The Urban Outlaw
Ah, the city. If you’re lucky enough to live in or near a big city, you know just how majestic and wonderful they can be, and that’s why we’ve decided to devote an entire theme week to celebrating large urban centers. Yes, it’s City Week, a whole week devoted to stuff with urban in the name. Speaking of which, today’s Best in Class focuses on just such a thing: the urban outlaw, a new archetype for gunslingers which is half force of personality, half dangerous robber, and all amazing, urban, gun-toting combatant.
New Gun Slinger Archetype
Urban Outlaw
While most outlaws and bandits prefer to avoid the big city, others, either because they cannot or will not leave, choose to thrive in them instead. Urban outlaws are such individuals. Residing in large cities and townships, these scoundrels of skill and ambition live one step ahead of the law. Some are true criminals, robbers of banks and merchant guilds; others are vigilantes fighting against corrupt powers; some are mercenaries selling their skills to the highest bidder; and a few are simply victims of circumstance, looking to live the quiet life, but unable to do so. Their motivations are as diverse and varied as their dispositions, but all have fierce reputations and access to powerful deeds to accomplish their aims.
Deeds: An urban outlaw focuses on deeds which are better suited to a career as an outlaw and to survival in an urban environment. Because of her focus on these specific combat tricks, she loses access to a few more general purpose deeds.
Stick ‘em up! (Ex): At 1st level, an urban outlaw can issue a potent threat with her firearm which can temporarily frighten foes into submission. As a full-round action, an urban outlaw can spend 1 or more points of grit in order to force nearby creatures to back down. For each point of grit spent in this way, the urban outlaw can choose a single creature that can see and hear her to be targeted by this ability. For each target, the urban outlaw makes a special Intimidate check (DC 10 + the target’s base attack bonus + the target’s Wisdom bonus), and if the check is successful, the target becomes dazed for 1 round + 1 round for every 5 points by which the urban outlaw’s Intimidate check exceeds the DC. If the target would receive a bonus on saving throws made to resist fear effects, the DC of the Intimidate check increases by twice the amount of that bonus. This is a mind-affecting fear effect and is dependent on visual and auditory components.
This deed replaces the deadeye deed.
Disperse Crowd (Ex): At 3rd level, an urban outlaw learns a special way of shooting her firearm in order to cause panic in a small group of clustered people. As a standard action, the urban outlaw can spend 1 point of grit and fire a single shot from her firearm which targets a single square. This requires a successful attack roll with her firearm (treat the square as having an AC of 5) which deals no damage, but causes all creatures within 15 feet of the chosen square to succeed on a Will save (DC 10 + 1/2 the urban outlaw’s class level + the urban outlaw’s Charisma modifier) or become shaken for 1 round, and be forced to spend a move action on their next turn attempting to move at least 15 feet away from the target square.
The urban outlaw can choose to target a creature with this ability, instead of a square. If she does, she must hit the target with her attack. This deals damage to the target as normal for an attack with that firearm, but the target of the attack is immune to this ability, and all other affected creatures gain a +5 bonus on their Will save to resist the effect. This is a mind-affecting fear effect.
This deed replaces the gunslinger initiative deed.
Shoot Through Objects (Ex): At 7th level, an urban outlaw learns to effectively fire shots through doors and walls in order to attack her foes. In order to perform this deed, the urban outlaw must spend 1 point of grit. If she does, her next attack against a creature ignores cover, including total cover, but not soft cover. If she attacks a creature with total cover, she must still be aware of the target’s location, and that creature still has total concealment (50% miss chance). Attacks modified by this deed pass through obstacles such as walls and doors, leaving a small hole behind. She cannot use this ability to make attacks against creatures beyond the first range increment of her weapon.
This deed replaces the targeting deed.
Outlaws Reputation (Ex): Beginning at 4th level, the urban outlaw’s reputation grows to outstanding levels, allowing her to easily get what she wants and discouraging others from talking about her business. She gains a bonus on all skill checks made to gather information in urban areas equal to 1/2 her class level + her remaining grit. Additionally, any creature using Knowledge (local) to learn about the urban outlaw gains a +5 bonus on his skill check, but any creature attempting to learn about the whereabouts of the urban outlaw does not gain that bonus on such checks, and instead suffers a penalty on all skill checks other than Perception and Survival made to do so (including skill checks made to interact with NPCs to gather such information) equal to 1/2 the urban outlaw’s class level.
This ability replaces the bonus feat gained at 4th level.