D&D: Modern Day Rules

FIREARMS
If you want to model the swashbuckling style of The Three Musketeers and similar tales, you can
introduce gunpowder weapon to your campaign that are associated with the Renaissance. Similarly,
in a campaign where a spaceship has crashed or elements of modern-day Earth are present, futuristic
or modern firearms might appear. The Firearms table provides examples of firearms from all three of
those periods. The modern and futuristic items are priceless.

PROFICIENCY
It's up to you to decide whether a character has proficiency with a firearm. Characters in most D&D
worlds wouldn't have such proficiency. During their downtime, characters can use the training rules
in the Player's Handbook to acquire proficiency, assuming that they have enough ammunition to
keep the weapons working while mastering their use.

PROPERTIES
Firearms use special ammunition, and some of them have the burst fire or reload property.
Ammunition. The ammunition of a firearm is destroyed upon use. Renaissance and modern
firearms use bullets. Futuristic firearms are powered by a special type of ammunition called energy
cells. An energy cell contains enough power for all the shots its firearm can make.
Burst Fire. A weapon that has the burst fire property can make a normal single-target attack,
or it can spray a 10-foot-cube area within normal range with shots. Each creature in the area must
succeed on a DC 15 Dexterity saving throw or take the weapon's normal damage. This action uses ten
pieces of ammunition.
Reload. A limited number of shots can be made with a weapon that has the reload property.
A character must then reload it using an action or a bonus action (the character's choice).

EXPLOSIVES
A campaign might include explosives from the Renaissance or the modern world (the latter are
priceless), as presented in the Explosives table.

BOMB
As an action, a character can light this bomb and throw it at a point up to 60 feet away. Each creature
within 5 feet of that point must succeed on a DC 12 Dexterity saving throw or take 3d6 fire damage.

GUNPOWDER
Gunpowder is briefly used to propel a bullet out of the barrel of a pistol or rifle, or it is formed into a
bomb. Gunpowder is sold in small wooden kegs and in water resistant powder horns.
Setting fire to a container full of gunpowder can cause it to explode, dealing fire damage to
creatures within 10 feet of it (3d6 for a powder horn, 7d6 for a keg). A successful DC 12 Dexterity
saving throw halves the damage. Setting fire to an ounce of gunpowder causes it to flare for 1 round,
shedding bright light in a 30-foot radius and dim light for an additional 30 feet.
DYNAMITE
As an action, a creature can light a stick of dynamite and throw it at a point up to 60 feet away. Each
creature within 5 feet of that point must make a DC 12 Dexterity saving throw, taking 3d6
bludgeoning damage on a failed save, or half as much damage on a successful one.
A character can bind sticks of dynamite together so they explode at the same time. Each
additional stick increases the damage by 1d6 (to a maximum of 10d6) and the burst radius by 5 feet
(to a maximum of 20 feet).
Dynamite can be rigged with a longer fuse to explode after a set amount of time, usually 1 to
6 rounds. Roll initiative for the dynamite. After the set number of rounds goes by, the dynamite
explodes on that initiative.

GRENADES
As an action, a character can throw a grenade at a point up to 60 feet away. With a grenade
launcher, the character can propel the grenade up to 120 feet away.
Each creature within 20 feet of an exploding fragmentation grenade must make a DC 15
Dexterity saving throw, taking 5d6 piercing damage on a failed save, or half as much damage on a
successful one.
One round after a smoke grenade lands, it emits a cloud of smoke that creates a heavily
obscured area in a 20-foot radius. A moderate wind (at least 10 miles per hour) disperses the smoke
in 4 rounds; a strong wind (20 or more miles per hour) disperses it in 1 round.

TABLE
EXPLOSIVES
Modern Item Damage Weight
Dynamite (stick) 3d6 bludgeoning 1 lb.
Grenade, fragmentation 5d6 piercing 1 lb.
Grenade, smoke 2 lb.
Grenade launcher 120 ft. 7 lb.

FIREARMS
Modern Item Damage Weight Properties
Martial Ranged Weapons
Pistol, automatic 2d6 + DEX piercing 3 lb. Ammunition (range 50/150), reload
(15 shots), light
Revolver 2d8 + DEX piercing 3 lb. Ammunition (range 40/120), reload
(6 shots), light
Rifle, sniper 2d10 + DEX piercing 8 lb. Ammunition (range 150/600), reload
(6 shots), two-handed
Rifle, automatic 2d8 + DEX piercing 8 lb. Ammunition (range 80/240), burst
fire, reload (30 shots), two-handed
Shotgun 2d8 + STR piercing 7 lb. Ammunition (range 30/90), reload
(2 shots), two-handed
Ammunition
Bullets (10) 1 lb.
MODERN ARMOR
Armor Armor Class Strength Stealth Properties Weight
(AC)
Light Armor
Heavy coat 11 + Dex - Disadvantage - 6 lb.
modifier
Leather jacket 11 + Dex - - - 4 lb.
modifier
Light 11 + Dex - - DR/2 ballistic 2 lb.
undercover modifier
shirt
Kevlar-lined 12 + Dex - - DR/2 ballistic 8 lb.
coat modifier
Undercover 13 + Dex - - DR/2 ballistic 3 lb.
vest modifier

Medium Armor
Concealable 13 + Dex - - DR/3 ballistic 4 lb.
vest modifier (max
2)
Light-duty vest 14 + Dex - - DR/3 ballistic 8 lb.
modifier (max
3)
Tactical vest 15 + Dex Str 10 Disadvantage Resistance: 10 lb.
modifier (max ballistic
2)

Heavy Armor
Special 15 Str 10 Disadvantage Resistance: 15 lb.
response vest ballistic
Land Warrior 17 Str 13 Disadvantage DR/5 10 lb.
armor ballistic/slashing
Forced entry 18 Str 13 Disadvantage Resistance: 20 lb.
unit ballistic/slashing

As you can see from the table, many of the heavier armors grant damage reduction (DR) or
resistance to several damage types, including a new damage type: ballistic damage. In game terms,
ballistic damage is the type of damage that firearms inflict, and is a subset of piercing damage. This
means that all ballistic damage counts as piercing damage, but not all piercing damage counts as
ballistic damage. Magical effects or creature properties that grant resistance to piercing damage also
apply to ballistic damage, but effects or properties reducing ballistic damage do not automatically
apply to piercing damage.
FIREARM PROFICIENCIES BY CLASS
Class Firearm Proficiencies
Bard Sidearms
Barbarian Long arms
Cleric None (though proficiency with sidearms is granted by the City domain, and
might be granted by the War domain)
Druid None
Fighter Long arms and sidearms
Monk Sidearms
Paladin Long arms and sidearms
Ranger Long arms and sidearms
Rogue Long arms or sidearms (chosen on character creation)
Sorcerer None
Warlock None (though sidearms and long arms can be created through the Pact of the
Blade class feature)
Wizard None (though proficiency with sidearms is granted through the arcane
tradition of Technomancy)

Because of the high potential damage granted to firearms, it was also necessary to introduce a
complication or condition in order to balance their use with more traditional modes of attack. In my
campaign, a character proficient with a firearm does not automatically add any proficiency bonus to
the attack roll. Rather, proficiency with a firearm allows a character to use a bonus action to take
the aim action, which adds the character’s proficiency bonus to the attack roll. Without taking the
aim action (or if a character is using a firearm without proficiency), the shooter receives only the
benefit of a Dexterity bonus on the attack roll.

When it came to weapon proficiencies, I decided that several classes would enjoy proficiency with
firearms, while others would have to earn their proficiency with multiclassing or by training through
the use of downtime days (see the Player’s Handbook). I divided firearms into two basic classes:
sidearms (for anything up to a submachine gun) and long arms (for anything up to a light machine
gun.) Anything heavier—such as a heavy machine gun, a rocket-propelled grenade launcher, or a
flamethrower—is given special dispensation according to the in-game situation. In my own
campaign, I created a feat called Heavy Weapon Specialist that allows proficiency in all modern
weapons heavier than a medium machine gun wielded by an unassisted individual on foot. I also
made this feat available as a fighting style for the fighter class.
Own Content
Races
Races ASI Abilities Modifications
Human +1 for all stats +1 feat 1
Human (Variant) +1 for 2 stats +1 feat 1
Cyborg +1 for 2 stats 0 2
Android +0 0 3

Modification
Modification Ability
Night Goggles Darkvision 60 ft.
High Quality Lenses Proficiency Perception
No disadvantage long-ranged attacks
Implanted Weapons
Roller Blades As a bonus action, you can give yourself an
increased movement speed of 10 ft.
Hacking tools