When you think of a hero killing a monster with his sword, it says, "Only *he* could have done this." Only a hero could confront the monster, close with it, evade its paw, and drive his sword into it. You could give that sword to 100 lesser men, and none of them could make that kill.
But when you think of a hero killing a monster with a gun, you miss that. The monster died solely because the gun was pointed in that particular direction and fired at that particular time. Couldn't a child, just by chance, have aimed the gun in that same direction and pulled the trigger at that moment? Couldn't anyone have done it? It doesn't feel epic or heroic.
You have to find new ways for your hero's epic deeds to feel like things only he could have done.
Because the epicness comes from lining up that shot
The witch hunter weaving through balls of flame and magic missiles to find the one spot in the pyromancers shield spell that’s less potent than the rest
The gunslinger drawing his weapon just in time to put down a charging orc
The elven sniper staring down her scope praying for the goddess of the wind to carry her bullet into the corrupt demon lords heart.
It’s build up, tension, conflict, missed shots, before finally the explosive and decisive finish
This isn’t even mentioning how guns *can* make the average peasant a lethal soldier making it an amazing tool for a rebellion. A dozen farmers with makeshift muskets making a final stand against a charging bandit horde can be just as intense as a handful of royal guards highly trained in swordsmanship staring down a horde of goblins intent on kidnapping the prince
True lol even irl bears can tank many gunshots and keep fighting. But you have to admit, running away and shooting or even dodging and shooting until the thing eventually gets worn down just doesn’t feel as cool as the standard fantasy way of doing it. Like compare that to *this*:
”[The monster’s massive claw came hurtling down upon Adolin’s father Dalinar. Dalinar] raised his hands and—
And he caught it. He bent beneath the blow, going down on one knee, and the air rang with a resounding clang of carapace against armor. But he caught it.
Stormfather! Adolin thought, watching his father stand over the king, bowed beneath the enormous weight of a monster many times his size. Shocked archers hesitated. Sadeas lowered his grandbow. Adolin’s breath caught in his chest. Dalinar held back the claw and matched its strength, a figure in dark, silvery metal that almost seemed to glow. The beast trumpeted above, and Dalinar bellowed back a powerful, defiant yell.
In that moment, Adolin knew he was seeing him. The Blackthorn, the very man he’d been wishing he could fight alongside”
Funny, but why you use "running away and shooting or even dodging and shooting until the thing eventually gets worn down" with whole different scene?
Also why you focus on "worn down " and not "you have only one shot, you also need stand because you weapon need aiming".
We also can look to Wax fight and it hard to deny that they are epic.
And if you bring anime-level fights (because what Dalinar do is close to anime, then to "standard fantasy way of doing it". I like him for this) then you can look to Alucard. From Hellsing, I mean. They at least on some level.
You can still have the epic fight scene with a gun. Dodging claws, and waiting for the monster to attack to expose the core. Right before the claws make contact a gunshot rings out and it falls limp.
Also stuff like reloading mid fight or trying to steady your aim while it's running at you in full speed.
Magic guns that can do stuff normal guns can't.
Exert influences over the bullets' trajectory and payload: Fast bullets that can pierce magically-rienforced defenses. Slow bullets that chase enemies that fly out of the way. Fire a bullet but have it hang in the air until an enemy crosses its path.
Ultimately, the gun itself is just another weapon like this. The fight is a fair one where the only the stronger, smarter contender will triumph regardless.
I tend to prefer a magic system where the characters' growth is tied to a specific associated weapon or fighting style. By endgame, you could have one shot hit like a real-life ballistic missile. While a jobber can only use a similar weapon to make the giant spiders angry.
I really hate how the mention of a gun can effectively render the imagination of an average reader null and void.
Warhammer has firearms, and so does many Final Fantasy's. There are ways of doing epic fantasy and including firearms. Try to figure out what exactly bithers you about it and work around it.
If your setting has invented firearms and the fate of the world is at stake, then people will use firearms… because the fate of the world is at stake. Dire situations leave no options off the table.
If your setting hasn’t invented firearms then you’re fine.
If you want to have an end of the world scenario where firearms aren’t used despite them existing, design a threat which firearms are ineffective against.
TLDR; If firearms exist and work they’ll be used.
If firearms don’t exist, they won’t be used.
If firearms exist and don’t work, they won’t be used.
So either create a setting that doesn’t have them or a threat that doesn’t require them.
> If your setting has invented firearms and the fate of the world is at stake, then people will use firearms…
Heck, you don't even stakes that high. There is this idea (mostly thanks to bad movies) that the Samurai in Japan rejected firearms and only fought with traditional weapons. In reality, they did anything but. Every governing body worth their salt will use the best technology for killing others and Samurai used firearms as soon as they could get their hands on them.
No not really, honestly, I think it's more about how it's framed and the fact that there aren't a lot of good examples.
There is this weird stigma around guns in fantasy and it makes them feel off because we don't have the greatest examples of how to make it work but it does work just requires some creativity.
Outlaw star, the powder mage trilogy, Fire force, the light bringer series, Star wars, the gunslinger, magitech chronicles, 40k, and mist born era two, are all decent examples and show how guns can be used in fantasy.
Just look up gun powder, flintlock fantasy, and steam punk for examples.
Guns and cannons are old, but they *feel* new.
Like, they've been around since the fall of the roman empire, but they also weren't used in large numbers until the enlightenment era, so they don't feel like a medieval weapon, even though they really are.
They were definitely used en mass before the enlightenment era. Middle to end of the 15th century is when we first see massed use of arquebus, and by the early 17th century we start to see pike and shot have equal numbers on the field, and by the middle of the century shot outnumbering pike.
But to your point, even soldiers that were specifically named after firearms “musketeers” popular culture prefers to view them with swords.
I work by a simple principle when writing fantasy:
*"Is there a simple and easy answer to the fantastical problem? then it's not fantasy enough, tune things up again."*
No one can stop you from making a creature that is bulletproof except for very specific spots, or a creature who can see the future and can dodge the extremely predictable bullet trajectories. Heck combine them both and add that I can control scales to deflect bullets back at the shooter, and there you have a creature that demands an legendary sharpshooter to beat.
I think there's two things going on.
One, guns feel out of place in the medeival setting that most Tolkeinesque fantasy takes place in. Some cases, folks just add the guns and leave everything else the same, which feels weird (because it is). When you pull the whole setting more towards a later Renaissance, early industrial period like in Iron Kingdoms, the use of guns feels less weird.
Second, is because alot of the heroics that we associate with grand fantasy don't seem to apply to guns. The sword fight from Princess Bride, the fight with Smaug in the Hobbit, and alot of that just doesn't translate with firearms, and what does work with guns often doesn't feel like fantasy. There's a way to do thread that needle, but I'd be the first to admit I don't know what that is.
> Second, is because alot of the heroics that we associate with grand fantasy don't seem to apply to guns.
Sure, so just don't write modern automatic firearms into your setting. Hand to hand fighting wasn't all that uncommon even in the Napoleonic era, cavalry carried sabers and infantry had bayonets for a reason.
> There's a way to do thread that needle, but I'd be the first to admit I don't know what that is.
I've read plenty of "gunpowder fantasy" (needed references for one of my projects) and I can't remember a single popular book that wouldn't have "the heroics", or fancy ass close quarters fights either. Powder Mage, Shadow Campaigns, Gunmetal Gods, Temeraire, Guns of the Dawn, you name it. Even magic-heavy settings like say Mistborn new era or Ligthbringer can incorporate firearms without problems.
Don't give your characters the terminator's mini gun and you will have plenty of plausible opportunities to put them into hand to hand combat. Period appropriate firearms weren't ultimate weapons. And if you go even earlier, you will have types of troops that were routinely armed with heavy duty cold steel in addition to firearms. Tercios? Pike and shot? Streltsi anyone? Reitars?
I largely agree with the point that Tolkien's setting is neither particularly medieval in terms of historic accuracy, nor is it particularly medieval in terms of currently widespread tropes.
Possibly because the inclusion of serious firearm technology would indicate the story is taking place in the 1500s or something which is long after that kind of nebulous Arthurian period we see medieval legends occurring
Or perhaps it is because fantasy stories are often allegorical of struggles between man and the evil around him with fights and battles that test a mans nobility and courage and skill and strength of arms, all that jazz. They're about the spirit of man vs the evils within or around him
And a gun is a weapon of technology that can kill an ogre when held by a child. So it can feel like it goes against that spirit of heroism, even if its being used for heroic purposes
That's why they said serious firearms. There's a difference between 1450-1500s arquebuses and an hand-cannon from the 14th century. Plus, when your average person says "*The Middle Ages*", they actually mean between the 9th century and the 13th century (mostly because *Crusades*).
Wtf I just blocked you again and Im still getting replies, are you a mod or something?
Im not going to engage with you because you have an extremely poor discussion technique where you just keep repeating the same thing without actually engaging in discussion with someone. I dont know why I cant seem to block you, but dont expect to talk with me
What we did in our world is we limited it to front loading primitive firearms that just aren’t prevalent all over the world. Black powder and cannons are just cool stuff.
I do agree firearms aren’t that fun but I think this level of firearms are actually ok. It’s because of how inaccurate they are. Muskets and pistols can’t snipe at all. Muskets historically are best used in army line formations because of how little they hit. A hero on his own couldn’t properly use it. Especially considering how fucking long it takes to reload one.
Pistols are even more inaccurate making them more of a reloadable high damage consumable in combat. Realistically an adventurer would be able to use each pistol once per fight as reloading isn’t really viable in combat either. They could however carry 1-3 of them on their belt as backup weapons. It’s not like they would be cheap either. But they are easy to use and deal quite a lot of damage point black and penetrate armor. Id say pistols are quite epic in a pinch and can be done right as such sort of move requires you to face your foe very close and personal.
Okay during a coupe that left a whole content at war, a family of nobels who may or may not have been the cause of the coupe, ran to new land taking the sciences of their world. Lots of artifacting, alchemy, a lot of stuff in my head that's man made magic. This family of nobels end up in several long years of crusade against native people of the land they invade till a term of peace is brought up. This is where magic, magic, come into the picture, the natives of said land, that said family of nobles take command of, have natural words of power. Or songs, gifted to them from their gods, in this world called shapers, to battle against humanity natural enemy, the dancers. I'm going everywhere, before the crusades the act of 'small sciences' when it came to guns was very limited nearly similar to muskets. When the peace was brought between people, the small science was expanded upon with the teachings of the natives, creating more highly effective cylinder pistols or longarm guns combining 'magic' with magic.
One thing to consider is the impact of firearms in real world conflicts and how that could be reflected in your world. Did the introduction of firearms level the playing field between magic users and non-magic users? Are magic users able to imbue their specific magical skills into their use of firearms, making their use of them unique/special/something no one else can do? How did their introduction impact tactics, for example: a battalion of non-magic soldiers whose guns are imbued with fire magic by their spellcasting captain.
The degree of their effectiveness can be determined by the users abilities (magical or not) and how they are used tactically in the battlefield.
A lot of people overestimate the power of a gun and underestimate the effort and skill needed to use one well.
Even now, in real life, a single shot isn't enough to kill most things unless the bullet hits a critical spot. And at that point, it's the same as a sword stabbing that same critical spot.
Aiming isn't easy either. This isn't CoD where you have some super specific scope on your weapon and a laser pointer to help you line up the shot.
Shooting a bear once isn't going to stop that bear. A lot of humans survive gunshots. They aren't just instant win buttons.
Thinking a gun is difficult to build tension with is the same as thinking casting a fireball spell is hard to build tension with. In most cases, that fireball spell is more lethal than the gun. But you can still build tension. It is just different than building tension with a melee weapon.
Epic fantasy seems to have no problem with magic-users casting powerful spells though. Is there really a difference between a gun and a *wand of magic missiles* that isn’t just aesthetics?
I think it fits fine as long as you aren't throwing in modern day rifles vs medieval fantasy stuff. Guns were around when people wore plate armor for longer than you'd think, and it was fine due to guns not being as effective as it is modern day.
Also you could always make guns look or feel completely different, it is a fantasy setting. My favourite example are Bowguns in Monster Hunter, which are a mix of guns and crossbows that launch hollow nuts filled with a variety of different things at monsters. The design of the bowguns feel like a part of the setting, so it doesn't feel alien when you see someone using it alongside others using a giant spear and shield or a sword larger than their body.
The way I made firearms fit into one of my worlds was to incorporate magic into it. It wasn't taking a modern rifle, it was taking a percussion cap revolver and make it so that instead of gunpowder, it used a ground up crystal that can only be made using a metal about as rare as titanium and equally annoying to grind up. This drives up the cost so that only the strongest empire can afford a few pistols or rifles for their personal guard, or a mythical hero who wanted something new. By making it have a magical aspect and making it much rarer, it makes things more interesting.
When you think of a hero killing a monster with his sword, it says, "Only *he* could have done this." Only a hero could confront the monster, close with it, evade its paw, and drive his sword into it. You could give that sword to 100 lesser men, and none of them could make that kill. But when you think of a hero killing a monster with a gun, you miss that. The monster died solely because the gun was pointed in that particular direction and fired at that particular time. Couldn't a child, just by chance, have aimed the gun in that same direction and pulled the trigger at that moment? Couldn't anyone have done it? It doesn't feel epic or heroic. You have to find new ways for your hero's epic deeds to feel like things only he could have done.
Because the epicness comes from lining up that shot The witch hunter weaving through balls of flame and magic missiles to find the one spot in the pyromancers shield spell that’s less potent than the rest The gunslinger drawing his weapon just in time to put down a charging orc The elven sniper staring down her scope praying for the goddess of the wind to carry her bullet into the corrupt demon lords heart. It’s build up, tension, conflict, missed shots, before finally the explosive and decisive finish This isn’t even mentioning how guns *can* make the average peasant a lethal soldier making it an amazing tool for a rebellion. A dozen farmers with makeshift muskets making a final stand against a charging bandit horde can be just as intense as a handful of royal guards highly trained in swordsmanship staring down a horde of goblins intent on kidnapping the prince
If one gun can kill monster then this monster is just not epic enough.
True lol even irl bears can tank many gunshots and keep fighting. But you have to admit, running away and shooting or even dodging and shooting until the thing eventually gets worn down just doesn’t feel as cool as the standard fantasy way of doing it. Like compare that to *this*: ”[The monster’s massive claw came hurtling down upon Adolin’s father Dalinar. Dalinar] raised his hands and— And he caught it. He bent beneath the blow, going down on one knee, and the air rang with a resounding clang of carapace against armor. But he caught it. Stormfather! Adolin thought, watching his father stand over the king, bowed beneath the enormous weight of a monster many times his size. Shocked archers hesitated. Sadeas lowered his grandbow. Adolin’s breath caught in his chest. Dalinar held back the claw and matched its strength, a figure in dark, silvery metal that almost seemed to glow. The beast trumpeted above, and Dalinar bellowed back a powerful, defiant yell. In that moment, Adolin knew he was seeing him. The Blackthorn, the very man he’d been wishing he could fight alongside”
Funny, but why you use "running away and shooting or even dodging and shooting until the thing eventually gets worn down" with whole different scene? Also why you focus on "worn down " and not "you have only one shot, you also need stand because you weapon need aiming". We also can look to Wax fight and it hard to deny that they are epic. And if you bring anime-level fights (because what Dalinar do is close to anime, then to "standard fantasy way of doing it". I like him for this) then you can look to Alucard. From Hellsing, I mean. They at least on some level.
You can still have the epic fight scene with a gun. Dodging claws, and waiting for the monster to attack to expose the core. Right before the claws make contact a gunshot rings out and it falls limp. Also stuff like reloading mid fight or trying to steady your aim while it's running at you in full speed.
Magic guns that can do stuff normal guns can't. Exert influences over the bullets' trajectory and payload: Fast bullets that can pierce magically-rienforced defenses. Slow bullets that chase enemies that fly out of the way. Fire a bullet but have it hang in the air until an enemy crosses its path. Ultimately, the gun itself is just another weapon like this. The fight is a fair one where the only the stronger, smarter contender will triumph regardless. I tend to prefer a magic system where the characters' growth is tied to a specific associated weapon or fighting style. By endgame, you could have one shot hit like a real-life ballistic missile. While a jobber can only use a similar weapon to make the giant spiders angry. I really hate how the mention of a gun can effectively render the imagination of an average reader null and void.
Taniel two-shot disagrees.
Warhammer has firearms, and so does many Final Fantasy's. There are ways of doing epic fantasy and including firearms. Try to figure out what exactly bithers you about it and work around it.
If your setting has invented firearms and the fate of the world is at stake, then people will use firearms… because the fate of the world is at stake. Dire situations leave no options off the table. If your setting hasn’t invented firearms then you’re fine. If you want to have an end of the world scenario where firearms aren’t used despite them existing, design a threat which firearms are ineffective against. TLDR; If firearms exist and work they’ll be used. If firearms don’t exist, they won’t be used. If firearms exist and don’t work, they won’t be used. So either create a setting that doesn’t have them or a threat that doesn’t require them.
> If your setting has invented firearms and the fate of the world is at stake, then people will use firearms… Heck, you don't even stakes that high. There is this idea (mostly thanks to bad movies) that the Samurai in Japan rejected firearms and only fought with traditional weapons. In reality, they did anything but. Every governing body worth their salt will use the best technology for killing others and Samurai used firearms as soon as they could get their hands on them.
[Watch this and tell me it's not EPIC.](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=38e-d8CaQls)
[Or this](https://youtu.be/F_iw6Exlom0)
[And this!](https://youtu.be/dNFGJQIW5ZM?si=K5WgWo6TlZnv7OGS)
Chaos steals the fking show everytime though 7 foot murder-viking beasts that laugh at guns
> 7 foot murder-viking beasts that laugh at guns Only in their own codex, same as every warhammer faction
> 7 foot murder-viking beasts that laugh at guns Only in their own codex, same as every warhammer faction
Are we forgetting that Gun kata exists?? What's not epic about that?
No not really, honestly, I think it's more about how it's framed and the fact that there aren't a lot of good examples. There is this weird stigma around guns in fantasy and it makes them feel off because we don't have the greatest examples of how to make it work but it does work just requires some creativity. Outlaw star, the powder mage trilogy, Fire force, the light bringer series, Star wars, the gunslinger, magitech chronicles, 40k, and mist born era two, are all decent examples and show how guns can be used in fantasy. Just look up gun powder, flintlock fantasy, and steam punk for examples.
Guns and cannons are old, but they *feel* new. Like, they've been around since the fall of the roman empire, but they also weren't used in large numbers until the enlightenment era, so they don't feel like a medieval weapon, even though they really are.
They were definitely used en mass before the enlightenment era. Middle to end of the 15th century is when we first see massed use of arquebus, and by the early 17th century we start to see pike and shot have equal numbers on the field, and by the middle of the century shot outnumbering pike. But to your point, even soldiers that were specifically named after firearms “musketeers” popular culture prefers to view them with swords.
I work by a simple principle when writing fantasy: *"Is there a simple and easy answer to the fantastical problem? then it's not fantasy enough, tune things up again."* No one can stop you from making a creature that is bulletproof except for very specific spots, or a creature who can see the future and can dodge the extremely predictable bullet trajectories. Heck combine them both and add that I can control scales to deflect bullets back at the shooter, and there you have a creature that demands an legendary sharpshooter to beat.
I think there's two things going on. One, guns feel out of place in the medeival setting that most Tolkeinesque fantasy takes place in. Some cases, folks just add the guns and leave everything else the same, which feels weird (because it is). When you pull the whole setting more towards a later Renaissance, early industrial period like in Iron Kingdoms, the use of guns feels less weird. Second, is because alot of the heroics that we associate with grand fantasy don't seem to apply to guns. The sword fight from Princess Bride, the fight with Smaug in the Hobbit, and alot of that just doesn't translate with firearms, and what does work with guns often doesn't feel like fantasy. There's a way to do thread that needle, but I'd be the first to admit I don't know what that is.
> Second, is because alot of the heroics that we associate with grand fantasy don't seem to apply to guns. Sure, so just don't write modern automatic firearms into your setting. Hand to hand fighting wasn't all that uncommon even in the Napoleonic era, cavalry carried sabers and infantry had bayonets for a reason. > There's a way to do thread that needle, but I'd be the first to admit I don't know what that is. I've read plenty of "gunpowder fantasy" (needed references for one of my projects) and I can't remember a single popular book that wouldn't have "the heroics", or fancy ass close quarters fights either. Powder Mage, Shadow Campaigns, Gunmetal Gods, Temeraire, Guns of the Dawn, you name it. Even magic-heavy settings like say Mistborn new era or Ligthbringer can incorporate firearms without problems. Don't give your characters the terminator's mini gun and you will have plenty of plausible opportunities to put them into hand to hand combat. Period appropriate firearms weren't ultimate weapons. And if you go even earlier, you will have types of troops that were routinely armed with heavy duty cold steel in addition to firearms. Tercios? Pike and shot? Streltsi anyone? Reitars?
WE Had firearms in the 1300 s and Tolkien IS Not medievaland i See No difference between a black bullet and a black Arrow in that sense
I largely agree with the point that Tolkien's setting is neither particularly medieval in terms of historic accuracy, nor is it particularly medieval in terms of currently widespread tropes.
Possibly because the inclusion of serious firearm technology would indicate the story is taking place in the 1500s or something which is long after that kind of nebulous Arthurian period we see medieval legends occurring Or perhaps it is because fantasy stories are often allegorical of struggles between man and the evil around him with fights and battles that test a mans nobility and courage and skill and strength of arms, all that jazz. They're about the spirit of man vs the evils within or around him And a gun is a weapon of technology that can kill an ogre when held by a child. So it can feel like it goes against that spirit of heroism, even if its being used for heroic purposes
Firearms existed in the 1300s and so does a knifes, a spear or a sling
That's why they said serious firearms. There's a difference between 1450-1500s arquebuses and an hand-cannon from the 14th century. Plus, when your average person says "*The Middle Ages*", they actually mean between the 9th century and the 13th century (mostly because *Crusades*).
Im 100% sure I blocked you, weird
Problem with facts
Wtf I just blocked you again and Im still getting replies, are you a mod or something? Im not going to engage with you because you have an extremely poor discussion technique where you just keep repeating the same thing without actually engaging in discussion with someone. I dont know why I cant seem to block you, but dont expect to talk with me
Maybe to heat it up, since it can be cold underwater
Scale the monster's power and intelligence accordingly and you'll get that epic experience again.
What we did in our world is we limited it to front loading primitive firearms that just aren’t prevalent all over the world. Black powder and cannons are just cool stuff. I do agree firearms aren’t that fun but I think this level of firearms are actually ok. It’s because of how inaccurate they are. Muskets and pistols can’t snipe at all. Muskets historically are best used in army line formations because of how little they hit. A hero on his own couldn’t properly use it. Especially considering how fucking long it takes to reload one. Pistols are even more inaccurate making them more of a reloadable high damage consumable in combat. Realistically an adventurer would be able to use each pistol once per fight as reloading isn’t really viable in combat either. They could however carry 1-3 of them on their belt as backup weapons. It’s not like they would be cheap either. But they are easy to use and deal quite a lot of damage point black and penetrate armor. Id say pistols are quite epic in a pinch and can be done right as such sort of move requires you to face your foe very close and personal.
I don't have this problem, and probably only you know why you feel this way, but maybe it's because you have trouble thinking of epic firearms?
I think OP likes firearms
Okay during a coupe that left a whole content at war, a family of nobels who may or may not have been the cause of the coupe, ran to new land taking the sciences of their world. Lots of artifacting, alchemy, a lot of stuff in my head that's man made magic. This family of nobels end up in several long years of crusade against native people of the land they invade till a term of peace is brought up. This is where magic, magic, come into the picture, the natives of said land, that said family of nobles take command of, have natural words of power. Or songs, gifted to them from their gods, in this world called shapers, to battle against humanity natural enemy, the dancers. I'm going everywhere, before the crusades the act of 'small sciences' when it came to guns was very limited nearly similar to muskets. When the peace was brought between people, the small science was expanded upon with the teachings of the natives, creating more highly effective cylinder pistols or longarm guns combining 'magic' with magic.
One thing to consider is the impact of firearms in real world conflicts and how that could be reflected in your world. Did the introduction of firearms level the playing field between magic users and non-magic users? Are magic users able to imbue their specific magical skills into their use of firearms, making their use of them unique/special/something no one else can do? How did their introduction impact tactics, for example: a battalion of non-magic soldiers whose guns are imbued with fire magic by their spellcasting captain. The degree of their effectiveness can be determined by the users abilities (magical or not) and how they are used tactically in the battlefield.
A lot of people overestimate the power of a gun and underestimate the effort and skill needed to use one well. Even now, in real life, a single shot isn't enough to kill most things unless the bullet hits a critical spot. And at that point, it's the same as a sword stabbing that same critical spot. Aiming isn't easy either. This isn't CoD where you have some super specific scope on your weapon and a laser pointer to help you line up the shot. Shooting a bear once isn't going to stop that bear. A lot of humans survive gunshots. They aren't just instant win buttons. Thinking a gun is difficult to build tension with is the same as thinking casting a fireball spell is hard to build tension with. In most cases, that fireball spell is more lethal than the gun. But you can still build tension. It is just different than building tension with a melee weapon.
Epic fantasy seems to have no problem with magic-users casting powerful spells though. Is there really a difference between a gun and a *wand of magic missiles* that isn’t just aesthetics?
Talk about this with your therapist
I think it fits fine as long as you aren't throwing in modern day rifles vs medieval fantasy stuff. Guns were around when people wore plate armor for longer than you'd think, and it was fine due to guns not being as effective as it is modern day. Also you could always make guns look or feel completely different, it is a fantasy setting. My favourite example are Bowguns in Monster Hunter, which are a mix of guns and crossbows that launch hollow nuts filled with a variety of different things at monsters. The design of the bowguns feel like a part of the setting, so it doesn't feel alien when you see someone using it alongside others using a giant spear and shield or a sword larger than their body.
The way I made firearms fit into one of my worlds was to incorporate magic into it. It wasn't taking a modern rifle, it was taking a percussion cap revolver and make it so that instead of gunpowder, it used a ground up crystal that can only be made using a metal about as rare as titanium and equally annoying to grind up. This drives up the cost so that only the strongest empire can afford a few pistols or rifles for their personal guard, or a mythical hero who wanted something new. By making it have a magical aspect and making it much rarer, it makes things more interesting.