I was once thinking about the use of gunpowder in BR and I came up with a possible solution. Perhaps gunpowder reacts poorly to the casting of magic. For whatever reason, whenever a spell is cast within a certain distance, the gunpowder ignites and explodes violently (as if it were under
pressure). Thus, even a simple cantrip could destroy a ship filled with gunpowder...and realm spells would cause explosions in several places throughout the province. The Anuireans and others quickly realized that hauling gunpowder around was hazardous to one's health. Despite several
experiments to find a secure way of protecting the powder, no one has yet come up with a solution. Therefore, gunpowder, despite its potential, is not common and most people keep a safe distance from the stuff. In fact, most people haven't even heard of it.

I was once toying with the idea of letting the Adurians use gunpowder, but not have Priests or Wizards. And I didn't want the PCs to be able to keep any gunpowder they got their hands on. Heh, at first the Adurians would seem quite powerful, until a wizard cast a cantrip to get to that itch he
can't reach...

Brian, aka Dearnen