Pepperbox
At a Glance
- Weapon: Pepperbox
- Campaign status: Rare specialist multi-barrel sidearm
- 5.5e / 2024: Campaign conversion from Pistol; six loaded barrels; Vex
- 5e / 2014: Campaign conversion from Pistol; six loaded barrels
- Pathfinder 1e: Early one-handed firearm; capacity 6
- D&D 3.5e: Campaign conversion from Renaissance Pistol
The pepperbox replaces a single pistol barrel with a cluster of six barrels in a rotating housing. It gives a gunner several prepared shots before a lengthy reload, but its cost and complexity keep it in specialist hands.
Use only the tab for the rules system being played. Mechanics are not shared automatically between editions.
Pepperbox Rules by Edition
Pepperbox — D&D 5.5e / 2024
Campaign conversion. Use the 2024 Pistol profile, but the weapon carries six separately loaded barrels.
| Damage | Range | Weight | Properties | Mastery |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1d10 Piercing | 30/90 ft. | 5 lb. | Ammunition (Bullet), Reload (6 shots) | Vex |
Rotate the barrel cluster between shots without an extra action. After six shots, each barrel must be loaded again. This is a campaign conversion, not a separate core 2024 weapon entry.
Pepperbox — D&D 5e / 2014
Campaign conversion. Use the 2014 Pistol damage and range with six loaded barrels.
| Damage | Range | Weight | Properties |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1d10 Piercing | 30/90 ft. | 5 lb. | Ammunition, Reload (6 shots) |
The barrel housing rotates between shots. Reloading restores the six individual chambers/barrels. There is no Weapon Mastery.
Pepperbox — Pathfinder 1e
| Cost | Dmg (S) | Dmg (M) | Critical | Range | Misfire | Capacity | Weight | Type |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3,000 gp | 1d6 | 1d8 | ×4 | 20 ft. | 1–2 (5 ft.) | 6 | 5 lbs. | B and P |
The six-barrel housing can be rotated by hand between shots as a free action requiring one free hand. Each barrel uses one bullet and one dose of black powder or one suitable alchemical cartridge.
Pepperbox — D&D 3.5e
Campaign conversion. Use the Renaissance Pistol profile with six separately loaded barrels.
| Dmg (S) | Dmg (M) | Critical | Range Increment | Weight | Type |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1d8 | 1d10 | ×3 | 50 ft. | 5 lb. | Piercing |
The weapon can fire six times before every barrel has been discharged. Reloading a single barrel requires the normal standard action used by a 3.5e pistol.
What Changes Between Editions?
- 2024/2014: the six-shot pepperbox is an explicit conversion built from the Pistol.
- PF1e: provides the published six-barrel mechanism and misfire rules.
- 3.5e: converts the six-barrel mechanism onto the Renaissance Pistol profile.
Related Equipment
Further Viewing
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ywluXjKbt-8
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a5YB6dwl9rU
Sources and Licensing
D&D 5.5e / 2024 and D&D 5e / 2014 firearm baselines use the corresponding D&D firearm rules where an exact weapon exists. D&D 3.5e uses the Dungeon Master’s Guide Renaissance or modern firearm baselines. 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. Edition tabs explicitly identify campaign conversions when the exact weapon is not a core entry.
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