| Sul Zain Aserbet |
Hey folks. Long time paizo shopper, first time poster. Some of this material is original, and some of it is echoing the opinions of the other posting on this board.
I was really happy to see the addition of the gunslinger class added to the game. As a black powder enthusiast, this class appeals to me, and I'm happy to see the role of firearms addressed, especially considering how much technology/magic crossover has entered contemporary fantasy. I really, really want to like this class.
That said, I am a little disappointed in the current rules of the gunslinger as written. Thematically it is a little narrow. The gunslinger very much has the feel of a western American gunfighter, which is awesome, but with a little widening the gunslinger could also be an archetype for musketeers, pirates, and Zorro types. My suggestions after playing around with the class:
1. Widen the skill selection and up the base skill points per level. The current skill selection is too low to play swashbuckler-infiltrator archetypes. Maybe adding stealth to the skills list won't force players into multi classing just to complete what could be a basic archetype of the class. Whip as a proficient weapon a plus.
2. A gun costs 11gp per shot for a chance to break and do mediocre damage most of the time. I am willing to accept that black powder may be a rare and quasi-magical item, but a peasant's monthly earnings for a small cylinder of common lead is pretty far fetched. 10 bullets for 1gp seems more reasonable. Even then, guns are just slightly cheaper to operate that a wand of magic missiles slinging wizard.
3. The gunslinger is not a damage dealer. This in itself isn't bad, as most of his abilities seem geared towards controlling foes from a distance ( tripping foes, entangling, etc) but his ability to exert that control is highly limited. He needs more grit. Perhaps along the lines of 3+wis like the cleric, or half his level plus wisdom like lay-on-hands?
4. Nothing wows me about the firearm, yet there is a class completely devoted to it's use. As an enthusiast, I'm left wanting more. As some on the board have mentioned, many of the class features just fix the rules problems with the weapon. If the weapon is so slow to load, expensive to use, and has a chance of breaking, there needs to be a compelling reason for me to want to use this beyond liking the concept, otherwise at some point in a campaign I'm going to feel like a tool for not playing a ranger. X4 crit is somewhat enticing, but not worth the drawbacks. Now something truly eye-popping like x6 crit makes me want to put up with all the trouble this weapon is going to give me. Or bring back exploding dice.
3.