Final Fantasy VIII introduced the concept of gunblades to the series, which are a combination of a sword and a revolver. Gunblades are essentially anime bayonets, and it's possible to create them as weapons in a campaign.
The gunblade used by Squall Leonhart in Final Fantasy VIII can fire a bullet as it strikes an enemy, empowering the weapon upon impact and firing when inside the foe. This is the version of the gunblade that we'll be creating for Dungeons & Dragons, even though other iterations of the weapon in different Final Fantasy game show it as a hybrid melee/ranged weapon.
D&D Gunblade Stats
Revolver
Uncommon gunblade
The Revolver gunblade is a combination of a sword and a primitive revolver, with its hilt resembling the handle of a pistol. The barrel of the gun is worked into its blade, and it empowers the weapon if fired at the correct time.
A gunblade is a martial melee weapon. It's a two-handed weapon that deals 1d10 slashing damage. When a gunblade user attacks and hits an enemy, they can attempt a DEX skill check of 15 to fire a bullet at the same time. If successful, they deal an additional 1d8 piercing damage to the enemy. If the check fails, then the bullet is activated after the hit is complete and its effect is wasted. The gunblade can hold six bullets at a time and it takes an action to reload it.
If the gunblade user rolls a 1 on the DEX check, then the bullet jams. They cannot fire another bullet without spending an action to clear the barrel. The jammed bullet is lost, regardless.
The scarcity of gunblade bullets will differ from setting to setting, and DMs should set a price accordingly.
Flame Saber
Rare gunblade, requires attunement
The Flame Saber is a +2 variant of the standard gunblade, and it deals an additional 2d6 fire damage on a successful melee hit.
The Flame Saber’s bullets deal 1d8 piercing damage, plus an additional 4 points of fire damage. The DEX check to hit is the same as the Revolver. It’s possible to use standard Revolver bullets in a Flame Saber and these will deal 1d8 piercing damage. The Flame Saber uses the same jamming rules as the Revolver and it can only hold six bullets at a time.
The bullets for the Flame Saber should be even harder to find than standard gunblade bullets.
Lion Heart
Legendary gunblade, requires attunement.
This one of a kind variation of the Gunblade has a blade that crackles with holy light. The Lion Heart is a +4 Gunblade that deals 2d8 radiant damage on a successful melee hit.
The Lion Heart’s bullets deal 1d8 piercing damage, plus an additional 2d6 radiant damage on a successful hit. The DEX check to hit is the same as the standard Gunblade. It’s possible to use standard Gunblade bullets or Flame Saber bullets in the Lion Heart, but they will only deal the same amount of damage as the regular version of the weapon. The Lion Heart uses the same jamming rules as the Revolver and it can only hold six bullets at a time.
The bullets for the Lion Heart are likely to be as rare and costly as the weapon itself.
The Master Of The Gunblade
There is a lack of variety among the weapons in the Player's Handbook and this can lead to melee fighter characters fee🌜ling interchangeable a🎶t times. A dungeon master who wants to introduce some unique weapons to their campaign could include a gunblade as a prize for a warrior, especially if the setting is established to have basic firearms or magical equivalents.
The gunblade is a stronger variation of the standard weapons in the Player's Handbook, but it's balanced by its limited ammunition and the fact that it requires a skill check each time it hits in order to activate its secondary effect. The fact that it's not a finesse weapon also means that a DEX-based character cannot become overpowered by relying on the gunblade in battle. The Man At Arms show on YouTube proved that the weapon is viable, so there is no reason why it can't be included in a D&aꦜmp;D world.