CLOK BBS

Hey y'all.

Just had a quick few ideas relative to firearms that I wanted to put in their own dedicated thread for when the time comes to take a peek at them.

Firearm Specialization Ideas:

-A bit of reduced roundtime for loading firearms
-Reduced frequency of misfires, when they return
-Reduced roundtime for aimed shots when using firearms
-Ability to make penetrating shots that wedge into opponents that have to be removed using the aid command. (This should apply for all of the ranged specializations. Not just firearms.)

General thoughts/suggestions on Firearms and firearm adjacent things:

-It'd be neat to have The ability to make melee attacks with firearms as improvised weapon strikes-- pistol whipping, rifle butting with muskets/carbines, stabbing with bayonets/barrels.

-Firearm attachments: Specifically for carbines and muskets, but perhaps for basic flintlock pistols as well. Things like different sights, grips, bayonets, a built in pestle/mortar in the stock, etc. Sights could add a bonus to general aiming, bayonets could offer a way to melee enemies without damaging your rifle, grips could likewise offer an aim boost or a roundtime reduction on aimed shots, etc. etc.

-Different materials effecting fired shot differently. Perhaps applying the heft bonus or some such offered with bronze? Or perhaps adding some sort of velocity bonus for ranged ammo in general when properly shaped?

-High grade powder/paper cartridge shot that changes flintlock damage type to puncture damage.

-In the same thought as the above suggestion, but with an occult twist: Some sort of pyromancy/aeromancy glyphstones that are mounted in/on your firearm to allow the firearm to operate more effectively, granting a rerol and a slightly increased damage threshold in the same way quivering bowstrings do for bows/crossbows.

-Player made paper cartridge shot, so we can make it out of more materials-- or more material offerings in the firearms store. Iron specifically. Bronze could be nice too, though.

-Make it so revolvers, when reimplemented, can only use paper cartridge shot. This offsets their quick-firing capability with a bit lesser damage so they're not too ridiculously powerful. Additionally, it strikes as more realistic when reloading mid-battle.

-It was expressed previously that firearm crafting might be a thing someday-- and there's some remnant recipes hanging around. It'd be neat if we could eventually make this a thing in the same vein as the plans for the new crafting stuff-- interchangeable parts to increase quality, different shaped and material barrles, etc.

-How I imagine removing bullets/arrows/bolts from yourself when shot: Using the aid command, you try to remove the bullet, or arrow, or bolt yourself, at risk of causing further damage to the location in question. Do it without a tool like a knife or needle? It's going to hurt you a lot. Do it with one? It won't be as bad, but it'll bleed. If you get someone untrained to help you, it's safer than trying to do it yourself, but it still risks further injury. If a trained medical specialist-- monk, templar, physicker-- does it, they do it more safely. If you try to move, attack, etc. while ammo is stuck in you-- the location it's stuck in has the chance to start bleeding or take more damage.


Again, as always. Suggestions and feedback in addition to the above are appreciated sincerely. Just wanted to get my thoughts out there so other people who have them can add into the mix. I know firearms are a bit of a weird area here. Specifically revolvers. So as always, I look forward to hearing what folks have to say.

Zeldryn wrote: ↑Thu Jul 18, 2024 9:01 am Firearm Specialization Ideas:

-Reduced frequency of misfires, when they return
-Reduced roundtime for aimed shots when using firearms

I like these two the most out of the above listed perks of firearm Specialization. Reducing roundtimes on loading, especially with revolvers and paper cartridges, could easily make them the "preferred" firearm for those that like the things.

Zeldryn wrote: ↑Thu Jul 18, 2024 9:01 am -It'd be neat to have The ability to make melee attacks with firearms as improvised weapon strikes-- pistol whipping, rifle butting with muskets/carbines, stabbing with bayonets/barrels.

This, definitely. An improvised bludgeoning attack, with all penalties for improvisation.

Zeldryn wrote: ↑Thu Jul 18, 2024 9:01 am -Player made paper cartridge shot, so we can make it out of more materials-- or more material offerings in the firearms store. Iron specifically. Bronze could be nice too, though.

-Make it so revolvers, when reimplemented, can only use paper cartridge shot. This offsets their quick-firing capability with a bit lesser damage so they're not too ridiculously powerful. Additionally, it strikes as more realistic when reloading mid-battle.

Yes, please. I also think the paper cartridges should be the only method to reload revolvers. It'll be a step towards limiting their over all usefulness - being able to drop 12 shots in next to no time is pretty impressive as is. With having to repair them, and limited damage, this would be a good way to moderate them some.

On the same vein, I'd like to propose that steam powered, pnuematic pistols also make the gambit towards being the more commonplace "repeating" firearms. Something similar in style to the volcanic repeating arms, just without the horrendously finicky rocket ball ammunition. In effect, these pnuematics should have a air tank under the barrel, in effect giving it the appearance of a double barrel pistol, with a "lever action" to reload round balls from a side mounted ball magazine. Just drop a load of balls into the magazine, attach it to the pistol and away we go. Between the roundtime of cocking the lever, and the decreasing damage from the air tanks, should help limit the overall power of these things. Really, it's the same as the previous pnuematics, just with an appearance change.

Anyways, some additional ability suggestions for firearms and other ranged weapons:

Terrifying Blast: (Firearm only, Weapon Spec: Firearm) Directing the terrific concussive force, smoke, and fiery explosion towards the face of an opponent, a skilled shooter can temporarily disorient or blind them. Forces the user to combat engage but has a chance to stun an enemy. A secondary effect of blindness, fire damage, and/or stagger if the enemy fails a meditation/perception check vs. the shootist's firearm/ranged skill.

Analytical Precision: (Pierce/Puncture Ranged Weapon, Weapon Spec: Firearm or Bows, Armor 100) With an basic understanding of armor and its weaknesses, a skilled shootist knows exactly where to place their shot for maximum effectiveness against armored opponents. Gives Bows (including crossbows) and firearms a chance for Armor Chink. More powerful ranged equipment (Crossbows, longbows, and muskets) have the highest chance. Flatbows, carbines, and pistols have a lesser chance, with shortbows being the lowest.

Blitz Shot: (Any ranged weapon spec, artifice and/or acrobatics 200(?)) With adept maneuvering and muscle memory and a keen fixation on an opponent allows a shooter to fire off a surprisingly accurate shot "from the hip". Gives all the bonus of an AIMed SHOT without the additional roundtime. Can only be used with flintlock/pnuematic pistols, revolvers, bows, and slings. Revolvers and bows have an additional chance for a second, normal, shot vs the target's defense+perception.

Traumatic Concussion or Kinetic Transfer: (Weapon Spec: Slings) Utilizing the terribly effective kinetic energy from a sling bullet, a skilled slinger knows just how to hobble an enemy with a well placed shot. Automatically targets legs or feet inflicting increased knockdown potential. Secondary effect, if successful, hobbles an enemy causing lowered defenses (or negative rerolls), the occasional additional roundtime as an enemy stumbles around, or more difficult time getting to one's feet.

Hunter's Intuition: (Any ranged weapon spec, stealth 500) A true hunter knows exactly how to maneuver if they startle potentially violent game of the four- or two-legged variety. If spotted after a shot, the shooter's defense is supplemented by a portion of their stealth skill for a short time.

Of course these include more than just firearm specs, but hey. At least they're suggested. I'll add some more thoughts later tonight after I get a bit of sleep.

Copied from the Cogg BBS -
The concept I have in mind includes two new mechanics (sorry, Rias) one for maintenance of a firearm and the other for repairs. For the first, and arguably more simple, mechanics, FOULING. As the firearm is used, fouling is increased at a higher rate than an equivalent weapon would be damaged, requiring a pistolier to stop and clean it or swap to a new one to continue on. Blackpowder is some really messy stuff and after a few shots of a decent charge, you’re looking at a barrel that is nearly impossible to feed another ball into. Not to mention the fouling from the ball itself (which if we were using lead, would be bad)

Minor Fouling - No noticeable difference in use (+/- 20 shots), perhaps the rare chance for an additional second of roundtime loading the ball.
Fouled - (+/- 50 shots) Higher likelihood of additional loading round time. Slight decrease in accuracy.
Heavily Fouled - (+/-100 shots) Will almost always have an increased loading time, perhaps increased in time. Decrease in accuracy.
Unusable - (+/-150 shots) Bore’s so constricted a ball can no longer be forced down the muzzle.

While pneumatics don’t use blackpowder, the ammunition itself will cause fouling in the barrel, so I suggest these still receive fouling but at half the rate of accumulation.

For cleaning, the fibers from crushed bark and a water source. We can assume the firearms have something attached to facilitate cleaning (ramrod, for instance). Perhaps for particularly fouled firearms you'd need soap as well (similar to how heavily damaged melee weapons need additional materials for repair). I'm not, particularly, a fan of firearms taking durability damage and needing to be hammered out - I know it's a game, but it'd make me cringe something wicked. Instead, I think that fouling should take the place of durability damage. Though, on hindsight, this would put using firearms as weapons in an odd place so ... maybe no beating things with a firearm. Plug-style bayonets for rifles and carbines, though, that could be removed and repaired as needed (and make it so you can't use the firearm to shoot while attached) could take the durability damage as usual.

I'd also like for flintlock firearms to need their gunspalls wear out over time, too, similar to bowstrings. Introduce a "gunspall" knappable recipe, then as the current one wears out, replace it as necessary (Attach, just like with bows).

The above two things should be repairable by anyone with proficient use of a firearm and a Gunsmith: Maintenance ability.

Adding to that particular skill tree, one could also have Gunsmith: Pnuematic Repair and Gunsmith: Revolver repair. I'll come up with some ideas for these at a later point in time.