A pair of questions about the Spellslinger's Arcane Gun

[A Man In Black]

Oo Cey, Arcane Gun wrote:

In a spellslinger’s hands, they both fire projectiles (bullets and pellets) and cast magic.

[...]

A spellslinger can cast any ranged touch attack, cone, line, or ray spells through his arcane gun. When he casts through the arcane gun, the gun’s enhancement bonus (if any) is a bonus to the spell’s attack rolls or to the spell’s saving throw DCs. Yet there are dangers inherent to this method. If any of the spells’ attack rolls result in a natural 1 (a misfire), or a natural 20 is rolled on any saving throw made against the spell by a target (an overload), the arcane gun gains the broken condition. If the arcane gun already has the broken condition, the gun explodes. When a gun explodes, it lets loose a blast of force, or if the spell has the acid, cold, electricity, or sonic descriptor, it deals that type of energy damage instead. In the case of spells with multiple descriptors, roll randomly among the descriptors to determine the type of damage dealt by the blast. The blast is centered on a single intersection within the spellslinger’s space (spellslinger’s choice) and deals 1d6 points of the appropriate energy damage or force damage per level of the spell cast. Any creature within the blast other than the spellslinger can make a Reflex saving throw to halve the damage. The Ref lex save DC is calculated using the spell level of the spell being sacrificed.

Does this consume ammunition? Do you need to load the gun first?

Mage Bullets wrote:

With that weapon bonus the spellslinger can apply any of the following to his arcane bond: [etc.]

I assume this is supposed refer to the arcane gun? A Spellslinger doesn't have an arcane bond.

[Shar Tahl]

Nothing indicates you are using a bullet for the casting of ray spells through the gun. By the wording, you are channeling the spell through the weapon, using it more as a focus, similar to Magus. The sentence "In the Spellslinger's hands, they both fire projectiles and cast magic" illustrates this.

As for the second one, I think it is implied that you have a floating arcane bond with your gun type, meaning it can be shifted from one gun to another, choosing what weapon to "bond" with at the beginning of each day

[A Man In Black]

Shar Tahl wrote:

Nothing indicates you are using a bullet for the casting of ray spells through the gun. By the wording, you are channeling the spell through the weapon, using it more as a focus, similar to Magus. The sentence "In the Spellslinger's hands, they both fire projectiles and cast magic" illustrates this.

Kind of what I figured, but specific clarification would be helpful.

Quote:

As for the second one, I think it is implied that you have a floating arcane bond with your gun type, meaning it can be shifted from one gun to another, choosing what weapon to "bond" with at the beginning of each day

Well, you can guess at what it implies all you like, it just needs errata.

[Ravingdork]

Is adding your gun's enhancement bonus to a select few spells worth giving up your bonus spell slots for the day, your specialization, your arcane bond, your 0-level spells, and pretty much every class ability possessed by the wizard?

[A Man In Black]

Ravingdork wrote:

Is adding your gun's enhancement bonus to a select few spells worth giving up your bonus spell slots for the day, your specialization, your arcane bond, your 0-level spells, and pretty much every class ability possessed by the wizard?

It's debatable. The "select few" spells include enough spells to get the job done.

[Seraphimpunk]

i'd rather just go gunslinger 1/ wizard 1 and get the cantrips and spells, and just select from the spells known some of the sorcerer/wizard spells for gunslingers, and choose my pistol as my arcane bond. the benefits of the spellslinger don't seem powerful enough.

detect magic as a 1st level spell? ::shudders::

[A Man In Black]

Seraphimpunk wrote:

i'd rather just go gunslinger 1/ wizard 1 and get the cantrips and spells, and just select from the spells known some of the sorcerer/wizard spells for gunslingers, and choose my pistol as my arcane bond. the benefits of the spellslinger don't seem powerful enough.

The only benefit that matters is +[weapon enhancement value] to save DCs on the affected spells, and that's a pretty huge benefit.

[Ravingdork]

Seraphimpunk wrote:

detect magic as a 1st level spell? ::shudders::

Doesn't work so well when identify is better in every way AND is also a 1st-level spell.

[Alchemistmerlin]

Ravingdork wrote:

Is adding your gun's enhancement bonus to a select few spells worth giving up your bonus spell slots for the day, your specialization, your arcane bond, your 0-level spells, and pretty much every class ability possessed by the wizard?

Is everything in this game about the mechanical advantage it presents?

[Magicdealer]

On the forums? Pretty much.

RP advantage is present in anything, including abilities that leave your character useless in combat.

The only objective standard of comparison is then the mechanical effects, so those are what come up. Also, the majority of people probably want rp advantage AND the ability to contribute more effectively in combat, so the effectiveness of archetypes and abilities becomes a topic of conversation.

[LazarX]

Ravingdork wrote:

Is adding your gun's enhancement bonus to a select few spells worth giving up your bonus spell slots for the day, your specialization, your arcane bond, your 0-level spells, and pretty much every class ability possessed by the wizard?

No it's not every class ability. You still get your feats, and your spells, and you still get your bonus spells from Intelligence,and you still have the same ability to use magic items that you had before. It's a fair tradeoff for what you get to do with an arcane gun..

[LazarX]

Alchemistmerlin wrote:

Ravingdork wrote:

Is adding your gun's enhancement bonus to a select few spells worth giving up your bonus spell slots for the day, your specialization, your arcane bond, your 0-level spells, and pretty much every class ability possessed by the wizard?

Is everything in this game about the mechanical advantage it presents?

For some, it's how one can bend the RAW until it screams for mercy. But yes for many mechanical advantage is all that matters because they're in a "winning" mindset.

[A Man In Black]

LazarX wrote:

For some, it's how one can bend the RAW until it screams for mercy. But yes for many mechanical advantage is all that matters because they're in a "winning" mindset.

And for some, it's about smug superiority and passive-aggressive badwrongfun bullshit in a thread that's asking a rules question.

[Jiraiya22]

I'm wondering about Mage Bullets. It doesn't say specifically that the enhancement bonus from this stacks with the enhancement bonus of your weapon. That pretty much makes this ability useless. I'm kind of hoping this is an oversight but...