Guns

A gun is a ranged weapon designed to launch projectiles from a barrel. Most commonly this is accomplished with the use of gunpowder as a propellant and metal bullets as ammunition, but guns that fire rockets, galley flame, or even lighting using air pressure and spring mechanisms do exist. Because of the violent nature of their discharges, guns have an unparalleled amount of stopping power, piercing even heavy armor and inflicting grievous wounds against flesh, and their simple design makes them usable by even the most inexperienced of conscripts. However, these qualities are offset by their long load time and volatile temperament.

The Precursors were the first to build and use guns, designing rifles that fired arcs of solid lightning. After their fall, the Dwarven Kaiserreich created repeating rifles with smokeless powder, but the alchemical formula was lost to time after their own collapse. Although primitive fire-lances and cannons would exist after, handheld guns would only reemerge in 1643 SC with the Canyon Dwarves. Since their invention, firearms have spread all across the world in different designs and permutations.

Rifle
The most common type of gun is the rifle, a two-handed long gun loaded with cartridges. Reasonably accurate and immensely powerful, a shot from a rifle can pierce through even plate armor with ease; massed fire can scythe through whole battlefields. As a downside, however, reloads are excruciatingly slow, though trained hands can help expedite this process. Rifles are often fitted with bayonets to give them some measure of close-quarters ability. Although primarily employed in massed firing lines by Dwarf and Human armies, sharpshooters all over the world favor this weapon for its range, accuracy, and stopping power.

Other names for the rifle include the jezail, the tanegashima, and the moukahla.

Pistol
A pistol is a gun designed to be held, aimed, and fired with one hand. As a consequence, they are much smaller than rifles, and thus lack the incredible range and damage of their longer counterparts. Still, they are powerful weapons, capable of punching through armor, flesh, and bone alike. Their small size and devastating power make them an excellent sidearm and concealed weapon. As such, they are favored worldwide by officers and auxiliary troops as backup weapons, as well as by rogues, duelists, pirates, and cavalrymen as offhand arms.

Blunderbuss
A blunderbuss is a long gun that is loaded with shrapnel. Trading the reach and penetration of the rifle for raw damage, the blunderbuss is a clumsy, inaccurate, and close-ranged weapon, but it hits incredibly hard, especially against flesh targets. It is employed primarily in niche fields: by sailors to shred an enemy ship's sails, cavalrymen riding too fast to aim properly, or by coachmen guarding against bandits.

Cannon
A cannon is a large caliber gun that fires large shells. One of the most devastating weapons in creation, they are capable of punching a hole through infantry formations and decimating fortifications. However, to achieve such an immense amount of firepower, they must be very large, capable of being moved only by teams of men or beasts of burden. They are usually employed as siege weapons, favored by both offenders and defenders for their terrifying power.

Mortar
A mortar is a gun that is designed to be fired indirectly: that is, it launches projectiles in an arc rather than directly at its target. Because of this, they can carry a greater payload, albeit at the cost of accuracy, speed, and some range. To compensate, they are fired while stationary and loaded with explosives or canisters of galley flame or poison. Creating such shells takes tight tolerances and great alchemical know-how, and, as such, mortars are usually employed by wealthy armies or skilled engineers.

Airgun
An airgun is a gun that launches pellets using air pressure rather than gunpowder. Though this arrangement makes them not quite as powerful as their firearm brethren, airguns are far quieter and can be fired multiple times before needing a reload. Still a niche technology, airguns can only be found in the hands of the Canyon Dwarves and a select few of their customers.