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
A hand culverin, also called a hand bombard, is a heavy early firearm built around a short, smoothbore metal tube on a wooden stock. A gunner can carry it under an arm, but firing it is another matter: a wall, firing rest or sturdy window ledge takes the weight and recoil. It is a weapon for an arranged defence or ambush, not a convenient pistol for a running fight.
At a town gate, a gunner must first find a place to brace the barrel and make sure the powder and grapeshot are ready. The weapon threatens attackers approaching a narrow entry; if the enemy circles the position, its weight and single-shot capacity become serious drawbacks. The Pathfinder 1e rules below are published mechanics. The D&D versions are explicitly campaign conversions, not official equipment entries.
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.
How the Hand Bombard Works in Play
Prepare a firing position: a fortress embrasure, a waist-high stone wall or a stout wooden rest allows the crew to manage the weight. In Pathfinder 1e a shot made without support gives a −4 attack penalty and knocks the wielder prone; the two fifth-edition conversions instead impose Disadvantage and the Prone condition. These are different mechanics, not interchangeable rule citations.
Count each shot: the published Pathfinder culverin weighs 40 lb., holds one charge and consumes four doses of black powder plus grapeshot when fired. That supply burden matters to a garrison or a travelling mercenary band. The 2024 and 2014 campaign conversions use their own Loading trait; do not assume those conversions automatically inherit Pathfinder powder costs or scatter rules.
Pick the right weapon: a fire lance is a much smaller early firearm; siege artillery belongs under Siege Warfare. The hand culverin sits between those two uses.
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
The Pathfinder 1e culverin is published in Ultimate Combat; see the Archives of Nethys firearms rules and weapon description and table. The 2024, 2014 and 3.5e panels are separate campaign conversions, not official statistics from those editions.
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