Bullet Shield

[Ganny]

From the SRD:

Bullet Shield Description:

The warded creature gains a +4 deflection bonus to AC against firearm and ranged attacks, with an additional +1 to the bonus for every five caster levels you have (to a maximum of +8 at 20th level). Though the spell is called bullet shield, it also grants this protection from attacks made from firearms with the scatter weapon quality.

My question is: Why were all ranged attacks included in this? I see this spell was meant as a stop-gap to prevent Gunslingers with rifles from destroying everything in there first range increment, but why include another method of preventing a person with a Crossbow or a person with a Bow from hitting a target? I thought we already had spells like Wind Wall, or Entropic Shield to do that, until you got to Fickle
Winds and make ranged attackers throw up there hands in disgust.

I think I just need to start playing Gunslingers more often.

[Grick]

Ganny wrote:

My question is: Why were all ranged attacks included in this?

I assume it's because it's sort of a generic defensive spell. If it was only for firearms, who would ever use it? Even vs all ranged attacks, it still doesn't stack with Shield of Faith or Protection from [alignment], Arrow Catching armor, Ring of protection, smite evil, etc.

[Ganny]

However, it starts as a +4 deflection bonus at level 5. Huge for a defensive buff, and with the added scale ability, out does the others for any ranged attack, which includes rays. Its too good a spell not to have on you list as a caster.

[Dolanar]

Its situational at best because unless you happen to fight Archers & Gunslingers nonstop in almost every battle, you're unlikely to use the spell that often.

[Fluff]

It's an excellent spell, one of the very best of it's level. One of the few buffs with a duration beyond the current fight at 10 minutes per level, when you're mid level it has a duration (especially with a cheapo rod of extend metamagic) of hours. This alone makes it worth having because really, why not? a spell that will last the majority of most dungeons.

A duration like that makes it gold, even if its actual effect is minor.
Pathfinder generally stripped long lasting buffs out of the game so the majority are 1 minute per level, the ones that remain relatively long duration buffs are always worth having.

But its effect isn't /that/ minor at all. The buff to AC is very high for its level, on a par with very expensive alternatives (rings of prot +5, and higher). That it only affects ranged combat isn't a huge bother given for a straight wizard at least ranged combat is the most likely scenario for him. Unlike protection from arrows it'll work on anything (dr /magic is the easiest to get around), unlike shield of faith it lasts for ages, unlike wind wall/wall of sound/fickle winds it works on rays (and lasts for ages). Chances are it'll never be obsolete due to it's duration, even if you can cast fickle winds.