Willsbane is considerably more technologically advanced than most fantasy settings. It is even more advanced than any other known domains. However, despite the advent of mass production firearms are neither as available nor as advanced as those on Earth in the mid 1800's. The government of Willsbane has always kept a close eye on those that produced firearms for fear of revolution. Anyone who produced anything novel enough to be a threat was taken care of quietly. Anyone who produced firearms rapidly enough to arm an uprising has found their factory destroyed and met with a most unpleasant death. As a result gunsmithing is primarily the realm of master craftsman who, although they produce pieces of exceeding workmanship for the nobles, are unlikely to threaten the current balance of power.
All rules governing weapon proficiencies apply to firearms, except that specialization does not give a character multiple attacks.
Loading and operating a musket or pistol is a complicated process, and only a skilled individual can do so correctly. Thus, in order to use any type of firearm, the character must be proficient in at least one weapon of its type.
There are also some non-weapon proficiencies associated with firearms that can be found in the new proficiencies section.
Gunpowder weapons in Ravenloft all share certain similarities: They all rely on packed charges of gunpowder to fire a front-loaded projectile. Typically, a firearm of any type can fire only once before needing to be reloaded. It is conceivable that a gunsmith of great skill or vision may create a double-barreled weapon, but in such a case, each barrel requires a separate gunpowder charge and a separate projectile.
All gunpowder pistols have a speed factor of 3. Gunpowder rifles and muskets have a speed factor of 6. Both rifles, muskets, and pistols require a full combat round to reload. Firearms are considered piercing weapons.
Characters who carry gunpowder weapons must specify how many charges of powder and how many bullets they are carrying. They must take care not to get it wet (often a problem in Willsbane) or worse catch it on fire.
Matchlock Calivers: Matchlock calivers are large muzzle loaders that rely on a slow-burning match to ignite a power charge. Roughly five feet in length, they are military weapons.
Reloading a matchlock weapon is particularly difficult. Not only must the various accouterments be kept separate, but also the slow match must be kept lit and it must not touch anything highly flammable. The slow match burns at a rate of one inch per turn.
Wheellock Belt Pistols and Horse Pistols: In times past the military officers, gentry, and experienced adventurers favored the wheellock pistol designs. The wheellock replaces the slow match with a spring-wound wheel. Pulling the trigger releases the wheel, which spins against a flint and sprays sparks into the priming pan, igniting the gunpowder. Loading and reloading these weapons is still a complicated process though.
The belt pistols are small enough to be carried stuck through a character's belt or waist band, and can easily be concealed beneath a cloak.
The horse pistol is larger, up to eighteen inches long. It was developed for use by mounted guards, who used to patrol the blood-soaked frontier. The soldiers would typically carry them in holsters slung over their saddles. Horse pistols are fitted with a large ball at the bottom of the grip. The ball makes it less likely that the weapon would be dropped when drawn on a moving horse and also makes it an effective club, in which case it inflicts 1d6 points of damage.
Snaplock Rifles and Pistols: The snaplocks are the most sophisticated gunpowder weapons available. They are both safer and easier to use than the older matchlocks and wheellocks. These are the most common weapons in the domain of Willsbane. Snaplock rifles are available as both muzzle loaders and breach loaders.
Some additional rules apply to the use of gunpowder weapons.
Range Modifiers: Firearms use normal range modifiers (-2 at medium range, -5 at long range). These modifiers do not double.
Armor Classes: The great advantage of gunpowder weapons is their ability to punch through armor. At short range, all armor is ignored; the target's Armor Class depends entirely on Dexterity and cover. At medium range, the target's Armor Class (including armor benefits) suffers a +5 penalty. At long range, the target suffers a +2 Armor Class penalty.
These penalties apply only to that portion of the character's Armor Class that comes from wearing armor; Dexterity bonuses are unaffected. The penalty cannot make a character's Armor Class worse than if he was wearing no armor.
Additional Damage: No matter what sort of gunpowder weapon is being used, any time a player rolls the maximum value on the damage die, he rolls again and adds the results together. He keeps rolling until he no longer rolls the maximum value on the die.
Misfiring: For various reasons, gunpowder weapons occasionally misfire. If the attack roll is a 1, the weapon does not fire. It cannot be fired again until at least two rounds are spent clearing the charge from the barrel, cleaning, and reloading the piece.
The Danger of Gunpowder: If a character takes any fire damage, he must roll a item saving throw for whatever containers hold gunpowder. If the saving throw fails, the gunpowder ignites and inflicts 1d2 points of damage on the character for every charge carried.
The Danger of Moisture: Characters using firearms must take care to keep their gunpowder charges dry. Should the gunpowder become wet it will not ignite (often at the most inconvenient times) and must be dried for at least a day.
The following equipment and weapons are available from gunsmiths in the domain of Willsbane.
A bullet mold makes a single bullet, and a gunpowder flask contains ten charges.
| Item | RoF | Weight (lbs.) | Size | Range (yds.) | Damage | Price (£) | ||||||
| Matchlock Caliver | 1/2 | 11 | M | 40/80/240 | 2d6/2d6 | 75 | ||||||
| Snaplock Rifle | 1/2 | 14 | M | 70/130/390 | 3d6/3d6 | 300 | ||||||
| Snaplock Belt Pistol | 1/2 | 3 | S | 15/30/45 | 2d6/2d6 | 100 | ||||||
| Wheellock Belt Pistol | 1/2 | 3 | S | 15/30/45 | 1d10/1d10 | 60 | ||||||
| Wheellock Horse Pistol | 1/2 | 4 | S | 20/40/60 | 1d12/1d12 | 100 | ||||||
| Bullets (10) | - | 0.25 | - | - | - | 1 | ||||||
| Bullet Mold | - | 2 | - | - | - | 10 | ||||||
| Gunpowder (Flask) | - | 0.5 | - | - | - | 20 | ||||||
| Slow Match (10 ft.) | - | - | - | - | - | 1 |