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* Advanced Firearms can target Touch AC from 1st to 5th range increment and have 10 range increments (UC p136)
* Deadeye can target Touch AC from 2nd to 10th range increment (UC p10)
* Advanced Firearms reload both one-handed and two-handed as a move action (UC p136)
* Advanced Firearms uses Metal cartridges and can not support alchemical cartridges (UC p139)
* Reloading a Cartridges loads the weapon to full capacity or is it one cartridge per barrel? (UC p136)
* Metal Cartridge in Advanced Firearm load one step faster (Move->Free) & increase misfire by 1 (UC p140/p141)
* Vital Strike Double Shotgun on one target is -4 to hit for 8d8 damage (UC p140)
Any issues with my RAW parsing? Any comments from Paizo staff counter to these interpretations?
Executive Summary:
I can shoot a Double Barrel Shotgun at -4 of highest BAB for 4d8 target touch attack from range increment 1 to 10 (plus increment penalties) with a Metal Cartridge and reload as a free action to do the same for BAB-5 and BAB-10 attacks.
* Advanced Firearms can target Touch AC from 1st to 5th range increment and have 10 range increments (UC p136)
Correct.
* Deadeye can target Touch AC from 2nd to 10th range increment (UC p10)
As long as you pay 1 grit point to use Deadeye, correct.
* Advanced Firearms reload both one-handed and two-handed as a move action (UC p136)
Correct.
* Advanced Firearms uses Metal cartridges and can not support alchemical cartridges (UC p139)
Correct.
* Reloading a Cartridges loads the weapon to full capacity or is it one cartridge per barrel? (UC p136)
The description clearly says that a single cartridge contains either pallets or a bullet. Because the rules say nothing about reloading to full capacity, it is clear that a cartridge supplies a single bullet to the firearm it is loaded into.
* Metal Cartridge in Advanced Firearm load one step faster (Move->Free) & increase misfire by 1 (UC p140/p141)
Correct.
* Vital Strike Double Shotgun on one target is -4 to hit for 8d8 damage (UC p140)
Assuming you are a Medium-sized creature, it depends upon your GM. Some GMs might rule that you simply double the damage from your 4d6, while others might allow you to roll 8d6 for a higher or lower potential damage. Either way, you do this at a –4 penalty, as you said.
Executive Summary:
I can shoot a Double Barrel Shotgun at -4 of highest BAB for 4d8 target touch attack from range increment 1 to 10 (plus increment penalties) with a Metal Cartridge and reload as a free action to do the same for BAB-5 and BAB-10 attacks.
Incorrect. Using Vital Strike is a standard action. Because of this, you cannot make a full attack during the round that you use the Vital Strike feat.
So in your example, you would make one attack at your highest attack bonus –4. If you hit, you deal double damage with your shotgun.
That said, double-barrel firearms have historically been a subject of heated debate on the Paizo forums and as far as I am aware, no developer comment has ever been made in regards to them. I would not expect your GM to allow you to acquire a double-barreled weapon.
Advanced Firearms uses Metal cartridges and can not support alchemical cartridges (UC p139)Correct.
Sort of. Metal cartridges are alchemical cartridges. It's more correct to say that advanced firearms can only use metal (alchemical) cartridges.
* Reloading a Cartridges loads the weapon to full capacity or is it one cartridge per barrel? (UC p136)The description clearly says that a single cartridge contains either pallets or a bullet. Because the rules say nothing about reloading to full capacity, it is clear that a cartridge supplies a single bullet to the firearm it is loaded into.
Not certain what you're saying here. A metal cartridge is either a 'slug' bullet (one projectile) or a 'shot' bullet (multiple smaller projectiles. In either case, the reload for advanced firearms indicates that the move action for reloading a weapon reloads that weapon to full capacity - so a double-barreled shotgun would go from 'empty' to containing two rounds (either slugs, shot, or one of each - which would be sort of silly).
* Metal Cartridge in Advanced Firearm load one step faster (Move->Free) & increase misfire by 1 (UC p140/p141)Correct.
Incorrect\questionable.
Look at the basic (old-school black powder firearms). The reload times and misfire chances given there by default assume you are using standard ball-and-powder wad ammunition - its basic ammunition type.
The basic - in fact only - ammunition type that advanced firearms can use are metal (alchemical) cartridges. Therefore the move action\misfire values given can't really be anything but the values for an advanced firearm loaded with metal cartridges.
So to load an advanced firearm to full capacity is a move action, unchanged by the fact that a metal cartridge is technically 'alchemical', and the misfire value is not altered from the base.
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Owner - D20 Hobbies
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* Reloading ... full capacity or is it one cartridge per barrel? (UC p136)The description clearly says that a single cartridge contains either pallets or a bullet. Because the rules say nothing about reloading to full capacity, it is clear that a cartridge supplies a single bullet to the firearm it is loaded into.
UC p136 says "It is a move action to load a one-handed or two- handed advanced firearm to its full capacity." Double Barrel capacity is 2.
Where does it say a cartridge holds exactly one bullet or pellet?
UC p140 says "They can hold either bullets or pellets" which is plural.
Executive Summary:
... -4 of highest BAB for 4d8 ... reload as a free action to do the same for BAB-5 and BAB-10 attacks.Incorrect. Using Vital Strike is a standard action.
DM Won't Allow Double Barrel Shotgun
Notice, I'm not saying 8d8 so I'm not using Vital Strike in that Full Attack example.
DM will allow, as it is RAW and DM is good with anything that is unambiguous RAW.
* Metal Cartridge in Advanced Firearm load one step faster (Move->Free) & increase misfire by 1 (UC p140/p141)Incorrect\questionable.
So to load an advanced firearm to full capacity is a move action, unchanged by the fact that a metal cartridge is technically 'alchemical', and the misfire value is not altered from the base.
Interesting. Assuming this is correct, how do I increase the reload speed? Can Rapid Reload Shotgun do it?
Interesting. Assuming this is correct, how do I increase the reload speed? Can Rapid Reload Shotgun do it?
There's actually an FAQ that I bumped yesterday regarding this.
As it stands, RAW Rapid Reload actually makes reloading advanced two-handed firearms worse because it states, "The time required for you to reload your chosen type of weapon is reduced to...a standard action (two-handed firearm)."
It does not word it to reduce the reload speed by a step, but bases it on static action types derived solely from basic firearms, completely failing to take advanced guns into account.
Feel free to 'bump' the FAQ thread and tag it yourself. It seems like advanced firearms were possibly an afterthought - or maybe because an advanced firearm is already reloaded to full capacity as a move action they did it intentionally for balance purposes.
From a house rule perspective, I would allow Rapid Reload to reduce the reload time on all advanced firearms (full capacity) to a swift action, which would still let you fire, reload (swift), fire, reload (move), fire again (assuming you have attacks left).
From a house rule perspectiveUnfortunately for this game, I can only use RAW rules.
But I found a workable solution, I just need to get a Ranger level in the build or mitigate 35% Arcane Spell Failure ;-)
Spell Reloading Hands
Take a look at the Beneficial Bandolier as well. It allows you (as a swift action) to teleport a round of ammunition from the bandolier into the gun.
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Owner - D20 Hobbies
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Beneficial Bandolier as well. It allows you (as a swift action) to teleport a round of ammunition from the bandolier into the gun.
Looks like it only does one bullet/pellet?
When you load a Double-barreled Shotgun to full, is it considered "one" for the purpose of Beneficial Bandolier? I'm thinking not.
"Single round of ammunition"; it would essentially load a single metal cartridge into a shotgun, or (for early firearms) a single ball of shot with powder charge (or alchemical cartridge).
Reading over Reloading Hands, I'd probably check with the GM as to how it's going to function. "...loads a single ranged weapon or firearm with conjured ammunition," could be interpreted to mean roughly the same thing as what the bandolier does; if it does reload the firearm to full capacity, then it's a pretty nice spell, as it would do it whether you're dealing with an early or advanced firearm.
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Well, in the end, the build has too many flaws.
I've abandoned it for now. While it sounds exciting (4d8) in practice the damage output is too slow to challenge other builds.
I'm currently tinkering with a Touch Attack Sneak Attack build that should out damage it by about double in a round at this point.