Renaissance Firearms

Instead of designing new rules for early firearms in my Old School Renaissance swashbuckling game set in the Renaissance, I'm just using the firearms rules from Lamentations of the Flame Princess with the following alterations:

All damage caused by handheld firearms (pistols, arquebuses, muskets) is designated as special, which, in this case, means 2d8, drop the lower die; doubles are added. For example, if you roll a 2 and a 6, the damage is 6. If you roll a 5 and a 5, the damage is 10. Firearms reliably cause significant damage, but there is still a chance of only being grazed.

Since I'm using the range bonuses and penalties from Basic/Expert D&D and Labyrinth Lord (+1 at short range, 0 at medium range, -1 at long range), I'm extending it to firearms with rifled barrels as well. Firearms with unrifled barrels retain their usual penalties of 0 at short range, -4 at medium range, -8 at long range against specific targets. Against general targets (such as enemy troops in close formation), the penalties are 0 at short range, -2 at medium range, -4 at long range.

Firearms do not "ignore 5 points of Armor" at short range or any other range.

[Edit: See Renaissance Firearms Revised.]

Renaissance Weaponry

These are charts of standard weapons (excluding firearms) for my Old School Renaissance swashbuckling game of the actual or imagined Renaissance (for use with Basic/Expert D&D, Labyrinth Lord, or any compatible game). The first chart is arranged in order of ascending weapon damage; the second chart is arranged alphabetically. The third is a table for random weapon generation. Additional weapons that may be less common to the genre may be found in Variable Weapon Damage at my other OSR Web log.

Firearms will be detailed in a separate article.


Variable Weapon Damage

Damage/Weapon Type

1d4 - Dagger
1d4 - Rock
1d4 - Torch
1d6 - Arrow (Bow)
1d6 - Bolt (Crossbow)
1d6 - Club
1d6 - Dirk
1d6 - Hatchet
1d6 - Mace
1d6 - Quarterstaff
1d8 - Axe
1d8 - Morning Star
1d8 - Scimitar
1d8 - Spear
1d8 - Sword
1d8 - War Hammer
1d10 - Lance
1d10 - Pike
1d12 - Pole Arm
1d12 - Two-Handed Sword


Variable Weapon Damage

Damage/Weapon Type

1d6 - Arrow (Bow)
1d8 - Axe
1d6 - Bolt (Crossbow)
1d6 - Club
1d4 - Dagger
1d6 - Dirk
1d8 - Hammer, War
1d6 - Hatchet
1d10 - Lance
1d6 - Mace
1d8 - Morning Star
1d10 - Pike
1d12 - Pole Arm
1d6 - Quarterstaff
1d4 - Rock
1d8 - Scimitar
1d8 - Spear
1d8 - Sword
1d12 - Sword, Two-Handed
1d4 - Torch


Random Weapon Table

Roll 1d20

1. Dagger
   
2. Rock
   
3. Torch
   
4. Bow (Roll 1d6: 1-2=shortbow, 3-4=self bow, 5-6=longbow)
   
5. Crossbow (Roll 1d6: 1-3=light crossbow, 4-6=heavy crossbow)
   
6. Club
   
7. Dirk
   
8. Hatchet
   
9. Mace
   
10. Quarterstaff
    
11. Axe
    
12. Morning Star
    
13. Scimitar
    
14. Spear
    
15. Sword
    
16. War Hammer
    
17. Lance
    
18. Pike
    
19. Pole Arm
    
20. Two-Handed Sword
    

Renaissance Armor

This is my armor chart for Old School Renaissance swashbuckling in the actual Renaissance (or any fictional setting reminiscent of the Renaissance). It is for use with Basic/Expert D&D, Labyrinth Lord, OD&D, Swords & Wizardry, or any compatible game.

ARMOR CLASSES
Type of Armor	Armor Class
Unarmored	9 [10]
Padded	8 [11]
Leather	7 [12]
Scale	6 [13]
Brigandine	5 [14]
Partial Plate	4 [15]
Plate & Brigandine	3 [16]
Full Plate	2 [17]
(Shields improve armor class by 2.)
(Bucklers improve armor class by 1.)
(Parrying daggers improve armor class by 1 vs. mêlée weapons only.)
(Helmets improve armor class by 1.)

Lamellar and laminar armor (more common in the East) vary in armor class depending on the material used.

Brigandines are coats or jacks of metal plates riveted to canvas or leather and sometimes covered with another layer of leather or fabric. They may be worn alone or with plate.

Partial plate is usually just a cuirass when worn alone. When worn with a brigandine, it refers to articulated armor protecting the arms and legs.

Full plate is generally only used in jousting, parade, or (in the early Renaissance) by knights on the field of battle.

Common soldiers generally wear padded, leather, brigandine, partial plate or no armor.

Musketeers, noblemen, and adventurers in general tend to wear brigandine or no armor, but will sometimes wear partial plate on the field of battle.

Duelists and sailors (including pirates and privateers) wear no armor.

Parrying daggers are generally only used in duels or impromptu combat.

Helmets are common on the field of battle until the late Renaissance, and are often the only protection worn.

[Edit: Swords & Wizardry Ascending AC added 19 June 2014. Shields and bucklers modified 2 July 2014.]