VonKronen's page

Yeah, you're right, I forgot the Core Ruebook at home while I was working... I had a quick idea and forgot that there's no ranged combat maneuvers. Ranged combat has too few options... The rules are the rules, but if you were fighting with a sword against another guy and someone shot you backwards from 30 ft... Would you be aware of it? That would not deny your dex bonuses? Sometimes the system wants to be realistic and semi-historical, but sometimes is pretty illogical trying to balance. Anyways, law is law.

Assuming you are a rogue with a crossbow (or anything ranged) in an adjacent square of an enemy, why don't you use Improved Feint (as a move action) and shoot? Feint denies dexterity bonuses, target is considered flat-footed... You can even make a 5 ft step as a free action if you wish...

Well, first of all, the question about why develop firearms rules was made ironically. In any case, I assume that in a fantasy world everything is possible. For example, why not to develop a sub-machine gun type device which fires rounds of Magic Missiles, shotguns with Burning Hands effects or a Fireball grenade launcher? We still be anchored in a Lord of the Rings type fantasy. Anyways, here firearms are invented (Alkenstar), and if I remember well, were invented due to the lack of magic. So if they want to compete with chain lightnings and scorching rays, they must upgrade them. In any case, i just want to have fun with firearms and even the new class Gunslinger (not available yet) does not fulfill my desires.
I had a character concept for low-to-mid level campaing in which I would play an Alkenstar Commando (fighter / rogue) with a rifle and a support close combat weapon. Under the 3.5 rules, rifle (percussion firearm) can be reloaded with a move action per shot. With the rapid reload feat, I could make full-attack shots and improve its damage with feats like deadly aim and also defend myself in close combat. With that new rules I must be Gunslinger to optimize firearms and I would depend on my Wisdom score to make those deeds (like reload as a free action, which still restricts my ranged attacks a lot). So, a nice character concept but absolutely less powerful than the other characters in the group, making it less fun to play.
I was trying to build an effective and different character using t'he background history of Alkenstar, but seeing how firearms and technology work, I will re-think the concept and return to a standard character with a standard background. We are not talking about having a character with an M4 Assault Carbine or an M241 Minigun, just a weapon with a fire rate similar to a crossbow with firearm flavour (i.e. the exploding dice and misfite rate). Unfortunately, my GMs aren't fans of housemade rules (principally to keep the game balanced), so in a fantasy world not everything is possible.
Answering some comments, feat Crossbow Mastery requires a crossbow proficency, is applied on a crossbow type and I haven't seen any exception mentioned to use it with firearms; about Arcane Archer, all class features are related to arrows (not even bolts for an Arcane crossbowman); 150 ft is the first range increment for the rifle (of a minimum of 4 increments).
I insist in that's a personal view of a player who is not allowed to try housemade rules made in cooperation with the GMs. I'm sure most players have arranged this with extra rules, forbidden them or use them what they are in this kind of fantasy sets: a limited support ranged weapon.

Hi all, I would like to start this thread with a simple question: why publish firearms rules?
Firearms had been damned for a great part of "classical" fantasy role-playing players... And don't know why. Historical set up? Yeah, because spellcraft and elves are part of hour world history. Too much damage? So a greataxe deals 1d12 like a muskett. Throw the bows and crossbows to a forgotten sea? You cannot be an Arcane Archer with a rifle and also a firearm is more than 10 times expensive than a crossbow.
As an example, a low level character NEVER will have a firearm and a high level character will find firearms useless... Because a 20th level character with a light crossbow and the appropiate feats could make, at least, 6 shots for 1d8 + deadly aim and magical bonuses, while the sane character with a pistol coul make a single shot for... 1d8 + magical bonuses? (assuming the ultimate combat firearms rules set in the playtest PDF file, where a pistol with rapid reload feat reloads as a move action and shots as a ranged touch attack, denying the benefits of deadly aim feat).
The only thing we expect is a playable firearms set... They may make more damage than a bow or crossbow, but they are more expensive... Why complicate the things in this way? As I read in another post around here, treat firearms as crossbows, maybe making more damage in exchange of its unearthly price, and adding the exploding dice and misfire rules, both very interesting.
In my opinion, the best rules are those published in Pathfinder Chronicles Campaign Setting (3.5 rules), maybe modifying the weapons damage, reducing the range (150 ft for a rifle is a lot) and adding the possibility to play crossbow feats over firearms (both crossbows and firearms have triggers and, if I don't remember bad, firearms are an evolution of the crossbow trigger system). Prehaps some magical objects for firearms would be nice. So, all players will be happy and will have fun.