The Dresden Files > DFRPG
Crafting: Guns & Weapons
Papa Gruff:
I have an other question related to crafting.
The PC/NPC that I plan to create for the occasional tag along with my group is a master gunsmith. I want him to be able to make guns of exceptional quality for his vampire hunting and to sell in the little custom gun shop that he runs as his day job.
The rules for crafting mundane objects are easy enough. Basically, given enough time, my PC can create any item/gun of any quality he likes. But how would that reflect in the Item? There is the example of the warden swords which are crafted so well that they gain a damage bonus. Would that apply to a exceptionally good gun too?
Unfortunately the rules for crafting are a bit weak when it comes to the everyday stuff. What do you think? Can the rules for the magical item crafting be modified to apply to mundane crafting?
crusher_bob:
This is probably done best as an aspect. Something like "My guns are the best" (or whatever). So you can invoke it to get a bonus when shooting someone, and it can be compelled when a gang of thieves come looking for your stuff.
As for making 'mundane' guns with a higher weapon rating, that's probably right out. Considering that both a .44 magnum pistol and an assault rifle are weapon: 3.
It might be possible to make an item of power gun that give stunts though, something like:
Abe Lincoln's Repeater (Total -1 Refresh)
Able Lincoln's Repeater counts as Weapon 3, both when shooting and when used in close combat.
+2 Item of Power (A Henry repeating rifle)
+0 Four Score and seven years ago...
Abe Lincoln's Repeater satisfies the catch condition for Skavis Court Vampires toughness (both bullets and just hitting them with it)
-1 State of the Union
When defending against social or mental attacks with Discipline, any of your aspects (such as consequences or other temporary or permanent aspects) that get tagged provide only a +1. If the attacker chooses to tag for a reroll, you may “lock down” one of his dice, leaving him only the other three to re-roll.
-1 The ballot is stronger than the bullet.
When using Presence to command a group, gain +1 on the effort. Further, your efforts to coordinate a group are efficient, moving one time increment faster than normal.
-1 You cannot build character and courage by taking away a man's initiative and independence.
Gain +2 to Alertness when it is used to determine initiative.
Papa Gruff:
--- Quote from: crusher_bob on May 05, 2010, 01:29:35 PM ---This is probably done best as an aspect. Something like "My guns are the best" (or whatever). So you can invoke it to get a bonus when shooting someone, and it can be compelled when a gang of thieves come looking for your stuff.
--- End quote ---
That seems possible but it's just some kind of workaround to my problem. Following the rules this would only work for my PC and not for his customers who don't share a similar Aspect.
--- Quote from: crusher_bob on May 05, 2010, 01:29:35 PM ---As for making 'mundane' guns with a higher weapon rating, that's probably right out. Considering that both a .44 magnum pistol and an assault rifle are weapon: 3.
--- End quote ---
Why do you think it's right out? A normal one handed sword is just a weapon: 2. The warden swords, as I understand it, gain their +1 damage only due to their formidable quality and not through enchantment. Why shouldn't that be possible for an exceptional gun too?
--- Quote from: crusher_bob on May 05, 2010, 01:29:35 PM ---It might be possible to make an item of power gun that give stunts though, something like:
Abe Lincoln's Repeater (Total -1 Refresh)
Able Lincoln's Repeater counts as Weapon 3, both when shooting and when used in close combat.
+2 Item of Power (A Henry repeating rifle)
+0 Four Score and seven years ago...
Abe Lincoln's Repeater satisfies the catch condition for Skavis Court Vampires toughness (both bullets and just hitting them with it)
-1 State of the Union
When defending against social or mental attacks with Discipline, any of your aspects (such as consequences or other temporary or permanent aspects) that get tagged provide only a +1. If the attacker chooses to tag for a reroll, you may “lock down” one of his dice, leaving him only the other three to re-roll.
-1 The ballot is stronger than the bullet.
When using Presence to command a group, gain +1 on the effort. Further, your efforts to coordinate a group are efficient, moving one time increment faster than normal.
-1 You cannot build character and courage by taking away a man's initiative and independence.
Gain +2 to Alertness when it is used to determine initiative.
--- End quote ---
Of your ideas this one is probably the best, but it's clearly against the rules. As I understand it, Stunts are generally of limits for use in Items of Power (they are Items of Power and not Items of Stunts after all). Secondly there is the problem, that an Item of Power has to have a purpose under which it's powers have to be used. There is no bargain to be made with a customarily crafted gun. There are no rules to follow...
Nevertheless, I like the Repeater yet I don't know if it's valid in terms of game mechanics. It might be possible to adapt this set of rules to make it compatible though .
Wordmaker:
Well it would take only a small houserule to allow an "Item of Quality" Stunt to be purchaseable, allowing Stunts or Skill bonuses for an item.
Since such items would be of very high quality and an obvious major benefit, this character's association with the other PCs could be used as justification for them buying the Item of Quality (Gun) stunt.
Perhaps, as an alternative, create a tree of Stunts along the lines of "Master Craftsman" built to allow for creation of a mundane version of Focus Items and Enchanted Items? Base the costs and rules in some way off of Thaumaturgy for how many slots of items he can have, and how to build more. A rifle made by your character, for example, could provide a +1 bonus for maneuvers or attacks from more than 2 zones from your target.
Deadmanwalking:
I'd allow exceptional melee weaons to be raised one weapon rating via Craftsmanship but not Guns. My reasoning is simple: a sword's weapon rating comes from the sword itself, how sharp, well balanced, and so on it is, but a gun's comes from the bullets you load in it.
Now, it would make some logical sense to have exceptional guns add +1 to the Guns skill of anyone using them (since they aim so much better and so on), but that's a mechanical minefield that I wouldn't want to open up. Ditto the Items of Quality mentioned above.
Personally, I'd handle it with a high rating in Craftsmanship, the Aspect mentioned above, and a Stunt ('My Own Guns') granting him +1 whenever he's using a gun of his own design.
You can also do things like make a gun pretty much untraceable or fully automatic if you've got that kind of skill, and those are both really nice in and of themselves.
He could also likely make armor-piercing ammo (which I'd say ignores a point or two of armor), a normally illegal ammunition type.
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