Renaissance-era pistols and muskets appear in the Player’s Handbook. In a campaign involving a crashed spaceship or elements of modern-day Earth, characters might find the items described here.
The Firearms table provides examples of modern and futuristic firearms. If you make them available for purchase (perhaps in the fantastical marketplaces of the City of Brass), treat modern items as Rare magic items and futuristic items as Very Rare ones (see chapter 7).
When faced with a troll, there’s no time to figure out the right way to hold a shotgun.
Some weapons in the Firearms table have the following properties, in addition to properties described in the Player’s Handbook.
Burst Fire. As an action, you can expend 10 pieces of a Burst Fire weapon’s ammunition to spray shots in a 10-foot Cube within the weapon’s normal range. Each creature in that area must succeed on a DC 15 Dexterity saving throw or take damage. Roll the weapon’s damage once, and apply it to each creature that failed the save.
Reload. You can make a limited number of shots with a Reload weapon. You must then reload the weapon as an action or a Bonus Action.
Firearm Bullets are destroyed upon use in a modern firearm. Futuristic firearms use Energy Cells that become depleted but could possibly be recharged with the proper equipment, at your discretion. An Energy Cell weighs 1/2 lb.
| Modern Item | Damage | Properties | Mastery | Weight |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Martial Ranged Weapons | ||||
|
Automatic Rifle |
2d8 Piercing |
Ammunition (Range 80/240; Bullet), Burst Fire, Reload (30 shots), Two-Handed |
Slow | 8 lb. |
|
Hunting Rifle |
2d10 Piercing |
Ammunition (Range 80/240; Bullet), Reload (5 shots), Two-Handed |
Slow | 8 lb. |
|
Revolver |
2d8 Piercing |
Ammunition (Range 40/120; Bullet), Reload (6 shots) |
Sap | 3 lb. |
|
Semiautomatic Pistol |
2d6 Piercing |
Ammunition (Range 50/150; Bullet), Reload (15 shots) |
Vex | 3 lb. |
|
Shotgun |
2d8 Piercing |
Ammunition (Range 30/90; Bullet), Reload (2 shots), Two-Handed |
Push | 7 lb. |
| Futuristic Item | Damage | Properties | Mastery | Weight |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Martial Ranged Weapons | ||||
|
Antimatter Rifle |
6d8 Necrotic |
Ammunition (Range 120/360; Energy Cell), Reload (2 shots), Two-Handed |
Sap | 10 lb. |
|
Laser Pistol |
3d6 Radiant |
Ammunition (Range 40/120; Energy Cell), Reload (50 shots) |
Vex | 2 lb. |
|
Laser Rifle |
3d8 Radiant |
Ammunition (Range 100/300; Energy Cell), Reload (30 shots), Two-Handed |
Slow | 7 lb. |
The Explosives table has examples of explosives. If no cost is given for an explosive, it can’t typically be bought. If you make these explosives available for purchase, treat them as Rare magic items. Rules for explosives are given below.
As an action, you can light a Bomb and throw it at a point up to 60 feet away, where it explodes. Each creature in a 5-foot-radius Sphere centered on that point makes a DC 12 Dexterity saving throw, taking 3d6 Fire damage on a failed save or half as much damage on a successful one.
An an action, you can light a Dynamite Stick and throw it at a point up to 60 feet away, where it explodes. Each creature in a 5-foot-radius Sphere centered on that point makes a DC 12 Dexterity saving throw, taking 3d6 Force damage on a failed save or half as much damage on a successful one.
It takes 1 minute to bind two or more Dynamite Sticks together so they explode at the same time. Each stick after the first increases the damage by 1d6 (to a maximum of 10d6) and the effect’s radius by 5 feet (to a maximum of 20 feet).
It takes 1 minute to rig dynamite with a longer fuse so it explodes after a longer period of time, such as 1 minute or 10 minutes.
As an action, you can either throw a grenade at a point up to 60 feet away or use a Grenade Launcher to propel the grenade to a point up to 1,000 feet away. The grenade explodes at that point, creating a particular effect in a 20-foot-radius Sphere.
Fragmentation Grenade. Each creature in the Sphere makes a DC 15 Dexterity saving throw, taking 17 (5d6) Piercing damage on a failed save or half as much damage on a successful one.
Smoke Grenade. The area of the Sphere is Heavily Obscured by smoke for 1 minute. A strong wind (such as the Gust of Wind spell) disperses the smoke.
Setting fire to a container full of Gunpowder causes it to explode. When a container explodes, each creature in a 10-foot-radius Sphere centered on the container makes a DC 12 Dexterity saving throw, taking 10 (3d6) Fire damage (for a powder horn) or 24 (7d6) Fire damage (for a keg) on a failed save or half as much damage on a successful one.
| Item | Cost | Weight |
|---|---|---|
|
Bomb |
100 GP | 1 lb. |
|
Dynamite Stick |
— |
1 lb. |
|
Grenade, Fragmentation |
— |
1 lb. |
|
Grenade Launcher |
— |
7 lb. |
|
Grenade, Smoke |
50 GP | 2 lb. |
|
Gunpowder (keg) |
250 GP | 20 lb. |
|
Gunpowder (powder horn) |
35 GP | 2 lb. |
When adventurers find a piece of technology that isn’t from their world or time period, they can deduce what it is with a successful Intelligence (Investigation) check, with the DC depending on the complexity of the item: DC 10 for a relatively simple item like a calculator or a lighter, or DC 20 for a complex item such as a computer, a chainsaw, or a hovercraft. You may require a separate Intelligence (Investigation) check to determine whether a character can activate or operate the technology; a character who has observed the item in use or has operated a similar item either has Advantage on the check or succeeds on the check automatically (your choice).