Alchemists' Toybox- Gunpowder; House Rule: Feats (D&D 5e)

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Feats

Basic Training

You have experienced some form of formal, organized training. Generally, this training is designed to integrate you into an organized military unit where you use common tactics and weaponry.

·         You gain proficiency with one weapon of your choice.

·         You gain proficiency with one skill or tool of your choice.

·         Either increase any one ability score by 1, to a maximum of 20, or you gain proficiency with one additional weapon, skill, or tool of your choice.

Black Powder Sorcery

Prerequisite: The ability to cast at least one spell.

You have learned to harness the violent power within gunpowder to enhance certain types of magic. When you cast a spell or cantrip that deals fire damage, as a bonus action you can expend a cartridge worth of gunpowder to do one of the following;

·         Reroll a number of the damage dice up to your spellcasting ability modifier.

·         Give one target of the spell disadvantage on the first saving throw made against the spell.

·         Choose one dice that came up with the highest number possible for that die and roll it again, adding both the original roll and the new roll to the damage.

Doing this still risks triggering a wild magic surge.

Fire in the Blood

Prerequisite: The ability to cast at least one spell, have activated a Mindfire effect at least three times.

May take 1d8 fire or psychic damage. Until the start of your next turn you may treat your spellcasting ability as if it were increased by half the damage taken. Consequently, if this damage is reduced or negated the benefit is reduced or negated.

If you consume mindfire you automatically succeed on your Constitution save.

From the Hip

Prerequisite; proficiency with a blunderbuss.

When firing a blunderbuss, rather than aiming at a single target you can force each creature in a 15 foot cone to make a Dexterity saving throw against DC 8 plus your Dexterity modifier. A creature takes 2d6 piercing damage on a failed save, or half as much damage on a successful one.

Gunsmith

Prerequisite; proficiency with smith’s tools and woodcarver’s tools.

When crafting a firearm or firebird launcher you make progress at the rate of 25 gp per day, rather than the normal crafting speed of 5 gp per day. You must still spend half that increased value on raw materials for every day of work.

When you take this feat you produce a single firearm or firebird launcher which you crafted.

Pistol Expert

·         You can freely both draw and sheath heavy or light pistols with which you are proficient as part of your attack with that weapon. Doing this requires the pistol is loaded when drawn and leaves it unloaded when it is re-sheathed. You may choose to only draw or sheath the weapon with this free action instead.

·         Being within 5 feet of a hostile creature doesn’t impose disadvantage on your ranged attack rolls with one handed weapons.

·         When you use the Attack action and attack with a one-handed weapon, you can use a bonus action to attack with a loaded heavy or light pistol you are holding.

Powdersmith

Prerequisite; proficiency with alchemist’s supplies.

When crafting gunpowder or its derivatives you make progress at the rate of 25 gp per day, rather than the normal crafting speed of 5 gp per day. You must still spend half that increased value on raw materials for every day of work.

After a long rest you can produce up to 5 gp worth of gunpowder or its derivatives, though these are unstable and expire after 24 hours or your next long rest, whichever comes first.

Sniper

If you take an action to prepare and take no other actions or reactions before your turn on the following round; when you make a ranged attack roll using a weapon with which you are proficient the short and long ranges of the weapon are doubled.

Spellshot

Prerequisite; the ability to cast at least one spell, proficiency with a firearm.

·         When you cast a spell with a “touch” range you may make a ranged attack with a loaded firearm with which you are proficient as a bonus action. If you hit with this attack you may target that subject with your regardless of range.

·         Choose three damage types. When firing a loaded firearm with which you are proficient you may change the damage type to any one of those instead.

·         You may make a ranged attack with a firearm with which you are proficient without expending ammunition. If you do this the weapon deals damage normally, but you may not use other abilities from this feat on the attack.

Next: Class Options

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While I find full classes dedicated to a single concept to be too narrow for general playability, feats are a great way for characters to emphasize a concept to whatever degree they want. They also provide a constrained way to introduce the frequently proliferate special rules that are attached to firearms in a way that brings them in line with the wider progression of power and thus controls their impact on both larger settings and individual games.