Hey all, I am going to be playing in Skull and Shackles with a 30 point gestalt build. I am going with one side of the build being a gunslinger Musket Master, but I am wondering about the other half of the build. I would like to avoid most caster classes, and was thinking fighter for bonus feats and specializations. I would like to be able to do combat maneuvers with a gun, something like the archer archetype can do with bows, but I have not found anything. My main goal is to be very ranged melee focused with a firearm, I like the idea of touch AC attacks, and musket master can get reload as a free action fairly quickly with cartridges.
Any thoughts, advice, or input would be appreciated.
If you can convince your GM to let it work with firearms, a Zen Archer/Gunslinger would be frightening. Flurry of bullets, with high saves, mobility, and extra utility out of a high Wisdom score.
You could attempt the same persuasion with the Archer archetype for fighter to work with guns. Otherwise, just go with Weapon Master fighter focusing on rifles.
Something I'd like to try is a Words of Power Spellslinger Wizard / Gunslinger. 5 levels of Gunslinger seem appropriate, maybe 7 for the deeds. After that hit Fighter pretty hard for feats, Weapon Master seems appropriate. Alternatively, use Pistols, Pistolero, and then go into Two Weapon Warrior for the extra defensive bonuses.
With Gestalt I can go heavy into fighter from the start, but it would mainly be just for feats/weapon specialization as gunslingers already have the hit dice and base attack I need. I really want a second class to gunslinger that would add a lot, but it seems like fighter is the way to go. Even a lot of the coolness of a weapon master is overshadowed by gunslinger.
I would really like to find a way to make combat maneuvers from range with a gun though, like being able to disarm or trip with a bullet, but I am not finding a lot that goes with a gun. Archer does seem ok, but I am not sure the GM would go for it, and also some of it seems pretty unrealistic to be doing with a gun instead of a bow.
If your GM allows for the called shots rules, you could always declare a Called shot to an enemies weapon, and if that works then the enemy might be left with a broken weapon and/or be disarmed in the process. As to the Gestalt, I'd personally ask your GM if he'd allow you to use the Zen Archer with guns instead of bows, otherwise if he or she doesn't allow for it, I'd consider going into the monk class for at least one level to gain the Monk's AC bonus if you don't mind not wearing armor.
If you don't want to take Monk, I'd also suggest taking Ranger/fighter for the feats they give you, or possibly Magus with the quick draw feat so you could fire away with your firearms all you like, then switch to melee with the Magus if you really wanted/needed to.
Alchemist would give you gun-related extracts, mutagens, self-healing, skills, and bombs as an option to AoE packs of enemies, while still targeting touch AC and synergizing with your ranged combat feats. The Grenadier archetype lets you attach alchemical items to your bullets as well. Bombs also give options for some battlefield control. Not quite combat maneuvers, but still helpful.
For a completely different approach with gunslinger/alchemist, a Gunslinger (Pistolero)/Alchemist (Vivisectionist) would be absolutely brutal at close range, stacking Up Close and Deadly with Sneak Attack, especially once you get Signature Deed. The Vestigial Arm discovery also lets you reload your pistols, meaning you can dual wield them.
ranger could fit well, you could always take a non-casting archetype.
Nice idea on the Alchemist Psycho! I also like how the Bomb class feature of the Alchemist is a thrown splash weapon, so if an enemy got too close for guns (lol) he could simply throw a bomb at the AC of the square of the enemy (AC 5) and hit them that way! ALso, there's an alchemist ability that allows you to tack your bomb damage dice onto an arrow, and you could try to argue with your gm to let that talent also apply to guns, if guns are prevalent enough.