In my campaign setting firearms are practically nonexistent. What exists at all is the very basic fundamentals. They're pretty much only used by a few dwarven engineers/alchemists who are all about bombs and guns and things that go boom. They'd be more akin to the experimenters who first invented firearms then gunslingers who focus on mastery of firearm use (with their high BAB and full compliment of deeds and such).
To represent this I want to create an alchemist archetype that focuses on bombs and guns. As dwarves don't really do the whole arcane thing I'd like to replace extracts with gunslinger grit and a limited selection of deeds. There is of course no full gunslinger class in this setting.
The only guns that exist are fire lances, flash pistols (one-handed blunderbusses), thunder guns (blunderbusses), and storm cannons (oversized blunderbusses that needs to be braced). Also there are no such things as alchemical or metal cartridges. The reason I expanded this list up to four different guns (rather then just fire lances and blunderbusses) is so I could transplant the gun training class feature from the gunslinger (which grants special training in up to four different guns).
I've only ever done relatively minor tweets here and there and am not sure how I might balance out such a major class feature substitution. So how would one go about balancing out this concept? Any thoughts or input would be much appreciated.
Here's what I've pieced together thus far. I don't know if this would actually balance out or not. Just playing with the concept right now…..
Gunsmith (Alchemist)
Class Skills: A gunsmith adds Knowledge (engineering) to her list of class skills. She removes Fly, Knowledge (arcana), Spellcraft, and Use Magic Device from her list of class skills.
Gun Proficiency: A gunsmith receive Exotic Weapons Proficiency (firearms) as bonus feat.
Gunsmithing: A gunsmith receives gunsmithing as a bonus feat.
No Extracts: A gunsmith, does not gain any extracts, does not have a caster level, and cannot use spell trigger or spell completion items. They receive the following in the place of extracts.
Grit (Ex): As per gunslinger class.
- Quick Clear (Ex): 1st level deed. As per gunslinger.
- Pistol-Whip (Ex): 3rd level deed. As per gunslinger.
- Startling Shot (Ex): 7th level deed. As per gunslinger.
- Expert Loading (Ex): 11th level deed. As per gunslinger.
- Menacing Shot (Ex): 15th level deed. As per gunslinger.
- Death’s Shot (Ex): 19th level deed. As per gunslinger.
Gun Training (Ex): At levels 5, 9, 13, 17. As per gunslinger.
Gun Mastery: At 20th level. As per gunslinger.
I think there is a Gnome archetype for the Alchemist that might help you out.
hmmm….. There seems to be gnome archetype for gunslingers but I couldn't find anything for gun alchemists.
Well then I must have been confused, my apologies.