Would craft(gunsmith) allow me to make black powder, or would I need craft(alchemy) for that?
gunsmith would be making guns and casting bullets. Gunpowder has always been alchemy.
gunsmith would be making guns and casting bullets. Gunpowder has always been alchemy.
Domo.
For the Game system.
I think Craft(gunsmith) would be guns, bullets, and black powder.
Ya Alchemy can make it, they invented it. But if you learn to make guns, you also learned to make black powder (only).
Anyway my 2 cents.
gunsmith would be making guns and casting bullets. Gunpowder has always been alchemy.
I think this would make the most sense. I could also envision a feat that allowed someone to craft both without splitting skills.
A feat tax... but could see the gunslinger taking it.
Ya that sounds cool also.
I honestly think just having a piece of equipment called a bullet mold in the game that gives a +5 to craft(gunsmithing) for the sole purposes of making bullets and making it a DC 10 task would be fine.
That leaves the rest of your ranks for alchemy to make gunpowder (which really is the hard task).
Bullets are easy -- gunpowder is not.
I honestly think just having a piece of equipment called a bullet mold in the game that gives a +5 to craft(gunsmithing) for the sole purposes of making bullets and making it a DC 10 task would be fine.
That leaves the rest of your ranks for alchemy to make gunpowder (which really is the hard task).
Bullets are easy -- gunpowder is not.
So what about the Gun. Or can any one with Craft Weapons make the guns ?
Guns are odd beasts. Getting them just right took enough time to make the katana thread in the ninja section look contrite.
I would have a different skill to make a gun -- I don't say forge because you don't forge guns, you machine them.
However I do feel that some level of "rearming" needs to be readily available to make the gunslinger viable and at least somewhat historically accurate.
Bullets really are easy to make -- they did it all the time during the civil war and before it.
Get lead, melt lead over fire, pour into mold. Open mold extract bullet. Rinse, lather, repeat (lather with some soap to help the bullet come out next time).
Gunpowder is more difficult because you have to get the mix right for your gun -- anything wrong on that part and you can kiss yourself good bye, or have too weak a charge. Getting that mix right and getting the right amount in is critical to delivering a good shot and living to do it again.
Bullet molds are historically accurate, something anyone can use, and allow a quick easy means of making bullets that really is so simple a skill check shouldn't be required.
My other major complaint on the guns is the price.
It's hard enough to really use these weapons as is -- reload times, misfire chance, and the need for an exotic weapon feat all make it expensive already. Add to the fact that the guns themselves cost as much as magical armor and we have a huge problem.
Most of the weapons cost in the range of 1~20gp -- I understand guns are more expensive -- however I don't think that a single simple gun should be worth 3~5 masterwork weapons of other types. What happens when the gunslinger dies at low level? WBL is thrown completely wacko. Heck I'm considering taking a pistol gunslinger just to sell the second pistol to have some better starting cash to make up for how hard it is to use the guns.
A price of 100 gp would be enough to keep them out of "normal" people's hands while still making it accessible at low levels without breaking wealth by level.
A weapon I can't afford until 2nd level just isn't good -- especially when I can't afford more ammunition on top of it. At least with composite bows I can work my way up to a mighty bow that uses my full strength -- I got something that works while getting there -- not so much with firearms.
Bullets are only harder if you aren't doing ball ammunition -- the type we are talking about. A musket or pistol in these forms are not going to be using hollow points, wad cutters, or anything of the like. It is literally a ball of lead. That is easy with a bullet mold and is something anyone can do (and often has done).
We currently sell pewter kits as kid's toys that do the exact same thing -- this is not a difficult process.