Bows, Crossbows, and Guns

AKA Adding Firearms to B/X D&D

So, today I’ve been spending a bunch of time reading up on the harquebus.

As one might guess, this is not an especially specific weapon, but a general term (along with its variant names, like the arquebus) for a rather broad class of firearm: in this case a 15th century, matchlock weapon.

Oh boy.

Here’s the grossly abbreviated shorthand genealogy of the firearm:

- Hand cannon (often just called a handgun)
- Matchlock Harquebus
- Flintlock Musket
- Cap-and-Ball Rifle
- Modern Firearms

Now the flintlock doesn’t get invented till the (early) 17th century, and after that, all the romance of man-to-man combat is pretty much down the tubes, no matter what DuMas may have written about the King’s musketeers (interestingly, the French musketeers were never all that potent a force on the battlefield of the 17th century…ah, France…). In terms of archaic warfare, flintlock is the shizzle y’all…stick a bayonet on the end and you’ve got everything you need to (eventually) develop the Redcoat, that pride of Great Britain that made England such a dominating military force up through the 18th century.

So we will skip the flintlock (musket) generation and everything later, as it is so decidedly NOT Dungeons & Dragons. Why not? Because D&D has elves, yo. And elves shoot bows (there ain’t no bows in 17th century warfare). Furthermore, D&D has magic swords (yo). And swords lose a LOT of their luster (except in a spirited cavalry charge) after the musket-bayonet combo.

Musket-bayonet also replaces the pole arm…and D&D has ALWAYS loved its pole arms!

So, no...we are simply going to concern ourselves with the handgun and the matchlock harquebus for today’s firearm discussion. But first, we need to do a quick back-up to touch on the standard D&D missile launchers, the bow and crossbow.

Both the bow and crossbow (the latter being pretty much a “mechanized” bow) have been around since ancient times and were ably represented on the battlefields of Europe well into the 15th century, long past the development of full plate armor in the 14th century. As such, they’re presence in D&D is, of course, standard.

I was a bit surprised at some of the stuff I researched regarding bows and crossbows. For instance, B/X rates of fire for these weapons are fairly accurate. Personally, I always had difficulty with the arbitrary 10 second round with regard to missile fire. The 10 second round is just fine and dandy to model the abstract nature of D&D melee combat (a character can swing a sword more than once in ten seconds, but an attack roll simply determines whether or not any of those swings land for damage, and the damage roll determines how many land and how well you land them). But limiting missile combat to “one round, one arrow?” It always seemed to me like the artificial time of the round was NOT very accurate for missile combat.

In reality (at least according to the stuff I was reading) this is actually pretty good. In battle, a longbow man wouldn’t try to loose more than six arrows per minute (i.e. one per 10 second round) due to both accuracy and fatigue considerations. In a pitched dungeon battle, the same would probably apply.

Likewise, the crossbow is slightly slower than longbow -- though unless it is one of the more powerful types, requiring a winching mechanism to draw (which I assume is NOT the case for the 5 pound B/X crossbow), it's still pretty quick. The two-handed weapon classification in B/X (which I have always assumed to mean “attacks last in round” like any other two-handed weapon) is enough of a slow-down to hand-cocked crossbows.

Regarding penetration of bows and crossbows being better (or worse) depending on range, I consider this accounted for in the range penalties to hit (though perhaps short bows and slings should take a DOUBLE penalty at range to account for both reduced accuracy AND reduced penetration).

The heavier crossbow (the kind with a winch) is said to have better penetration than the longbow, but is NOT as good as a firearm, and is slower than a firearm. This will be accounted for later…now, onto firearms.

The hand cannon is present in Europe…

[by the way, I use a European-esque setting…goes with my Germanic-Celtic roots…your mileage may vary, depending on your own cultural preference]

The hand cannon is present in Europe from the 1300s up till the 1500s when the matchlock harquebus all but replaces it (it is the slow fuse/match of the mid-1400s that makes the matchlock feasible). The hand cannon (or handgun as I’m going to call it for the rest of this post) is lame-lame-lame. Basically, you’re carrying a portable cannon, attempting to hand light it and aim it at a target, all while trying not to blow yourself up. Add to that that the thing had crappy range, had all the problems inherent in early black powder weapons, and was terrifically inaccurate, and one wonders why anyone would employ such a weapon.

Mainly for the spectacle, I'm guessing.

Fire, smoke, NOISE…all these things went into making the weapon darn intimidating, to say the least. Cannons themselves were fine and dandy against troops or fortifications (though so poor in maneuverability that they fail to replace catapults till the 15th century or so)…a portable version in the form of the handgun certainly packed a “wow” factor. Not to mention, folks obviously sensed some potential, as they continued to develop the handgun until they achieved a relatively superior portable firearm in the form of the harquebus.

The matchlock is still a pain in the ass compared to both the bow and the crossbow, but it is a helluva’ lot better than the handgun. Sometime during the mid-1400s sees the invention of the “slow match” or “match cord,” a fuse that will burn about 1 foot per hour. This allows the gunsmiths to manufacture the matchlock (and thus harquebus) in which the fuse can be held, until triggered.

What does this mean? Well, for one thing it means you can use two hands (and both eyes) to aim your firearm instead of needing to touch flame to flash pan yourself. It also means you can carry your weapon (and match cord) flaming and ready rather than having to kindle a torch in a panicked pinch.

From a D&D standpoint, this makes the harquebus a much better option for the wandering adventurer...well, better than the handgun anyway; it still has its own problems.

For one thing, convenient as the match cord is, it has some fairly problematic issues. While it’s slow to burn, it DOES burn up, and its yet another type of ammunition that needs to be carried (in addition to powder and shot). In the rain or damp, or if it gets wet, it can be difficult to light…and no cord means no bang-bang. In the dark (like underground) the match cord gives off a red light, easily spotted…and according to Wikipedia match-cord also gives off a very specific odor, making any kind of surprise (in a dungeon setting) pretty much impossible with standard nocturnal creatures (who generally have better than average olfactory senses).

Also, there's the inherent danger of carrying a lit fuse around on your person anyway…especially when you’re also carrying explosive black powder. Not to mention that the weapon itself, like all primitive firearms, has the potential to explode in your hand, possibly injuring yourself or a nearby party member, while certainly ruining the weapon.

So what exactly do you get for your money? Well, a matchlock harquebus is still a smooth bore (i.e. non-rifled weapon) and didn’t have a range any greater than a B/X short bow. A trained musketeer could fire three times per minute (about every other 10 second B/X round), and I don’t see why a harquebus couldn’t fire that fast…so long as the match cord stays dry (it remains lit while firing, though you remove it from the “lock” while re-loading). You get the same noise and smoke as the more primitive handgun (enough smoke that you probably won’t be able to see much after a firing off a few rounds from a stationary position).

But you DO get penetration. At close range, even the weakest handgun could pierce the stoutest plate armor.

So, for your enjoyment, I offer the following items to the standard B/X equipment list (folks playing different versions of the Original Adult Fantasy Game will need to make their own adjustments):

Bows (cost/encumbrance)

• Crossbow, Heavy*+ …40gp/80cns

Firearms (cost/encumbrance)

• Handgun*+ …30gp/90cns
• Harquebus+ …50gp/100cns
• Pistol+ …35gp/20cns
• Black Powder (per shot) …2gp
• Match Cord (per foot of cord) …1gp
• Firearm Shot (10) …2gp

*Two-handed weapon, attacks last in round
+Takes one full round to load

Range in feet (Short/Medium/Large)

• Crossbow, Heavy …5-80 / 81-160 / 161-240
• Handgun …5-40 / 41-80 / 81-120
• Harquebus …5-50 / 51-100 / 101-150
• Pistol …0-25 / 26-50 / 51-75

Heavy crossbows and handguns add +1 to attack rolls at all ranges. Harquebus and pistols add +2 to attack rolls at all ranges. If using the optional Variable Weapon Damage rule, all weapons listed here do 1D8 damage.

Note: Pistols may be used in melee, and may also be used as an off-hand (light) weapon.
Harquebus and pistols require lit match cord to fire. One foot of match cord will burn for 6 turns. If the DM allows, a harquebus or pistol may be outfitted with a wheellock mechanism for twice the normal price (there is no match cord requirement for such a weapon).

Opponents without firearms are easily intimidated by individuals using black powder weapons, and must check Morale after the first wound suffered from any firearm (not just the first death).

Firearms are prone to malfunction. Whenever a character using a firearm rolls a “1” on the attack roll, the weapon has misfired. Roll 1D6:

1-2 Weapon explodes! (character takes damage as if shot by weapon)
3-4 Match cord goes out and must be relit (handguns explode, wheellock weapons break and must be repaired)
5-6 Weapon misfires (but match cord doesn’t go out); character may fire again next round

Let's see...am I forgetting anything? Cannons really weren't all that great until the 16th century (bombards were effective, but difficult to maneuver on the field) and really need their own post. Since I don't use Variable Weapon Damage, I allow all classes to use all weapons (except for shorties), though I suppose some folks will want class-specific designations. How about:

- Clerics may use all firearms

- Dwarves, Elves, and Fighters may use all listed weapons

- Halflings may use pistols only

- Thieves may use anything (though firearms are NOT stealthy!)

- Magic-Users may only use handguns

That's about it. I leave it to individual DMs to adjudicate the "fog of war" that comes about from firing off too many of these smoke-wagons.

Fuego!

; )