Anti-Gun Mage build Advice

[Critzible]

Hello all was wondering how to go about building an Anti-Gun Mage for a Homebrewed western style campaign my friend is running. It will have advanced firearms and I am wanting to build an mage designed to hamper or shut down gunslingers and any other gun-toting villains I face. An thoughts would be helpful.

Race wise I am going human and Arcanist is not an allowed class. Thinking a straight wizard. But need help with where to start looking spellwise

[Avoron]

Bullet shield and bullet ward put you off to a good start defensively, along with standard wizard spells like mirror image or anything that gives miss chance.

And then there are spells specifically designed to target guns: damp powder can make a gun-user waste several turns before they can fire, and flash fire can burn their ammunition while blinding everyone around them.

My favorite spell for taking gunslingers down a peg, though, might just be burning disarm - their annoying Reflex saves suddenly work against them as they drop their weapon to the ground, and picking it back up again provokes attacks of opportunity and prevents the dreaded full-attack.

[VoodistMonk]

Burning Disarm is a good one.

Pits because gunslingers usually don't have great climbing stats.

Walls to block fields of fire.

Summon swarms, and other tiny flying monsters.

[Wonderstell]

Here's a trick you can manage from level 1, which will greatly boost your chances of survival at lower levels.

Trait:
Regional Recluse (Proficiency with Light Shields)

Feat:
Shield Wall (Ability to grant allies Total Cover with a Tower Shield)

Arcane Bond:
Familiar (Valet archetype)

So from the Magic Items for Animals table, choose one small-sized familiar capable of Grasp/Carry and equip it with a Tower Shield.
(The Dodo gives you +4 to Initiative)

Now, since you share teamwork feats with your familiar, it can grant you Total Cover. Since ranged sunder is very uncommon, most gunslingers can't target you or destroy the shield. And when you can afford a mithral buckler, you'll get another +2 to AC.

[VoodistMonk]

The good old dodo bird with a tower shield trick. Classic.

[NameShortage]

Wonderstell wrote:

Arcane Bond:

Familiar (Valet archetype)

So from the Magic Items for Animals table, choose one small-sized familiar capable of Grasp/Carry and equip it with a Tower Shield.
(The Dodo gives you +4 to Initiative)

The visual of crouching, hiding behind a bird that's standing stalwart holding a shield (and probably doesn't really know what's going on) is hilarious.

[VoodistMonk]

It's a classic Eldritch Guardian Fighter trick.

Stand strong little dodo bird.

[Meirril]

Until you hit 5th level Protection from Arrows is fairly reliable. After 5th level Gunslingers start adding dex to damage so DR10/magic might not be good enough. The 1 hour a level duration is fantastic, though the barrier only absorbs 10pts per level (100 max).

At high levels you have Antitech Field (druid 6, wizard 7). Bullets just stop when they hit the barrier, and guns don't work inside of it. No effect on low-tech devices like crossbows. This spell lets you look at the campaign and for just a few minutes say 'No'.

If you plan on using Bullet Ward, I'd suggest picking up Blood Money (Wizard 1), that will let you take 1 point of str damage instead of producing the material components for Bullet Ward.

[avr]

Burning disarm's save lets the target drop their weapon to avoid damage, but it doesn't force them to make the save. It makes the save fairly useless in many cases, but max 5d4 damage.... Meh. To make that sting you need dazing spell or something.

Reducing the gunslinger's vision with fogs, glitterdust, darkness etc. works. Since most firearm-wielders will be humanoids, charm/hold/dominate person and other enchsntment spells are a good bet.

Violent misfire is a spell which does what it says.