Gatling Gun (3.5e Equipment)

Gatling Gun

Simple Two-Handed Projectile Critical: 19-20/×2 Range Increment: 300 ft. Type: Piercing Hardness: 10
Size	Cost1	Damage	Weight1	hp
Fine	*	—	*	1
Diminutive	*	—	*	3
Tiny	*	—	*	7
Small	1000 gp	1d8	297 lbs.	15
Medium	1000 gp	1d10	594 lbs.	30
Large	2000 gp	2d8	1188 lbs.	60
Huge	4000 gp	3d8	2376 lbs.	120
Gargantuan	*	—	*	240
Colossal	*	—	*	480
The SRD only gives a means to determine costs and weights of weapons for Large and Small versions based on the Medium weapons. Any other supplied values are the author's best determination.

The Gatling gun was invented by Richard J. Gatling, who wished to create a weapon that could supersede an entire squad, so that less soldiers would be necessary in an army and their exposure to danger would be reduced.

A Gatling gun is a siege engine, not a weapon. A Gatling gun must be mounted on an artillery cart or a stationary support to be fired. The device and cart together are one size category larger than the intended operator, for whom the sizes are listed. A Gatling gun is usually pulled around on its cart rather than carried, but can be carried (but not fired) in a pinch. A Gatling gun is fired by turning its crank. A Gatling gun is listed as a simple weapon because all that is required to use it is to aim and turn the crank. The operator must know this to use it.

A Gatling gun can make a number of attacks per round equal to 2 + its operator's Strength score as a full-round action, or half its operator's strength score as a standard action. Each sequential attack takes a cumulative -1 penalty on its attack roll. All attacks must be made within a 90-degree cone, and the gun may turn in only one direction while firing. (So the gun could attack target A a number of times, then attack target B a number of times, but could not then turn to hit target A again.) Firing a Gatling gun always provokes an Attack of Opportunity.

A Gatling gun's cartridges are waterproof and self-contained, so it can fire when wet. It may be fired underwater, but the number of attacks that may be made per round is halved, the penalty for each subsequent attack increases to -2, and its range increment decreases to 5 feet. A Gatling gun can be used in the absence of air.

Reloading a Gatling gun is a move-equivalent action. A Gatling gun is reloaded either by pouring ammunition into a hopper attached to the feed, which does not interfere with firing during that round, or by removing whatever is attached to the feed and attaching a magazine, which prevents the gun from firing during that round. A hopper or magazine without cartridges is cheap: only 1 sp. Each cartridge costs 1 gp. A magazine can hold 120 cartridges, while a hopper can hold 30.

A Gatling gun's bullets do piercing damage. They are usually made of lead (hardness 7).

A Gatling gun's magical enhancements cost 10 times what they would normally cost.

After 1 round of firing black-powder (the default) rounds, a cloud of thick smoke is visible at the gun's location, making it very obvious (DC 0 Spot check, before applying distance modification) and makes ranged attacks going through that square take a -1 circumstance penalty. This smoke dissipates after 1d6 rounds in light wind, after 1d4 rounds in moderate wind, or after 1 round in strong wind or stronger.

Gatling Gun Material Enhancements

Material	Average	Masterwork1	Hardness	hp	Special
Steel	1000 gp	1,300 gp	10	30	—
Adamantine	—	4,000 gp	20	40	—
Deep Crystal	—	2,000 gp	10	30	Psionic
Mundane Crystal	—	1,300 gp	8	25	No rusting, not metal
Darkwood	—	n/a	n/a	n/a	—
Iron, Cold	2,000 gp	2,300 gp	10	30	Magical enchantments cost an additional 2,000 gp.
Mithral	—	10,000 gp	15	30	1/2 weight
Silver, Alchemical	1,180 gp	1,480 gp	8	10	−1 damage
Masterwork weapons have a +1 enhancement bonus on attack rolls.

Table: Bullet Material Enhancements

Substance	Hardness	Cost per cartridge	Special
Lead	7	1 gp	-
Alchemical silver	8	20 gp	-1 damage
Stone	8	1 gp	-
Mundane crystal	8	3 gp	No rusting, not metal
Iron or steel	10	2 gp	-
Cold iron	10	4 gp	Magical enhancements cost an additional 80 GP
Deep crystal	10	140 gp	Psionic
Mithral	15	440 gp	1/2 weight
Adamantine	20	540 gp	Ignores hardness less than 20

Several material changes may be made to the composition of the cartridge or the gunpowder used. Changes to powder may stack with changes to cartridge material.

Table: Cartridge Material Enhancements

Modification	Change in cost	Change in Craft DC	Special
Smokeless powder	+5 sp	+2	Prevents smoke, range increment +20 ft.
Iron cartridge	-5 sp	-1	Become useless in water or if dropped
Potassium paper cartridge	+5 sp	+1	Doesn't leave empty cartridges

Bullet prices are given for single cartridges, rather than lots of 10. Cartridges are bought one at a time. Firing a bullet from a gun made of a material with lower hardness than the bullet will cause the bullet's damage to also be dealt to the gun, regardless of whether the bullet hits.

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