Why do firearms require the gunsmithing feat?

[claudekennilol]

Pretty much just that. Why do firearms require the gunsmithing feat? I had a swashbuckler-picaroon sit down at a table I was playing at over the weekend. The GM basically said "that's not legal but I'm not going to be a dick because you're level 1."

[Dylos]

Because firearms are rare and require constant maintenance.

[Hangman Henry IX]

your gm might have also been referring to the fact that you probably wouldn't have enough fame to buy a gun at low levels. but basically its because there a lot of people that don't like guns in their fantasy setting, and the person in charge of those decision is in their camp.

[redward]

How does a level 1 Picaroon afford a gun in the first place?

[Dylos]

redward wrote:

How does a level 1 Picaroon afford a gun in the first place?

There are two guns which can be purchased for the low price of 2pp.

[SCPRedMage]

Gunsmithing was made a requirement for owning firearms in PFS in order to restrict access to them, in an effort to keep them from becoming too commonplace.

Golarion is a setting where firearms are only recently emerging, and thus should be relatively rare, outside of specific regions. Simply allowing any character to have one, in a campaign this size, would result in firearms being the most optimal option for pretty much any character who wants a ranged weapon, but is unspecific as to which (ie, doesn't specialize). Why take a bow for a backup weapon, when you can spend a little more to take a weapon that targets touch AC?

So the solution was to make it cost some form of character option in order to be able to purchase them; either a feat slot or a level (since a one level dip in gunslinger grants Gunsmithing). They are still available for characters that are built to use them (without a hard-coded "gunslingers only" requirement"), but aren't available for characters that aren't.

The picaroon is an interesting situation; they get proficiency with firearms, but aren't given Gunsmithing, so they can't buy one automatically. Still, they're only one feat away from being able to do so (whereas everyone else would be two away, unless you want to suffer the nonproficiency penalty), and is too much of a corner-case to prompt a change.

[terry_t_uk]

In Pathfinder Society, Gunsmithing does not grant the ability to craft firearms, ammunition, or black powder. Rather, it allows the purchase of bullets, pellets, black powder, and alchemical cartridges (with 1 rank in Craft [alchemy]) at the listed reduced price, but does not grant a discount on the purchase of any firearm . Resold items gained through this feat are worth half the actual cost paid, not half the regular market value for the item. No PC can purchase a gun without this feat, even if they possess the Amateur Gunslinger or Exotic Weapon Proficiency (firearm) feats.

Stuff bolded for emphasis - This is from the Additional Resources, another document all players should read while generating or levelling characters.

[claudekennilol]

terry_t_uk wrote:

In Pathfinder Society, Gunsmithing does not grant the ability to craft firearms, ammunition, or black powder. Rather, it allows the purchase of bullets, pellets, black powder, and alchemical cartridges (with 1 rank in Craft [alchemy]) at the listed reduced price, but does not grant a discount on the purchase of any firearm . Resold items gained through this feat are worth half the actual cost paid, not half the regular market value for the item. No PC can purchase a gun without this feat, even if they possess the Amateur Gunslinger or Exotic Weapon Proficiency (firearm) feats.

Stuff bolded for emphasis - This is from the Additional Resources, another document all players should read while generating or levelling characters.

I know, but that does give any indication why this is so, it just says "this is the rule". If that said why I wouldn't have had to ask...

[terry_t_uk]

Because the people in charge of Society have deemed it so, much like most of the rules we play under.

If you are unhappy with the rule, don't play a gun-toting Pathfinder. There are lots more classes and archetypes you can choose from.

[claudekennilol]

terry_t_uk wrote:

Because the people in charge of Society have deemed it so, much like most of the rules we play under.

If you are unhappy with the rule, don't play a gun-toting Pathfinder. There are lots more classes and archetypes you can choose from.

No one said I'm unhappy with it, quit being a smartass. As seen from my first post, this doesn't even effect me. I'm just trying to figure out the rationalization behind why, which everyone else is kind enough to point out.

[terry_t_uk]

Not being a smartass (most people who have played on a table with me won't label me as smart, maybe an ass), just stating the obvious.

[Kigvan]

The point is that guns are so rare (only available in Alkenstar), that a character must essentially know how to craft one themselves in order to have one.

[CRobledo]

Kigvan wrote:

The point is that guns are so rare (only available in Alkenstar), that a character must essentially know how to craft one themselves in order to have one.

Basically this. It abstracts the fact that a gun is not available for purchase anywhere, so your character basically crafted it instead.

[Paz]

terry_t_uk wrote:

Not being a smartass (most people who have played on a table with me won't label me as smart, maybe an ass), just stating the obvious.

The last word I would use to describe Terry is 'smart'.

But he's right; those in charge of the campaign wanted to set a level where guns were neither non-existent nor ubiquitous, much like the Golarion setting as a whole, and it seems this was deemed the best solution.