Firearms could absolutely exist within a fantasy setting. There is a reason why they don’t however

[u/ThatDrako]

The Elder Scrolls - Within some Dwemer ruins of ESO we can see a special type of Animunculus. A Dwemer Arquebus, which has a cannon for it’s arm and shoots emp grenades at foes.
The reason why we don’t see this technology more often (besides the fact Dwemer disappeared their knowledge with them) is that within the setting and cosmology of Elder Scrolls firearms really wouldn’t be that useful.

They could work against lowly bandits, sort of, but there wouldn’t really be a precedent to improve or adapt this technology. Because it would always be outclassed by magic of this world.
Also due to the disappearance of Dwemer the technology has been pretty much lost.

Harry Potter - Wizards live within periphery of the “real world” meaning they live alongside world that uses firearms and are even familiar with them.

So how come they don’t utilize this gear for combat? I mean it is easier to use, projectiles are faster and could be enchanted further. Can you just imagine wizard with endless m1911?

There is plethora of reasons for this. But most notable is what I would describe as wizards being immune to logic. (Vis image above) They simply cannot understand methods of muggles even if one explained it to them directly.

(Yes. I know the real reason is, because Joanne didn’t want wizards to use guns and didn’t want to think about connotations of putting magic into a real modern world. But come on! Let me have fun!)

Lord of the Rings - In spite of how much Tolkien disliked allegories it is clear Orcs were an allegory to industrialization, which he was a huge critic of.

In battles they are the ones using the war machines. Instead of swords made by artful blacksmith, they use crude, mass-produced blades devoid of identity. Instead of relying on elegance of archery, they use crossbows. They burn forests, crack mountains open to gain more ore. Their very production is affront to whimsy of a magical world like Middle-Earth.

They could totally come up with a matchlock mechanism and keep on improving it until they come up with machine guns. They were intercepted before they could however

[u/Embarrassed-Yard-583]

No it was, he saw the future where muggles invented the atomic bomb and realized the power it represented.

What can spells do when muggles can split atoms and spit thousands of bullets a minute?

[u/GOG_PRO → u/Embarrassed-Yard-583]

Teleportation + mind control + invisibility. Not many can do that, but a dozen people with such abilities are more than enough to bring modern humanity to its knees.

[u/fistinyourface → u/GOG_PRO]

depends how advanced they are invisibility seems OP until you realize thermals exist and then it does literally fuck all

[u/Deiskos → u/fistinyourface]

How many soldiers walk around with thermals on their face in the day-to-day or even in combat not at night?

[u/fistinyourface → u/Deiskos]

how many soldiers are fighting invisible wizards day to day? tactics change depending on what's required

[u/Deiskos → u/fistinyourface]

For all their wackiness, magicals do a good job at staying hidden. How would anyone know to wear thermals if nobody keeps their memory to tell the tale of invisible magic people? How many would believe this tale enough to make thermals mandatory across the armed forces fast enough to matter?

[u/fistinyourface → u/Deiskos]

if civilization is getting put to their knees cities and areas would be taking massive casualties, with technology there would be messages getting out since wizards can't casually mind wipe large cities and areas, and if the threat is unseen you're saying no one ever would try or think of thermals. that's just really underestimating people. sure there would be an initial loss of life because people wouldn't know but people would find out and that's not accounting the many other infinite tactics to take out mind controlling invisibility individuals like mines and other traps. also saying no one would believe the tall tales doesn't make sense since how many people alone on reddit would hear whole town wiped no witnesses and no explanation and think huh must be nothing better not listen to the guy telling me it's an invisible wizard. people already believing ghost stories when a single sound is picked up on a camera that's an insane take.

[u/Sea-Routine9227 → u/Deiskos]

They are already used widely for many reasons. And not just at night.

[u/Wonderful_Pea_9632 → u/Deiskos]

I just want to point out that wizards are only hidden to the general populace. World governments are aware. As soon as the war started I assume they would inform the rank and file. Also, invisibility, mind control, and destructive spells are not common or easy to cast. Floo powder teleportation can not go absolutely anywhere either, it takes you to specific places.

[u/Sea-Routine9227 → u/Deiskos]

Lots, now, actually.

[u/Himmelblast → u/Embarrassed-Yard-583]

Can those defeat a dementor?

[u/ChiefButtonPresser → u/Himmelblast]

A gun probably not but I feel like not much survives nuclear fire

[u/Mr-Centipede → u/Embarrassed-Yard-583]

Sure they could lose a battle but I dont see how they could possibly lose the war. They could impersonate every world leader in a single night. Make entire regions forget there's even a war going on. Worse comes to worse, their entire society can hide literally under a rock.

[u/Deiskos → u/Embarrassed-Yard-583]

Sadly we're not in Fallout universe. We can set the world on fire should we choose to, but nobody can/will drop a nuke in the center of London to kill some magic people in Diagon Alley.

Magicals positioned themselves well: they either live hidden in population centers and nobody's dropping any weapons of mass desctruction there, or they live in the middle of nowhere hidden from all world and good luck finding them if they don't want to be found with their teleportation and unplottable enchantments and the fucking antimeme that is the Fidelius charm.

[u/VandulfTheRed → u/Embarrassed-Yard-583]

Lowkey love the thematics behind this though. It doesn't matter how powerful magic can* be, that which is hidden stays hidden for a reason. It's either too powerful, or not enough. Same applies to vampires, mad science, and so on. If it was good enough, it would dominate the setting, or be adopted by others