Cauterize seems way too niche for a 6th level class feat.

[Djinn71]

Cauterize:
Requirements: You’re wielding a firearm that you’ve fired
this turn, and you or an adjacent ally are taking persistent
bleed damage.

You press your gun’s heated barrel to your wounds or those of
an ally, instantly granting a flat check to end the bleed with a
lower DC for particularly effective assistance (Pathfinder Core
Rulebook 621).

Given that all the feat really does is reduce the action required to use assisted recovery by 1, and that it only applies against one kind of Persistent Damage, it strikes me as a very weak 6th level feat.

Perhaps it should simply automatically end the condition as outlined in the Assisted Recovery rules? Or it should be one possible application of a more general feat that is a bit more versatile?

I especially don't like the feat because it seems as though pressing a superheated gun barrel to a bleeding wound should come to a similar outcome just following the normal rules for Assisted Recovery, given that it is a particularly appropriate type of help (cauterizing a wound) and it is highly efficient (pressing red hot metal you are already holding to a wound of an adjacent ally).

So, even disregarding the general nicheness of the feat, there is a decent argument gunslingers should already be able to do what is described in the feat following the normal rules for Assisted Recovery. I would hate to see GMs ruling that players can't use the normal rules for Assisted Recovery with firearms simply because there is a feat that explicitly allows them to do it.

[Lightning Raven]

Quick Fix: You make a strike, then use the heated barrel to cauterize.

NEXT!

[Angel Hunter D]

Yeah, kinda Garbo right now. Adding a strike to it would be interesting though.

[Stack]

Even adding a strike leaves it as really niche. Seems like it would be really far down the list of things you want to pick up with that feat.

[Lightning Raven]

The good thing about adding a strike is that you can simply treat Bleeding as a condition that you can help heal at zero cost. Sounds pretty good to me. They aren't that rare and some creatures are just really nasty with it.

[HeshKadesh]

I agree that adding a Strike would reduce the Action Cost, but it's still a bit cof a weak feat, especially when Reloading Strike is pretty much a requisite for all Deeds at that level.

Two thoughts: having it scale with Medicine so that: perhaps Expert Medicine auto succeeds, and Master/Legendary could even get you a small amount of Temp HP for a short duration, as the 'pain' of the Cauterization offsets that pain of a monsters attacks.

Alternatively it forms the basis of a crafting skill based 'Natural Medicine': however it would need to specifically qualify (even if one Prof less) for Medicine prerequisites so it remains useful.

[Ediwir]

Honestly, I would see quite positively a general "pistol utility" feat (perhaps lv4) giving Blast Lock, Black Powder Boost and Cauterize togetgher.

Right now, none of the three feel deserving of an individual class feat (maybe a skill feat). Warning Shot also could use a slight boost - perhaps even just adding the weapon's item bonus to the skill check.

[Laki7z]

Cauterize ain't to bad but should be "fire a shot or last action included shooting" then it is just action economy. Bleed is really strong in this ed and should not be downplayed. One could still do this but with 2 actions but gm might deem it not particularly well as even the medicine check to staunch bleed just allowed "normal" check normally (though, I usually deem it particularly well as GM)

[Dubious Scholar]

Cauterize is honestly a trash feat as written right now. I can't see any reason to ever take it. I agree on looking into the 1e Utility Shot deed as a template for combining a number of these niche actions into one feat.