Ranged aasimar

[Nytheal]

Hello everyone,
I'm looking for a build to play a ranged aasimar using only a gun or a crossbow (I can have a free repeating crossbow proficiency).

I was looking eventually for the holy gun paladin archetype but I don't know if it's good.

My characteristics are 16 14 14 12 12 10 and I can move 4 points but not less than 10.

We will be playing from level 1 to 15 with a slow progression.

The other players are playing a musket master and a melee monk.

I'm open to all classes.

Thank you very much!

[Lelomenia]

Holy gun isn’t good; standard smite evil is good with guns and Holy Gun takes it away. Crossbows are generally not good (Bolt Ace is fine, which doesn’t help you).

Are you allowed to multiclass? Dip a level of Mysterious Stranger maybe.

Are those statistics after racial modifier? I assume you would go Azata blooded.

[Slim Jim]

Crossbows are OK if you're a strength-dumped build who generates really exorbitant numeric bonuses to damage (e.g., something that, say, a halfling paladin would be really good at, for example, with a heavy repeating crossbow, since crossbows threaten crits twice as often as arrows, and four times as often if you plan on taking Improved Critical or Keen, whereas as you probably wouldn't with a bow).

Quote:

I was looking eventually for the holy gun paladin archetype but I don't know if it's good.

I like the idea of paladins being flexible switch-hitters, since Smite works with any weapon, ranged or melee, and Lay on Hands grants them near best-in-game hitpoint soak for absorbing massive punishment (so, get in there and intercept the hits that would kill your teammates).

Quote:

My characteristics are 16 14 14 12 12 10 and I can move 4 points but not less than 10.

I am assuming that means that these are rolled stats, but the GM is letting you shift up to four pips, but you cannot dump the robbed number under 10...correct? Do you then apply racial bonuses?

Quote:

The other players are playing a musket master and a melee monk.

Your starting numbers and GM move-four gimmick mean you could start with a 20, so you've a nice start for just about anything. I agree with Lelomenia that "standard Smite" (i.e., core paladin) is better than Holy Gun, and using a gun also treads on the other player's staked-out turf speciality.

STR: 20 (14+4moved+2 racial)
DEX: 12
CON: 12
INT: 10
WIS: 10 (14-4moved)
CHA: 18 (16+2 racial)
(Or start with a 22 and a 16 for str and cha, and swap them as you prefer.)

Concept: heavy-armor melee bruiser who'll sometimes quickdraw a bow when smiting. He's full-BAB, so innate dexterity doesn't have to be stellar.

[Nytheal]

Thanks.

Yes, those are rolled stats without modifier. And I can choose alternate race modifier.

The fact that it will be similar to the other player is what we are looking for.
We were looking for a good cop bad cop vibe as he is playing a tiefling and I'm playing the aasimar.

[Shorticus]

Holy gun is... My very brief experience with it was not good. I'm wary of it.

If you want to be a paladin and you get free proficiency with a heavy repeating crossbow, you honestly might consider core paladin. There's absolutely nothing bad about the core paladin, and as crazy as it sounds I prefer it over the ranged paladin archetype - Divine Hunter - simply because it keeps Aura of Justice, one of the most powerful abilities in the game.

That said, I know people that swear by Divine Hunter Paladin, so that's a fun archetype to consider.

Since you get that proficiency for free, Rapid Reload seems obvious. The issue is that you're going to be wasting a feat on Crossbow Mastery or else spending actions reloading your crossbow vs. a bow user that wouldn't give a darn.

You may consider using a regular bow, or perhaps a sling if you play a halfling and take the Slipslinger Style + Startoss Style feat chains; but you're playing an Aasimar, so bow would be my suggestion.

For a bow build you'd want some STR, DEX, and CHA, but it could work really well on a vanilla Paladin or a Divine Hunter.

If you do go crossbow, I'd honestly consider saying "nuts to repeating crossbows!" It's cool, but it's ineffectual in the long run. Ask your GM if you can get Rapid Reload instead of that proficiency, then use a light crossbow instead. It's not as flashy, but you'll be able to reload without issue from that point on; and while you're exposed to attacks of opportunity for reloading you don't need to take Crossbow Mastery. Lets you dump STR as much as you please, too.

You'll never get DEX-to-damage, unfortunately, unless you dip 5 levels into Bolt Ace. However, you can use Rapid Shot with your crossbow. Smite adds a lot of damage (specifically paladin level to damage), so that may work out in your favor.

If you want an exotic weapon, ask for hand crossbow instead, perhaps? With a Glove of Storing (a 10,000 gold item) you can dual wield hand crossbows without any difficulty, but you DO need that glove first. Essentially: fire both crossbows, put one in the glove, reload, switch them out, reload the other one, fire both crossbows again; rinse and repeat. You still need Rapid Reload, however. And TWF. TWF + Rapid Shot would lower your attack bonus a lot, too, so have ways to compensate.

[Slim Jim]

Shorticus wrote:

If you want to be a paladin and you get free proficiency with a heavy repeating crossbow, you honestly might consider core paladin. There's absolutely nothing bad about the core paladin, and as crazy as it sounds I prefer it over the ranged paladin archetype - Divine Hunter - simply because it keeps Aura of Justice, one of the most powerful abilities in the game.

Agreed, every word. Core pally is one of the strongest martial and buffing classes in the game, and to buff, all they have to do is stand there and bathe the party in their auras -- so archetypes that trade away auras are invariably nerf-traps.

~ ~ ~

STR: 10 (14-4moved)
DEX: 16 (14+2 racial)
CON: 12
INT: 12
WIS: 10
CHA: 22 (16+4moved+2 racial)

racial alternative traits: none
character traits: Bralani's Step, Dangerously Curious

01 Paladin1 EWP:Heavy Repeating Crossbow(GM boon), Fey Foundling
...how your heavenly parents lost you in the woods is your back-story.

02 Paladin2 [divine grace][Lay on Hands]
...squares your saves away, and unlocks hefty self-healing as swifts.

03 Far Strike Monk1 [Quick Draw][free archery or monk feat][Flurry], Desna's Shooting Star
...this archetype grants proficiency in and flurry with all throwing weapons, and now you're flurrying with a charisma-based weapon in melee and (soon) ranged combat without having to Smite, and have basically picked up four feats in one level. Five or six or seven, if you consider the +2 boost to all saves, and all the class skill unlocks that you might've otherwise taken Additional Traits to get. Sacrifice: kiss armor goodbye to flurry. But you're +8 to AC via UMD'ing Mage Armor and Shield (the first before combat, the latter as a readied-action at the outbreak of combat); i.e., standard wizard/monk AC deployments from now on.
...a Blinkback Belt is your first major item purchase, not a charisma headband.

04 paladin3 [divine health][aura of courage]
05 paladin4 [spells][smite 2/day][channel], Greater Mercy
06 paladin5 [bond:mount?]
07 paladin6 [Mercy], FEATg (Monstrous Companion?)