Culverin

The culverin, also known as a hand bombard, consists of a simple smoothbore tube, sealed at one end except for a small hole used to ignite a gunpowder charge. A wooden stock partially encases the barrel, allowing you to hold it under your arm with relative ease when carrying it. Firing a culverin without support (such as a wall, a window, or a stand) imposes a –4 penalty on attack rolls, and knocks you prone. A culverin uses 4 doses of black powder and grapeshot (a handful of pellets) as ammunition. Note that these statistics simulate only the original, hand-held culverins—their larger descendants are considered cannons and are dealt with in the siege weapon section of Ultimate Combat. This is an early firearm.