So a friend was looking at the Bolt Ace, and asked me about the Signature Deed with the Sharp Shoot.
Here's the rule:
Sharp Shoot (Ex): At 1st level, a bolt ace can resolve an attack against touch AC instead of normal AC when firing a crossbow at a target within its first range increment. Performing this deed costs 1 grit point. This deed replaces deadeye.
You are known for performing a particular deed, and can perform it with greater ease.
Prerequisites: Grit class feature, gunslinger level 11th.Benefit: Pick a deed that you have access to and that you must spend grit to perform. You can perform this deed for 1 fewer grit point (minimum 0). If the amount of grit needed to perform the deed is reduced to 0, you can perform this deed for the normal action cost as long as you have at least 1 grit point.
Does it mean that you can always go against touch AC with the bolt ace at level 11, because you drop the cost to 0 grit point ?
I mean, I wouldn't be surprise they meant this deed to be used only once per round, but forgot to either making it a swift action or adding a line line "once per round".
Maybe we just overlooked about something preventing us to use more than one deed per round, so I prefer to ask.
Within the first range increment yes, effectively making it work like a firearm does at level 1. Only you have to wait 11 levels to do it.
Honestly, unless you know you will be playing to levels decently higher than 11 it isn't such a big deal. In PFS for example you carrer ends at level 12-13. You wont get much use of it. It will be glorious for the brief beautiful time you do have it, but it will be fleeting.
In any event, yes it works like you thought it did.
It doesn't really shock me. I find it (very) strong, but as you said, you need to wait. I was just asking because I'm not very familiar with the gunslinger, and we wouldn't misrule it.
Sidenote: We're not PFS player, but we don't play at high levels often.
Yikes. That's one nasty combo.
You mean like a firearm? From level 1?
Personally I don't care for this mechanic and will just impose the restriction that you cannot use Signature Deed with Sharp Shoot (I also don't allow touch attacks with firearms either). But these are my house rules, not a reflection of the actual rules.
seeing as crossbows could pierce right through plate armor in medieval times, it seems about right that (finally) they get something that shows off their advantages vs the more traditional bows
That is a misleading statement. Crossbows and regular bows develop about the same amount of force with their respective bolts and arrows on average. They would have similar capbilities to pierce armor based on arrow/bolt type, distance, and armor construction.
I don't think you can TWF efficiently with crossbows, because whatever you try, you're always bound to have a free hand to reload more than once per crossbow per round.
Still, I'm not an expert with this kind of builds. I'll ask my friend if he found something else nice to go with it.
Endless ammunition
Aura: moderate conjuration; CL: 9th
Price: +2 bonus; Weight: &mdash
CONSTRUCTION REQUIREMENTS
Cost: +2 bonus;
DESCRIPTION
Only bows and crossbows can be made into endless ammunition weapons—firearms and other projectile weapons cannot. Each time an endless ammunition weapon is nocked, a single nonmagical arrow or bolt is spontaneously created by the magic, so the weapon's wielder never needs to load the weapon with ammunition.
If the wielder attempts to load the weapon with other ammunition, the created arrow or bolt immediately vanishes and the wielder can load the weapon as normal. This ability does not reduce the amount of time required to load or fire the weapon. The created arrow or bolt vanishes if removed from the weapon; it persists only if fired. Unlike normal bow and crossbow ammunition, these arrows and bolts are always destroyed when fired.
And there's this gem, but you cant Reload either light or heavy versions without two hands.
Heavy Repeating Crossbow
Price: 400 gp; Weight: 12 lbs.
WEAPON
Critical: 19–20/×2; Dmg (L): 2d8; Dmg (M): 1d10; Dmg (S): 1d8; Dmg (T): 1d6; Proficiency: Exotic Weapons; Range: 120 ft.; Type: P; Weapon Class: Ranged Weapons;
DESCRIPTION
The repeating crossbow (whether heavy or light) holds 5 crossbow bolts. As long as it holds bolts, you can reload it by pulling the reloading lever (a free action). Loading a new case of 5 bolts is a full-round action that provokes attacks of opportunity.
You can fire a repeating crossbow with one hand or fire a repeating crossbow in each hand in the same manner as you would a normal crossbow of the same size. However, you must fire the weapon with two hands in order to use the reloading lever, and you must use two hands to load a new case of bolts.
Well with the Repeaters bolts are pre loaded into a clip like a traditional gun, you could easily rule that the bolt is always created within, technically covering the Load portion of the Reload but you'd still need to draw it
Or your DM might allow a prehensile tail to pull the levers...
Still, juggling and the prehensile tails are under houserule territory.
Abundant ammunition isn't a help either, I just read it again.
There's a magic item, a spider, that can reload a firearm once per round, but I don't think it can work on crossbows.
As far as I know, TWFing with crossbows doesn't work or suck if you don't have a third or more arm. Freakin' kasatha again!
You can pretty easily do full attacks dual wielding, once/2rounds. To do it once/round you need tail shenanigans and I don't know anyone that allows that
Still, as we said, it's a houserule. I tend to stay away from that, moreover on a rule forum.
Well... It just mean that your crossbow(s) are loaded with a bolt at the start of the round, with no need for hands. Other reloading, while at no action, still requires a free hand.
Not cool for a TWF.
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As of now the only relialble, legal and completely raw safe way to guns akimbo or crossbow akimbo is to be multiarmed, which I really believe is a system flaw.
At least there is guns twirling feat for guns but the ridiculous amount of prereqs taxes make it almost impossible to get unless you multiclass many levels in fighter
The long range aspect of the first increment is the true bonus.
One handed firearms have very small range increments. You have to be in less than a single move from an armored fighter to shoot against touch ac.
Ok, you have to wait until level 11, but the thing is that this archetype make crossbow viable and good, offsetting most crossbow disadvantages when they begin to really fall behind(dex to damage at level 5, level 1-4 you can live with 1d8 or 1d10 raw damage)... then you gain your dex to damage and a nice crit bonus. When you finally get to target touch ac is exactly when you begin to have a terciary attack and the touch ac will mean a significant increase in dps, specially because many crit feats kicks in and you can easily confirma a crit even on your smallest attack bonus against a dragon touch ac... you will also be deadly aiming every time.
Get a distance heavy crossbow and you will be hitting very far with your touch attacks... actually normal attack targetered against touch ac(wich is better cause it allow deadly aim).