Mechanical Talk: Blazing a path with Firearms

Okay, so last time I talked about Broken characters, and anyone who is not my friends will notice I put down Pathfinders firearms as an example of broken mechanics under a particulars persons opinion, I should probably be clear as to why I chose that example.

I love the Firearms in Pathfinder.

Gameplay-wise it takes nothing away and adds another dimension to swords, stealth, and sorcery. Story-wise there's that pulpy feel of a junker pistol misfiring in your hand when you need it most. Character-wise, tell me that not one of you has wanted to do the Dirty Harry "Do ya feel lucky, well do ya punk?" thing, or the wandering Gunslinger, striding out of town into the setting sun.

Medieval stasis has its place, don't get me wrong, if the next Hobbit or Silmarillion Film (ya know they're gonna do it, if only to make some more money) comes out, and suddenly we've got Dwarves wielding shotguns and Elves duel wielding Uzis, I'm going to just as betrayed as the next person, Middle Earth is not the place for that kind of stuff, it goes against one of the underlying themes of the universe.

But similarly, not all fantasy universes should be stuck in a medieval setting. I have argued multiple times with my friends, and my family on occasion, that although you've got magic, that does not break the underlying rules of physics, matter cannot occupy the same space as matter, two identical entities cannot exist at the same time (although I can explain why there could be 2 of someone running about without breaking this rule, it hinges on observation which alters the state of things), thermodynamics still works, and you can't opt out of Gravity without some serious mystical mojo, and a lot of diamond dust.

So if science still works on the same central conceits, then the advancement of science will take the same general path, maybe we'll get penicillin before flintlock pistols, maybe we'll never learn anything about pathology before someone creates a rotor-craft capable of basic aviation, but science will still advance, it's what science does.

Which brings us back to, in a roundabout way, Firearms. Firearms represent the continual advancement in military technology as kingdoms without magical capabilities search for a method to match magic users on the field of battle, and the rules for Firearms in Pathfinder remind me a lot of a casters ray spells, in their application and execution.

So let's start with how Firearms work in game. basic one-handed or two-handed firearms, same rules one-handed do less damage, but give you a free hand either to use a shield or use another firearm, while two-handed firearms do more damage and have better range but take longer to reload. However unlike bows and crossbows, the fighters normal method of enacting ranged slaughter on his enemies Firearms target Touch AC, ignoring a good chunk of most PC's and NPC's armour making them possibly one of the most accurate weapon types in Pathfinder, possibly any RPG.

(I'm not 100% sure, but I remember seeing somewhere recently that Firearms do not ignore Shield Bonuses to AC, but I've been unable to confirm or deny this so, if anyone does know, post a link in the comments please)

This massive bonus to accuracy comes at the cost of your firearm occasionally exploding in your face, each firearm has a misfire range, often in the range of 1 - 3, if a gunslinger naturally rolls one of these result on the to hit roll, the firearm misfires, initially breaking, which expands the misfire chance by a +4 making it more likely to misfire again, subsequently exploding. This is a bad thing since now, not only are you the possessor of a stump where your hand should be, you've also lost something to the tune of at least 1,000 GP, often more.

Naturally the Gunslinger class, and other class archetypes that specialise in Firearms have some methods of restoring a Firearm to proper condition given enough time and money, but a Firearm misfiring in the middle of a fight can change the flow of battle significantly, often with disastrous consequences for the wielder.

At the end of this post all I can say is that while I'm unlikely to change to opinions of the players who hate Firearms for story reasons, or the way they alter game balance, I do encourage all of you to give them a shot (figuratively, don't take a gun and wander down the street shooting wildly into the air, that'll get you arrested in most places) and see just how much you enjoy them.

I hope you have a blast.