode).

Action 1: Fire the gun (misfire - gains the broken condition)
Action 2: "If an early firearm with the broken condition misfires again"

"...it explodes."

Only one action triggers both rolls, not two :)

How double barrel guns are written in the rules:

Action 1: Fire both barrels "at once" (misfire - gun is broken)
Action 2: Time to get to clearing the broken condition.

Silver Crusade

My objections to Bloodlust's interpretation are stated in his thread here and I'll spare everyone the re-post. I will also acknowledge that he has a valid point of view on this subject matter.


Mikkel Rugholm wrote:
Pagan priest wrote:
Mikkel Rugholm wrote:
Dorian 'Grey' wrote:
I am playing a Goblin Gunslinger in our home game and it happened to me during combat. Both barrels are now broken and if you attempt to fire again--while broken--and they misfire, then it will "blow up" and be destroyed.
that makes no sense, the barrels are not seperate weapons but part of the same, it cant get broken twice. its like saying that a double weapon can be broken twice because it has two ends.
But for any real intent, the barrels are two separate weapons. Since you can fire both barrels at the same time, that means that this is a side by side weapon, with two sets of triggers, two primer pans, etc. Damage to one would not necessarily cause damage to the other.

In real life i sure would avoid fireing a dual barrel gun that had just blown a barrel, pretty good chance a blowout would damage both barrels.

and in pfs its pretty clear that a double barreled firearm is a single weapon, so when the weapon gets broken its the entire weapon, not just a single barrel.

Even if your life was in imminent danger? More to the point, a single misfire is not what I would describe as a blown barrel - the weapon is not broken, it just needs some attention to be safe to fire that barrel again.

The Exchange

Pathfinder Rulebook Subscriber

so if you fire a double barrel pistol, and one side has a misfire, while the other side scores a crit, the jam/broken condition of the one barrel won't impact the shot of the critical, because both shots happened simultaneously ?


I'm in the "it goes boom" camp. No free misfires.

There's no rules indication that the barrels are treated separately for the purpose of conditions such as broken. They're one weapon. For example, if you sunder the pistol, you don't have to pick which barrel you're sundering. Even double weapons are treated as one weapon when it comes to object damage and the broken condition.


It is clear that this is total fantasy and logic has no part in it. In real life a misfire or jam in one barrel of a double barrel weapon has no impact what so ever on the other barrel. Not only would it not explode you can even keep shooting the barrel that is not jammed/misfired.

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