✴Angelica✴'s page

I've played an Aasimar Gunslinger to 12th. It was my 3rd character. It was too effective. Literally during the climactic battle of her retirement scenario she solo'd the BBEG with one full round attack.

Playing her made me feel dirty. And cheap. Like a used up... Aasimar Gunslinger.

Very coincidentally I told my roommate about her exploits, and he wanted to do her exact same build, but make his character a Dwarf. With the stat swaps we figured his character would have more HP, +2 Grit, and -2 Attack after all was said and done.

And since touch ACs usually drop as you fight stronger and stronger foes, the -2 in the long run wasn't a problem for him. It certainly wouldn't have hurt my character.

So go ahead and build your Dwarf Gunslinger. Just be sure you have fun doing it =)

Since I play and DM in PFS, I was looking for a rules interpretation to temper gunslingers brokenness.

Speaking as someone who's played a Gunslinger in PFS to level 12, and as someone who's been involved for almost 3 years with the Campaign, I can tell you with good authority that "gunslinger brokenness" in PFS is a farce.

Everyone looks at the online guides and reads the General Discussion forum and sees "OmG GunshlingerS R so BROkEN WUT can I DOOO???/?" and, without any actual evidence, concludes that Gunslingers are broken and need to be nerfed and/or banned.

I probably thought the same thing, at one time. And then I played one. And I have to tell you, it was painful.

What makes Gunslingers powerful is the ability to ignore misfire chances at level 13. The only other way to reduce misfire to zero before that is by spending an inordinate amount of money on a +1 Greater Reliable firearm. To give you perspective, that was something I didn't have the money or Fame for until level 11. Assuming you plan on taking said Gunslinger all the way to level 20, that means wasting 34k on a weapon that'll be replaced by a class feature after 2 levels.

And ignore anything you read about dual-wielding firearms. It's a myth that can't be pulled off unless you're starting in a high level home campaign where you get to ignore all the pain of the lower levels.

Levels 1-4 are painful without damage boosts. At level 5 you'll see a slight uptick in effectiveness, which then drops at level 6. Having more attacks actually hurts a Gunslinger, because it increases their rate of misfire. Double-barreled firearms increase this rate twofold. Misfire doesn't get the attention it deserves. It shuts you down for 2 rounds, by which time the rest of the party will have killed off whatever you were shooting at. Having 8 attacks doesn't mean squat if your firearm breaks 25% of the time.

In short, Gunslingers are not broken. DPS-wise, a high level Gunslinger might outpace some other DPS builds, but it's no more broken than any other specialization out there. Gunslingers just get a bad wrap because "I don't want tech in my fantasy", and people disguise that dislike by saying that they're OP.

They're not.

The Experimental Gunsmith alters Gunsmithing and Gun Training, and the Gun Tank alters Proficiencies, Deeds, Nimble, and Bonus Feats.

Looks like you're good =)

Seems kosher. No mention of needing a melee weapon.

Deft Shootist is AMAZING!

I took it on this character, too.

It's pretty well established that, when Two-Weapon Fighting with two pistols, you take the penalties for using two one-handed weapons (-4/-4), and not the penalties for using two light weapons (-2/-2).

Going by that logic, I'd say you couldn't combine Weapon Finesse and Pistol Whip.

Having played a Musket Master to 12 in PFS, I can attest that I rarely ever got off a full attack until I was able to afford a Greater Reliable Musket (which wasn't until 11th level). People discount misfire rates too much. They shut you down, and the more attacks you get the more likely you are to misfire. It's a serious hindrance, and not one that archers have to worry about.

Even a Greater Reliable Double Barrel Musket still misfires on a 1 when using cartridges. And you have to spend an extra feat on it, since errata fixed Musket Masters to have only Rapid Reload (Musket).

Unless you are planning on taking this game to 11th-13th level or higher, allowing Gunslingers shouldn't impact your game. If they don't fit the setting, that's one thing, but when it comes to being overpowered, a Gunslinger really isn't.

Or, as a middle ground, look at the Bolt Ace. A Gunslinger who uses Crossbows. It needs some GM adjudication, because it has some quirks, but it may be what you're both looking for.

A weapon made of Elysian bronze adds a +1 bonus on weapon damage rolls against magical beasts and monstrous humanoids; this damage is multiplied on a critical hit. After a creature uses an Elysian bronze weapon to deal damage to a magical beast or monstrous humanoid, the wielder gains a +1 bonus on attack rolls against that specific creature type (for example, against chimeras, not all magical beasts) for the next 24 hours, or until the weapon deals damage to a different kind of magical beast or monstrous humanoid.

An arrow fired from a bow would certainly get the +1 to damage, but I would not think the character firing that bow would get the additional +1 bonus on attack rolls. If that same arrow was being used over and over again as an improvised melee weapon, then it could get both damage and attack bonuses. But firing separate arrows is effectively using a different Elysian Bronze weapon each time.