| Kyle Linger |
Pulling triple duty with this game - I was playing a gunslinger, a friend was playing a samurai (which I unfortunately didn't play too close attention to, sorry), and a friend was learning the basics of DMing. This isn't a round-by-round description, but it should help give people a general idea of what's going on.
The Plot: A nobleman's manor has been invaded by random monsters, and he's paying us to clear them out. Pretty simple.
The Party: Myself as a Gunslinger, Friend A as a Samurai, and Friend B as a Sorceress, all level 3. I am wearing +1 studded leather, carrying 2 masterwork pistols (DM ruled I could upgrade my starting ones,) a hooded lantern with some pints of oil, and 3 cure mod potions.
Encounter 1: We hear some sounds behind a locked door. None of us have open lock, but the DM and I were discussing some of the changes suggested in the Gunslinger forum and said that I had the utility shots at level 1, and they cost no grit. I blasted the lock successfully, but alerted the enemies beyond. 2 Hobgoblins, 2 Grindilows, 2 Grippleys, and a Grigg. Yeah, he was staying in that area of the bestiary for now.
I win initiative and blam a hobgoblin for about 7. The samurai charges and attacks the second one for 11. The sorceress casts lullabye on the group. The grindis and grippleys use some ranged attacks, striking the sorceress. The grigg goes invisible and we hear it skittering off down the hall.
Round 2 starts, and I finish off a hobgoblin. The samurai whiffs, and the sorceress puts 4 of the 5 remaining enemies to sleep. The hobgoblin 5' steps and attacks me.
The last round consisted of me pistol whipping the goblin and us coup-de-grace-ing the remaining enemies.
Encounter 2: 2 Homunculi, who were carting art objects off somewhere, engage us and almost get the drop on us. I proceed to miss the whole encounter, never rolling above a 3, but never misfiring either. Between the samurai and the sorceress we take them down.
Encounter 3: In which we are accosted by a Nightmare, but have an NPC bard aiding us. She inspired courage and not much else. I don't have any trouble hitting the horse, but most of the damage comes from the other two. I'm beginning to see a pattern emerge.
Encounter 4: Two Howlers try to sneak up from behind, but the samurai hears them. As before, no trouble hitting them at all, but my damage suffers. At one point I'm forced to melee by pistol whipping again (I have a dagger, but the pistol whip does more damage). I take a bit of damage from the quills, but crush the reflex save. Between the samurai and the sorceress the howlers go down.
Encounter 5: Boss time! A level 3 cleric, 2 pseudodragons, and a griff. The area's low light, but I had the foresight to light my lantern, which ends up sitting on the floor during the boss' monologue. I miss my first shot and misfire my gun. I promptly drop it instead of fixing it, favoring my second pistol. The samurai steps up and whiffs against a pseudodragon, and the sorc rolls max damage on her last magic missile, hitting the cleric. At this point the bard we saved earlier shows up, inspiring us again. Round 2 rolls around and I put a bullet in the cleric's brainpan. The samurai takes out the griff before it can grab anyone, and the sorceress hits a dragon with ray of frost. In the next round we manage to kill one pseudodragon and seiously wound the other - who the decides that if he's going down we're all coming with him. He proceeds to grab my lantern and chuck it at some casks of rum in the cellar. Cue escape sequence from exploding booze and subsequent fire.
Conclusions: As I expected, I didn't have much trouble hitting (barring rolling less than a 4), but my damage was severely lacking compared to the rest of the party. Additionally, my lacking skill set didn't let me add much outside of combat - honestly without houseruling that I had the utility shots from level one my out-of-combat usefulness would've been limited to one-liners. In a more fleshed-out game, my craft (gunsmithing) and knowledge (local) may have been useful, as well as my bluff and cross-class diplomacy. I wasn't suffering for damage too much - the DM said I could use Deadly Aim, but I opted for Precise Shot instead to avoid blasting the samurai's head off. It's hard to tell what I'd do diferently, but if someone else can draw a conclusion I'm happy to have provided the info.
| Nemitri |
cant use deadly aim with pistols if witthin 20 feet btw. I really dont like that rule about deadly aim and touch attacks...
| Kyle Linger |
cant use deadly aim with pistols if witthin 20 feet btw. I really dont like that rule about deadly aim and touch attacks...
DM has OKed it since it's not specifically a ranged touch attack, but a weapon property that activates during a normal ranged attack. Technically a house rule, your mileage may vary.