The Gun Sage
Hello everyone and welcome to another exciting edition of Best in Class, where we bring you top-notch class features, archetypes, and prestige classes each and every week. This week we release A Necromancer’s Grimoire: The Book of Martial Action, a fantastic book full of feats and archetypes that revolutionize the way fighting works. Pick your copy up today for a very reasonable $4.99, and prepare to be stunned by what you find within.
In light of the new release, this week’s articles are all about giving you a taste of that experience. Speaking of today’s article, here’s a martially-themed archetype for a class that didn’t make it into the book, but that we felt you might enjoy.
New Gunslinger Archetype
Gun Sage
A gun sage is a gunslinger who elevates her skill beyond mere expertise, in order to perform true works of art with a firearm. She accomplishes her goals for good or ill with specialized training and an emphasis on martial tradition, which she keeps alive in the age of firearms.
Martial Action Pool (Ex): Beginning at 1st level, a gun sage gains a martial action pool which can hold a maximum number of martial action points equal to 4 + her base attack bonus at any given time, and from which she can spend a number of martial action points per round equal to her base attack bonus. She can use these martial action points in order to perform a number of special actions during combat. The action required to perform a given special action is described in the feat or class feature which gives her access to that particular martial technique. A gun sage can also use these martial action points to perform deeds. The cost to perform a deed with martial action points is equal to the cost of performing deeds using grit.
Unlike most characters, a gun sage cannot regain martial action points through the normal methods. Instead, she regains martial action points by dealing the killing blow with a firearm. Whenever she slays a creature with a firearm, she regains a number of martial action points equal to her Wisdom modifier. Additionally, whenever she confirms a critical hit, she regains a number of martial action points equal to her Wisdom modifier.
This ability replaces the grit class feature gained at 1st level.
Deeds: A gun sage replaces certain deeds with the following ones. The new deed descriptions include information on which deeds from the gunslinger class feature these new deeds replace.
Insightful Shot (Ex): At 1st level, as a standard action, the gun sage may spend 2 martial action points. If she does, she may immediately make a single attack with a firearm. She gains an insight bonus to attack and damage rolls equal to her Wisdom modifier for the purposes of this attack. At 6th level, and every 5 levels thereafter, she may spend an additional martial action point whenever she uses this ability. If she does, the bonus to attack and damage are increased by an additional +2.
This ability replaces the quick clear deed.
Point Blank (Ex): Beginning at 3rd level, as a swift action, the gun sage can spend 2 martial action points. If she does, then until the beginning of her next turn, she does not provoke attacks of opportunity for making ranged attacks with her firearm from the target of the attack, allowing her to attack adjacent targets safely. At 8th level, and every 5 levels thereafter, she may spend an additional martial action point whenever she uses this ability. If she does, then until the beginning of her next turn, she treats the critical multiplier of any firearm she wields as one higher than it actually is for the purposes of attacks made against adjacent targets.
This ability replaces the utility shot deed.
Rapid Fire (Ex): Beginning at 7th level, as a swift action, the gun sage can spend 4 martial action points. If she does, and she makes a full-attack action using one or more firearms this turn, then all attacks made with firearms as part of that full-attack action are made using her highest base attack bonus. This applies only to the first full-attack action she makes this round. Using this ability is strenuous, however, and imposes a -3 penalty on all attack rolls she makes until the beginning of her next turn (including those made as part of the full-attack action).
At 12th level, the gun sage may spend an additional martial action point whenever she uses this ability. If she does, the penalty to attack rolls is decreased by 1. At 17th level, she can spend one more additional martial action point to decrease the penalties by an additional 1.
This ability replaces the targeting deed.
Pinpoint (Ex): Beginning at 11th level, as a full-round action, the gun sage can spend 4 martial action points. If she does, she may immediately make a single attack with a firearm at her highest base attack bonus. If the attack is successful, she deals an amount of additional damage equal to 1d6 x the weapon’s critical multiplier. This damage is not multiplied in the case of a critical hit.
This ability replaces the expert reload deed.
Gun Art (Ex): Beginning at 15th level, as a swift action, the gun sage can spend 6 martial action points. If she does, then until the beginning of her next turn, she treats the critical threat range and multiplier of a single firearm she is wielding as though it were one higher than it actually is (for example, a pistol would be treated as having a critical threat range of 19-20, and a critical multiplier of x5. Alternatively, if the gunslinger had a shotgun and the Improved Critical (shotgun) feat, she would treat it as having a threat range of 18-20 and a critical multiplier of x3). At 20th level, she may spend an additional 6 martial action points whenever she uses this ability. If she does, she treats the weapon’s critical threat range and critical multiplier as though they were two higher, instead.
This ability replaces the slinger’s luck deed.
Master Shot (Ex): Beginning at 19th level, as a full-round action, the gun sage can spend 6 martial action points. If she does, she may immediately make a single attack with a firearm at her highest base attack bonus. If the attack hits, it deals damage as though it had been a confirmed critical hit. This does not count as a critical hit in any way other than damage, and the gun sage does not regain martial action points as a result of this ability (unless the target is slain by the attack).
This ability replaces the death shot deed.