Just reading the entry plainly, at first glance you simply cast the spell through the firearm as if it was the origin point, should the spell be eligible as line, cone, ray, or melee touch.
Does the caster physically fire the weapon in the process?
1: Is this a combined action where a round is fired along with the triggering of the spell?
2: Does the spell, if a line/cone, now require a ranged touch attack roll a la bullet?
Usually I try to read the rules as literally as possible, hence my tears when I realized how horrible VMC was save for specialty builds and possible early entry.
It seems that this is just a way of trading school specialization for DC enhancement based on firearm's enhancement bonus... and a +5 end state is nothing to laugh at for saves.
I raise this because I am entertaining the concept of a Gunslinger (Musket Master) & Wizard (Spellslinger) multiclass character. One barrel, one shot a round, one spell a round is the goal, but reviewing the fine print, I no longer believe this is viable, though it would've been fun.
Planned Action Economy would've been:
Standard Action: Spellshot
Move Action: Reload (Rapid Reload + Metallic Cartridges. Lightning Reload can probably accelerate to Free Action)
Swift Action: Quickened Spell?
For added shenanigans I would've had the Spellslinger become a Wordcaster as well, with the ability to reshape so many more spells to be eligible to be fired out of the firearm.
Any feedback would be appreciated. If it needs to be houseruled I'll just shelve the project and build another oddball character.
How does it work? Badly, I'm afraid.
Both of the main abilities of the spellslinger need a lot of GM Fiat. Have a look at the guide (cough, shameless plug cough) on Zenith's collected guides.
My advice is to only play one if:
A) there is already a primary arcane spellcaster in the party; and
B) you really like the style and have a GM who will adjust the rules so it works in a way you are both happy with.
I also recommend using a pistol if you ever want to use a metamagic rod of any kind. And having a prehensile tail...
No, it's just "add gun's enchantment bonus to your attack roll/save DC, risk misfire".
Alas, it figures. DM Fiat leads to sadness so often I see to where I try to stick to RAW as often as possible, and the credence that if Paizo opted to publish it, I'll allow/run it. I still use their material from Dragon Magazine to build characters in 3.5 -Arctic Unseelie Fey Wild Reaper anyone?
It basically is just a magic staff that just happens to be a firearm, way to miss full potential; in a silly comparison to FPS, why not just mount a wand as an underbarrel device? Noob tube turns into Metamagic Stick.
Thx for the clarification y'all. Tis with a heavy heart I bury this concept in the same shallow grave I dumped VMC into.
Before abandoning a concept, I'd at least check with the GM.
You never said what you wanted to multiclass with?
And if you get approval from your GM, ask about how myrmidach magus might be made to work with spellslinger. As written, it doesn't. But it's the closest thing to getting a spell off as a rider on a bullet.
It was gonna be a Gunslinger (Musket Master). Start with a musket, and eventually end up with a double-barreled shotgun as the abilities begin to cover all two-handed firearms and not just the musket -eventually one barrel will be a free reload and the second is a move/swift and I planned to double-barrel blast along with a spell effect as my standard.
This was a character I was going to stockpile away as a ready build for a future campaign; not one ongoing now. If I had gone Gestalt, this would've been a beast with full saves, BAB, and tier-9 arcane selection of effects to drop into that single shot. Granted it won't get extra attacks a round, but full BAB versus Touch with a kicker effect, manipulated by Word Magic would've been sweet.
It sounds cheesy which is why I wanted to know if there was errata or further RAI vs RAW considering the subject.
Oh well, Dervish of Dawn-Siegebreaker-Ustalavic Duelist Fighter here I go! It's a fighter with none of its class abilities ^_^. I love Archetypes so much. The only bump is Siegebreaker and UD both choose your first level bonus feat, but as a Human if I subbed in my extra feat as one of those mandatories it should be legal with minimal fuss.
Fair enough. No GM plus dodgy rules equals no character at the moment. Good luck with the next idea.
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Freddy the Fighter: This is a terrible idea, Ed.
Edvard Eddard, Evoker Extraordinaire: No, it's not! It's an absolutely brilliant idea!
Rita the Rogue: Brilliant as in "brilliantly stupid."
Edvard: Guys, you're complaining too much. This is gonna be awesome. I promise. (pumps shotgun, takes aim) Meteor Swarm!
With Words of Power it would've been:
"Get Off" (True Fire)
"My" (Selection - Ranged Touch Attack b/c it's energy damage - OMG it lines up with how firearms work!)
"Lawn!" (Trigger, cast and literal trigger squeeze)
1d6/Level Fire Attack, added with the 4d8 of Cone-shaped fun a Double Barreled Shotgun simultaneous blast would've been. Considering that True Fire does NOT have SR or Saves applied against it, it's worth the single-target limitation for that particular Tier-9 Word of Power.
Substituting a Pump Action for Somatic Component would've been hilarious, but seeing as it's two barrels and fire metallic bullets, it was gonna be a break-open ("Pull!") flourish.
This character would've been every bad one-liner from the 80s through the 90s.
"Yeah. All right, you primitive screwheads, listen up. See this? This...is my BOOMSTICK! It's a twelve gauge double barreled Remington, S-Mart's top-of-the-line. You can find this in the sporting goods department. That's right, this sweet baby was made in Grand Rapids, Michigan. Retails for about $109.95. It's got a walnut stock, cobalt blue steel and a hair trigger. That's right. Shop Smart. Shop S-Mart. YA GOT THAT!?"
Was the literal character concept... capstone was gonna be if he ever had to read anything off a magical source... "Klaatu... verata... n... Necktie. Nectar. Nickel. Noodle."
While the spellslinger itself doesn't fire bullets along with his spells, there is another class that can: The magus.
I'm currently playing a spellslinger 1/magus 13 in a long-standing campaign, focusing on blasting via bullets with spell riders. As a bit of homebrew, the GM agreed to give me the myrmidarch's Ranged Spellstrike ability on a standard magus in exchange for certain character flaws, but this was before the Eldritch Archer archetype for the magus was released, which I think can do exactly what you're after.
One of the few advantages of the spellslinger archetype is that all of its relevant abilities are front-loaded, so just taking the first level of the class will allow you to use them with magus spells.
Beefing up your gun with both the spellslinger's Mage Bullets and the magus' Arcane Pool can make it pretty ridiculous, even if all you have is a masterwork weapon. Add an intensified snowball or scorching ray spell, depending on whether you're single-shooting or full attacking, and it's off to the races.
EDIT: And speaking of metamagic rods, if someone does have an idea on how to use one with a gun in one hand and no tail, I'd love to hear suggestions. :V
One level of alchemist, vestigial arm discovery...tiefling's tail is better overall. Isn't there a 4-armed race?
Otherwise, make a custom gun with a stock which takes a metamagic rod. It'd take a full round or maybe a standard action to swap rods (probably), and relies on a GM approving it.
Or make the rod occupy the space a 2nd barrel would in a double-barrelled musket. And try not to abuse any permissions you get by adding more rods...no-one likes a Gatling-metamagic-rod-gun.
While the spellslinger itself doesn't fire bullets along with his spells, there is another class that can: The magus.
I'm currently playing a spellslinger 1/magus 13 in a long-standing campaign, focusing on blasting via bullets with spell riders. As a bit of homebrew, the GM agreed to give me the myrmidarch's Ranged Spellstrike ability on a standard magus in exchange for certain character flaws, but this was before the Eldritch Archer archetype for the magus was released, which I think can do exactly what you're after.
One of the few advantages of the spellslinger archetype is that all of its relevant abilities are front-loaded, so just taking the first level of the class will allow you to use them with magus spells.
Beefing up your gun with both the spellslinger's Mage Bullets and the magus' Arcane Pool can make it pretty ridiculous, even if all you have is a masterwork weapon. Add an intensified snowball or scorching ray spell, depending on whether you're single-shooting or full attacking, and it's off to the races.
EDIT: And speaking of metamagic rods, if someone does have an idea on how to use one with a gun in one hand and no tail, I'd love to hear suggestions. :V
Check out the eldritch archer archetype for all your gun use needs.
Unfortunately spellslinger is just an awful archetype. So cool, but so mechanically terrible.
Unfortunately spellslinger is just an awful archetype. So cool, but so mechanically terrible.
Agreed 100%! I really enjoyed playing one, up to about 8th level. Whereupon my party and myself realised how much better we'd have been with a real wizard in the group. Which is why I wrote my guide so fewer players would make the same mistakes that I made.
Good lead on the Eldritch Archer archetype; but the appeal is gone on my end. Thanks all for the input! Maybe time to polish up that Not-A-Fighter three archetype mashup for future play. 'Cause I've been Druid or Oracle so long that even my DM thinks that my mind is gone.
"See DM, I crafted me a meter-long Metamagic Rod that just so happens to be hollow with these spiraling grooves running down the cavity... I'll see myself out."
"See DM, I crafted me a meter-long Metamagic Rod that just so happens to be hollow with these spiraling grooves running down the cavity... I'll see myself out."
Muskets are smooth bore...
What if I was going to fire Minie Balls? Which is the ammunition that helped solve the Rifled Musket dilemma in the 1840s. As in converting existing or developing new front-line & mass-produced firearms to increase accuracy, yet not as long to load as the original rifles, where breech-loading technology would hit battlefield prevalence beginning in the 1860s, the American Civil War was fought with "rifled" muskets such as the Springfield Models 1855 & 1861/63. As in the alchemical cartridge ^_^ which facilitated said faster loading.
Still technically not an advanced Firearm DM... Muhahahaha.
The only thing restrictive about Musket Master as an archetype is one Rapid Reload(Muskets) feature at level one that eventually becomes superseded by Gunslinger abilities such as Lightning Reload & ammunition such as metal cartridges.
Designing this character was a fun exercise in creativity; less hostility predicted at a table as single-attack special where for some reason some people I've seen haven taken offense to a revolver while Mr. Archer could still somehow contrive to deliver the same number of deliberate aimed arrows at the same BAB in SIX SECONDS(vs Touch AC, I get it, but the vehemence...); as a caster I deliver magic and there's less offense taken at bending the game over sideways on the tabletop and having my way with the narrative.