Opportune Parry & Riposte + Snap Shot

[chbgraphicarts]

Assume you have a lv1 Swashbuckler, lvN Pistolero:

Opportune Parry and Riposte (Ex) wrote:

At 1st level, when an opponent makes a melee attack against the swashbuckler, she can spend 1 panache point and expend a use of an attack of opportunity to attempt to parry that attack. The swashbuckler makes an attack roll as if she were making an attack of opportunity; for each size category the attacking creature is larger than the swashbuckler, the swashbuckler takes a –2 penalty on this roll. If her result is greater than the attacking creature's result, the creature's attack automatically misses. The swashbuckler must declare the use of this ability after the creature's attack is announced, but before its attack roll is made. Upon performing a successful parry and if she has at least 1 panache point, the swashbuckler can as an immediate action make an attack against the creature whose attack she parried, provided that creature is within her reach.

Snap Shot (Combat) wrote:

With a ranged weapon, you can take advantage of any opening in your opponent’s defenses.

Prerequisite: Dex 13, Point-Blank Shot, Rapid Shot, Weapon Focus, base attack bonus +6.

Benefit: While wielding a ranged weapon with which you have Weapon Focus, you threaten squares within 5 feet of you. You can make attacks of opportunity with that ranged weapon. You do not provoke attacks of opportunity when making a ranged attack as an attack of opportunity.

Normal: While wielding a ranged weapon, you threaten no squares and can make no attacks of opportunity with that weapon.

Using these two effects together, can you parry & reposte an opponent's attack against you with a pistol, or other ranged weapon?

The rules for OPR don't specify that you must parry with a MELEE weapon, only that you must expend 1 Grit/Panache and an AoO; Snap Shot lets you make AoO's with Ranged Weapons...

So, near as I can tell, this is grounds for making a crazy Gunkata-esque parry monkey.

I just want to see if this is kosher or not.

[Arksangiel]

One says you must expend a use of an attack of opportunity and the other allows you to make it with a ranged weapon. Seems legit, don't recall any language in the swashbuckler which limits deeds to light or one-handed melee weapons.

[Apocryphile]

Are you suggesting that you'd parry with a shot arrow or fired bullet?

I'm not sure how you could reload you bow or firearm quickly enough to make the AoO, as the riposte is an immediate action.

[thunderbeard]

Considering that a ranger with Improved Snap Shot can easily fire six AoOs on top of his normal attacks, I don't think this is any more unreasonable in terms of time to fire. I just picture it as someone holding up a gun and shooting to deflect the sword as it's swung at him as part of a dodge.

[RumpinRufus]

It's not all that terribly unrealistic to say that you could use a bow (not an arrow) or a gun (not a bullet) to deflect an attack. And it certainly seems to work by RAW.

You're not expending any ammunition on the parry, though, so no "shooting the sword out of the way" (unless you and your GM decide that would be cool.)

[Byakko]

+10 Style points right there. Seems legit. :)

Also, note:

Quote:

Improved Snap Shot (Combat)

You can take advantage of your opponent’s vulnerabilities from a greater distance, and without exposing yourself.

Prerequisite: Dex 15, Point-Blank Shot, Rapid Shot, Snap Shot, Weapon Focus, base attack bonus +9.

Benefit: You threaten an additional 10 feet with Snap Shot.

Normal: Making a ranged attack provokes attacks of opportunity.

So you could potentially parry a melee attack (say from a large reach weapon) at 15' away with your gun.

I'd probably say a bullet is used since it's obviously being done at range in this case, with the justification of "The swashbuckler makes an attack roll as if she were making an attack of opportunity". A gun-using swashbuckler making an AoO with Snap Shot at range would normally expend a bullet. A little bit of a stretch, but seems reasonable.

With the right feats, talents, and/or gear, reloading is a free action so can be assumed to happen whenever needed.

The real fun starts when you consider double-barreled and scatter firearms.... ;)

[Xethik]

You can parry a reach attack with Opportune Parry without Imp Snap Shot. Making the long range riposte requires it, however.

[RumpinRufus]

In response to the last two posts:

Firstly, you cannot riposte an attack from 15 feet away, even WITH Improved Snap Shot. It says:

Opportune Parry and Riposte wrote:

Upon performing a successful parry and if she has at least 1 panache point, the swashbuckler can as an immediate action make an attack against the creature whose attack she parried, provided that creature is within her reach.

Even if you threaten 15 feet, that monster is still not within your reach (unless you are a high level aberrant sorcerer or something.)

Secondly, remember that the opponent is making a melee attack against you, so you don't need to parry (or riposte) at range. They are coming to you. You slap away their limb with your gun (or bow) and then fire a shot at them in return.

Still no ammunition needed for the parry.

[Darksol the Painbringer]

RumpinRufus wrote:

In response to the last two posts:

Firstly, you cannot riposte an attack from 15 feet away, even WITH Improved Snap Shot. It says:

Opportune Parry and Riposte wrote:

Upon performing a successful parry and if she has at least 1 panache point, the swashbuckler can as an immediate action make an attack against the creature whose attack she parried, provided that creature is within her reach.

Even if you threaten 15 feet, that monster is still not within your reach (unless you are a high level aberrant sorcerer or something.)

Secondly, remember that the opponent is making a melee attack against you, so you don't need to parry (or riposte) at range. They are coming to you. You slap away their limb with your gun (or bow) and then fire a shot at them in return.

Still no ammunition needed for the parry.

Pretty much this.

So when you parry an attack made against you, you can make a ranged attack against that enemy with a bow or gun.

As a personal note, I'd allow characters to be able to deflect oncoming ranged attacks by firing their ranged weapon, though they'd be their own separate deeds...

[Byakko]

RumpinRufus wrote:

In response to the last two posts:

Firstly, you cannot riposte an attack from 15 feet away, even WITH Improved Snap Shot. It says:

Opportune Parry and Riposte wrote:

Upon performing a successful parry and if she has at least 1 panache point, the swashbuckler can as an immediate action make an attack against the creature whose attack she parried, provided that creature is within her reach.

Even if you threaten 15 feet, that monster is still not within your reach (unless you are a high level aberrant sorcerer or something.)

Secondly, remember that the opponent is making a melee attack against you, so you don't need to parry (or riposte) at range. They are coming to you. You slap away their limb with your gun (or bow) and then fire a shot at them in return.

Still no ammunition needed for the parry.

Agreed that you can't reposte them unless they're within reach (as odd as that is).

It's still debatable whether the parry needs ammo or not. The swashbuckler "makes an attack roll as if she were making an attack of opportunity" and with snap shot "you can make attacks of opportunity with that ranged weapon". Ranged attacks with firearms require ammunition. Ergo, it could be argued that the parry attempt requires ammo.

But does it really matter?