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Well, I took a very deep look into the Ninja, the Samurai and the Gunslinger. When I say "a look", it's "right now I'm reading the playtest for the 7th time, and took my free time since Saturday looking at the Discussion and playtest messageboards".
From the three classes, thanks to others' feedback, analysis, awesome tests and ideas (thanks to them all, btw !) and my own opinion on the mechanics, I found the Ninja and Samurai maybe a bit overpowered when comparing to their core/base counterparts.
But the Gunslinger... was just broken. I know pretty much everyone thinks this way, and more important, than you, designers, acknowledge it. This is the variant (or class ?) that I'm waiting the most, because I can't wait to play one, and that the Grit mecanisms are just perfect to adapt as a variant a Swashbuckler-fencer I did for a friend when the APG wasn't out and that a rapier-wielder agile Fighter could only pretty much suck by raw.
Then I saw the 1.2 Gunslinger that "Ashiel" J.Scott Mohn made from the official alpha, and I can only say two things :
- This one is f*@!ing awesome, almost no situational-only deed, even the Close Wound giving back Grit ;
- Please give him a job. Btw Scott, just look here in case of.
I know thanks to you taking the time to post on the forums that you are looking on Ashiel's gunslinger, the Pickle crunch, the not-touch-AC-firearm, the concept of a Gunslinger as a class in itself and not a variant (Steampunk feeling !), and all ideas/issues adressed concerning the future official variant.
The only things bugging me are :
- Keeping the gunslinger a fighter variant will make it "lose" abilities slots already taken by Weapon Training or other capacities, and make it lose the versatility of Ashiel's gunslinger, and globally each Pathfinder class got. (Über-cool sniper musketer ? Called Shot-Trick Shot-Deadeye Shot-Eagle Eyes-Deadly Aim Feat-Aimed Shot feat => Check. Imperious dual-wielding lead storm ? Piercing shot-Shotgun nightmare-Shotgun opera-Hand cannons => Check ++, though the ability to create a Smoke cloud from the official Alpha Gunslinger would be cool in this build. Gun Kata grammaton ecclesiast ? Pistol Whip-Desperado-Lock and Load-Thunderous Strike feat-TWF feat-waithereilltakesomeoptionalinquisitorlevels-Gifted Gunman feat ftw => F.U.C.K.I.N.G AWESOME²© HYPERCHECK.)
- Firearms targeting touch AC at close range aren't a bad idea in itself, though it isn't very popular to say the least. Alas, it's already an official and nobody-will-change-this mechanism. The real problem being that if the official Gunslinger is based on it, it's the variety of builds and Gunslinger styles showed by Ashiel that could potentially disappear if there aren't as much different weapons availables.
Don't make any mistake reading me - the Grit idea from the alpha Gunslinger and the global concept are awesome in themselves, it was a really good job to come up with it. I just think you would make yourselves a favor by just taking Ashiel's version, improving it with some more Deeds (if possible the less possible situational ones) ; adding the Pickle crunch for one-shot weapons like pistol and Musket plus some more Deeds allowing "light-sniper" or "duelist" builds with this Pickle crunch ; and stipulating that the rules you decided for firearms should be used only in worlds where they are really rare and players not allowed to take the Gunslinger class. In worlds where they are at least a bit more common, even if it's only because only Dwarfs, Gnomes and human high-officers and elite snipers use them, even the most common armor would be somewhat different to counter any bullet and so, negating the touch-attack effect.
I know my opinion isn't really important on this subject, as it isn't what I, little minion from the Internet, would think of only one variant that could lower Ultimate Combat's popularity, though I would love not having to go see what the non-official world offers when the official could be as good, if it isn't better, when you can use so much raw gold players have put under your eyes to erect a bullet-storming statue ! :D
I'm co-DMing a game, and even if the DM is comprehensive (I'm actually it's kind of living rulebook counselor) about the rules I show him, I always put on the top the official PF rules, even if it's sometimes subject to houserule - like a freaking Bane for inquisitors. Seriously, Paizo, free lvl.5 Bane against pretty most anything you want ? We changed this to a ranger Favored enemy.
(Plus, don't forget the feats allowing for special firearms moves and active multi-classing harmony at the end of Ashiel's PDF if you need to fill some pages.)
Well, that's pretty much all I had to say. I just love the Gunslinger concept and was sad not to see it available in PF for so long, and believe you have all to win by taking some steps back and reconsidering what to do about firearms. You could even rip off 90% of Ashiel's PDF and give him additionnal credit in the book, we would still be praying to the almighty Paizo and it's clerics for their divine wisdom.
I just hope that a variant fighter + touch AC weapons design will not ruin what could essentially be perfect if you kept it and improved it, especially when the raw material is already in your hands, and that you're intelligent enough to know what to do with it. I still keep my trust in Paizo... and after all, I can always decide than we'll use the non-official if it doesn't turn well. But it would just be sad.
Btw Stephen Radney-MacFarland, may your lady recover fast ! :)
(Edit : Gosh, I think I wrote "Gunsliger" in the title and don't know if I can change it, even with the Edit command. Btw, I'm french, so please ignore and forgive any lack of grammatical subtility I could have put on this text, it's way less sexy without the accent 8D.)