This is yet another 'What if?' thread concerning a character I want to make but am not sure if I'll get a chance to use. Here goes.
One character concept I've always wanted to use but never could figure out how to make work mechanically is the sword-and-pistol wielder. It feels particularly fitting for a character that's an officer in a military organization. With one hand they're making ranged attacks; with the other they're making melee attacks, all the while shouting orders to the troops. What's the best way to go about making this viable?
Weapon Finesse comes to mind, but I don't think that's strictly necessary given that guns attack Touch AC. You could have a moderate DEX score and a high Strength score. TWF would be necessary, though, for obvious reasons... and you can only avoid TWF's requirements if you've got levels in Ranger. DEX will be necessary for any other class combo.
My immediate instinct is to dip Gunslinger at first level, then go Ranger and eventually into Shieldmarshal. However, Shieldmarshal won't actually grant this character more TWF feats, unlike going straight ranger; so perhaps a DEX-based build would work better here.
The feat Opening Volley looks tasty for this build.
What about the Trench Fighter? Is this comparable to a Gunslinger if a couple Grit-based feats are taken, or would a pure Gunslinger be a more effective choice, perhaps?
Any thoughts, ideas, and opinions are welcome.
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Important note: If you aren't trying to exceed your standard number of attacks per round, you don't need TWF. You can, for example, with a +6 BAB, make one attack with sword and one attack with gun at no penalty.
I'd just to straight Gunslinger, myself. You have a full BAB and martial weapons. Even if you don't trick out your swordplay, you're still going to be pretty good at it.
Sword and pistol just doesn't work in this game, mechanically. For the amount of feats you'd have to spend, you could just take Deft Shootist and shoot in melee. What if you have to reload? Weapon Cords are move actions now. Why would you ever want to mix melee and ranged attacks? You're either in melee or you're not. You won't want to split your attacks between multiple enemies, partly because you gain Grit back from kills, and partly because enemies with 1 HP are just as dangerous as those with full HP.
Opening Volley looks good at first glance, but why wouldn't you just shoot him again? Guns target touch AC, so you're still more likely to hit going pure range.
Gunslingers add Dex to Damage with firearms, you'd have to get an Agile enhancement to do the same in melee. If you're going to spend the money enchanting two different weapons, why not do it for two pistols?
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Because style points matter. Sword and pistol looks cool.
Because style points matter. Sword and pistol looks cool.
-50 Style Points for dangling your sword from your wrist while you reload your pistol with that hand.
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Hm. Playing Switch Hitter instead of TWF both weapons at once could work better, yeah... As far as reloading shenanigans go, I remembered an item that wasn't a weapon cord while I was busy elsewhere today: Gloves of Storing. The character would be able to make their sword disappear, fire, reload, fire, make the gun disappear and the sword reappear, then swing it as a two-handed weapon.
I'll post more later tonight. I'm pooped.
I agree with switch-hitting, the question is which you want to be your focus. Do you want to fire an opening shot on the first turn, then switch to your sword? Or do you want to stay in the back and have the sword as an option for necessity/cleaning up?
Dump points in Handle Animal.
Buy a small monkey.
Train him to reload pistols in mid-combat.
Opening Volley gives you till the end of your next turn, so you can start using it at very low level: Shoot one turn, then charge the next.
Sword and Pistol can be fun, but the requisites are steep. It might not feel cool by the time you can actually take it.
My suggestion is don't build for using the sword and the pistol for melee TWF the way you see in, say, Warhammer. Build it so you have a (preferably multi-shot) pistol in one hand and a sword in the other, so that you can be a switch-hitter without dropping weapons all over the battlefield or leaving them danging from your torso (weapon cords). Shoot when you can, stab when you can, and be prepared to drop the gun when it runs empty (either draw another or start two-handing the sword).
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Save that there's really no such kind of character in either fiction, nor history.
Fiction: Solomon Kane
History: Blackbeard
Page one, Netflix. There must be others.
Save that there's really no such kind of character in either fiction, nor history.
Fiction: Solomon Kane
History: Blackbeard
Page one, Netflix. There must be others.
Warhammer / Warhammer 40k characters do this too, as an earlier poster noted.
Save that there's really no such kind of character in either fiction, nor history.
Fiction: Solomon Kane
History: Blackbeard
Page one, Netflix. There must be others.
Dante from Devil May Cry 3 and Nero from Devil May Cry 4 both use pistols in combination with swords, and do so with sheer skill.
Several pirates are most likely to have used flintlock pistols as well as cutlasses when they raided ships. Though pistols were more expendable in terms of usage, it doesn't change that it is possible in history.
If I were to build a Sword + Pistol character, I think Nero would pull it off the best, since he uses a double-barreled revolver. (I even statted out his weapons to be accurate with how it is in the game. I'll post them if anyone is interested.)
Get a pistol of the infinite sky. Reloading problems gone.
One character concept I've always wanted to use but never could figure out how to make work mechanically is the sword-and-pistol wielder.
Dip 3 levels into Swashbuckler.
just have a npc hafling gun caddy follow the pc around, honestly everyone makes things so complicated. :)
just have a npc hafling gun caddy follow the pc around, honestly everyone makes things so complicated. :)
There is a character in the pathfinders tales who does exactly this. Only with a dwarf, she carries one rifle and two pistols he carries the other rifle handing it and taking the spent one and reloading it.
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just have a npc hafling gun caddy follow the pc around, honestly everyone makes things so complicated. :)
"Looks like a nasty par-4 up this way, past the water elemental hazard. Wentworth, hand me my .38 iron."
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The only things I could see working, is Monk/Gunslinger, Inquisitor/Gunslinger, Fighter/Gunslinger, Cleric/Gunslinger, Wizard/Gunslinger, Ranger/Gunslinger.
Anything that can be a decent or great Dex/Wis based class, should work out well as far as combining with Gunslinger. As far as what Synergizes... hard to say there. It seems like your synergy is completely split between both classes even when combined. The synergy feels more like "switch-hitting" than it does a true synergy. I've done a few builds, but everything just comes out clunky. If you figure out a good one, please let me know!
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Going 6 to 8 levels in Slayer after starting 3 levels in Swashbuckler would be quite beneficial.
Slayer gets Deadly Range and Ranger Combat Style as Talents.
You can also select Firearm Training and Grit rogue talent from your Slayer Talents. Grit (Talent) allows you to get Amateur Gunslinger with one level 1 Deed of your choice as well as one Grit Feat of your choice.
Swashbuckler and Slayer both have full BAB, plus panache/grit go together with your Sword and Pistol, as well getting talents, with sneak attacks.
A flavorful path.