Black Powder Sorcery

Your innate magic comes from the explosive power of raw alchemy and black powder. You parents may have been alchemists, whose long exposure to alchemical reagents mingled with a latent talent for magic in their bloodlines and caused you to be born with such abilities. Or you may have been experimented upon—with or without your permission—when you were younger and those alchemical experiments brought this unexpected magical power to the surface. Whatever the catalyst for your powers, they bring with them an affinity for black powder, allowing you magical prowess that exploits its power to your benefit.

Level 3: Gun Mage

You gain proficiency with simple Firearms and Explosives and with the musket, and you gain proficiency with Alchemist's Supplies or gunsmith’s tools (your choice). In addition, you learn the mage hand cantrip if you don’t already know it.

Level 3: Gun Hand

When you cast Mage Hand you can perform the following additional tasks with it:

• You can use your mage hand to draw or stow a pistol on your person or pick up a firearm within 5 feet of you that isn’t being worn or carried. You can do this once on each of your turns for free, during either your move or your action.

• You can use a bonus action to reload a pistol held by your mage hand. Your mage hand visibly becomes a pair of spectral hands to complete this action, the second hand vanishing once the pistol is loaded.

• When a creature within 5 feet of you attacks you with a melee weapon, you can use a reaction to fire a pistol held by your mage hand at the attacker. Being within 5 feet of the target doesn’t impose disadvantage on the attack roll.

You can create multiple mage hands with this feature when you reach higher levels. You gain a second mage hand at 5th level, and an additional mage hand at 9th, 13th, and 17th level. Unlike your primary mage hand, these additional mage hands can be used only for the tasks described under this feature and any other aspects of this class that reference this feature. Each extra mage hand remains within 5 feet of you and vanishes if it is unable to remain within 5 feet of you.

Level 3: Fusillade

When you use the Attack action, you can make the attack with a weapon you are wielding or with a pistol held in one of your mage hands. When you attack with a pistol held in one of your mage hands, you can use your Charisma modifier, instead of Dexterity, for the attack and damage rolls.

In addition, when you reach 2nd level, you can use an action and spend 1 or more sorcery points to magically reload and fire a pistol held by one of your mage hands. The ammunition fired is magically created and dissipates after being fired, hit or miss. For each sorcery point you spend, you can magically reload and fire another pistol held in another of your mage hands as part of the same action. These attacks have a range of 30 feet. Attacks from your mage hand-held pistols can attack separate targets or the same target, dealing damage, including the possibility of a burst, as normal on a hit. Each mage hand’s attack counts as a separate attack for the purposes of determining the number of bursts that can happen. Once you use this feature, you can’t use it again until you finish a short or long rest.

Level 6: Magic Bullets

Your attacks with firearms count as magical for the purpose of overcoming resistance and immunity to nonmagical attacks and damage. In addition, when you make an attack with a firearm, you can spend 1 sorcery point to imbue the attack with elemental energy. Choose one of the following: acid, cold, fire, lightning, or thunder. On a hit, an imbued attack deals an extra 2d6 damage of the chosen type. At 14th level, you can spend 2 sorcery points instead, increasing the damage to 4d6.

Level 14: Absorb Power

You can replenish your sorcerous power by absorbing the latent energy of black powder. In a ritual that takes 1 minute, you can absorb the power in up to 30 cartridges’ worth of black powder (equivalent to a full gunpowder horn). For every 10 cartridges worth of gunpowder, you regain 1 expended sorcery point. The black powder is consumed in the process. Once you use this feature, you can’t use it again until you finish a long rest.

Level 18: Ensuing Shot

When you use your action to cast a spell using a spell slot of 4th level or lower, you can make one attack with a pistol as a bonus action. This pistol can be held by you or by one of your mage hands. If you spend 6 sorcery points, you can make one attack with each pistol held by you and your mage hands instead.

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