Firearms in the world of Solare are extremely rare, feared weapons of legend, black market innovation, and elite military experimentation. They are not common among soldiers or adventurers, and most people across Solare’s continents have never seen one fired. Kingdoms that permit their use often regulate them heavily, while others ban or destroy them on sight. Solare remains a world of swords and spells — firearms exist on its fringes, in the hands of revolutionaries, assassins, imperial warmasters, and forgotten machinists. Unlike real-world guns, Solare firearms do not use gunpowder or any historically accurate mixture. Instead, they rely on a volatile compound called Redsmoke Powder, a proprietary, alchemical blend created through centuries of trial and error by early black powder engineers. Redsmoke is non-magical, but it’s highly unstable, reactive, and requires exacting storage and handling techniques. Its combustion generates an intense concussive force capable of launching dense metal projectiles with brutal efficiency. Due to its complexity and danger, Redsmoke remains incredibly difficult to produce or mass distribute — further preserving firearms as exotic, high-risk instruments of power. These rules present an enhanced firearm system to reflect their lethality and tactical weight. In Solare, every gunshot is an event — loud, final, and unforgettable. When a gun is drawn, people scatter. When one is fired, someone usually dies. ### **Solare Firearm Mechanics** Enhanced Damage (×4 Rule): Firearms in Solare use familiar 5e-style weapon profiles (such as pistols, muskets, or shotguns), but they deal four times the usual number of damage dice. **Examples:** - A pistol deals 4d10 damage. - A musket deals 4d12 damage. - A revolver deals 8d8 damage. - A hunting rifle deals 8d10 damage. - A shotgun deals 8d8 damage. - An arcane pistol deals 4d10 + 4d6 (elemental damage). This damage scaling reflects the violent and rare nature of these weapons in a magic-dominant world. **Constitution Save vs Trauma:** Whenever a creature is hit by a firearm in Solare, it must succeed on a Constitution saving throw to resist internal damage and bleeding. The DC is determined by the damage die type of the weapon used: - Weapons that use a d10 have a DC of 20. - Weapons that use a d12 have a DC of 22. - Weapons that use a d8 have a DC of 18. - Weapons that use a d6 have a DC of 16. **Failure Effects:** If the creature fails this saving throw, they begin bleeding. At the start of each of their turns, they take 1d6 plus the number of damage dice rolled by the firearm. For example, a revolver that deals 8d8 causes 1d6 + 8 bleed damage per round. Bleeding continues until the target is magically healed, receives healing from another creature, or passes a DC 12 Medicine check to stabilize. In addition to bleeding, you may apply one of the following trauma effects (DM’s choice or roll a d4): 1. The creature is frightened of the shooter until the end of its next turn. 2. The creature’s speed is halved as it limps from the wound, fractured bone. 3. The creature drops one item it is holding. 4. The creature falls prone. ### **Shotgun Special Rules** Shotguns are especially lethal at close range. Though their damage remains 8d8, the Constitution save DC increases based on the target’s distance: - If the target is within 10 feet, the DC is 22. - If the target is between 11 and 20 feet, the DC is 20. - If the target is between 21 and 30 feet, the DC is 18. - At ranges beyond 30 feet, the shotgun deals only half damage and causes no Constitution saving throw. **Optional Cone Mode:** Shotguns can be fired in a 15-foot cone instead of targeting a single creature. All creatures in the cone must make a Dexterity saving throw. The DC for this saving throw is 8 + the shooter’s Dexterity modifier + proficiency bonus. Creatures that fail take full damage and must also roll the Constitution save as above. On a successful Dexterity save, they take half damage and do not need to roll a Constitution save. **Critical Hit Effects:** If a firearm attack is a critical hit (a natural 20), increase the DC of the Constitution save by +2. You may also automatically apply a trauma effect, even if the target passes the saving throw.