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Volcanic Core Rifle 291

—

by

Dale
in

From: Lineage 801 of the Va Korrum

A heavy, single-shot rifle that embodies Acheulean’s mastery of fire and alchemy. The weapon is built on a stock of petrified, fire-resistant wood and reinforced with dark iron. Instead of a traditional firing mechanism, it features a containment chamber housing a fist-sized, ever-burning chunk of rock from the Great Fire Mountain’s core. To fire, the user loads a specially crafted alchemical pellet—a mixture of powdered obsidian and magically infused minerals. The “volcanic core” superheats the pellet, liquefying it into a glob of molten slag that is then propelled by a focused blast of steam. The projectile travels slower than a bullet but hits with incredible force, burning through whatever it doesn’t shatter. The rifle is slow to reload and requires careful heat management, but its destructive power is undeniable.

Lore

The Volcanic Core Rifle is not a standard-issue military weapon, but a highly specialized tool created by the Firetender priesthood of Acheulean. Its original purpose was twofold: as a geological tool for blasting through rock in deep-mine operations, and as a heavy defensive weapon for protecting those operations from the colossal, heavily armored creatures that dwell in Saṃsāra’s depths. It is less a rifle and more a portable, single-shot magma cannon.

The “volcanic core” at its heart is far more than a simple hot rock. It is a “Heartstone,” a fist-sized, crystallized essence of a lesser fire elemental, which has been willingly bound into the rifle’s chassis through a sacred and dangerous rite. This makes the weapon semi-sentient; it does not speak, but the wielder can feel its moods—a content hum when fed quality alchemical pellets, a furious glow when overcharged. The alchemical pellets are not ammunition in the traditional sense, but rather a form of concentrated “food” which the elemental spirit within the core rapidly digests and converts into a gout of molten fury. The “291” designation marks it as the 291st and most stable prototype, a design that finally perfected the petrified wood stock’s ability to insulate the wielder from the core’s incredible, sustained heat.

Item Values and Mechanics

  • Tier One Stats: +1 Constitution, +1 Intelligence
  • Skills Gained: Grants Skill Proficiency with Alchemist’s Supplies and in Investigation.
  • Specific Slot: Heavy Alchemical Firearm (Two-Handed, Ammunition, Loading)
  • Passive Magic
    • Elemental Sentry: The fire elemental within the core is ever-watchful. The rifle is always warm to the touch and emits a faint, pulsating glow visible in the dark. The wielder cannot be surprised by creatures of the elemental type.
    • Cauterizing Slag: The molten projectiles sear flesh and seal wounds with fiery heat. A creature made of flesh that takes damage from this rifle cannot regain hit points until the start of the wielder’s next turn.
    • Overheat: The rifle’s core generates immense heat. If you fire the rifle on two consecutive turns, on your third turn you have disadvantage on your attack roll with it. The core cools down if you do not fire it for one round.
  • Activatable Magic
    • Molten Shot (Action): You can make a special ranged weapon attack against a target. This weapon has a normal range of 60 feet and a long range of 120 feet. On a hit, the target takes 2d10 fire damage. This attack ignites flammable objects that aren’t being worn or carried. Due to the weapon’s complex loading process, you can only fire one shot per round, regardless of the number of attacks you can normally make.
    • Volcanic Overcharge (Action): Once per long rest, you can coax the elemental spirit to unleash its full power. You make your next Molten Shot attack with advantage. If the attack hits, you do not roll for damage; instead, the attack deals the maximum possible damage (20 fire damage). After using this ability, the rifle’s core becomes inert for 1 minute as it cools, and it cannot be fired during that time.
    • Craft Alchemical Pellets: Using Alchemist’s Supplies, you can spend 1 hour to craft up to 10 alchemical pellets. Each pellet requires 1 gp worth of powdered obsidian and rare mineral reagents.
  • Tags: Kwe-Sar, Firearm, Alchemical, Heavy, Two-Handed, Artificer, Fire Damage, Elemental, Siege Weapon, Overheats, Volcanic, Fire Damage, Elemental, Siege Weapon, Overheats, Volcanic, Single-Shot, Ammunition, Loading, Two-Handed, Ranged Weapon, Monster Hunter

The Volcanic Core Rifle 291 is not a common firearm. As a semi-sentient elemental weapon and a sacred tool of the Firetenders, its trade is restricted and rare, confined to circles that deal in immense power or esoteric artifacts.

1. The Magma Chamber Armory (Sar-Kwe, Acheulean)

The Shop and Location: This is not a commercial shop but the sacred and heavily guarded armory of the Firetender priesthood, located deep within the Grand Emberforge. The air is incredibly hot, thick with the smell of brimstone and ozone. Rifles like this are stored in specially consecrated racks, and their volcanic cores pulse with a soft, collective light, humming in harmony with the nearby ley lines.

The Transaction: One cannot buy a Volcanic Core Rifle here with coin. The weapon is considered a living entity, an ally. It is only ever bestowed upon a Kwe-Sar champion or a devout follower of Korrath who is undertaking a mission of critical importance to the faith—such as hunting a legendary beast that threatens a holy site or breaking a siege on a sacred mine.

“Selling” a rifle to the Armory would be viewed as returning a lost and sacred life form to its home. The Firetenders would offer a substantial “reward” and the favor of their order, but their gratitude would be mixed with intense questioning to determine how such a sacred instrument was lost in the first place.

The Cost:

  • To Buy: Not for sale. The price is a holy quest or a lifetime of unwavering service.
  • To Sell (Return): A reward of 700 Rhodium. This is not a market price, but a generous tithe for the recovery and return of a bound elemental spirit.

2. The Behemoth’s End (High-End Adventuring Hub)

The Shop and Location: Located in a bustling, high-stakes port city, The Behemoth’s End is an exclusive outfitter for the world’s most elite monster hunters. The shop is part armory, part trophy hall, decorated with the colossal heads of legendary beasts. The owner is a legendary retired hunter who only deals in weapons capable of felling the largest of prey.

The Transaction: A Volcanic Core Rifle would be a prized item in the owner’s private collection, likely acquired during a past adventure. They would sell it only to a hunter they deem capable of handling its immense power and respecting its unique nature. The sale would be a long conversation involving shared stories of legendary hunts, a stiff drink, and a practical demonstration of the rifle’s power on a caged monster in the shop’s reinforced basement.

Selling the rifle here would be a transaction between peers. The owner would recognize its worth instantly and offer a very fair price, likely asking for the full story of the hunt where it was acquired.

The Cost:

  • To Buy: 1,200 Rhodium. The price is astronomical, reflecting its status as one of the most powerful single-shot weapons in the world. The cost includes a custom-made case, a starter batch of 10 alchemical pellets, and the alchemical formula to craft more.
  • To Sell: 800 Rhodium. A strong price offered without haggling, as a sign of professional respect from one big-game hunter to another.

3. The Alchemist’s Crucible (Black Market District)

The Shop and Location: This is a hidden, magically-shielded laboratory in the underbelly of a major industrial city. It is run by a disgraced but brilliant alchemist who specializes in volatile and often illegal magical devices. The air is thick with chemical fumes, and the space is a chaotic mess of bubbling beakers, humming arcane machinery, and half-dissected magical creatures.

The Transaction: The alchemist would have acquired the rifle through illicit channels and would be utterly fascinated by its elemental core, seeing it as a unique power source to be studied. They would sell it, but reluctantly, perhaps after failing to replicate its technology. The transaction would be secretive and tense. The weapon might have been unsafely tinkered with, and the alchemist would offer no guarantees.

Selling the rifle to the alchemist would be an enthusiastic but shrewd affair. They would be desperate to acquire it for research and would offer a decent price, but would also attempt to haggle by pointing out its flaws—the slow reload, the overheating, the need for custom ammunition—as reasons to lower the value.

The Cost:

  • To Buy: 900 Rhodium, or an equivalent trade in other unique artifacts or extremely rare alchemical reagents. The price is lower, but the risk of the weapon having a hidden, explosive flaw is considerably higher.
  • To Sell: 550 Rhodium. The alchemist knows the weapon is difficult to sell on the open market and uses that leverage to secure a price that favors their research budget.

The Volcanic Core Rifle 291 is a specialist’s weapon. It is not fired quickly or carelessly. Each shot is a deliberate, calculated act, a partnership between the wielder and the fiery spirit within the weapon. Its roleplaying focuses on patience, overwhelming force, and the creative use of its molten projectiles to reshape the battlefield.

1. In a Dense, Ancient Forest

This environment is filled with cover and flammable material, making every shot a tactical decision with potentially widespread consequences.

Offensive Roleplay

  • The Situation: A pack of elusive, camouflaged predators are using the dense foliage and massive trees to stalk the party, striking from the shadows and disappearing again.
  • How it’s Used: A direct shot is nearly impossible. Sar-Elun uses the rifle’s incendiary properties for area denial, flushing the enemies out of hiding.
    • Roleplay Description: “Sar-Elun ignores the fleeting shapes in the shadows. ‘Chasing ghosts is inefficient,’ he mutters, bracing the heavy rifle against his shoulder. He aims not at a creature, but at a massive, resin-heavy elder tree in the center of the enemy’s position. He gently pats the rifle’s core. ‘A feast for you, old friend.’ The weapon fires with a low thwoomp, sending a glowing orange glob of slag arcing through the air. The impact doesn’t just chip the bark; the molten projectile engulfs the tree trunk. With a deafening roar, the ancient wood erupts into a colossal funeral pyre. The intense light and fire exposes all the predators in the area, flushing them from their cover as they are forced to flee the spreading flames.”

Defensive Roleplay

  • The Situation: The party is being relentlessly pursued by a superior force, their path through the dense forest offering little hope of escape.
  • How it’s Used: Sar-Elun uses a single, tactical shot to create a barrier, sacrificing a small part of the forest to save the party.
    • Roleplay Description: “Finding a narrow game trail choked with deadfall and dry underbrush, Sar-Elun turns to make a stand. ‘This is the chokepoint,’ he announces. As the pursuers come into view, he doesn’t aim for them. He aims for the base of the logjam. The molten slag hits the dry wood, which instantly ignites. In seconds, a roaring wall of fire rages across the path, fueled by the dry leaves and undergrowth. He has created a formidable, impassable barrier, buying the party precious time to escape under the cover of the thick, black smoke.”

2. Sieging a Fortified Stone Bunker

This is the environment the rifle was designed for: unmaking hard targets. Here, its power as a siege weapon is unleashed.

Offensive Roleplay

  • The Situation: The enemy is protected behind a thick stone wall with a single arrow slit, pinning the party down with impunity.
  • How it’s Used: This is a problem of structural engineering. Sar-Elun decides to remove the structure itself, using the Volcanic Overcharge.
    • Roleplay Description: “Sar-Elun kneels, planting the rifle’s bipod firmly on the ground. He places a hand over the containment chamber, his expression one of intense focus. ‘All of it,’ he whispers to the elemental within. The rifle’s core, normally a dull red, begins to pulse with the light of a miniature sun, and the weapon shudders in his hands. He fires. The projectile is not a glob, but a searing white lance of liquid light. It strikes the bunker wall. For a moment, there is only silence. Then, a spiderweb of glowing red cracks appears as the stone turns to magma. With a deafening CRACK, the wall explodes outward, leaving a massive, molten, and very permanent new doorway.”

Defensive Roleplay

  • The Situation: The party is defending a stone temple, and the enemy is advancing with a heavy, iron-plated battering ram.
  • How it’s Used: He can’t destroy the ram in one shot, but he can deny the enemy the ground they need to use it.
    • Roleplay Description: “As the siege crew advances with the ram, Sar-Elun aims for the stone courtyard just in front of them. He fires a standard Molten Shot. The slag impacts the ground, not with a simple splash, but an explosion of fiery shrapnel and molten rock. It leaves a 10-foot-wide patch of ground that is now a glowing, bubbling pool of lava. The crew grinds to a halt, the ram now useless unless they are willing to march through a pit of molten stone to reach the gate. He has created a tactical moat of fire.”

3. Fighting a Regenerating Troll in a Swamp

Against a single, incredibly durable foe, the rifle’s special properties are more important than its raw power.

Offensive Roleplay

  • The Situation: The party is desperately fighting a massive swamp troll, but its wounds bubble and close as quickly as they are inflicted due to its powerful regeneration.
  • How it’s Used: Sar-Elun knows that simply inflicting damage is a waste of resources. He uses the Cauterizing Slag passive to negate the enemy’s greatest advantage.
    • Roleplay Description: “He watches his allies’ blades leave deep, weeping cuts that immediately begin to stitch themselves shut. ‘Inefficient,’ he states. He braces the rifle, waits for the troll to roar in triumph, and fires. The molten slag hits the creature square in the chest. It howls in pain, but this wound is different. The edges of the gaping hole are blackened and glowing, the flesh seared into a glassy, cauterized crust. The wound does not bubble. It does not close. ‘Its healing is compromised,’ Sar-Elun announces to the party. ‘Press the attack now.’”

Defensive Roleplay

  • The Situation: The troll has grievously wounded a party member and is lumbering forward to finish them off. There is no time for a calculated shot.
  • How it’s Used: This is a moment of desperation. Sar-Elun uses the Volcanic Overcharge not as a siege tool, but as a high-stakes “stop-shot” to save a life.
    • Roleplay Description: “Seeing his ally fall, Sar-Elun bypasses his usual methodical process. ‘Now!’ he roars, both a command to himself and the spirit in the gun. He activates the Overcharge, the rifle glowing with furious intensity in an instant. He doesn’t aim for the head or chest; he aims for the troll’s knee. The maximized damage hits with the force of a falling tree, liquefying the joint and turning the leg to molten slag. The massive creature collapses with a gargantuan splash into the swamp water, immobilized. The rifle’s core goes dark, useless for the next minute, but Sar-Elun has bought the crucial time needed to save his downed companion.”

Perception of Activation:

User’s Perspective (Sar-Elun)

  • Somatic & Auditory: The process begins with the satisfying thunk of loading an alchemical pellet into the chamber. As you take aim, you focus your will. The rifle begins to vibrate, a low, guttural rumble that you feel deep in your chest, like a distant volcano preparing to erupt. The petrified wood stock grows intensely warm, a familiar heat that would burn others but is a comforting sign of readiness to you. The final moment of activation is a deep, concussive THWOOMP that is more of a powerful shove against your shoulder than a sharp crack of a gunshot.
  • Visual: Through the reinforced viewing ports on the rifle’s chassis, you see the volcanic core shift from a dull, pulsating red to a brilliant, blinding white-hot intensity as it consumes the pellet. When fired, the projectile is a visibly slow-moving (compared to a bullet) glob of molten, glowing slag that arcs gracefully toward its target, trailing smoke and embers.
  • Extrasensory (Thermal Sense): Your thermal vision is completely dominated by the weapon. The core becomes a point of absolute, “unseeable” heat, and the projectile is a miniature sun traveling through the air. You can clearly track its trajectory and see the massive splash of thermal energy upon impact.
  • Extrasensory (Lithic Resonance): You feel the deep, powerful vibration of the contained eruption resonate through the rifle’s obsidian and stone components, a feeling of controlled geological violence that travels up your arms and into your body.
  • Extrasensory (Empathic/Arcane Perception): This is the most critical perception. You feel the fire elemental spirit within the core awaken with a surge of ravenous hunger as it is fed the pellet. As you prepare to fire, its hunger turns to a state of joyous, furious anticipation. You are not simply pulling a trigger; you are opening the cage and directing the fury of a willing, sentient force.

Observer’s Perspective

  • Auditory: An observer first hears a low, deep rumbling sound emanating from the rifle, a menacing growl that builds in intensity. The firing is not a sharp crack, but a deep, resonant FOOM, a sound more like a gas well igniting than a conventional firearm. This is followed by the distinct, menacing hiss of the molten projectile flying through the air.
  • Visual: The rifle’s core, visible through vents in its chassis, begins to glow with the intensity of a forge, pulsating with a fiery, orange-white light. When fired, a large, glowing glob of what appears to be molten rock is lobbed from the barrel. The projectile is slow enough to be tracked by the naked eye as it soars towards its target, leaving a trail of smoke. The impact is a dramatic, fiery explosion of liquid rock.
  • Somatic: A powerful wave of dry heat washes over anyone standing near the user during the activation. The concussive firing sound is felt as a heavy thump in the chest.
  • Extrasensory (Arcane Perception): A magically sensitive observer would perceive a massive amount of elemental fire energy being drawn into the rifle, followed by the clear and distinct presence of a sentient, powerful, and enraged fire elemental being unleashed. It is not perceived as a simple spell, but as a creature being momentarily set free to attack.

Positives

  • Overwhelming Presence: The perception of the rifle’s activation is one of raw, unstoppable elemental power. The glowing core, the deep rumbling, and the visible molten projectile are incredibly intimidating, capable of breaking the morale of lesser foes before the shot even lands.
  • Tactical Visibility: Unlike a near-invisible bullet, the slow, glowing projectile is a highly visible event. This can be used for psychological effect, forcing enemies to scatter or focus their attention on the incoming “meteor,” creating openings for allies to exploit.
  • Clear and Present Danger: The weapon’s effects are unambiguous. Observers can clearly see that it is a tool for melting, burning, and destroying. This makes it a powerful deterrent, a clear statement of overwhelming force in any standoff.

Negatives

  • Lack of Subtlety: The rifle is the antithesis of a stealth weapon. Its glowing core and loud rumbling announce its presence and intent long before a shot is fired. It is impossible to use this weapon for a surprise attack.
  • Slow and Predictable: The visibly slow projectile, while intimidating, gives agile enemies a chance to react. A fast-moving target may be able to dodge or find cover in the time it takes for the slag to travel to its destination.
  • Perceived Danger to Allies: To an observer, the user is wielding a barely-contained volcanic eruption. This can be unnerving for allies standing nearby, and the fiery, explosive nature of the impact makes friendly fire a very real and dangerous possibility. It paints a massive, glowing target on the user’s back.

Rite of the Furnace Heart Rifle

This sacred text outlines the ritualistic process for creating a Volcanic Core Rifle, as practiced by the high Firetenders of Acheulean. This is not a work of simple smithing; it is a dangerous act of magical binding, wherein a living elemental spirit is coaxed into a physical vessel. Success creates a powerful, loyal ally. Failure results in an uncontrolled elemental eruption and likely the death of the crafter.

Materials Needed

  • One Unbound Heartstone of a Lesser Fire Elemental: The core component. This crystallized essence of a fire spirit must be acquired by either defeating it in ritual combat or by performing a great service for which it willingly offers its essence.
  • A Rifle Stock Carved from Petrified Ironwood: The wood must be sourced from a tree that has survived a great magical fire, as it is naturally infused with the resilience to withstand the core’s intense heat.
  • Three Ingots of Cold-Forged Iron: A special, resonantly-neutral iron used to construct the barrel and containment chamber. Standard iron would melt or interfere with the binding ritual.
  • A Sacred Scroll of Binding (Va-Shar Script): This contains the complex and perilous runic sequence for binding a sentient spirit to an inanimate object. These scrolls are jealously guarded by the Firetender priesthood.
  • A Ceremonial Urn of Water from the Great Fire Mountain’s Caldera: This superheated, mineral-rich water is used to quench the final vessel and attune it to the energies of Acheulean.
  • A Starter Kit of Alchemical Reagents: Includes powdered obsidian, sulfur, and other rare minerals needed for the binding ritual and to craft the first “offering” pellet.

Tools Required

  • A Consecrated Emberforge: The rite must be performed within a holy temple-forge, blessed by Korrath and shielded against magical interference.
  • Masterwork Smith’s Tools: The physical vessel must be forged to perfection to safely contain the elemental.
  • Masterwork Alchemist’s Supplies: Necessary for preparing the runic inks and the critical first alchemical pellet.
  • A Runic Brazier and Inscription Kit: A set of specialized tools for heating and applying the sacred, magically-charged runes.
  • A Soul-Cage Prism: A flawless crystal prism used to temporarily hold and calm the elemental spirit after it is released from its Heartstone.

Skill Requirements

  • Mastery in Arcana or Religion: The ability to perform a complex, high-risk binding ritual is the absolute core of this process. The crafter must have the force of will to command a powerful elemental spirit.
  • Expertise in Smith’s Tools: The physical construction of the rifle allows for no flaws. A single weak point in the containment chamber will result in a catastrophic failure.
  • Proficiency with Alchemist’s Supplies: The crafter must be able to precisely mix the reagents for both the binding seal and the offering pellet.
  • Immense Personal Fortitude: The crafter must be able to withstand prolonged exposure to intense heat and the overwhelming psychic presence of a raw elemental spirit.

Crafting Steps

  1. Forging the Vessel (1 Day): The process begins with the physical form. The crafter uses the Masterwork Smith’s Tools to forge the Cold-Forged Iron into the rifle’s barrel, chassis, and containment chamber, fitting them to the Petrified Ironwood stock. This is a task of pure, focused craftsmanship, performed in meditative silence.
  2. Runic Inscription (1 Day): The crafter prepares a special ink using the alchemical reagents. Using the Runic Brazier and Inscription Kit, they must meticulously transcribe the runes from the Scroll of Binding onto the inside of the containment chamber. This creates the spiritual “cage” that will house the elemental. A single misplaced glyph can create a weakness in the binding.
  3. The Awakening (Night of the Ritual): The crafter places the Fire Elemental’s Heartstone within the Soul-Cage Prism. They begin a lengthy, monotonous chant, a low-frequency hum that resonates with the crystal. This process slowly and carefully dissolves the Heartstone’s physical form, releasing the furious, disoriented elemental spirit within the temporary safety of the prism.
  4. The Binding (Dawn of the Ritual): This is the climax. The crafter must present the open, rune-scribed rifle chamber to the Soul-Cage Prism. They must then perform the final, perilous part of the ritual, a battle of wills to coax the free-willed elemental from its temporary prison into its new, permanent home. This requires a challenging Arcana or Religion check.
    • On a success, the spirit flows from the prism into the rifle’s chamber. The chamber seals, and the core ignites with a permanent, deep red, pulsating light. The bond is formed.
    • On a failure, the enraged and unbound elemental spirit refuses the vessel. It shatters the Soul-Cage Prism and either attacks the crafter directly or causes the rifle’s imperfectly sealed chamber to detonate with the force of a fireball.
  5. The First Offering (Immediately Following the Binding): The newly-formed rifle, now glowing cherry-red with the elemental’s presence, must be immediately stabilized. It is first quenched in the Caldera Water. The crafter must then have an alchemical pellet ready. They load the pellet into the rifle, “feeding” it to the elemental for the first time. This act solidifies the bond, transforming the relationship from one of a jailer and prisoner to one of a wielder and a willing, if volatile, partner.

Sermon of Furnace Heart

Let it be known that this telling is but a crooked shadow of the truth, for it is taken from the High Elven scrolls, which were themselves a telling of a tale told in the harsh, clicking tongue of the Dwarfs, who had heard it from a Kwe-Sar trader who spoke of a time before his own. The meaning, therefore, is a river that has bent many times.

Lo, in the age of the Elder Kings, the Great Fire Mountain, which is the throne of the god Korrath, grew sick. A great trembling was in the bones of the world, and the forges of Acheulean grew cold. The Firetenders, the priests of the flame, were filled with fear, for the life-blood of the mountain, the ley lines, were being drunk by some deep and terrible thirst.

From the unlit depths arose the World-Burrower. The scrolls name it the Stone-Titan, the Eater-of-Earth. It was not a thing of malice, but of hunger, as a worm is hungry for soil. Its body was a moving mountain, and its hide, it is said, was of diamond, a thing that no blade could know and no hammer could break. It moved slowly beneath the land, and where it went, the magic of the earth died, and the ground grew cold and still.

The greatest warriors of the Kwe-Sar went forth with their hammers of obsidian and their blades of forged fire. They struck the Eater-of-Earth, and their weapons shattered like glass. The Stone-Titan did not notice. It continued its slow meal, and the mountain grew ever weaker.

In the Great Emberforge lived a priestess, a Firetender named Aska. She was not a warrior. The scrolls call her the Quiet Flame, the Core-Warden, for her task was not to command the great fires, but to listen to them. She listened to the mountain’s heart, and she felt its great pain. She went before the Elder Firetenders and said, “A hide that cannot be broken from without must be unmade from within. We must not strike the titan. We must feed it a poison of pure fire.”

The elders were wroth. “You speak of meddling with the Unsleeping Flames, the very spirits of the core! To bind such a spirit is a blasphemy, a thing of pride that will bring another Ashfall upon us.”

But Aska, the Quiet Flame, did not listen. She journeyed down, into the throat of the Great Fire Mountain, to the Chamber of Unsleeping Fire where the elementals of flame did dance. She did not bring chains of binding nor words of command. She stood in the great heat, which did not harm her, and she spoke to the greatest of the spirits, the one called the Furnace-Heart.

The scrolls are unclear on what she said. The Firetenders say she showed the Furnace-Heart the dying of the mountain, its home, and made a pact. Others say she tricked the spirit with clever words. But it was so that the Furnace-Heart did agree to her plea. It did not surrender. It offered a part of its essence, a burning shard of its very being, which became a crystal that pulsed with the light of a star. This was the Heartstone.

Aska returned to the forges. She took the wood of a petrified tree that had drunk the fire of a dragon and did not burn, and from this she carved the stock. She took the cold-forged iron that does not know heat and made the barrel and chamber, the house for the spirit. She did perform the rite. She did not force the spirit into the house. She invited it. She placed the Heartstone within the chamber and asked it to wake. And the spirit, remembering its pact, did wake. And the rifle, which was the Furnace Heart, did come alive in her hands, glowing with a soft and terrible light.

She went forth to face the World-Burrower. The warriors who followed her laughed at her weapon, for it had no blade, no edge. The Stone-Titan rose from the earth before her, a cliff of unfeeling diamond.

Aska fed the Furnace Heart a pellet of obsidian and powdered minerals. A great and happy warmth flowed from the weapon. She lifted the Magma-Caster and aimed. She did not aim for an eye or a joint, for there were none. She aimed at the center of its great, flat brow.

The weapon fired. It did not make a sharp sound, but a deep THWOOMP, like a great heart beating once. A single glob of molten fire, a fire-seed, did leap from the barrel. It struck the titan’s diamond brow.

And it did nothing. It spattered and cooled, leaving only a small, dark mark.

The warriors cried out in despair. But Aska, the Core-Warden, stood and watched. For the fire-seed was not a hammer. It was a key. The molten slag seeped into a crack in the diamond hide, a crack so small that no eye could see it. It flowed deep inside the body of the Eater-of-Earth.

And there, in the darkness within the beast, the essence of the Furnace-Heart did awaken. It was a single drop of the mountain’s fire in the belly of the cold stone. And it began to feed. It drank the titan’s substance and grew.

The World-Burrower stopped its slow march. A deep rumbling came from within it. Faint orange cracks appeared upon its diamond skin. The cracks grew, glowing brighter and brighter. The titan shuddered, and with a sound that was not a sound but a great groaning of the world, it did crumble. It fell into itself, not a beast anymore, but a new, small mountain of hot ash and cooling magma. The Quiet Flame had defeated the unbreakable, not by shattering it, but by teaching it the meaning of fire.

The Moral of the Story: The strongest wall is not broken by the mightiest hammer, but by the single seed planted in its deepest crack.

Suggested conversions to other systems:

Dungeons & Dragons (5th Edition)

Heart of the Mountain

Weapon (alchemical rifle), rare (requires attunement)

This heavy, single-shot rifle is built on a stock of petrified, fire-resistant wood and reinforced with dark iron. Its core contains a perpetually glowing chunk of volcanic rock that radiates intense heat. It does not fire bullets, but rather specially crafted alchemical pellets.

The Heart of the Mountain is a magic weapon with the following properties: Ammunition (range 60/120), Heavy, Loading, Two-Handed. You gain a +1 bonus to attack and damage rolls made with it.

  • Ammunition: The rifle fires Alchemical Pellets, which can be crafted with Alchemist’s Supplies at a cost of 1 gp per pellet.
  • Molten Shot. When you hit with an attack, you deal an extra 2d8 fire damage in addition to the weapon’s normal damage (which is 1d12 piercing for a rifle of this size).
  • Cauterizing Slag. A creature that takes fire damage from this weapon cannot regain hit points until the start of your next turn.
  • Overheat. If you fire this weapon on two consecutive turns, you have disadvantage on the attack roll you make with it on the third consecutive turn. The weapon cools down if you do not fire it for one round.
  • Volcanic Overcharge (1/Day). As an action, you can make a special attack. If this attack hits, the fire damage is maximized (dealing 16 fire damage). After making the attack, the rifle’s core goes inert and cannot be fired for 1 minute.

Call of Cthulhu (7th Edition)

The Cthughan Eruption Projector

This is not a firearm but a terrifying occult artifact that houses a bound, malevolent fire-entity. It is a long, heavy device of strange, heat-blackened metal and petrified wood, with a central, pulsating crystal that glows with hateful intelligence. It projects gouts of living, molten matter.

  • Skill: Firearms (Heavy Weapons)
  • Damage: 4D10 (Burn)
  • Range: 20 yards
  • Attacks: 1
  • Malfunction: On a roll of 96-00, the weapon explodes.
  • Sanity Cost: Viewing the weapon fire for the first time requires a Sanity roll (0/1D4). Firing the weapon costs the user 1 Sanity point per shot.
  • Special Rules:
    • Unstable Core: The weapon is semi-sentient and hostile. Before firing, the user must make an opposed POW roll against the weapon’s POW of 75. If the user fails, the weapon refuses to fire. On a Fumble, the weapon vents superheated gas, inflicting 1D10 damage on the user.
    • Molten Payload: The projectile is a glob of semi-living fire that ignites any flammable material it touches. A human-sized target hit by the weapon is automatically set on fire.
    • Eldritch Searing: The fire is unnatural. A living creature damaged by the weapon cannot be healed by any means (including First Aid or Medicine) for 1D6 rounds.

Blades in the Dark

The Demon’s Breath Arbalest

A heavy, pre-cataclysmic siege weapon that functions more like a small cannon than a rifle. It doesn’t fire bolts, but instead uses a spirit-fueled core to lob canisters of alchemical slurry that detonate into gouts of liquid fire. It is loud, terrifying, and spectacularly unsubtle.

This is a heavy weapon (3 load, including one canister of fuel).

  • Fictional Permissions: You are armed with a siege weapon that fires gobs of alchemical fire. It is incredibly destructive, can melt through stone, and will absolutely get the City Watch’s attention.
  • When you Wreck a structure or Command a group through overwhelming force with this weapon, you gain +1 effect.
  • Attacking a target with this weapon is always a Desperate action, due to its volatility and slow reload time. On a success, you inflict catastrophic harm to a single target (likely obliterating them) and create a large, dangerous zone of fire around them. On a 4/5, the collateral damage is likely severe and uncontrolled.
  • Cost: Each shot consumes one canister of alchemical accelerant, a rare and volatile substance. The GM might start a 4-segment clock for “Running Low” or “Core Overheats” during a score.

Knave (2nd Edition)

Magma Rifle

A heavy, two-handed rifle built around a glowing, magical core. It fires pellets of special alchemical material which are turned to molten slag.

  • Slots: Takes up 4 inventory slots (two-handed).
  • Ammunition: Requires alchemical slugs. Each shot consumes one slug. A single inventory slot can hold 5 slugs.
  • Damage: Deals d12 damage.
  • Range: 120ft.
  • Qualities:
    • Slow: Firing this weapon takes up your entire turn’s action.
    • Incendiary: On a successful hit, the target is set on fire, taking an additional d6 damage at the end of their next turn. Flammable objects are automatically ignited.
    • Cauterize: A creature damaged by this weapon cannot heal hit points for 1 round.
  • Drawback – Overheats: If you fire the rifle for two turns in a row, it becomes too hot to handle and cannot be fired on the third turn.

Fate Core System

The Unmaker of Valthar

This is an Extra, a powerful and dangerous artifact that requires its own Aspect and has significant narrative weight. It is not just a gun, but a semi-sentient elemental force.

  • Aspects:
    • High Concept: Semi-Sentient Elemental Siege Rifle
    • Trouble: Volatile, Loud, and Prone to Overheating
    • Other: Requires Specially Crafted Alchemical “Food”
  • Stunts:
    • Molten Blast: When you successfully Attack with this rifle, you inflict a 2-shift hit. Additionally, you can spend a Fate Point to also create the situational aspect Covered in Molten Slag on the target with a free invocation. This aspect can be used to justify ongoing fire damage.
    • Searing Wound: When a target has the Covered in Molten Slag aspect, they cannot use any actions or abilities to recover from physical stress or consequences until that aspect is removed.
    • Unleash the Core: Once per session, you can choose to automatically succeed with style on an Attack action with this rifle. After the attack, the rifle gains the temporary aspect Temporarily Inert, which can be compelled against you, and must be Overcome with a difficult Crafts roll before the rifle can be used again.

Numenera & Cypher System

The Magma Ejector

This is a heavy, two-handed artifact that seems to house a living, fiery entity within its crystalline core. It lobs spheres of what appears to be molten rock.

  • Level: 8
  • Form: A heavy, two-handed longarm made of petrified wood and dark metal, with a glowing, crystalline core that pulses with light.
  • Effect:
    • Passive: This is a heavy weapon, inflicting 7 points of fire damage at long range. A living creature damaged by this weapon cannot be healed by any means for one round. The weapon requires special alchemical pellets to function, which must be crafted using a Level 5 formula.
    • Active (Overcharge): Action: You can choose to overcharge the weapon before firing. Your attack is hindered by two steps, but if you hit, the attack inflicts 12 points of fire damage instead of 7, and the target is set on fire, taking 3 points of ambient damage each round until the fire is extinguished.
    • Drawback (Overheat): If the weapon is fired on two consecutive rounds, the user must make a Level 4 Intellect defense roll on the third consecutive round to manage the heat. Failure means the weapon becomes inert and cannot be fired for one minute.
  • Depletion: 1 in 1d20 (Check each time it is fired).

Pathfinder (2nd Edition)

Forge-Heart Arquebus

Item 13 Rare, Magical, Evocation, Fire Usage held in 2 hands; Bulk 2

This masterwork arquebus is crafted from fire-resistant petrified wood and reinforced with dark iron. Instead of a normal firing mechanism, it houses a glowing, magical crystal that generates immense heat.

This is a +2 greater striking arquebus. It must be loaded with alchemical slag pellets to be fired.

  • Ammunition: Crafting 10 alchemical slag pellets requires a successful DC 30 Crafting check using Alchemist’s Tools and 1 hour of work.
  • Special Properties: When you hit a creature with this weapon, it deals an additional 2d6 persistent fire damage. A creature taking this persistent fire damage cannot be healed by magical effects (though non-magical healing, like the Medicine skill, works normally).
  • Overheat: If you fire the arquebus for two consecutive rounds, you must succeed at a DC 30 Crafting check before making your attack on the third consecutive round. On a failure, you cannot fire the weapon for 1d4 rounds as it cools.
  • Activate [two-actions] Unleash Core (Manipulate, Fire) Frequency once per day; Effect You make a Strike with the arquebus. This Strike deals the maximum possible weapon damage and persistent fire damage. After the Strike, the weapon becomes broken for 10 minutes, after which it magically repairs itself.

Savage Worlds Adventure Edition (SWADE)

The Magma-Spitter

A heavy, two-handed weapon of Kwe-Sar design, this rifle uses a bound fire elemental to lob globs of molten rock. It’s more like personal artillery than a rifle.

  • Requirements: Seasoned, Strength d8+
  • Range: 12/24/48; Damage: 3d10; AP: 4; RoF: 1; Shots: 1
  • Weight: 15
  • Notes: Heavy Weapon
  • Abilities:
    • Reload: Reloading this weapon with a new alchemical pellet is an action.
    • Cauterize: A living Wild Card Shaken or Wounded by this weapon cannot be healed by any means for 1d4 rounds. Normal extras cannot be healed for the remainder of the combat.
    • Incendiary: The weapon sets flammable objects on fire and can be used to cast Burst centered on the point of impact, using the wielder’s Shooting skill.
    • Unstable Core: On a Critical Failure on the Shooting roll, the weapon overheats. It cannot be fired again until repaired with a successful Repair roll at –2, which takes one full round.
    • Overcharge: Once per day, the wielder may choose to overcharge the shot. The attack deals an additional +1d6 damage.

Shadowrun, Sixth World

Ares ‘Magma-Dog’ Cannon

A heavy, experimental weapon that has appeared on the black market, rumored to be a ‘failed’ Ares project from their Aztlan facilities. It eschews standard projectiles for a magically-active core that liquefies alchemical slugs into gouts of molten rock. It is a terrifying and highly illegal weapon.

  • Type: Heavy Weapon (Cannons)
  • Accuracy: 4
  • DV: 14P
  • AP: -5
  • Mode: SS
  • Ammo: 1(c)
  • Availability: 20F
  • Cost: 75,000¥

Game Effects:

  • Alchemical Ammunition: The cannon cannot use standard ammunition. It requires Alchemical Slag Pellets (Availability 12R, 200¥ per shot), which must be purchased or created with a successful Alchemy + Logic [Mental] (4) test.
  • Incendiary: On a successful hit with an Attack Rating of 4 or more, the target is set on fire.
  • Cauterizer: A living target that takes damage from this weapon cannot be healed by any means (magical or mundane) for the next 3 Combat Turns.
  • Overcharge Core (Complex Action): Once per combat encounter, the user can overcharge the core. The next attack made with the weapon gains 4 Edge. After the attack, the weapon is unusable for 1 minute (20 Combat Turns) as it cools down.
  • Drawback – Overheats: If this weapon is fired in two consecutive Combat Turns, the user must pass a Willpower + Engineering [Mental] (4) test on the third turn to manage the heat. Failure means the weapon becomes jammed and cannot be cleared until after the combat encounter.

Starfinder

Forge-Heart Eruptor

Level 16; Price 180,000 credits; Hands 2; Bulk 3 Type Heavy Weapon (longarm); Category Projectile Range 80 ft.; Damage 5d12 F; Critical Burn 3d8 Capacity 1 alchemical pellet; Usage 1

This masterwork weapon is a hybrid of ancient smithing techniques and high-level magitech. It houses a miniature magmatic core that liquefies specially crafted pellets into a slow-moving but incredibly destructive projectile of molten slag.

Special Properties: Analog, Unwieldy, Quick Reload

  • Ammunition: This weapon uses Alchemical Pellets (Level 16, sold in batches of 10 for 2,000 credits).
  • Molten Slag: On a successful hit, the target is coated in searing slag. The target must succeed at a Fortitude save (DC = 10 + half the item’s level + your Strength modifier) or be unable to regain hit points or Stamina Points from any source for 1 round.
  • Overheat: If this weapon is fired on two consecutive rounds, the wielder takes a –4 penalty to attack rolls with it during the third consecutive round due to intense heat shimmer.
  • Unleash Core (1/day): As a standard action, you can make a single attack with this weapon. If this attack hits, it is automatically a critical hit.

Traveller (Mongoose 2nd Edition)

Experimental Plasma-Slag Projector (PSP-1)

An advanced and highly unstable prototype energy weapon, the PSP-1 does not fire coherent plasma but a magnetically-contained ‘slug’ of superheated matter. It is devastatingly effective against both hardened targets and personnel, but is prone to overheating.

  • TL: 14
  • Mass: 12 kg
  • Power: Backpack (20/shot)
  • Cost: MCr2.5
  • Skill: Heavy Weapons (energy)
  • Damage: 5D6
  • Range (m): 100/300/600
  • Traits: Bulky, Incendiary (sets target on fire on an Effect of 6+), Unreliable.

Abilities:

  • The weapon requires a backpack power source, which is included in its Mass and Cost.
  • Cauterizer: A living target wounded by this weapon cannot benefit from any Medicae checks or ‘slow’ drugs for 1D6 minutes, as the wounds are seared shut.
  • Overcharge Shot: Before firing, the user may choose to overcharge the shot. The attack roll suffers DM-2. If the attack hits, the damage is automatically maximized (30 damage). After firing an overcharged shot, the weapon’s power cell is depleted and it is disabled for 1D6 minutes while emergency cooling systems engage.

Warhammer Fantasy Roleplay (4th Edition)

The Grudge-Raker of Karak Azgul

A heavy, two-handed rifle of Chaos Dwarf design, this weapon is a terrifying fusion of infernal magic and masterful engineering. Its black iron chassis is covered in baleful runes, and a caged, glowing warpstone heart pulses within, superheating the alchemical pellets it fires into gouts of molten slag.

This is a rare and illegal Chaos Dwarf weapon.

  • Range: 80
  • Damage: +12
  • Qualities: Chaos-Crafted, Dangerous, Reload (2), Slow, Blackpowder.
  • Infernal Slag: The Grudge-Raker requires special Alchemical Pellets (must be crafted). On a successful hit, the target gains 1 Ablaze Condition. Furthermore, a living creature damaged by this weapon is so grievously burned that they cannot be healed by any means for a number of rounds equal to 1d10 minus their Toughness Bonus (minimum 1).
  • Unleash the Furnace: Once per day, the wielder can choose to overload the warpstone core. The next shot they fire with the weapon gains the Impale and Devastating Qualities. After the shot is fired, the wielder must make a Challenging (+0) Endurance Test or gain 1 Fatigued Condition from the intense, unnatural heat.
  • Drawback: The weapon is a conduit for dark power. Whenever the wielder Fumbles an attack roll, they not only misfire but also gain 1 Corruption Point.