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Nice post, lots of work, but you've missed about 500 years of fire-arms
evolution.

As I understand it Birth Right is set in the late dark ages early renaissance.
The weapons you have put forward are all late Age of Reason or Napoleonic or latter.

A flint & pan was not invented until the 1700, the locking pan in the early 1800

before this they used matchlock pistols and guns or muskets. For the first 100 years
these were set off by a match carried separate to the gun, for the second 100 years
they were triggered by a spring loaded match attached to the gun. They are all very
interesting weapons and do fit into the Birth Right game with ease. Their primary
purpose is to defeat armour while not putting the owner at risk. Most were accurate
to only just beyond sword reach, so had their limitations.

The weapons I'd put forward for use in Birth Right would be the arberlister,
the match lock musket and the match lock pistol.

All count the target as being AC10, less any dexterity bonus.

ROF Rng Speed Dam
Arbelister 1-4 8" 1 3D6 short 2D6 med 1D6 long range vs man sized
opponents
3D4 short 2D4 medium 1D4 long range vs larger opponents
Match Lock 1-3 12" 1 3D8 short 2D8 med 1D8 long range vs men sized
opponents
1D6 short 2 D6 med 1D6 long range vs larger opponents
Matchlock pistol 1-3 6" 1 varies

Accessories would include

Powder horn - An animal horn with a cork stopper used to keep the powder dry - a must
Shot pouch - A pouch use to hold the shots - also a must
Match - A long length of rope or scrap material dipped in something to make it
smoulder slowly. The only modern use of this item is by fireworks people and is used to light the
fireworks. A smouldering match was used to fire cannons right up until the Napoleonic
period.

Bandoleer - Used from the English Civil War onwards, was a cross chest belt with
single charges and shot already measured and dry stored in horns or hard leather pouches. This item
came in about 100 years after the first guns

Spring Loaded Matchlock, also a came in about 150 years after the first guns, and was
first used by the Austrians against the Turks. It left the other hand free to steady the gun or hold
a sword or gunrest. It also meant that the shooter could use both hands too load the gun with-
out the need to hold the match between his teeth. It also improved aim because the shooter need
only worry about pulling a trigger mechanism, rather than place the match in the pan while also
trying to concentrate on aiming.

Rifled Flintlocks are perhaps the most deadly weapon you could introduce into a D&D
game! they are a late 1800's invention and would eliminate most monsters and other
non-rifled flintlock owning races in about one generation. Except for Xorns and Earth
Elementals who would treat them like a nice hot shower.
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I'd agree here. To fit into the "hundred years war" feeling of BR, any handheld
firearms should be quite primative. Rich Baker, BR designer and history buff,
does a great job with early firearms in Player's Option: Combat and Tactics.
This tome is a must for those considering firearms. Rich does most of the work
for you- that's why you pay TSR right?

One could argue over the nuances of firearm effects (in D&D terms) and rate
of development, but Rich's work is as valid (probably more so :)) as anyone
else's. Being a history fan myself, I've loved Rich's work. I'd heartily
suggest setting your BR campaign in the equivalent of the early 1300's if you
want bombards to develop, the late 1300s if you want monster bombards and early
hand-held guns, and the 1500s if you want matchlocks. Note also that plate mail
wasn't developed until early in this period- early 1300s that is. Don't give me
that hooey that this is fantasy and I'll do what I want (though ultimately, of
course, you can :)). Armor and weapon development is the result of a medieval
arms race. It's all very logical and there's no reason to believe that the
people of Cerilia are dumber than we were. Chainmail was made to defeat
slashing weapons, piercing and bludgeoning weapons were made to defeat chain,
Platemail was developed to hold up to these weapons, poleaxes and gunpowder
weapons were developed to defeat platemail- etc etc Gunpowder by no means
ruled the battlefield during this period (though it was important for seiges)
so I prefer having early artillery and firearms just to give the proper
roleplaying feel to the game.

Randax