Double Pistol and Overwatch Style

[CryntheCrow]

"Pistol, Double-Barreled

This pistol has two parallel barrels; each barrel can be fired independently as separate attacks, or both can be fired at once as a standard action (the attack action).

If both barrels are shot at once, they must both target the same creature or object, and the pistol becomes wildly inaccurate, imparting a –4 penalty on each shot."

"Overwatch Vortex (Combat)

You are ready to respond to many more of your foes' actions.

Benefit(s): While using the Overwatch Style, as a full-round action you can ready up to four ranged attacks, each with its own triggering event. You take a –2 penalty on attack rolls made with these readied actions."

So, its largely agreed upon that Overwatch Vortex doesn't allow you to ready Vital Strikes with crossbows because it specifies 'ranged attacks', and Vital Strike is its own special kind of standard actions.

Double pistols, however, explicitly note that firing both barrels simultaneously is an attack action, and contain none of the language found in Manyshot to imply these are a singular attack roll. In fact, the language is far more similar to rapid shot.

So, fellow members of the Advice board, can someone explain to me what stops a level 11 Gunslinger with Overwatch Vortex, Rapid Reload, alchemical cartridges and Improved Critical from making potentially 8 ranged attacks at touch ac, with dex to damage, 1d8 19-20 x4?

[Drahliana Moonrunner]

Overwatch style?

Is that set of mechanics from the new Pathfinder supplement coming out from Blizzard? I'd want the Tracer archetype myself.

[Claxon]

The attack action is a specific kind of standard action. The action to fire both barrels of a double pistol is a specific kind of attack action. However it is not just an "attack".

So no, you cannot use the double pistol to fire two shots with overwatch style.

Quote:

Overwatch Style (Combat, Style)

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You have learned to wait until your ranged attacks have the greatest effect.

Prerequisite(s): Precise Shot, Rapid Shot, Weapon Focus with the chosen weapon.

Benefit(s): While using this style, as a full-round action you can ready two ranged attacks with the chosen weapon, each with its own triggering event.

You take a –2 penalty on attack rolls made with these readied actions.

Special: A character with this feat and the weapon training (bows, crossbows, or firearms) class feature can use Overwatch Style with any bow, crossbow, or firearm, respectively, in addition to the chosen weapon.

[Kazaan]

There are a few wrong ideas floating around here so lets start off with correcting them.

Vital Strike is not its own special standard action. Vital Strike can be used when you make the Attack action. Attack is a specific action just as Run, Full-Attack, Cast a Spell, etc. are specific actions. Its type is, by default, Standard. Vital Strike kicks in when you make the Attack action, but other rules elements that concern the Attack action can also be used in conjunction. For instance, you can use both Vital Strike and Overhand Chop on the same Attack action. You can also Ready an Attack action and still apply modifiers to it so there is no valid prohibition against readying an Attack action with Vital Strike and Overhand Chop.

Firing both barrels of a double pistol also rides on an Attack action. What this means is that you need the actual Attack action to simultaneously fire; you can't double fire on each attack of a Full-Attack, for instance. If you had 4 iterative attacks, and 2 double-barrel pistols, you could fire all four shots in series following iterative order (+16/+11/+6/+1). But if you had 4 double-barrel pistols and quick draw, you couldn't fire 8 shots by firing double on each of the four iterative attacks. However, Vital Strike also specifies a single attack. I'd interpret this to mean that if you double-fire your double pistol as an Attack action, only one of the shots will benefit from Vital Strike whereas the other will not.

Lastly, regarding the question at hand, Overwatch Style only allows you to ready two attacks, not two Attack actions. So you're still a no-go for this combination. So, while you could take advantage of the two barrels and use the same gun twice without needing to reload between shots (if you lack a means to reload as a free action), you couldn't fire both shots simultaneously for each of the two readied attacks.