Rifle

From PathfinderWiki
Lisette Demonde carries a rifle across her shoulders.
See also Category:Images of rifles.

An excellent long-range firearm, the rifle fires small-caliber bullets at a high velocity through a grooved barrel (or "rifled" barrel, thus its name) that spins the bullet for greater accuracy. This makes it the firearm of choice for snipers. The length of the barrel requires two hands to aim properly.123

Variants

The rifle is an evolution of the musket.4

The double-length double hackbut is mounted to a lightweight carriage for highly accurate, stable firing from a fixed, but portable, position.56

The pepperbox rifle has a rotatable set of four barrels for rapid firing.47

A wand rifle, while not a firearm, borrows the rifle's form to more accurately aim magical wands.8

On Golarion

The crest of Alkenstar.

Rifles are among Golarion's most advanced and expensive firearms, with base models costing between 3,000 and 5,000 gold pieces. Most weigh about 12 pounds and load ammunition via metal cartridges,12 though the cylinder rifle is loaded through a rotating eight-chambered horizontal disk.9 Rare rifles have barrels crafted from special materials, such as dawnsilver.10

To combat the threat of Spellscar fexts, gunsmiths in Alkenstar craft special glass bullets for rifles.11

In culture

The crest of Alkenstar features two crossed rifles.12

On distant worlds

A masked Russian wields an advanced rifle and grenade.

On the technologically advanced planet of Earth, more sophisticated rifles like the bolt-action M1891 are capable of even more devastating effects at longer ranges.1314

Several beam weapons and other technological rifles from Androffa—including the arc rifle, EMP rifle, gravity rifle, hypersonic rifle, nanite-firing id rifle, laser rifle, sonic rifle, and zero rifle—have a similar-enough shape and triggering method as rifles to be intuitively used by more primitive cultures—including people of Golarion who encounter remnants in Numeria.1516 These weapons are sometimes also installed on or integrated into Androffan robots.171819202122

Some shobhads of Akiton wield rare longrifles2324 that take advantage of the world's relatively low gravity to fire with great accuracy from long range.23

Radium rifles, and the larger variant Thark rifles, of Barsoom fire radium cartridges that explode upon impact, but only when exposed to sunlight.25

References

  1. 1.0 1.1 Erik Mona, et al. “Chapter 5: The World” in Campaign Setting, 212. Paizo Inc., 2008
  2. 2.0 2.1 Jason Bulmahn, et al. “Chapter 1: Arms and Armor” in Ultimate Equipment, 43. Paizo Inc., 2012
  3. Jason Bulmahn, et al. “Chapter 3: Mastering Combat” in Ultimate Combat, 139. Paizo Inc., 2011
  4. 4.0 4.1 Jason Bulmahn, et al. “Chapter 1: Arms and Armor” in Ultimate Equipment, 45. Paizo Inc., 2012
  5. Jason Bulmahn, et al. “Chapter 1: Arms and Armor” in Ultimate Equipment, 44. Paizo Inc., 2012
  6. Jason Bulmahn, et al. “Chapter 3: Mastering Combat” in Ultimate Combat, 137. Paizo Inc., 2011
  7. Jason Bulmahn, et al. “Chapter 3: Mastering Combat” in Ultimate Combat, 140. Paizo Inc., 2011
  8. Michael Kortes. Entombed with the Pharaohs, 28. Paizo Inc., 2007
  9. Logan Bonner, et al. “Forges of Invention” in People of the Wastes, 15. Paizo Inc., 2017
  10. Richard Baker, et al. Thornkeep, 50. Paizo Inc., Goblinworks, Inc., 2012
  11. Jim Groves, et al. Inner Sea Bestiary, 49. Paizo Inc., 2012
  12. Erik Mona, et al. “Chapter 2: The Inner Sea” in Campaign Setting, 58. Paizo Inc., 2008
  13. Brandon Hodge. “Rasputin Must Die!” in Rasputin Must Die!, 16. Paizo Inc., 2013
  14. Jason Nelson & Sean K Reynolds. “Bestiary” in Rasputin Must Die!, 91. Paizo Inc., 2013
  15. James Jacobs & Russ Taylor. “Technological Equipment” in Technology Guide, 21. Paizo Inc., 2014
  16. Nicolas Logue & James Jacobs. “Fires of Creation” in Lords of Rust, 21. Paizo Inc., 2014
  17. Mark Garringer, et al. “Bestiary” in Fires of Creation, 84. Paizo Inc., 2014
  18. Paris Crenshaw, et al. “Bestiary” in The Choking Tower, 86. Paizo Inc., 2014
  19. Mike Shel. “Bestiary” in Valley of the Brain Collectors, 84. Paizo Inc., 2014
  20. Benjamin Bruck, et al. “Bestiary” in Palace of Fallen Stars, 88. Paizo Inc., 2014
  21. Adam Daigle, et al. “Bestiary” in The Divinity Drive, 88. Paizo Inc., 2015
  22. Adam Daigle, et al. “Bestiary” in The Divinity Drive, 90. Paizo Inc., 2015
  23. 23.0 23.1 James L. Sutter. “Chapter 3: Aliens” in Distant Worlds, 63. Paizo Inc., 2012
  24. Michael Sayre. “Adventure Toolbox” in Doorway to the Red Star, 78. Paizo Inc., 2021
  25. Erik Mona. Worldscape 2, 27. Dynamite Entertainment, 2016