Hey, all. A buddy of mine will be dm'ing a campaign in the near future and I decided to start thinking up some characters. One idea that I am currently fixated on is a melee-range, gun-slinging inquisitor. I want to do this for a few reasons: 1) guns are fun, 2) I have yet to play an Inquisitor and want to give it a shot, and 3) most of my friends tend to red mage their stuff a bit too much, so I like to balance it out with a little fun.
Here is a rough idea of what I've thought of so far:
Character Idea:
Half-Elf
Master of Many Styles Monk 2, Inquisitor 3
*(I expect to start at level 5 in the campaign)
STR 10
DEX 17 --> 20 (+2 race, +1 at 4th level)
CON 10
INT 12
WIS 16
CHA 10
*With 25 point buy system
As you can see, I don't mind multi-classing to get fun stuff. I also haven't purchased items as my friend usually tells us how much gold we have depending on the campaign.
Also, let me say that, yes, I am aware that firing a ranged weapon in melee or reloading a firearm in melee provokes an AoO...but that's kind of the fun in it, right?
So what are your thoughts/opinions/changes? I don't really care about the race, stats, or class (though Inquisitor sounds fun), so change what you think is best to make what you think works well...well, work well! Just try to keep the battle mechanic the same: firing a pistol in melee.
Cixyron has the musket as his favor weapon. Pop a single level in cleric and choose the channnel smite feat. Nab the Guided hand feat and use your wisdom for attack rolls with the musket. Pump strength and wisdom. Use the musket axe/warhammer to shoot, the smack in melee while wielding the axe/warhammer portion with two hands.
That is a solid idea, but I am really trying to use only a pistol so that I can theoretically reload as a free action later on (sadly, short of being a gunslinger, muskets will always take at least a move action).
Also, I'm not really interested in making any melee attacks with this character (or at least not building towards making them worthwhile).
Unarmed fighter might be a better dip to up your BAB. Enchanting your pistol with the guided enchantment(if allowed) would help.
Is the unarmed strike a must?
Unarmed strike is definitely not a must, but it is a nice bonus when you have to have a free hand to reload your gun anyhow.
The gunslinger option is definitely there, but the aesthetic of a pistol is more interesting to me than the musket.
So, for unchangeable: firing a pistol in melee.
I will have to ask about the guided, but that's definitely an idea. My buddy is usually pretty relaxed on what is and is not allowed, and, given the circumstances of my character, I'm guessing he'd be fine with it. He may even be willing to let me invent a god which favors the pistol as a way to use your previous suggestion.
And if there are other slightly rule-bending ideas you have, please share!
If you're only getting the monk levels for the unarmed strike, I'd drop those in favor of just wearing a cestus, personally. Which also, if you want to, gives you the option to pick up Sword and Pistol to not provoke AoO's for firing in melee (and Snap Shot on the way to it, so that you threaten with your gun).
Alternately, if you can get Weapon Specialization, either by dipping Fighter or other methods, that lets you pick up Point Blank Master and not provoke that way without having to get TWF (you hafta get Weapon Spec instead, but that helps you if you didn't intend to TWF anyway).
Perhaps a gun with a built in melee weapon would work better, or a shield. The Sword and Pistol feat will really help this build. The Asura-Spawn tiefling and goblin are decent choices. Deadly Aim is a must. A single level in Pistolero will help as well.
Also, since you say your GM is flexible with rules, try and get yourself custom item of Abundant Ammunition (ammo pouch with a constant effect would be best, but a x/day would be fine too) - that'll cut your ammo cost for the alchemical cartridges way down (or eliminate it entirely, if it's a constant effect) so you don't bleed off your treasure once you start blaring away with Rapid Shot and multiple attacks.
@Blackbloodtroll: Doesn't Deadly Aim say you cannot use it with a touch attack? Or is a shot from a gun, though resolved against touch AC within the first range increment, still considered a normal ranged attack and subject to Deadly Aim use? Also, does an unarmed attack qualify for Sword and Pistol?
@DrowVampyre: The Abundant Ammunition pouch sounds like a great idea. I will run it by him. And Weapon Spec sounds not too bad. But the Unarmed Fighter class features don't really mesh well with what I want to do, so what archetype would you suggest? Bravery is something I would want to do away with (rarely do fear effects appear in our campaigns), as an fyi.
Also, ranged attacks suffer a -4 if they are shot at a friendly engaged with another character in melee, but what if you are the one engaged in melee? Do you still take the -4? And is this the same if you are adjacent to your enemy even if they are engaging a friendly in melee at the same time?
Oh, I use this site a lot, but I don't see where it lists changes to the rules such as allowing Deadly Aim for ranged touch attacks.
I apologize for the bother, but is there a page or GoogleDoc that outlines these changes to the rules or are they just buried in posts here on the forum?
Deadly Aim works with firearms. This is RAW. Sword and pistol does not function with an unarmed strike, this is why I asked if it was a must.
Why would S&P not work with unarmed? You'd hafta take the TWF penalties, yes, but unarmed striking would count as a melee weapon (and if the GM says it doesn't, throw a cestus or spiked gauntlet on and you're good to go, though you wouldn't get your normal unarmed damage die).
You can wear a gauntlet, make an unarmed strike, and not use the gauntlet. A gauntlet is not an unarmed strike.
Yes, I know, but nothing in the S&P feat specifies what kind of melee weapon it has to be, and "unarmed strike" counts as a melee weapon. <_< Now personally I wouldn't use resources boosting it just for that, but still.
I also wanted to ask one more thing: Combat Expertise mentions that you must attack or full attack with a melee weapon, but can you use it if you attack with both a melee and ranged weapon? And does the -1 apply to both attacks? In addition, with Deadly Aim, does the -1 apply to your melee weapon for attacks that round?
And I will ask about the unarmed strike, but I'm guessing it won't be an issue.
