Gulch Gunner (Gunslinger) Deed Question

[varathiel]

So here is the abilitiy in question:

Flash and Shock:

Flash and Shock (Ex): At 1st level, the gulch gunner can take advantage of the flash and sound of a firearm to throw off an attacker's aim at close range. When she makes an attack against a foe within her firearm's first range increment, she may spend 1 grit point to gain a +4 circumstance bonus to AC against that opponent until the beginning of her next turn. She can only perform this deed while wearing medium, light, or no armor, and while carrying no more than a light load. This deed replaces the deadeye deed.

The question is what is the order of events if you fire in melee and thus provoke an attack of opportunity. Does the AoO happen before you get your AC bonus if you spend the grit point?

Thanks in advance.

Varathiel

[LoneKnave]

Since the AoO happens before the provoking action, I'd say you do not get the AC bonus for it.

[Phyrexianwrath]

Bumping this as I am having a large amount of difficulty believing the intent of this Deed is to not grant the +4 AC to the AoO.

This tied in with how a Gulch Gunner regains grit seems to go against the grain, the flow of the archetype. What sort of voodoo ritual must I arrange to summon some official clarification. I don't mean just a rules citing like the above poster, I'd like something a tad more depths and consideration taken to explaining why it is written and designed this way.

[Gilarius]

LoneKnave is correct, as far as my ability to read the rule you quoted is concerned.

The intent (going from how it is worded) is to grant you +4 to AC vs someone you shot that round; clearly, to me anyway, you should be standing outside of their reach when you make that shot, or have another way of not provoking an AoO when shooting in melee.

You are extremely unlikely to get an actual developer posting on this (or any other thread), but it does happen occasionally.

If you do get a developer, there are a lot of aspects of the rules concerning firearms that could do with clarifications and even major re-writes...see double-barrelled guns and how they work a) at all; b) in conjunction with vital strike...and spellslingers (wizard archetype) who have 'special powers' to imbue the barrel of their gun with magic in order to hit people around the head with that barrel but that won't work on the butt or by actually firing the gun...

Firearms and all the rules around them were not fully thought through/playtested/errata'ed.

If you are playing in a home game, not PFS, sit down with your GM and re-do the firearm rules.

[Ssyvan]

I'm curious about this too. While I don't have anything to add yet, I didn't want this to get lost! So, anyone else have any input?

[Sah]

The AoO happens before the shot goes off, seems perfectly clear to me that you won't have the AC bonus yet. I suspect the ability is more thematically appropriate when dealing with two people trying to shoot each other in close quarters, and thus would not really deal with AoO's too much.