Top Shots
Last week, I told you that I didn’t much care for the alchemist, because his class features felt less alchemical and more like a warlock or a demoniac with the numbers worn off and a new name slapped on top. This week is Firearm Week, and that means that I’m going to be working with another class I don’t care for all that much: the gunslinger.
Unlike the alchemist, my beef with the gunslinger is pretty straightforward: while all their deeds are pretty cool sounding on paper, for the most part, at the table, they’re not anything you would ever want to use, and, once you can afford a firearm, you’re almost better off just being a fighter. As a result, I want to use my space here to try to address this issue by giving gunslingers more options for their deeds.
Note that this is not an archetype, and so a gunslinger who chooses to take one of these deeds does not necessarily have to take the others. He can pick and choose which alternate deeds he wants to take, and which ones he doesn’t. If he takes an archetype that alters one or more of his deeds, though, he cannot take one of the following deeds in place of a deed provided by his archetype.
Headshot (Ex): The gunslinger is a master of hitting her targets in just the right spot. By spending 1 grit point, the gunslinger can draw upon a combination of luck and skill to automatically confirm a critical threat made with a firearm. The gunslinger may decide to use this ability after learning that her attack roll has a critical threat, but before making a roll to see if she confirms the threat. This does not count as a critical hit for any purpose besides the normal effect of a critical hit (such as the flaming burst weapon special ability, or the death’s shot deed).
The gunslinger gains this deed at 1st level, and it replaces the deadeye deed.
Collision Shot (Ex): The gunslinger can shoot bullets and other projectiles right out of the air. As an immediate action, when a ranged attack is made, she can spend 2 grit points and make an attack with a firearm she is wielding, in an attempt to knock the projectile off course. The firearm must be loaded and able to fire, or the action is wasted. Treat the attack as though the target were located halfway between the triggering attack’s attacker and the triggering attack’s target for the purposes of determining how many range increments away the target is. If the gunslinger’s attack is higher than the triggering attack, the triggering attack automatically misses. Otherwise, it is resolved as normal.
The gunslinger gains this deed at 1st level, and it replaces the gunslinger’s dodge deed. The deed’s cost cannot be reduced by the true grit class ability, the Signature Deed feat, or any other effect that reduces the amount of grit a deed costs.
Deliberate Explosion (Ex): The gunslinger can deliberately rig his firearm to explode. As a full-round action, by spending 1 grit point, the gunslinger can automatically make his firearm explode, as though it had misfired while it had the broken condition. Unlike a standard firearm explosion, the DC for the Reflex save to halve the damage is equal to 10 + 1/2 the gunslinger’s level + the gunslinger’s Intelligence modifier. Even if the firearm is an advanced firearm, it still explodes as though it were an early firearm when this deed is used. Regardless of whether the firearm is magical or not, a firearm that is exploded in this way is only wrecked, meaning that it can still be restored by the make whole spell or the Gunsmithing feat.
At 5th level, the gunslinger can choose to delay the explosion. She can either choose a timed delay, in which case the firearm explodes automatically after a number of rounds she specifies when she uses the deed, up to a maximum delay of 2 minutes, or she can choose a triggered delay, in which case it explodes the next time any creature attempts to fire it.
The gunslinger gains this deed at 1st level, and it replaces the quick clear deed.
Shoot First (Ex): The gunslinger’s fingers are always at her holster, and she’s always ready for a fight. She can spend 2 grit points to automatically be included in a surprise round of combat, even if she would normally not be included. If there is no surprise round, or if she would be in it anyway, her hands are free and unrestrained, and if she has at least one unconcealed firearm on her person, she can draw that firearm as a free action as part of making her initiative check.
Additionally, as long as the gunslinger has at least 3 grit points remaining, she may make a full round’s worth of actions during a surprise round.
The gunslinger gains this deed at 3rd level, and it replaces the gunslinger initiative deed.
Warning Shot (Ex): The gunslinger fires wildly into the air, potentially frightening her foes. As a full-round action, the gunslinger can expend 2 grit points and make one or more shots with her firearm straight up into the air. The firearm must be loaded and be capable of firing at least one shot, or the ability is wasted, but the gunslinger can choose to fire any number of shots in this way, up to the number of shots remaining in the gun (maximum 6). These shots are not aimed and cannot hit or damage any creature.
However, the gunslinger may then make a special Intimidate check. This check functions as an Intimidate check to demoralize an opponent, except that it affects each creature within 30 feet of the gunslinger that can hear her, and the gunslinger gains a cumulative +2 circumstance bonus on the check for each shot she fired as part of this action. Finally, if her check result beats the DC of any creature by 10 or more, that creature is frightened, rather than shaken (the duration remains the same).
The gunslinger gains this deed at 7th level, and it replaces the startling shot deed.
Crippling Shot (Ex): The gunslinger is an expert at shooting in just the right places to disable and weaken her foes. When she targets a living creature with a firearm attack, she can spend 3 grit points as a free action to have that attack also deal an additional 4 points of either Strength or Dexterity damage (gunslinger’s choice). This decision must be made before making the attack roll.
The gunslinger gains this deed at 11th level, and it replaces the bleeding wound deed. The deed’s cost cannot be reduced by the true grit class ability, the Signature Deed feat, or any other effect that reduces the amount of grit a deed costs.
Ricocheting Shot (Ex): The gunslinger is a master of trick shooting, and can ricochet her bullets off of objects in order to hit her true target. Whenever the gunslinger misses with a firearm attack, she can choose to spend 3 grit points as a free action to make a second attack roll, as the bullet ricochets off a nearby object and back towards her target. This secondary attack roll suffers a -5 penalty.
Additionally, as long as the gunslinger has at least 1 grit point, whenever she makes a firearm attack, if the target of that attack has any form of cover, the AC bonus they receive from that cover is reduced by 2 (so a creature with cover would gain only a +2 bonus, while a creature with partial cover would gain no AC bonus, and a creature with improved cover would gain only a +6 AC bonus).
The gunslinger gains this deed at 15th level, and it replaces the menacing shot deed. The deed’s cost cannot be reduced by the true grit class ability, the Signature Deed feat, or any other effect that reduces the amount of grit a deed costs.
Deft Shot (Ex): The gunslinger’s skill with a gun allows her to perform truly extraordinary feats with it. Whenever the gunslinger makes a firearm attack, she can spend 2 grit points as a free action. If she does, and the attack hits, she can perform a bull rush, disarm, dirty trick, sunder, or trip combat maneuver in addition to dealing normal damage. She suffers a -5 penalty to her CMB for the purposes of this check. In the case of a bull rush, she cannot choose to move with the target, and in the case of a disarm, she cannot pick up the item dropped. In all cases, she does not provoke attacks of opportunity, and there is no possibility of her being tripped, disarmed, or otherwise negatively affected by the attempt.
The gunslinger gains this deed at 19th level, and it replaces the stunning shot deed. The deed’s cost cannot be reduced by the true grit class ability, the Signature Deed feat, or any other effect that reduces the amount of grit a deed costs.