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I'm working on a character build and have a few questions, not being terribly familiar with the gunslinger or witch classes yet. I want to build a PFS-legal character based on Katarina from the dungeon siege 3 video game. Essentially she is a witch using localised buff and debuff effects (spells and hexes) and guns for main attacks.
Q1: can a bonded witch (half elf witch archetype) use a gun for her bonded item? Bonded items can be weapons, firearms are weapons.
Q2: can a wizard, or other character who gains a bonded item via Eldritch Heritage (arcane), select a firearm as a bonded item (weapon)?
Q3: is there any way to reduce the MADness of the gunslinger - witch multiclass? It looks like it needs Dex for ranged attacks, Int for Witch casting, and Wis for Grit.
Q4: if you start as a Gunslinger at level 1 and gain a battered firearm, can you then also take Bonded Witch at level 2 and gain a second (masterwork) firearm as your bonded item? (because that looks like a pretty good deal to me).
What EvilPaladin said on all counts.
Edit: I don't know why I said the thing that was here earlier. You get Dex-to-damage at 5th level in both base and archetypes.
For some reason, I thought there was a feat for combining hexes and guns. Maybe an archetype. Not sure if you had this in mind already, but now I'm desperately looking for it.
I think I may have somehow combined the Hex Strike feat (unarmed to apply hex) and something 3rd party in my mind.
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Xethik, you may be thinking of the Spellslinger wizard archetype which sadly is not PFS legal.
Looks like we're on then. I do think being able to obtain a masterwork item worth 3,300gp (pepperbox pistol) at level 1 or 2 as a bonded witch is unusual but if it's all legal let's go for it :)
Keep in mind that PFS treats firearms as magic items for purposes of purchases, you need the required prestige to buy a 3300 GP item to buy a pepperbox.
My advice would be dip 1 level of gunslinger at the start, and turn the class-granted firearm into your bonded object.
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I think I've worked out what I can and can't do with this now.
Firearms are not "always available" in PFS, and therefore cannot be "free" arcane bond items, even for a Bonded Witch, because the Bonded Witch archetype says
At 1st level, a bonded witch gains a bonded item instead of a familiar. This bonded item is similar to a wizard’s arcane bond bonded item, and follows all the rules of such an item with the following exceptions.
So, following all the rules for a wizard's arcane bonded item means that only an "always available" item can be chosen, and that excludes firearms. But it should also mean that Arutema's advice is correct and that a class-granted battered firearm can be selected as the bonded object when the first level of Bonded Witch is taken.
Question: would the battered firearm have to be upgraded to Masterwork quality via the Gunsmithing feat before becoming eligible for bonded item status?
Question: would the battered firearm have to be upgraded to Masterwork quality via the Gunsmithing feat before becoming eligible for bonded item status?
Yes.
Advice on MAD? Ignore Dex. You don't need lots of it for Rays, why would you for guns?
There is a gunslinger archetype, siege gunner I think that uses int for grit, but I don't know if it's pfs legal.
Question: would the battered firearm have to be upgraded to Masterwork quality via the Gunsmithing feat before becoming eligible for bonded item status?Yes.
Advice on MAD? Ignore Dex. You don't need lots of it for Rays, why would you for guns?
If you take 5 levels of gunslinger, then dex is the most important stat. If not, then it isn't. For grit, you get a minimum of 1 point regardless of the wisdom score so unless you can afford 14 or more, the only reason to get it is for will saves.
Xethik, you may be thinking of the Spellslinger wizard archetype which sadly is not PFS legal.
Looks like we're on then. I do think being able to obtain a masterwork item worth 3,300gp (pepperbox pistol) at level 1 or 2 as a bonded witch is unusual but if it's all legal let's go for it :)
The starting gun can only be a basic pistol or musket, not double barrelled or pepperbox.
Overall, I wouldn't take any levels in Eldritch Knight. 1 level of gunslinger and the rest witch is fine.
Eldritch Knight improves BAB. That's important not for additions to hit, but for increases in Deadly Aim, and qualifying for higher Vital Strike feats (potentially). Weigh that against better/more Hexes.
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Xethik, you may be thinking of the Spellslinger wizard archetype which sadly is not PFS legal.
Looks like we're on then. I do think being able to obtain a masterwork item worth 3,300gp (pepperbox pistol) at level 1 or 2 as a bonded witch is unusual but if it's all legal let's go for it :)
The starting gun can only be a basic pistol or musket, not double barrelled or pepperbox.
Overall, I wouldn't take any levels in Eldritch Knight. 1 level of gunslinger and the rest witch is fine.
I had wondered if it might be possible to obtain a battered firearm from Gunslinger 1, then an additional masterwork firearm at level 2, (bonded witch 1). I thought this too strong though, and with some assistance from posters here I think I have identified the relevant PFS rules. Net effect, I believe, is that I can certainly get the battered firearm from Gunslinger 1, then need to upgrade it to Masterwork quality using Gunsmithing before taking Bonded Witch 1 as the second character level, whereupon the Masterwork gun (pistol, musket or blunderbuss as per decision made at level 1 Gunslinger) will become the Witch's bonded item.
Regarding Eldritch Knight, you may be right Gilarius. It trades some patron spells and bonded item spells, 2 new spells per level, a couple of hexes, including a major hex, and access to level 6 spells at character level 12, for 3 points of base attack and 2hp per level plus two bonus combat feats. I'm undecided. The EK build would be Gunslinger 1 / Bonded Witch 6 / EK 5.
Only 1 hp per level difference (favored class bonus).
I think the Eldritch Knight is worth it, but certainly a close call -- depends on how you build it.
Only 1 hp per level difference (favored class bonus).
I think the Eldritch Knight is worth it, but certainly a close call -- depends on how you build it.
Eldritch Knight vs more levels of wizard is certainly very even. That would depend on whether you wanted extra wizardly bonus feats or bonus combat feats plus better BAB and hit point.
But levels of Eldritch Knight do not add to the witch's hexes, neither to getting new ones nor to increase the save DCs or effectiveness of the existing ones where they depend on the level of the witch.That is why I don't think it's worth taking EK in preference to witch.