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So I recently reworked the firearm rules to make guns less exceptional, and at the same time I re-did the early firearms weapons table to be exclusive to Medieval gunpowder weapons. Check out the full thing on my blog, or read it below:
Rules Changes for Early Gunpowder Weapons
Firearm Proficiency: Each separate gunpowder weapon requires a separate Gunpowder Weapon Proficiency feat (for example: Gunpowder Weapon Proficiency (hand cannon)). Non-proficient characters still take the standard -4 non-proficiency penalty, and they also increase the chance of misfire to 10%. Special gunpowder ammunition like fire arrows and fire bolts require both a Gunpowder Weapon Proficiency feat and proficiency with the base weapon used to fire them.
Gunpowder weapons fall into the following weapon groups for the purposes of the fighter's weapon training class feature: Bows (fire arrows), Crossbows (fire bolts), Hand Cannons (fire lance, hand cannon, three-barrelled hand cannon), and Muskets (arquebus, rocket gun).
Range and Penetration: Pathfinder's rules for penetration - that early firearms attack touch AC within the first range increment - are fine enough, I guess. But for simplicity's sake, my rule is that gunpowder weapons attack regular AC like any other weapon unless stated otherwise in the weapon's description. That also gets rid of the problematic implication that guns are just as effective as magic rays against a stout wooden shield, a suit of +5 full plate, or even a red dragon's thick hide.
Loading a Firearm: Keep the Pathfinder rules as written.
Misfires: On a roll of a natural 1 (or 1-2 if the user is non-proficient), the gun misfires, gaining the broken condition. Additional rolls to confirm a critical fumble occur as usual, and any effects of the critical fumble occur on top of the misfire. While the weapon has the broken condition, its chance of misfire doubles. A second misfire before the weapon has been repaired means the weapon explodes. When the weapon explodes, the wielder takes damage as if he had been hit by the weapon; the damage type is 'bludgeoning and piercing and fire'. All adjacent creatures take half damage (DC 12 Reflex Save negates). A critical fumble result (as from a fumble table or the Critical Fumble Deck) that gives the broken condition to the weapon stacks with the broken condition caused by the misfire, causing the gun to explode.
Ammunition: Most gunpowder weapons require both black powder and shot. The number of charges of black powder required, and the type of shot required, vary from weapon to weapon.
Deflecting and Snatching Bullets: The Deflect Arrows feat and the Snatch Arrows feat cannot be used to deflect or snatch bullets.
Medieval Gunpowder Weapons
Fire Arrows
The fire arrow is a normal arrow to which is affixed an explosive rocket, with a short fuse wound around the arrow shaft. The rocket increases the flight range of the arrow, despite the added weight, and explodes upon - or shortly after - striking the target. Lighting and firing a fire arrow is a full-round action.
The fire arrow deals fire damage like a splash weapon to all within the target square, and one point of fire damage to every creature within a 5-foot radius. In addition, any creature struck directly with the fire arrow takes normal arrow damage, including any bonuses granted by enhancements to the bow or its wielder. Fire arrows can be fired from shortbows or longbows, dealing normal arrow damage appropriate to the bow, and add 40 ft. to the range increment.
Fire Arrows (5) - Ammunition Early Gunpowder Weapon
Cost: 150 gp
Dmg (S): 1d4 (splash)
Dmg (M): 1d6 (splash)
Range: +40 ft.
Weight: 1 lb.
Type: Fire
Special: See Text
Fire Lance
his primitive gunpowder weapon consists of a tube of gunpowder affixed to the end of a pole. The tubes can also be attached to any spear or polearm so that the wielder can continue to fight after discharging the weapon, although if the fire lance explodes on a misfire, it deals damage to the weapon as well. Any weapon with a fire lance attached to it suffers a -2 penalty to attack rolls until the fire lance has been discharged. The fire lance is loaded with a small dart which is propelled by a gout of flame when the weapon is fired. Creatures hit by the fire lance within the first range increment take half-again as much fire damage on a successful hit. The fire lance is a one-use weapon that cannot be reused. Because of its cheap construction and simple operation, it is favoured as a guard weapon.
The staff to which the tube is attached requires one hand to wield and aim, while the fuse must be lit with the off-hand. The fuse is usually cut short so that the weapon fires almost instantly, allowing the infantryman to aim and fire rapidly. However, cavalrymen often prefer a longer fuse, so they can light it and then charge, aiming it as they would a normal lance. It is a free action to light the fuse at any length, though proficiency with the fire lance is required when selecting the match length, or the weapon may go off several rounds too early or too late (as per GM's discretion). When a longer match is lit, the player must specify how many rounds there will be before it is to go off.
Fire Lance - Two-Handed Early Gunpowder Weapon
Cost: 10 gp
Dmg (S): 1d4
Dmg (M): 1d6
Critical: x2
Range: 10 ft.
Weight: 4 lb.
Type: P
Special: See Text
Hand Cannon
This primitive gun consists of a short (6"-12"), thick metal barrel attached to a long wooden or metal stock. It fires a heavy stone or iron ball approximately one to one-and-a-half inches in diameter. The powder is ignited by touching a fire source (a slow-burning fuse called a 'match' or 'punk') to a small opening in the rear of the barrel. The hand cannon requires two hands to aim properly, or one hand and something sturdy to prop it against. As such, it is often held and aimed by one person and fired by a second person holding the match. It can be fired one handed, with the stock steadied under the armpit, at a -2 penalty to hit. Reloading a hand cannon requires two hands and three full-round actions, though the Rapid Reload feat reduces this to two full-round actions. A hand cannon takes two charges of gunpowder.
A hand cannon can be loaded with a handful of rocks instead of a hand cannon shot, decreasing the damage dealt by one step and the range increment to 10 ft.
Hand Cannon - Two-Handed Early Gunpowder Weapon
Cost: 500 gp
Charges: 2
Weight: 10 lb.
Special: See Text
Hand Cannon Shot (5) - Ammunition
Cost: 5 gp
Dmg (S): 1d10
Dmg (M): 2d6
Critical: x3
Range: 20 ft.
Weight: 5 lb.
Type: B and P
Three-Barrelled Hand Cannon
This heavy gun has three hand cannon barrels arrayed around the end of a long metal stock. Each barrel can be loaded and fired independently, allowing the wielder to potentially get off three shots before having to reload. While making a full-attack action, you may fire a three-barrelled hand cannon as many times in the round as you have attacks, up to the number of barrels that are loaded. Like a regular hand cannon, the three-barrelled hand cannon is very heavy and requires two hands to aim properly, or one hand and something sturdy to prop it against. As such, it is often held and aimed by one person and fired by a second person holding the match (when firing multiple barrels as part of a full-attack action, the rate of fire is based on the character with the lowest Base Attack Bonus). It can be fired one handed, with the stock steadied under the armpit, but at a -4 penalty to hit thanks to its great weight. Reloading each barrel requires two hands and three full-round actions, though the Rapid Reload feat reduces this to two full-round actions per barrel. Two people can load the weapon at a time if they are each loading a different barrel. Each barrel takes two charges of gunpowder.
On a misfire, only the barrel being fired is broken. If a barrel explodes, it deals damage to the other two barrels. Each barrel has a hardness of 10 and 30 hp.
Hand Cannon, Three-Barrelled - Two-Handed Early Gunpowder Weapon
Cost: 1,250 gp
Charges: 2 per barrel
Weight: 20 lb.
Special: See Text
Hand Cannon Shot (5) - Ammunition
Cost: 5 gp
Dmg (S): 1d10
Dmg (M): 2d6
Critical: x3
Range: 20 ft.
Weight: 5 lb.
Type: B and P
Fire Bolts
The fire bolt is a special crossbow bolt packed with gunpowder. A short fuse, lit before firing, causes the bolt to explode upon impact or shortly thereafter. Lighting a fire bolt is a move action, independent of the time required to load the crossbow.
The fire bolt deals fire damage like a splash weapon to all within the target square, and one point of fire damage to every creature within a 5-foot radius. In addition, any creature struck directly with the fire bolt takes normal bolt damage, including any bonuses granted by enhancements to the crossbow or its wielder. Fire bolts can be fired from light or heavy crossbows, but not hand or repeating crossbows. They deal normal bolt damage appropriate to the crossbow. Their weight subtracts 20 ft. from the range increment.
Fire Bolts (5) - Ammunition Early Gunpowder Weapon
Cost: 200 gp
Dmg (S): 2d4 (splash)
Dmg (M): 2d6 (splash)
Range: -20 ft.
Weight: 2 lb.
Type: Fire
Special: See Text
Arquebus
This gun is the most technologically advanced of the early gunpowder weapons. It consists of a long metal barrel set in a heavy wooden stock. The gun is fired by a matchlock - a slow-burning fuse held by a serpentine mechanism which rotates to touch the firing pan when the trigger is pulled. The arquebus fires smaller shot than the hand cannon, but it fires it at a greater velocity, increasing its range and penetrative power, and it is faster to reload and easier to aim. The arquebus can be loaded with small shot instead of its regular shot. Small shot consists of a handful of small lead balls that spread out when fired, increasing the chances of hitting a vital spot, though decreasing the overall power of the shot and its effective range. Reloading the arquebus requires two hands and two full-round actions, though the Rapid Reload feat reduces this to one full-round action.
The arquebus is heavy, and requires a support stick to steady it while aiming, which takes a move action to set up, and must be repositioned every time the arquebusier moves to a different firing position. The arquebus can be fired without the support stick at a -2 penalty to hit. Those with a Strength score of 16 or greater can aim and fire the arquebus without the support stick at no penalty.
Arquebus - Two-Handed Early Gunpowder Weapon
Cost: 3,000 gp
Charges: 1
Weight: 8 lb.
Lead Shot (10) - Ammunition
Cost: 1 gp
Dmg (S): 1d8
Dmg (M): 1d10
Critical: x4
Range: 60 ft.
Weight: 1 lb.
Type: P
Small Shot (10) - Ammunition
Cost: 2 gp
Dmg (S): 1d6
Dmg (M): 1d8
Critical: 18-20/x2
Range: 10 ft.
Weight: 1 lb.
Type: B and P
Rocket Gun
This variant of the arquebus is used to fire explosive rockets similar to fire arrows. The gun rocket is affixed to the end of a long pole; the pole is loaded into the barrel of the gun, while the rocket sticks out the front. The firing of the gun propels the rocket out of the muzzle and ignites a short fuse, causing the rocket to fly toward the target and explode. The rocket deals fire damage like a splash weapon to all within the target square, and one point of fire damage to every creature within a 5-foot radius.
Rocket Gun - Two-Handed Early Gunpowder Weapon
Cost: 2,000 gp
Charges: 1
Weight: 8 lb.
Gun Rocket (1) - Ammunition
Cost: 40 gp
Dmg (S): 2d4
Dmg (M): 2d6
Range: 80 ft.
Weight: 2 lb.
Type: Fire (splash)
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How do you like that system? Would you use those weapons in your campaign?
(Second matter: is it kosher to post stuff from my blog here? I post on a weekly basis, and a lot of those weeks involve homebrewed content. If I could post that homebrewed stuff here too, I would really appreciate the increased feedback and number of people seeing and potentially using my ideas.)
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Might use the weapons, maybe not so much with the blackpowder rules tho. There are already so many rules to keep up with, making a bunch of exception for firearms, heh not necessary. Considering heroes in pf are literally super heroes anyway, snatching bullets isn't really that impossible, compared to mr. wizard who can cast wind wall very early on in his career to ignore projectiles, not too far fetched for higher level martial classes to do the same. But well, I can count on one hand the numbers of people who have ever used Snatch arrow.
A shame no one has commented on this. I haven't gone through this in detail, but these sound interesting. I'm planning to homebrew a bunch of firearms for the gunslinger in my campaign, so this will be really handy.
Might use the weapons, maybe not so much with the blackpowder rules tho. There are already so many rules to keep up with, making a bunch of exception for firearms, heh not necessary. Considering heroes in pf are literally super heroes anyway, snatching bullets isn't really that impossible, compared to mr. wizard who can cast wind wall very early on in his career to ignore projectiles, not too far fetched for higher level martial classes to do the same. But well, I can count on one hand the numbers of people who have ever used Snatch arrow.
I second that emotion. Standard rules, adding flame arrow.
You can't really have a flash in the pan with a bow and arrow.
My rules for firearms actually make gunpowder weapons less complicated than the official Pathfinder rules make them.
Your rules here are fine, and a better reflection of how I think medieval firearms worked than the official rules. However, since those actual weapons weren't better than a longbow, I wouldn't bother using them in a game. You don't get enough attacks for a high level adventurer to use them.
On the other hand, as a GM I can see them being of use when arming an army of mooks.
The big problem with firearms in Pathfinder is that they can either match medieval ones and be ignored (as they were in 1st edition, generally) for being rubbish or they match later firearms and supercede bows (and a lot of melee weapons too) by being better. It's very hard to balance them.