Culverin / Hand Bombard
At a Glance
- Weapon: Culverin / Hand Bombard
- Campaign status: Established heavy early gunpowder weapon
- 5.5e / 2024: Campaign conversion; heavy supported firearm
- 5e / 2014: Campaign conversion
- Pathfinder 1e: Early two-handed scatter firearm
- D&D 3.5e: Campaign conversion from Renaissance firearm rules
The hand culverin is a heavy smoothbore tube carried beneath the arm or fired from a support. It belongs naturally to the setting’s established early gunpowder tradition and sits between a personal firearm and a small bombard.
Culverin Rules by Edition
Culverin — D&D 5.5e / 2024
Campaign conversion. 2d10 Piercing, range 30/90 ft., Heavy, Loading, Two-Handed, Push. If fired without a wall, fork or stand supporting it, the attack has Disadvantage and the wielder falls Prone after the shot.
Culverin — D&D 5e / 2014
Campaign conversion. 2d10 Piercing, range 30/90 ft., Heavy, Loading and Two-Handed. Unsupported shots have Disadvantage and knock the wielder Prone.
Culverin — Pathfinder 1e
| Cost | 4,000 gp | Dmg (S/M) | 2d6 / 2d8 | Critical | ×4 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Range | 30 ft. | Misfire | 1 (10 ft.) | Capacity | 1 |
| Weight | 40 lbs. | Type | B and P | Special | scatter |
Firing without support such as a wall, window or stand imposes a −4 attack penalty and knocks the wielder Prone. It uses 4 doses of black powder and grapeshot.
Culverin — D&D 3.5e
Campaign conversion. 2d6 Small / 2d8 Medium Piercing, ×3, 50-foot range increment, 40 lb. Firing unsupported gives a −4 attack penalty and knocks the wielder Prone. Reloading requires a full-round action.
What Changes Between Editions?
- PF1e provides the published support, recoil and scatter mechanics.
- D&D versions preserve the heavy supported-gun identity as campaign conversions.
Related Equipment
Sources and Licensing
Pathfinder rules derive from Ultimate Combat; D&D tabs are campaign conversions based on the corresponding firearm frameworks.
Keep this reference growing
If this page helped with your reading or game, you can support its upkeep or explore the curated books.
Explore the Bookshop — epics, classics and stories behind imagined worlds.