Best Left Buried: Cowboy Firearms


Every time I wade into the catacombs of old school dungeon crawling, regardless of system, inevitably I have to convert or add mechanical bits from my setting to the rules. Since I dabble in a very industrial-fantasy setting the first order of business is usually adding guns to the weapon list. That is, without at the same time invalidating every other weapon on that list. A tall order and to be honest, one I usually mess up. But, as I gear up to wade into Best Left Buried once more I figured it was high time to give it a shot so here's what I ended up with.

COWBOY FIREARMS

Though not the most creative name Cowboy Firearms are the closest archetypal analogue to the feeling I'm trying to replicate. The guns are very mechanical, heavy, loud, and smelly. Here, even your sniper rifles and shotguns are six-shooters in disguise. With that in mind I needed mechanics that help sell that vision. Something more Hunt; Showdown then Red Dead Redemption. (Those are video games. It's fine. No, really. I suck at them too.)

Cowboy Firearms possess the following qualities:

- Like Gunpowder weapons (As presented in the Cryptdigger's Guide) a Cowboy Firearm can be of any type or category. I.E. A Heavy Cowboy Firearm (A Hand Cannon or a Shotgun) or a Light Cowboy Firearm (A Derringer or Palm Pistol).

- Attacks with cowboy firearms always use Wit and have their normal weapon type's range, damage and Initiative modifier. 

- Cowboy Firearms though more efficient than gunpowder arms still burn through ammo quickly. When you keep a 1 on your attack roll the firearm must be reloaded before it can be used to attack again. You must expend a Reload from your inventory and an action to reload the firearm.

- To reload a Cowboy Firearm in combat you must use your action to make a Grip check. Failure means failing to reload the gun. 

- Due to their complex mechanisms Cowboy Firearms can be made to fire in rapid succession by fanning the hammer. You can add up to two additional die to the attack roll but your reload threshold increases by 1 for every die you add.

It was important to me to keep some of the gunpowder weapons DNA here as it helps us achieve their level of versatility without creating a billion new weapon types just for guns. Now, the reload mechanic is inspired (read: stolen) from Prismatic Wastelands awesome post about the exploding damage die which you should check out here. Throwing these extra dice and risking a reload in front of a gibbering horror from the crypt is a fun gamble to make. This to me offsets the consistency offered by fanning the hammer while fishing for crits. 

GUNSLINGER ADDENDA

In addition to the cowboy firearms presented below is an Advancement and the prices for Reloads (Our abstracted ammo) as well as a Bayonet attachment. 

Gunslinger Advancement

(Martial / Devious)

This Advancement can be taken multiple times each time choosing a different feature.

- Covering Fire: Spend 1 Grip and target a Zone in range of your firearm. For one turn, Allied checks to Escape the Zone are made with the Upper Hand and enemy attacks are made Against The Odds.

- Speed Load: You make the Grip check to reload in combat with the Upper Hand and if successful does not use your action.

- Deadly Accuracy: Each additional 6 rolled on your attack roll increases the damage you deal by 1. You can add up to three additional die to the attack roll with a cowboy firearm instead of 2.

Equipment

                     Inventory Affluence Cost

- Reload(s)     1 Slot        1 Affluence

- Bayonet*     1 Slot        2 Affluence

*When attached to a Cowboy Firearm your weapon can also be used as a Hand Weapon when used to attack someone in the same zone.

Conclusion

The plan is to test all this very soon when I get my Player(s) together to take the plunge into Best Left Buried once more. If you try any of these rules or want to see more stuff like this let me know on here or on Twitter. Thanks for reading.

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