So a play wanted to run a Gun Mage character class from Iron Kingdoms, and after looking over the class, I see nothing really wrong with it. It is basically a limited spell caster that can cast spells through his guns. While getting spells at a bard progression. "They cast like a sorcerer, know spells and spontaneous, charisma based". Since my setting is allowing six shot revolvers, and steam punk like technology.
It was a 3.5 class, so he only has d6 health, and 2 + int skills per level. As well as expected to use 3.5 rules for guns. "A pistol does 2d6 instead of 1d8 but they doesn't go through touch AC and such. "
Overall, it doesn't seem like I have to change anything, but I was wondering, since many classes got powered up in pathfinder, if I should power up this class.
As far as class abilities goes, this class gets 3 abilities at the first 3 levels "the ones that let him cast spells on his bullets" and then a bonus feat ever fifth level "5,10,15,20". They only have a base attack of 3/4 HD "+15 at level 20". What changes should I make if any?
Their spell selection, although nice, isn't anything that would turn the balance of the game.
0 level—arcane mark, dancing lights, daze, detect magic, disrupt undead, flare, ghost sound, light, mage hand, mending,
open/close, prestidigitation, ray of frost, read magic, resistance1st level—alarm, animate rope, burning hands, cause fear, change self, charm person, chill touch, color spray, endure elements,
enlarge, erase, expeditious retreat, feather fall, floating disk, grease, hold portal, hypnotism, jump, mage armor, magic missile,
magic weapon, magical aura, message, obscuring mist, protection from chaos/evil/good/law, ray of enfeeblement, reduce, shield,
shocking grasp, silent image, sleep, spider climb, true strike, undetectable aura, unseen servant, ventriloquism2nd level—alter self, arcane lock, blindness/deafness, blur, bull's strength, cat's grace, continual flame, darkness, darkvision,
daylight, detect undead, endurance, flaming sphere, fog cloud, glitterdust, hideous laughter, hold person, hypnotic pattern,
identify, invisibility, knock, levitate, locate object, magic mouth, minor image, mirror image, misdirection, obscure object,
protection from arrows, pyrotechnics, resist elements, scare, see invisibility, shatter, silence, sound burst, suggestion, summon
swarm, tongues, trap, undetectable alignment, web, whispering wind3rd level—blink, confusion, detect thoughts, dispel magic, displacement, emotion, explosive runes, fear, fireball, fly, gaseous
form, greater magic weapon, gust of wind, halt undead, haste, hold person, invisibility sphere, keen edge, lightning bolt, magic
circle against chaos/evil/good/ law, nondetection, phantom steed, protection from elements, shrink item, sleet storm, slow,
stinking cloud, suggestion, vampiric touch, water breathing, wind wallect...
This class sounds a lot like the inquisitor, so it would stand to reason they should get more skills per level, such at 6 + int, and a HD of 8 instead of 6. They also would get the Amateur gunslinger feat, or maybe they would even get a grit progression at some negative level of the gunslinger. Maybe give them rogue talents at some odd frequency?
Gunmage was pretty weak in 3.5 sadly, and its not helped in comparison by the general power upping of Pathfinder. I'd definately want to give it something to bring it more in line if I were going to use it. But thats probably a lot of work to make it good and in line with other PF Base Classes..
However, if you're just looking for theme... Spellslinger 1/ Myrmidarch Magus isn't terrible (and gets tons of ability to enhance their weapon; see mage bullets + arcane pool) and gets ranged spellstrike at Magus 4. This is probably your most 'conversion light' option.
"So a play" should be so "So a player"**** I don't know how I missed that.
This class isn't for me, the player wants to play this class, mostly because his truename speaker in the campaign just didn't work at all. When I was GMing that class, I can't possibly see how that class was ever consider OP or feared as what I read it could "supposedly do" He could never beat the DC for any of the encounters. (CR*2)+15, he sadly wasted a lot of his turns.