I got the idea while browsing around. How viable would a magus with a one handed firearm be? And do any of you have any build advice or suggestions
not viable, you need two hands to reload, and he needs his hand free to cast
not viable, you need two hands to reload, and he needs his hand free to cast
I see...hmm oh well, if only reloading didn't prevent casting...thanks for informing me
the spell reloading hand would help.
if you used them more like secondary weapons and no primary if could work pretty well
I will be publishing this for my Gothic Western setting for Pathfinder RPG...
Shootist (magus archetype)
The shootist blends mystical arcane powers, masterful prowess with a firearm as his chosen weapon, and a deck of cards for a spellbook.
Weapon Proficiencies: Shootists are proficient with all simple and martial weapons, and with onehanded firearms.
Arcane Firearm (Su): At 1st level, the shootist gains a pistol as a battered firearm identical to the one gained by a gunslinger. He also gains the deadeye and quick clear gunslinger deeds, though instead of expending points from a grit pool to activate these deeds he expends points from his arcane pool.
This ability replaces cantrips, but the shootist gains the detect magic and read magic cantrips and places them in his spell deck. He can cast either of these as 1st level spells.
Spell Deck: Instead of a spellbook, the shootist begins play with a spell deck that resembles an ornate playing card deck with cryptic symbols and formulae hidden in the numbers, icons and borders of each card. Upon careful inspection, an observer can learn the true nature of a spell deck (DC 15 Perception or Spellcraft). This spell deck otherwise functions in all ways as a standard magus spellbook.
Arcane Pool (Su): Only ranged weapons can be augmented by the shootist’s arcane pool. At 5th level, a shootist can use his arcane pool to add the following weapon special abilities to ranged weapons: brilliant energy, flaming, flaming burst, frost, ghost touch, icy burst, keen, shock, shocking burst, or speed.
This ability alters arcane pool.
Spell Combat (Su): This ability functions as the standard magus ability of the same name, but instead of a melee weapon the shootist must use a onehanded firearm.
This ability alters spell combat.
Ranged Spellstrike (Su): At 2nd level, whenever a shootist casts a spell with a range of “touch” from the magus spell list, he can deliver the spell through any firearm he is wielding as part of a ranged attack. Instead of the free melee touch attack normally allowed to deliver the spell, a shootist can make one free ranged attack with his firearm (at his highest base attack bonus) as part of casting this spell. If successful, this ranged attack deals its normal damage as well as the effects of the spell. If the shootist makes this attack in concert with spell combat, this ranged attack takes all the penalties accrued by spell combat melee attacks. This attack uses the weapon’s critical range, but the spell effect only deals ×2 damage on a successful critical hit, while the weapon damage uses its own critical modifier.
This alters spellstrike.
Ranged Arcana: Any magus arcana which affects melee attacks and melee weapons instead affect ranged attacks and onehanded
firearms.
This ability alters magus arcana.
Deflecting Swagger (Su): At 4th level, the shootist gains the ability to alter the trajectory of a projectile fired at him through sheer force of will. He can deflect one successful attack from a ranged weapon per round as if he possessed the Deflect Arrows feat. At 11th level, the shootist’s will becomes even stronger, allowing him to completely stop and redirect projectiles as if he possessed the Snatch Arrows feat except that any attack deflected in this way, including those made by a bow or a firearm, can be fired back at the original attacker (using the same modifiers as the original attack). The shootist need not have a hand free to use this ability and can use it a number of times per day equal to his Charisma modifier.
Using this ability expends 2 points from the shootist’s arcane pool.
This ability replaces spell recall and improved spell recall.
Fast Hands (Su): At 7th level, the shootist learns how to further blend his arcane power with his gunfighting talent. When holding two onehanded firearms in separate hands he is considered to possess the TwoWeapon Fighting feat. Furthermore, by spending a point from his arcane pool, the shootist is considered to have a hand free for the purposes of casting spells, reloading, and for using the spell combat ability. If he does cast a spell, then he may not attack with the firearm in the hand he used to complete the somatic components with for the rest of his turn. This benefit lasts for a number of rounds equal to the shootist’s Charisma modifier.
This ability replaces medium armor.
Medium Armor (Ex): At 13th level, a shootist gains proficiency with medium armor. A shootist can cast magus spells while wearing medium armor without incurring the normal arcane spell failure chance. Like any other arcane spellcaster, a shootist wearing heavy armor or using a shield incurs a chance of arcane spell failure if the spell in question has a somatic component.
This ability replaces heavy armor.
Greater Spell Access (Su): At 19th level, the shootist gains access to an expanded spell list. He learns and places 14 spells from the bard’s spell list into his spell deck as magus spells of their bard level. He gains two of each of the following bard spells not on the magus spell list: 0level, 1stlevel, 2ndlevel, 3rdlevel, 4thlevel, 5thlevel, and 6thlevel. He can ignore the somatic component of these spells, casting them without the normal chance of spell failure.
This ability alters greater spell access.
Suggested Magus Arcana: Arcane Accuracy, Baneblade, Close Range, Critical Strike, and Ghost Blade.
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Reloading is a non-issue when/if you can get reloading to a free action. Reloading doesn't interrupt casting as long as it's a swift or free action (or you play with a pistol of infinite sky/revolver).
Gun Magus is 100% viable with the release of the Eldritch Archer archetype. In fact, a mixed Eldritch Archer/Spellslinger is capable of hilarious antics with Named Bullet. Personally I like Spellslinger 1/Eldritch Archer X
Simply take your Arcane Bonded item as a firearm of your choice. Spellslinger will give you the rest of what you need for proficiency. Simple as that.
I have a gun-mage type of PrC I made, based out of the Powder Mage universe if you are interested.
I will be publishing this for my Gothic Western setting
This archetype is really cool. Also I would love more info on this setting it sounds amazing
With Eldritch Archer you can use any ranged weapon and still be able to Spell Combat and Spellstrike. If you want a firearm Magus, that is you only avenue.
You can go with either Spellslinger or a dip into Gunslinger for this build, but personally I prefer Gunslinger for Quick Clear. You also get any ranged weapon you want as a bonded object through Eldritch Archer, so go for the biggest and strongest. And in the Golarion setting, you can reasonably get a Revolver as an arcane bonded item at 1st, since those have been invented. Other items are per GM permission.
I will be publishing this for my Gothic Western settingThis archetype is really cool. Also I would love more info on this setting it sounds amazing
Rather than muddy up this board, since Gothic Western is third party and not yet published, I have a thread on it in the Third Party board here...
Rather than muddy up this board, since Gothic Western is third party and not yet published, I have a thread on it in the Third Party board here...I will be publishing this for my Gothic Western settingThis archetype is really cool. Also I would love more info on this setting it sounds amazing
Thanks