pathFinal Fantasy

All pathFinal Fantasy firearms are considered “Advanced Firearms” in regards to any rules regarding firearms. This is not to say that Final Fantasy firearms are particularly “modern”, rather firearms throughout Final Fantasy’s history have been extremely reliable, even though their technology is more reminiscent of early earth firearms.

Capacity: A firearm’s capacity is the number of shots it can hold at one time. When making a full-attack action, you may fire a firearm as many times in a round as you have attacks, up to this limit, unless you can reload the weapon as a swift or free action while making a full-attack action.

Loading a Firearm: You need at least one hand free to load one-handed and two-handed firearms. In the case of two-handed firearms, you hold the weapon in one hand and load it with the other—you only need to hold it in two hands to aim and shoot the firearm. The Rapid Reload feat reduces the time required to load firearms, based on how it holds its ammo:

Internal: Internals hold their ammo in an internal chamber. These types of guns are extremely simple to make and use. Reloading an internal chamber is a move-equivalent action, which is reduced to a swift action if you have the rapid reload feat.

Autoloaders: Autoloaders (sometimes called “automatics”) feature removable box magazines, and some models hold quite a lot of ammunition. Loading an automatic with a filled box magazine is only a swift action, reduced to a free action if you have the rapid reload feat. However, filling an empty box magazine requires a move action, which is reduced to a swift action if you have the rapid reload feat. All autoloaders come with a single box magazine.

Revolvers: Revolvers are relatively simple firearms that store several rounds (usually six) in a revolving cylinder. Reloading a revolver to capacity requires a move action, which is reduced to a swift action if using a speed loader (Which requires a move/swift action to reload) or have the rapid reload feat. The two stack together to be a free action, much like loading a box magazine.

Revolvers and Internal firearms may be loaded with a single round of ammunition as a free action, even if you do not possess rapid reload or a similar class feature. But this may not be combined with a normal reload.

Attacks With Firearms: PathFinal Fantasy firearms do not target touch AC. Instead, a firearm targets a character’s flat-footed AC, though this is not considered an attack against an opponent who is denied their dexterity bonus to AC, for example when determining sneak attacks. Characters with the Uncanny Dodge ability retain their Dexterity bonus to AC against firearm attacks, however Dodge bonuses to AC never apply to firearm attacks regardless of any abilities a character may have.

Misfires: All pathFinal Fantasy firearms and gun arms misfire on a natural result of 1. If the natural result of your attack roll is a 1, that shot misses, even if you would have otherwise hit the target. When a firearm misfires, it gains the broken condition and its misfire value increases by 4 (That is to say, if you roll a 5 or less the attack is now a miss) until the broken condition is cleared. Misfiring with a broken firearm has no further effect. Autoloaders have special rules regarding misfires: Whenever an autoloader misfires, you can’t make any more attacks with it that round, as you need a moment to clear the jam (Though the weapon still gains the broken condition. Clearing a jam is a free action that may be taken immediately, freeing up the gun to be used). Internal and Revolver weapons merely gain the broken condition, and can continue to be used that round.

Inappropriately-Sized Firearms: A firearm that is not suited to the size of its wielder is more difficult for that creature to use. A cumulative –2 penalty applies on attack rolls for each size category of difference between the size of its intended wielder and the size of its actual wielder. If the creature isn’t proficient with the firearm, a –4 non-proficiency penalty also applies. The measure of how much effort it takes to use a firearm (whether the firearm is designated as a small, medium, large, or huge firearm for a particular wielder) is altered by one step for each size category of difference between the wielder’s size and the size of the creature for which the firearm was designed. For example, a Small creature would treat a medium firearm built for a medium creature as a large firearm. If a firearm’s designation would be changed to something other than small, medium, large, or huge by this alteration, the creature can’t wield the firearm at all.

Firearm Ammunition: Ammunition for firearms and other ranged weapons is covered below.

Quantity / Stack: A stack of bullets is the number of bullets noted as the quantity in the above table. For feats like Gunsmithing, use the number in brackets for crafted ammo stacks.

Firearm Types

Handguns

A handgun is a firearm that can be used one-handed without penalty. Handguns can be broken down into three groups: internals, autoloaders and revolvers.

Like melee weapons, handguns are divided between Light and One-Handed. Light handguns are two sizes smaller than their intended wielder, while one-handed handguns are one size smaller.

Longarms

Longarms are personal firearms that require two hands to be fired without penalty. If fired with only one hand, there is a -4 to attack. This group includes hunting rifles, sniping rifles, and assault rifles.

Longarms are the same size as their intended wielder.

Machine Guns

Machine guns are belt-fed weapons that typically fire rifle cartridges or light cannon rounds. Lighter guns are frequently carried by dismounted troops and fired from a bipod or occasionally a tripod, while heavier machine guns are found on either a tripod or a vehicle mount. Most are only capable of automatic fire.

Machine guns are one size category larger than their intended wielder.

Shotguns

Contrary to how they are often depicted in video games, shotguns are not short-range “scatter” weapons instead they often have respectable ranges with their pellets in a tightly contained spread. The primary advantage of a shotgun is that against objects or unarmored targets, shotguns can deal a devastating amount of damage. Against objects, targets with an armor bonus of 1 or less or a natural armor bonus of 5 or less, a shotgun is considered to be an automatic critical hit (Note: Although it is not an "armour" bonus, characters that possess an Unarmoured AC ability, such as Monk, treat that bonus as an armour bonus to determine if shotguns are an automatic critical hit).

Additionally, due to the fact that shotguns fire a number of pellets rather than a single bullet, shotguns ignore the miss chance granted by concealment and total concealment (Though the user must still choose the correct square.)

Most shotguns are the same size as their intended wielder, but shotguns that can be used one-handed are one size category smaller.

Firearm Rate of Fire

Single Shot (1): This is a single shot per each attack granted by the PC’s Base Attack Bonus.

Semi-Automatic (S): A semi-automatic weapon normally fires one shot per each attack granted by the PC’s Base Attack Bonus, however a PC who uses the Rapid Shot feat with a Semi-Automatic weapon does not suffer the feat’s drawback of a -2 penalty on attack rolls. A PC may also use the Manyshot feat with a semi-automatic weapon, even though it is not a bow.

Automatic Fire (A): This weapon can fire a burst of shots with a single pull of the trigger to attack all creatures in a line. This line starts from any corner of the wielder’s space and extends to the limit of the weapon’s range or until it strikes a barrier it cannot penetrate. When using an automatic weapon to attack all creatures in a line, the wielder makes a separate attack roll against each creature in the line. Each creature in the line can be attacked with only one shot from each burst. Each attack roll takes a -2 penalty, and its damage cannot be modified by precision damage or damage-increasing feats such as Vital Strike. Effects that grant concealment, such as fog or smoke, or the blur, mirror image, or vanish spells, do not affect an automatic weapon’s line attack. Roll to confirm each attack roll that threatens a critical hit separately. A single burst with an automatic weapon consumes 10 ammo. When taking a full-attack action with an automatic weapon, the wielder can fire as many bursts in a round as he has attacks, provided his gun can hold enough ammo to make all of the attacks, otherwise it only fires what the current box contains (30 box can only have 3 attacks). You may not reload during Automatic Fire. If a weapon only has the Automatic fire descriptor, it can only be used as an automatic weapon. Weapons with both the Semi-Automatic descriptor and the Automatic descriptor can be used as either.

Firearm Ammunition:

Note: Autoloaders come with a single magazine at no extra cost.

Firearms

Ranged weapons are described by a number of statistics, as shown on Table: Ranged Weapons.

Damage: The damage the weapon deals on a successful hit. Like melee weapons, the damage value listed is for the intended wielder's size, not the weapon's size.

Critical: The threat range for a critical hit.

Damage Type: Ranged weapon damage is classified as Piercing (P).

Range: Firearm attacks are against the target’s flat-footed AC for the first range increment and have a full 10 range increments.

Rate of Fire: How many rounds the firearm fires per round.

Capacity: The weapon’s magazine capacity and type are given in this column.

Box: A box magazine is any type of magazine that can be removed and reloaded separately from the weapon.

Cylinder (cyl): A revolver keeps its ammunition in a cylinder.

Internal (int): Some weapons keep their ammunition in an internal space, which must be loaded by hand.

Belt Feed (belt): Machine guns use linked ammunition.

Weight: This column gives the weapon’s weight when fully loaded.

Cost: This is the purchase cost to acquire the weapon.

Table: Light Handguns

Simple Handgun: A basic, easy-to-use handgun. Guns of this type are extremely easy to conceal, granting a +2 bonus on Sleight of Hand skill checks for this purpose. Simple handguns are considered martial weapons, rather than exotic.

Weapons of this type can represent: Hexguns (11), Goug MK 29, Aiot Gun, Silver Cannon, Lost Gun, Outsider, Peacemaker (Tactics Advance and A2).

Light Autoloader: A box-loaded handgun, similar in profile to a 9mm.

Weapons of this type can represent: Quicksilver, Silver Rifle (7), Tiny Bee (10-2), King and Cater’s weapons (Type-0)

Light Revolver: A simple revolver, similar to the Colt Single-Action Army.

Weapons of this type can represent: Peacemaker (7), Noctis’ and Prompto’s handguns (XV)

Table: One-Handed Handguns

Longbarrel Handgun: Perhaps the most common “style” of gun in FF’s history.

Weapons of this type can represent all the guns from XI, XII, XIV, the tactics guns as well as the Riot Gun, Chaos Rifle or Longbarrel (Tactics A2)

Buntline: This is a longbarrel version of a revolver, which, to date, has only appeared in FF7.

Heavy Handgun: A weapon similar in profile to a desert eagle, or other high-calibre autoloaders.

Heavy Revolver: A weapon similar in profile to a .44 magnum.

Weapons of this type can represent the Outsider (7) or Cerberus (Dirge of Cerberus)

Emperor: A fantastically heavy and sturdy revolver, these pistols are notable for their ability to use both ammunition typical of one-handed firearms and shotgun shells. When firing shotgun ammunition, an Emperor follows the rules of a shotgun for determining how the attack functions, but uses its own statistics.

Table: Longarms

Bolt Action Rifle: A simple rifle, commonly used for hunting throughout the world. Light rifles are similar in calibre to .22 rifles, while heavy rifles are similar in calibre .308.

Assault Rifle: One of the most popular firearms ever produced, assault rifles come in all shapes, sizes and configurations.

Sniper Rifle: Powerful and long range, sniper rifles have been the weapon of choice for marksmen and assassins ever since their introduction. Firing a sniper rifle requires the full attack action, however, only a single attack can be made with a sniper rifle per round. (You cannot use the Vital Strike feat in conjunction with a sniper rifle.). Because they are intended for long-range combat, sniper rifles are near-useless against close targets. As such, they take a penalty when firing within the first range increment (-8 if target is within 100ft, -4 if within 200ft and -2 if within 300ft), but take no penalty in the 2nd range increment, taking a cumulative -2 penalty from the third range increment onwards.

Designated Marksman Rifle: A refined firearm for those who desire more range than allowed by the assault rifle but less tunnel vision than promised by the sniper rifle. A Designated Marksman Rifle halves the penalty for shooting a target outside its first range increment, this does not allow it to shoot further than 10 range increments.

Table: Shotguns

Double Barrel Shotgun: An ordinary shotgun, used worldwide. The two barrels can be fired independently as separate attacks, or both can be fired at once as a standard action (the attack action) at a -4 penalty. A double barrel shotgun cannot be loaded with a single round as a free action.

Sawn-Off Shotgun: Effectively just a double-barreled shotgun that’s cut short. This causes the pellets to spray in a wide burst, rather than remaining tightly packed. A sawn-off shotgun fires in a 15ft cone. All individuals within the cone are targets and each attack must be rolled separately, with a -2 modifier to all attack rolls, and its attack damage cannot be modified by precision damage or damage-increasing feats such as Vital Strike.

A sawn-off shotgun can be used one-handed.

Pump Action Shotgun: A more modern shotgun used by police or militaries. A pump action shotgun can be loaded with up to 3 rounds as a swift action even if you do not have rapid reload.

Combat Shotgun: A high-end, semi automatic shotgun.