I'm running a home game based on Rise of the Runelords for a single player, and I'm having some trouble figuring out how to build her character's former mentor figure. Since I'm the DM and this is just a NPC, I have plenty of leeway to broadly interpret rules or even homebrew if necessary, but I'd like to see if there are any good options that already exist before I resort to that.
Any thoughts on fleshing out the NPC's backstory and tie that back in to the main RotRL plotline is also helpful.
I don't believe my player visits these forums, but I think I'll throw this in a spoiler just in case. If you're in a solo campaign as a Gunslinging Aasimar named Arya Smith, move on to the next thread. :)
Some years ago, she was coerced by one of Magnimar's nobles to assist in a trap for the goldsmith parents of the player character, Arya. Bailey enchanted some gold to attract Arya's attention, while the noble arranged for a member of another traveling carnival to attempt to interest the young Arya in the world of firearms. He succeeded and subtly suggested that she might find something of suitable value in her parents' workshop to trade for a pistol. She took the bait, stealing the enchanted gold. As planned, her parents took the fall for her, giving the noble the excuse he needed to imprison them indefinitely.
Bailey, full of guilt for effectively orphaning Arya and recognizing her as a fellow Aasimar, took her under her wing and taught her how to use firearms both for show and combat. Bailey never mentioned her role in Arya's parents' imprisonment, however, nor did she mention that the two of them were something more than human.
More recently, the noble called upon his old contact to take care of another political inconvenience. Bailey abandoned the carnival quickly and without warning, leaving only a simple letter to Arya. The letter simply stated that Arya should forget about Bailey and move on with life. Since then, Arya has been trying to track Bailey down, convinced that something is horribly wrong and she needs help. (I let the player take the Finding Haleen trait from Legacy of Fire.)
Since then, Bailey has been trying to evade the noble's agents while searching for a way to escape his influence forever.
I like the idea of Bailey having access to the Foresight Wizard subschool powers, as I think they fit the flavor of a fortune teller very well.
I also like the idea of her blending her magic and firearm usage as a primary combat style. I've looked over the Spellslinger Wizard archetype, but even if it was compatible with the Foresight subschool, I don't think it really conveys that blending terribly well. Mage Bullets is kind of neat; it's essentially an adaptation of a Magus' Arcane Pool ability. I think Arcane Gun is a much poorer way of conveying casting through a gun than the Myrmidarch Magus' Ranged Spellstrike, though.
On the other hand, the Myrmidarch definitely aims for a more martially oriented Magus in heavy armor. I see Bailey as leaning more toward magic than martial and definitely wearing light armor at most (but more likely unarmored). And as far as I'm aware, there's no way to get Spell Combat to work with a gun.
So, based on the material I'm familiar with, I'm kind of at a loss of how to really represent the concept mechanically. Unless there's some feats or prestige classes that help, it looks like there's just not much support for an unarmored/lightly armored gun-gish.
Can anyone think of anything that might be useful? Failing that, any advice on suitable substitutions to make a homebrew archetype to fit?
Thanks!
A Myrmidarch magus with a Sword Pistol can spell combat with his weapon as a sword, and spellstrike with it as a pistol or sword.
A Aasimar Myrmidarch Magus 4/Spellslinger Wizard 1/Eldritch Knight (adding to Wizard) could get you the more "magic user" feel you are looking for.
What level are you looking to make the NPC?
Probably somewhere in the 6 to 9 range.
So, I just found the Harrower Prestige Class. I'm really liking the flavor of that, even more than the Foresight subschool.
If I can just figure out a way to fit in the guns in a satisfactory manner, I can round out the caster progression with that.