So, I'm playing a Gun using Wizard in a level 8 party (I'm built as a Gish using Abjurant Champion as my PrC, so I have CL 5 and 6 BAB) and the DM allowed advanced firearm rules, giving me a Pepperbox rifle and when all feats tally up, some nice damage, rolling around 60 to 70 DPT basically every turn, as long as there's something for me to shoot within 30 feet. (Focused shot on a 26 int is lovely.)
Unfortunately, the DM's looking at me thinking he needs to nerf me because my damage is disproportionately high. (and I sort of soloed a CR 13 last session) I've both told him to stop letting me get within 30 feet so my damage goes down, and I'm already looking through ways to nerf myself without crippling my build in the long run (mostly by redoing my feats so my bigger bonuses come later), but I'm worried that just reducing myself down isn't going to help:
- We have one player who's Duelist build averages 0 damage
- Our Longbow Fighter is built exclusively for ranged and has spent the last 3 encounters in melee. (in fairness, one encounter was because he tempted fate and a CR13 single mob encounter grappled him in a surprise round while he was climbing... the rest I dunno what's going on.)
- There's one more player who's playing a Divine Trickster (Sniper Rogue 3, Cleric 3, Trickster 2) that's just on an unbelievable string of bad luck with his damage rolls, he's done less than half his average the entire campaign, one turn he hit with both attacks with a revolver (silencing oil'd), from stealth, making iterative stealth checks against the -20 penalty, and did 8 damage. All ones.
- Our dedicated caster just falls asleep at the table and can't be woken up.
Usually, our party is optimized for damage, so... I'm not really sure what's going on. I feel like something is wrong besides my lawful evil Gunmage invoking "shoot first, speak with dead later".
You're playing 3.5 classes, your fighter will be stuck behind the party forever. Or have you mixed and matched 3.5 and PF? Are you using 3.5 adventures or PF adventures, or again a mix of both?
I had a similar problem playing 3.5 in that my Malconvoker was doing far more damage than the sorceress, monk, and rogue were doing. Instead of trying to "nerf" my character, the DM gave everybody a chance to rework their characters into a more optimal build (but keeping the same flavor). Monk became a Setting Sun Swordsage, the rogue let himself die and re-rolled psychic warrior, and the sorceress decided to just focus on AoE (as I was all single target). The party had a lot more fun after that.
So, maybe talk your GM into letting you do the same. If not, maybe you let YOUR character die and pick out a new character that is more in line with the party's power level. Play something purely for fun and flavor.
Ah, it's PF with 3.5 PrCs by approval, homebrew campaign. Most encounters are party vs 1 mob.
The issue at hand isn't PrC based, however, since my damage isn't tied to my PrC: it's just basic feat selection and stat stacking. I'd do the same damage with the same stat split as a gunslinger 1/Fighter 7. I've cast one spell the entire campaign, aside from my morning application of mage armor.
Your DM is throwing some weak crap at you if you can solo it. Also your party is built pretty bad. Just tone it down some considering you don't have to optimize at all. Also show him a grenadier half orc alchemist build for the lulz.
Yeah, I talked to the DM some about ways I could do that smoothly, he said before we do anything we're going to do a character sheet audit next session, just do some overall number crunching and look for ways to equalize things. He said that what he remembers of the Duelist's character sheet, the duelist should be doing the same damage I am. So we've got a plan.
I also talked to him about some of the errata, so we're probably about to all revamp our characters to be current anyway. The fighter and Duelist have been using the "old" vital strike, and so on.
And I'll second the weak crap comment. I think he's been throwing single monsters at us to probe out our breaking point slowly, bit by bit.
Also, he's seen Grenadier half orc alch. One of the players keeps threatening to roll one and we all just glare at him until he gives up.
Focused shot requires you use a standard action to shoot once gaining a bonus to damage on the shot equal to int.
Full round attacks are not kosher, neither is rapid shot or manyshot as they both require full round attacks, which a Focused shot action is not.
Ahah, a trap feat. That would be part of the headache. 'swhat I get for picking feats based on the "benefits" column of the feat tree over at PFsrd.
Even accounting for the -24 that does to my full round attack, everyone else is still barely breaking single digits which is more of what I was worried about in the first place. As mentioned, we're going to be doing a sheet audit next session and discuss how we're going to even everything out, so I expect us to equalize a bit.
I can't really see how you are making 60-70 dps with a single shot at level 8 but I imagine it is clever.
This kind of snark is just not cool. The correction on the action type is appreciated, but 60 DPT is 10 DPS!
Ahh, apologies for snapping back, then.
In that case, it actually can be done legally, but before you mentioned it I'd been trying not to think about it because I'd be tempted to do it. *laugh* That and it makes use of Vital Strike. *frown*
The two easiest ways I found tonight while musing over it.
A: Gravity Bow, Vital Strike, and Spell storing bullets of your blasting spell of choice. (I was going to go with Scorching Ray.)
B: Bullet of Sizing (Colossal), Gravity Bow, Vital Strike. (edit: I'm not ecstatic about how this one uses an enchant that as far as I can tell hasn't been imported to PF)
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In that case, it actually can be done legally, but before you mentioned it I'd been trying not to think about it because I'd be tempted to do it. *laugh* That and it makes use of Vital Strike. *frown*
The two easiest ways I found tonight while musing over it.
A: Gravity Bow, Vital Strike, and Spell storing bullets of your blasting spell of choice. (I was going to go with Scorching Ray.)
That gives 4d6/round (Gravity Bow on Medium longbow 2d6, Vital Strike 2d6), plus whatever bonuses from ability scores, other feats, and the individual spell chosen.
Scorching Ray adds another 4d6, so damage from dice alone is 8-48, average 28.While good, it takes a round of prep between each shot, and does burn through your spells, so that may not cause the GM as much heartburn.
I'm still not seeing the 60 damage/round, though.
That gives 4d6/round (Gravity Bow on Medium longbow 2d6, Vital Strike 2d6), plus whatever bonuses from ability scores, other feats, and the individual spell chosen.
Scorching Ray adds another 4d6, so damage from dice alone is 8-48, average 28.While good, it takes a round of prep between each shot, and does burn through your spells, so that may not cause the GM as much heartburn.
I'm still not seeing the 60 damage/round, though.
Projectile size is a factor, I'm using a gun with a base of a 1d10. 1d10 becomes 2d8, vital to 4d8.
Slips in with the extra rays as you level: that 8~48 becomes 12~80 when you adjust for bullet size and second ray. That's before the question of Maximize spell. Maximize spell would come close to clenching it by itself with just two rays (48 + 4d8 + dex if you have gun training), you'd just have to roll well on your d8s.
Also, I can't find a time limit on spell storing, so if you're using spell storing bullets, excess spells/day can be channeled into them before you camp. In my own case, I have one of the premade spellbooks that gives you a Maximize Spell for one spell prepared using it per day. (I believe the cost is the spell level in d4s worth of damage?) So as long as the maximize would take, I could maximize one of my regular scorching rays as I dump it in... I think?
This is totally GP toss tho', since you're shooting overglorified +2 ammo.