Weird West Update
Added 2017-03-01 06:30:00 +0000 UTCHowdy, partner. What brings ya' 'round these parts?
The Weird West is hands-down my new favorite setting. It's not just the focus on guns and cowboy boots, it's the idea that you can take everything you love about fantasy and have it live in the West, with all the Western trappings and tropes. Just adding the Western elements feels like a force multiplier in terms of creativity when you're running an adventure.
This book is big. Its 50 pages includes a introduction chapter with a few adventure hooks, the entire Gunslinger class, 14 western archetypes -- one for every class, except the cleric, which inexplicably got three -- a selection of feats, pages of firearms, western equipment, and magic items, and some awesome spells.
And some truly amazing monsters. I dare you to resist putting a gatling dragon, gunsnake, and hidebehind in your next campaign session (Western themed, or not.)
Somewhere along the line, we also started channeling Loony Toons -- toward the end of the book you can find the cantrip finger gun, which allows you to fire imaginary bullets from your fingers (pew-pew style). Also right alongside the coyote statblock: the coyote, wily.
So, put on your +1 cowboy boots, put on a stetson, grab a broadsword, and enjoy the Weird West!
Changelog:
- 3/1/17: Gambler description: copypasta error
- Lasso: typo fixed
- Chromatic Bullet: 1st level evocation
- Detonate Ammunition: affects a maximum of 50 pieces of ammunition
- Zone of Fortification: 24 hour duration
- Finger Guns: 40 feet
- Cover: Almost invisible typo fixed
- Various references to 'spread' replaced with 'scatter'
- Dessicate: damage scaling increased to 2d6
- Way of the Nameless: Capstone blocks magical damage and grants resistance to bludgeoning and slashing
- Wendigo: Description changed to fit West better
- Concealed Shot: No verbal component
- 3/18/17: Ammunition Domain: Piercing Shot added at 6th
- 3/23/17: Gunslinger: Quick Build: Background suggestion removed
- Telescopic Sight: Effect changed to be passive, with disadvantage out to 30 feet
- Table: Firearm Equipment: Added with prices and weights
- 10/15/17: PDF bookmarks added
- 8/2/18: Firearm overhaul
- Firearms have been changed/renamed/shuffled around, prices adjusted, and damages changed.
- Weapon Properties: Sighted added, Scatter reworked, Mounted movement penalty removed, Reload expanded to include multi-action reloads
- NPCs and monsters have been updated to maintain consistency with firearm rules
- Firearm Attachments removed; Bayonet made a simple melee weapon
- 8/24/18: Changes to archetypes and feats to correspond to new firearms
Comments
So what classes can use what spells at the end of the book?
Trace Christensen
2025-04-28 21:20:56 +0000 UTCIt /was/ more up to date, but now this is equally accurate.
Mage Hand Press
2018-08-12 08:07:20 +0000 UTCSo it's a little Necro, but I noticed that the Gunslinger on the blog has edits made after the last set of edits to this book. Does that mean the blog version is the more complete/correct version at this point?
Santiago Mendez IV
2018-07-26 19:24:01 +0000 UTCConjure volley is in the PHB... However it's apparently not SRD so well have to change it. Thanks for pointing it out! As for the outlaw, it's a glass cannon. Offensive CR 7, defensive CR 1. That was my design intent, but you're welcome to modify it for your own games.
The Nails of Vecna
2018-03-16 12:00:49 +0000 UTCYou can generally compare to other, existing classes. Alchemist + warmage + witch: same a warlock Warden: Same as ranger Shugenja: Same as wizard, etc.
Mage Hand Press
2018-02-22 02:16:03 +0000 UTCThis has got to be my favorite piece of content you guys have created. If I were to place your homebrew base classes into a weird west setting such as warmages or witches, what proficiencies would these classes gain?
Patrick Mulgrew
2018-02-21 21:32:13 +0000 UTCThey are supposed to stack, but the damage isn't too crazy. Bursting Shot's additional damage to the target doesn't scale, after all. For an action and a bonus action, you can deal a d8 + spellcasting mod to the target, and a d6 to the surrounding enemies (dice scaling as normal).
Mage Hand Press
2018-02-13 03:38:25 +0000 UTCAre Finger Guns and Bursting Shot supposed to be able to stack? Because that's kinda ridiculous damage if so.
Dorian Jones
2018-02-13 03:34:45 +0000 UTCThe School of Black Powder says that it gets the spell ‘conjure volley’ at level 9, but that’s not a spell in the book. Also, should outlaw have 5 attacks? That seems a little too unfair for a monster with a CR of 4.
Jester_the_Great
2018-01-11 13:13:02 +0000 UTCNo multiclassing rules in this book, but if you want to multiclass Gunslinger, you need 13 Dex and get non-heavy firearm proficiencies.
Mage Hand Press
2017-11-08 03:07:00 +0000 UTCAre there no rules for multiclassing into Gunslinger, or am I just overlooking it?
Levi Rendon
2017-11-07 20:24:43 +0000 UTCGood question! When the gunslinger uses his dodge or reloads as a bonus action, he only reloads one firearm. This can be challenging if you're dual-wielding, so I recommend keeping a minimum of four firearms on your person when you play a gunslinger, since it's actually much faster to draw new guns than it is to reload in the heat of combat.
Mage Hand Press
2017-07-16 06:08:59 +0000 UTCBeen eyeing the Mage Hand website for a while now, and I decided to finally thrown down on the Patreon, and boy am I so happy that I did. The Weird West book is for sure my favorite of the bunch, but I do have a rules question. Given the nature of the Gunslinger being seemingly quicker about drawing his firearms, if he is dual wielding and takes a bonus action to Reload, how exactly does that work? Can you not do so while dual wielding or is it just assumed that they're quick enough to reload and then have both guns back out? This same question applies to the Deed "Dodge Roll," though if I'm understanding that one correctly it's just one firearm.
Tyler Richie
2017-07-16 01:58:18 +0000 UTCThat's the intention! It's a good amount of damage, but since you only get one-handed firarms, this isn't a crazy amount.
Mage Hand Press
2017-04-02 08:01:35 +0000 UTCFor the School of Black Powder's "Spell slinging" ability, it mentions when you "use your action to cast a spell that does not involve making a weapon attack, you can make an attack with your firearm as a bonus action" Now obviously that's really cool as a combo with a cantrip like True Strike, but could you also use in in conjunction with Fire Bolt? Since technically you're making a spell attack not a weapon attack. Was that your intention or is the min max gremlin in me reading too much into it?
Trevor H Callaghan
2017-04-02 04:39:19 +0000 UTCI've made some changes I think will be to your liking
Mage Hand Press
2017-03-23 19:30:55 +0000 UTCThis has been fixed, by the way!
Mage Hand Press
2017-03-23 18:46:58 +0000 UTCQuestion: The Telescopic Sight, it says "if you take a bonus action to aim the weapon" does the Aim action on sharpshooter count towards this? it seems contradictory that the sniper-esque archetype would have to share it's actions between aiming or aiming through a scope.
Gavin Coxen
2017-03-23 10:08:46 +0000 UTCThe Ammunition domain does not have a level 6 feature, am i missing something or is that intentional?
luke maxwell
2017-03-18 19:50:36 +0000 UTCThank you, I'm glad you like it!
Mage Hand Press
2017-03-07 19:27:18 +0000 UTCLuv this stuff. Keep up the great work guys!
Joseph Blanc
2017-03-07 19:24:31 +0000 UTCNope, you could not. See page 164 of the PHB: "a spellcasting focus... can only be used for the spells from the class associated with that focus." @ Middle Finger: if you can find room, could you insert the clause "for your wizard spells" into the Gun Mage ability please? Thx.
The Nails of Vecna
2017-03-03 19:23:15 +0000 UTCOk, this may be a stupid question, but if I was a wizard and had the school of black powder and multiclassed into sorcerer, would I be able to use a firearm as a arcane focus for sorcerer spells? Thanks!
Braden Read
2017-03-03 18:01:48 +0000 UTCMy phone decided to not download the updated PDF last time I checked. Chromatic Bullet was fixed!
JaQKnife
2017-03-02 22:05:27 +0000 UTCYeah, good point. I'll change this to refer to winter and the West, so it fits a little more nicely.
Mage Hand Press
2017-03-02 03:08:17 +0000 UTCConfirmed -- the Sharpshooter feat works with firearms.
Mage Hand Press
2017-03-02 02:59:26 +0000 UTCNo, it's a 1st level evocation (and it should already be fixed and uploaded.) Confirm for me if the PDF above is showing you an incorrect version?
Mage Hand Press
2017-03-02 02:57:43 +0000 UTCLoving the Weird West update, helps inspire me and my DM with my current Gunslinger. I just wanted to confirm something with you all. Does the Sharpshooter feat work with firearms? I've noticed several factors in the book give you the ability to ignore half and three-quarters cover, which could already be done by the feat. Just want to get your thoughts on the matter.
Dragun
2017-03-02 00:36:11 +0000 UTCIs chromatic bullet supposed to be a 5th level conjugation spell?
JaQKnife
2017-03-02 00:18:05 +0000 UTCTypo on the Wendigo flavor text, it's from the arctic update, might want to change it to fit in with the other western stuff.
Tyler Adkins
2017-03-01 22:05:29 +0000 UTCPrecisely! A very good catch. I'll fix that ASAP
Mage Hand Press
2017-03-01 20:22:05 +0000 UTCYeah, I just fixed that a few minutes ago. The live version should be fine
Mage Hand Press
2017-03-01 20:20:56 +0000 UTCThe title on the front cover is Werid West. Assuming that's a typo.
TheNightNinja
2017-03-01 20:18:09 +0000 UTCBulletproof seems a little underwhelming for a 5 ki, 17th level ability.
Dathan
2017-03-01 20:10:09 +0000 UTCFirst- love it. One of my favorite genre mashups is fantasy and western. Super excited to run a weird west campaign for my players. Found a typo/legacy reference though I think: Telescopic Sight and the Ammunition Domain's Bonus Proficiencies refer to spread firearms or firearms with the spread property. I can't find any "spread" property anywhere. Old keyword for "scatter"?
d20crit
2017-03-01 19:58:47 +0000 UTCI also really think you should rephrase 'Detonate Ammunition' Detonating "all" of someone's ammunitions is incredibly debilitating. For the gunslinger who relies on bullets for all of his attacks, he's basically been rendered useless by one 4th level spell with no save.
Altanius
2017-03-01 09:20:42 +0000 UTCUh, is the reaper bullet supposed to have a save? Instant death with no save is something I wouldn't hand out lightly (probably at all), even as a legendary.
Altanius
2017-03-01 09:00:20 +0000 UTCHa! Not intentional at all -- it's the leftover text from the Lovecraft Update rogue. I'll fix that right away
Mage Hand Press
2017-03-01 08:24:18 +0000 UTC<a href="http://puu.sh/uoWZU/eb4ef8b4a9.jpg" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">http://puu.sh/uoWZU/eb4ef8b4a9.jpg</a> Not sure if this is intentional.
Tybold
2017-03-01 08:22:43 +0000 UTCDrat -- I thought I fixed that already. Thanks for pointing it out!
Mage Hand Press
2017-03-01 08:22:37 +0000 UTCLasso text refers to nets.
John Hoffman
2017-03-01 08:02:59 +0000 UTCI can't tell you how to run your game -- what I can tell you is that our rules balance gunplay next to martial combat very evenly, and will help you make sure that no party member feels too powerful or weak with the introduction of firearms.
Mage Hand Press
2017-03-01 07:19:13 +0000 UTCAre the firearm rules mandatory, or can we use our own?
Lee Robins
2017-03-01 07:12:31 +0000 UTC
