Musket
At a Glance
- Weapon: Musket
- Campaign status: Rare specialist / prototype long gun
- 5.5e / 2024: Martial ranged weapon; 1d12 Piercing; Slow mastery
- 5e / 2014: Renaissance martial ranged firearm; 1d12 Piercing
- Pathfinder 1e: Early two-handed firearm; 1d12 Medium damage; misfire 1–2
- D&D 3.5e: Exotic two-handed firearm; 1d12 Medium damage; ×3 critical
A musket is a long-barrelled black-powder firearm built to place a heavy shot farther downrange than a pistol. In the present age it remains a rare specialist weapon rather than standard infantry equipment. Wealthy arsenals, experimental gunsmiths and mercenary companies are the likeliest sources.
The rules below are edition-specific. Use only the section for the rules system being played; prices, ranges, reload rules, criticals and firearm mechanics are not interchangeable between editions.
Musket Rules by Edition
Musket — D&D 5.5e / 2024
| Category | Cost | Damage | Range | Weight | Properties | Mastery |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Martial Ranged Weapon | 500 GP | 1d12 Piercing | 40/120 ft. | 10 lb. | Ammunition (Bullet), Loading, Two-Handed | Slow |
Ammunition. Each attack expends one firearm bullet. The weapon uses its listed normal and long ranges.
Loading. Regardless of the number of attacks a character can normally make, a Loading weapon can fire only one piece of ammunition when an Action, Bonus Action or Reaction is used to fire it.
Two-Handed. Two hands are required when making the attack.
Slow mastery. A character able to use this weapon’s Mastery property can reduce the Speed of a creature hit by 10 feet until the start of the attacker’s next turn. Repeated Slow hits do not stack beyond that 10-foot reduction.
Campaign availability. The 2024 rules treat the musket as a martial ranged weapon, but that does not make it common equipment everywhere. Local access still depends on the campaign location, gunsmiths and supply of powder and shot.
Musket — D&D 5e / 2014
| Category | Cost | Damage | Range | Weight | Properties |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Renaissance Martial Ranged Weapon | 500 gp | 1d12 Piercing | 40/120 ft. | 10 lb. | Ammunition, Loading, Two-Handed |
The 2014 Dungeon Master’s Guide presents the musket as an optional Renaissance firearm rather than part of the ordinary Player’s Handbook weapon list.
Ammunition. The musket fires bullets; firearm ammunition is expended when used.
Loading. Only one piece of ammunition can be fired from the weapon when an Action, Bonus Action or Reaction is used to fire it, regardless of the number of attacks normally available.
Two-Handed. Two hands are required to attack with the musket.
No Weapon Mastery. Do not import the 2024 Slow property into the 2014 version.
Musket — Pathfinder 1e
| Cost | Dmg (S) | Dmg (M) | Critical | Range | Misfire | Capacity | Weight | Type |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1,500 gp | 1d10 | 1d12 | ×4 | 40 ft. | 1–2 (5 ft.) | 1 | 9 lbs. | Bludgeoning and Piercing |
Classification. Early firearm, two-handed.
Ammunition. The musket uses either one firearm bullet and one dose of black powder or one suitable alchemical cartridge.
Loading. As an early firearm it is muzzle-loaded. Loading a two-handed early firearm normally takes a full-round action before effects such as Rapid Reload or cartridges modify that time.
Range and penetration. Within the first range increment, an early firearm resolves the attack against touch AC. Beyond that range, resolve the attack normally using the Pathfinder firearm rules.
Misfire. A natural roll within the 1–2 misfire range causes a misfire. The weapon gains the broken condition; a broken early firearm that misfires again can explode under the normal PF1e firearm rules.
Musket — D&D 3.5e
| Category | Cost | Dmg (S) | Dmg (M) | Critical | Range Increment | Weight | Type |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Exotic Two-Handed Ranged Firearm | 500 gp | 1d10 | 1d12 | ×3 | 150 ft. | 10 lb. | Piercing |
Single shot. The musket holds one shot.
Reload. Reloading requires a standard action.
Ammunition. One ounce of gunpowder propels a bullet. Bullets are sold in bags of 10 for 3 gp and a bag weighs 2 lb. A full powder horn holds 2 lb. of gunpowder.
Proficiency. The Renaissance weapon table treats firearms as exotic weapons. Use the normal 3.5e proficiency rules rather than importing Pathfinder firearm proficiency, touch-AC or misfire mechanics.
What Changes Between Editions?
- 5.5e / 2024: the musket is a martial ranged weapon and gains the Slow mastery property.
- 5e / 2014: the basic numbers are similar to 2024, but the weapon is an optional Renaissance firearm and has no mastery property.
- Pathfinder 1e: uses touch-AC penetration, misfire, capacity and black-powder loading rules; its price and range differ sharply from D&D.
- D&D 3.5e: uses an exotic-firearm profile with a 150-foot range increment, ×3 critical and a standard-action reload.
Musket in the Campaign
The rules profile does not determine how common the weapon is. In the setting, muskets remain rare specialist or prototype long guns. They are most likely to appear in royal arsenals, fortified cities, mercenary companies and the hands of accomplished gunsmiths. Later mass-produced military muskets are not the baseline.
A musket also creates logistical problems: powder must be kept dry, ammunition must be replenished, smoke can reveal a firing position, and damaged mechanisms may require a specialist to repair.
Related Equipment
Sources and Licensing
D&D 5.5e / 2024 musket statistics follow the 2024 martial ranged weapon profile. D&D 5e / 2014 firearm statistics follow the optional Renaissance firearm rules in the 2014 Dungeon Master’s Guide. D&D 3.5e statistics follow the Renaissance Weapons rules in the 3.5e Dungeon Master’s Guide. Pathfinder firearm statistics and rules derive from Pathfinder Roleplaying Game Ultimate Combat, © 2011 Paizo Publishing, LLC; authors Jason Bulmahn, Tim Hitchcock, Colin McComb, Rob McCreary, Jason Nelson, Stephen Radney-MacFarland, Sean K Reynolds, Owen K.C. Stephens and Russ Taylor.
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