Dragon Pistol
At a Glance
- Weapon: Dragon Pistol
- Campaign status: Rare specialist scatter sidearm
- 5.5e / 2024: Campaign conversion with bullet and pellet modes
- 5e / 2014: Campaign conversion
- Pathfinder 1e: Early scatter firearm; 15-foot pellet cone
- D&D 3.5e: Campaign conversion from Pistol and scatter-gun principles
The dragon pistol is a compact scatter firearm: essentially a miniature blunderbuss with a flared barrel. It is designed for very close fighting, where a broad pellet load matters more than long-range accuracy.
Use only the tab for the rules system being played. Mechanics are not shared automatically between editions.
Dragon Pistol Rules by Edition
Dragon Pistol — D&D 5.5e / 2024
Campaign conversion. Choose a load when the weapon is loaded.
| Load | Effect | Mastery |
|---|---|---|
| Bullet | 1d10 Piercing; range 30/90 ft.; Ammunition, Loading | Vex |
| Pellets | 15-foot cone; DC 13 Dexterity save; 1d8 Piercing on a failure, half on a success | — |
The pellet cone is a campaign conversion used to preserve the weapon’s scatter identity. It does not trigger Vex because it does not make a weapon attack roll against one target.
Dragon Pistol — D&D 5e / 2014
Campaign conversion. Bullet mode uses the 2014 Pistol profile. Pellet mode uses a 15-foot cone; creatures make a DC 13 Dexterity save, taking 1d8 Piercing on a failure or half on a success. There is no Weapon Mastery.
Dragon Pistol — Pathfinder 1e
| Cost | Dmg (S) | Dmg (M) | Critical | Range | Misfire | Capacity | Weight | Type | Special |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1,000 gp | 1d4 | 1d6 | ×4 | 20 ft. | 1–2 (5 ft.) | 1 | 3 lbs. | B and P | scatter |
When firing pellets, the dragon pistol attacks in a 15-foot cone. When firing a bullet, its descriptive rule gives it a 10-foot range increment. It uses a bullet or group of pellets plus one dose of black powder, or one suitable alchemical cartridge.
Dragon Pistol — D&D 3.5e
Campaign conversion. Bullet mode uses the Renaissance Pistol profile. Pellet mode uses a 15-foot cone; creatures make a DC 13 Reflex save, taking 1d8 Piercing on a failure or half on a success. The weapon holds one load and requires a standard action to reload.
What Changes Between Editions?
- 2024/2014/3.5e: pellet-cone mechanics are explicit campaign conversions used to preserve the PF1e scatter identity.
- PF1e: supplies the published scatter firearm rules and close-range statistics.
Related Equipment
Sources and Licensing
D&D edition tabs use the corresponding Pistol baseline and explicitly mark the scatter mode as a campaign conversion. 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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