So, I was thinking about what the maximum of technological advancement in the late game could be for weapons and I thought about this: flintlock weapons. If this idea was already suggested and/or was already planned/shot down, then I'm sorry. I haven't seen it before.
Anyhow, I think it would be cool if we could make simple gunpowder weapons like these.
Pros:
A) Does the most damage out of any weapon type in the game.
B) Is the most accurate out of any weapon type in the game.
C) Has the greatest range out of any weapon type in the game.
D) Customizable, but maybe only for certain classes like the Tinkerer. Such as crafting different barrel types to increase one of the A, B, and C aspects, but decreases the effectiveness of the other two. Maybe even be able to engrave or create decorative features for it?
Cons:
A) Quite expensive (either material wise, time wise, or both) to craft (both weapon itself and ammunition)
B) Slow to reload (you have to put dry gunpowder, wadding, shot/lead ball (maybe other types of ammo for certain classes?), and then use a ramrod to pact it before it can be fired again (maybe not EVERYTHING manual, but you get the idea)
C) If you are not a Tinkerer, and you put too much gunpowder, wadding, shot/lead balls in, the weapon will misfire and either do nothing, damage it, or just straight up blow up in your face (in that case, the weapon is destroyed and you take some nasty damage (possibly even outright die)). Put too little of those things and it either won't do anything or simply be ineffective/inefficient and won't do as much (if barely any) damage compared to when it's reloaded properly.
I think that certain classes like the Tinkerer and Blacksmith could have access to special types or variations of flintlock weapons. As mentioned in one of the points, these two classes, but specifically the Tinkerer, may also have access to special ammo types. For instance, a net/bola-type ammo where it makes it easy to capture or restrain any creature you hit with it. Unlike the other classes, maybe the Tinkerer gets a crude version of this technology much earlier in the game. There could be even a new class such as "Marksman" or "Weapons Specialist" instead of the Tinkerer having these things.
In any case, what do you guys think? I think it would be a fun end-game weapon(s) to craft. Even if there's major draw-backs to them to make you not rely on them, I think it would be a cool and fun weapon option. Plus, I think it fits the theme pretty well with the whole steam-punk-eldritch-horror stuff going on. Also, if anything, this could be a great mod idea if it's not something that's ever going to be in the base game. Any modders out there who want to use this idea, then feel free!
