Pirate Adventures (5E) - Flintlock Expert Feat

[Minethulhu]

I'm not entirely sure where to ask this question, but maybe here is as good a place as any...

I believe "Pirate Adventures" DLC is published directly by Smiteworks (but I could be wrong) and is DLC for D&D 5E. It has a feat called Flintlock Expert (similar to Crossbow Expertise) that gives these logical features (all my paraphrase except the last bullet):

* Proficiency with Pistols
* The expected no disadvantage on ranged combat while within 5' of enemy
* Follow up an Attack action with a bonus action using a loaded pistol you are holding
* You can use this feat for any pistol that you are carrying that are loaded

I loosely interpret the second to last bullet as "you can use pistols with dual wield". That's not exactly what it says, but to me is the most logical and fun version.

The last bullet completely flummoxes me as to what it provides. The bullet before it does explicitly say you have to be holding the loaded pistol. The holding vs. carrying implies some sort of quick-draw type thing, but to what does it apply? For now I'm just ignoring it...

Any other advice?

[GavinRuneblade]

Can you add a screenshot of the feat? The exact wording matters, a paraphrase isn't going to be enough for us to help.

On the dual wield issue, as you paraphrased it, the feat neither adds nor removes any rule or ability related to dual wielding. Therefore the existing general rules from the SRD still apply. I suspect the third bullet actually says something closer to "if you take the Attack action and attack using a pistol, you can use a bonus action to attack with a different loaded pistol that you're holding in the other hand."
Normally, two-weapon fighting is only possible with melee weapons that have the light property. If the feat says what I think it does, then it lets you trigger the bonus action attack using a pistol OR a light melee weapon. It doesn't appear to say anything about adding your stat, therefore the general rules from the SRD apply, and the bonus action attack would only deal the pistol damage, not the damage + your dex modifier.

I believe, but I'd have to see the exact wording, that the effect of the last two bullets prevents you from using your free minor action to drop your expended pistol and then draw a third pistol in between your Attack action and your bonus action. But this is a guess until I see the exact language.

[Minethulhu]

I worry about copyright issues, but I guess this small snippet shouldn't be an issue:

Screen Shot 2020-10-23 at 6.40.16 PM.png

[GavinRuneblade]

Hmm, that is unusual wording. After a thorough check of the SRD and Sage Advice Compendium, there does not appear to be an explicit RAW difference between "holding" and "carried", however, carried is only used to describe encumbrance, while holding always refers to "in your character's hand right now". Seems RAI not RAW. Still how I'd go with it. YMMV.

The odd thing is that it doesn't appear to matter. the last bullet does nothing at all. You have to be already holding the pistol in your off hand when you trigger the third bullet, so no possible difference between "carried" and "holding" would appear to matter.

Third bullet is stronger than you paraphrased. It allows you to use two weapon fighting with any one-handed weapon at all. It doesn't have to be a pistol. If you attack with a longsword, you can then shoot a pistol in your off hand. If you shoot with a pistol in your first hand, you can shoot with a pistol in your off hand. Any one-handed weapon allows you to trigger two-weapon fighting's bonus action but only to shoot with a pistol. Just remember no stat bonus to damage with this bonus action attack.

Nice feat. Tad weaker than crossbow expert because of loading, but that ends up depending on how much damage pistols deal per hit.