Magic Bullets for Gunslinging PCs (D&D 5e)
Arcane Gunslinger Fighter Archetype | Gunslinger Class | Magic Bullets
If you’re a little worried about giving a gunslinging character in your campaign a magic gun, you could give out magic bullets instead. They are consumable and you can give just enough for an upcoming tough encounter. I thought about creating stats for bullets of revelation, acid, phasing and others, but for this article I picked the Sleep Bullet and kept the other 3 to be more damage focused. As a DM, you can put any spell on a bullet, you just have to figure out what the damage and/or DC should be.
The D&D 5th Edition Dungeon Master’s Guide has magical ammunition for bows which you can convert, but here are some additional options that might work for you.
Firestorm Bullet +1, +2, +3
Uncommon (+1 ), Rare (+2), Very Rare (+3)
This bullet feels warm when touched and glows red. Its tip is filled with a magical explosive. You get a bonus to attack and damage rolls made by this piece of magic ammunition. The bonus, additional fire damage and any other effects are determined by the rarity of the ammunition. Once fired the bullet is destroyed and can not be recovered.
| Uncommon | +1 to attack and damage rolls | Hit: Additional 1d6 fire damage to creature. |
| Rare | +2 to attack and damage rolls | Hit: Additional 2d6 fire damage to creature. |
| Very Rare | +3 to attack and damage rolls | Hit: Additional 3d6 fire damage to hit creature and any creatures within 5′ (including allies) that fail a DC 13 Dexterity save take 1d6 fire damage. |
Lightning Bullet +1, +2, +3
Uncommon (+1 ), Rare (+2), Very Rare (+3)
This bullet is painted yellow. You get a bonus to attack and damage rolls made by this piece of magic ammunition. The bonus, lightning damage and any other effects are determined by the rarity of the ammunition. Once fired the bullet is destroyed and can not be recovered.
| Uncommon | +1 to attack and damage rolls | Hit: Additional 1d6 lightning damage to hit creature. |
| Rare | +2 to attack and damage rolls | Hit: Additional 2d6 lightning damage to hit creature. |
| Very Rare | +3 to attack and damage rolls | Hit: Additional 3d6 lightning damage to hit creature and the creature must make a DC 15 Constitution save or become stunned until the end of its next turn. |
Freezing Bullet +1, +2, +3
Uncommon (+1 ), Rare (+2), Very Rare (+3)
This bullet feels cold when touched and covered in frost. It is painted blueish white and has light blue fletching. You get a bonus to attack and damage rolls made by this piece of magic ammunition. The bonus, cold damage and any other effects are determined by the rarity of the ammunition. Once fired the bullet is destroyed and can not be recovered.
| Uncommon | +1 to attack and damage rolls | Hit: Additional 1d6 cold damage to hit creature. |
| Rare | +2 to attack and damage rolls | Hit: Additional 2d6 cold damage to hit creature. |
| Very Rare | +3 to attack and damage rolls | Hit: Additional 3d6 cold damage to hit creature and the creature must make a DC 15 Constitution save or become petrified (frozen) until the end of its next turn. |
Sleep Bullet +1, +2, +3
Uncommon (+1 ), Rare (+2), Very Rare (+3)
This bullet is painted white. You get a bonus to attack and damage rolls made by this piece of magic ammunition determined by its rarity. If the bullet hits a creature it bursts into magical energy and deals only nonlethal damage (equal to the amount of damage rolled). A creature that has fallen asleep is unconscious for 1 minute or until the sleeper takes damage or is slapped/shaken awake. Unconscious, undead or creatures that are immune to being charmed aren’t affected by the sleep magic of this bullet and only take the nonlethal damage. Once fired the bullet is destroyed and can not be recovered.
| Uncommon | +1 to attack and damage rolls | Hit: The creature must make a DC 11 Wisdom save or fall asleep. |
| Rare | +2 to attack and damage rolls | Hit: The creature must make a DC 14 Wisdom save or fall asleep. |
| Very Rare | +3 to attack and damage rolls | Hit: The creature must make a DC 17 Wisdom save or fall asleep. |
D&D 5th edition doesn’t provide specific prices for magic items, but it does provide ranges for how much to charge for how rare an item is in your world. If you want to know the prices in my world too for reference, I sell the above magic bullets at 30gp each for uncommon and 125gp each for rare. I didn’t even offer the very rare +3 ammunition. For basic +1, +2 and +3 bullets I’d put my prices on the lower end of the ranges found on page 235 of the DMG. Another option would be to work with a tinkering/crafting player to create their own magical ammunition.
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