AC wise, the piercing effect wouldnt include magical bonuses to AC. So someone with Mechanikal armor providing a +3 to AC, would still take into account that +3 to AC along with dexterity and whatever other deflection modifiers they have. I was aiming along the lines of punching through basic everyday boiled leather, chain and plate. Heavy armor for example, might not get pierced by Kingdoms firepower, but the blunt trauma of getting shot with a small cannon would render whatever protection the basic material provided you with void. Dexterity, deflection, cover and various magical effects could still easly render a bullet harmless. But just clanking around in the heavyest armor you can find shouldn’t remove the fear of firearms in a world rapidly making the fast and smart live longer than the stupid and tough. (eg. vs guns, the situation should favor the agile rogue, not the dwarven tank)

Cover was the one thing I was most please to see players using, I cant think of any other time I’v watched players actualy look at a battle map and say, ‘quick, take cover behind that’. Plus, anything inteligent enough to recognise that a PC pointing a gun at them is a serious threat, should be using the very same tactics to avoid getting hit.

Overall, I think a scenario involving guns should elicit a feeling of dread, that if they take a step out that doorway over there in their big shiny armor waving their sword about, the sniper over the rooftops WILL blow their head off with a single well placed shot. Not to make them paranoid, but to encourage them to think a little further than boot + door = loot. Advancing technology should outshadow its precursors, the current Iron Kingdoms rules for guns didnt seem to shake the earth, as much as I felt they should.

In regards to proficiencies, I do believe that all classes should have their respective exotic skill sets and training to operate the weapon properly. Even though we currently may perceive a pin lock rifle or a standard pistol as simple and easy to use, when you think about the setting of the Iron Kingdoms, this is absolutely not the case. Although aiming and pulling a trigger might seem simple for anyone, the loading and priming of the weapon would take a fair share of training to handle properly, and since the feat is ‘Small Arms’ and not ‘Flintlock’ or ‘Carbine’, The use of one feat to learn the basic operation of most firearms in Immoren sounds fair.

Now, as for the negating of armor according to weapon type, I do see your points. You would essentially be turning firearms into Ranged Touch weapons, and increasing their lethality tenfold. Then again, would it just be too easy to successfully hit targets with? Its an interesting concept, but in reality, when a military rifle can dish out 2d8 when a heavy xbow can only max out at 1d10, its hard to say that either are similar when it comes to damage. Besides, if one was so concerned about reload times, they could dedicate feats such as Rifleman and Combat Loading to make up for it.

I speak from experience, considering I’ve been playing a Rhulic Rifleman roughly a year now, and with the Sniping Shot ability, I once dealt close to 90 to a damage to a Menite Warcaster in a single round. A bow and arrow couldnt even come close to that.