Capacity trait change


Homebrew and House Rules


Would it be balanced to have capacity grant a reaction to cycle the chamber?

trigger being either having made a strike or at the end of your turn if there isnt a shot loaded.


It is the difference between a revolver and a semi-automatic pistol.


I was thinking about this as a thing for helping non-gunslingers reload (not sure if that was relevant but felt like mentioning it)

and didn't think about how this would allow you to fire twice every turn for 5 rounds.
Though that would be at the cost standing still, with the exception of reload feats
and you still have to fully reload the gun (5ish actions) to do it again.


also i dont think i phrased this well in my original post but the trigger idea was supposed to be two different ideas not one trigger with two sub-triggers


also if the trigger was instead:
At the end of your turn if you haven't used a reload action this turn this cycle the chamber.

then you could only fire once per turn.


CookieLord wrote:

also if the trigger was instead:

At the end of your turn if you haven't used a reload action this turn this cycle the chamber.

then you could only fire once per turn.

I could still get two shots off. Fire; cycle; Fire. At the end of my turn I haven't reloaded, so cycle again.

But I get what you are trying to say even if the wording of the trigger is a bit off. The idea is that the character still gets three actions for their turn, but only one of them can be to fire the weapon. Then they either have to manually cycle the capacity weapon to its next loaded round to fire again, or find something else to do. But by the time their turn comes back up again, the weapon has been cycled so it is ready to go.

Probably best to have the trigger happen at the start of the character's turn with the condition that the weapon is currently not loaded, but could be cycled to its next loaded capacity slot. I think that would prevent most shenanigans that you don't want.

As for power increase and justifiable cost: That is a bit harder to tell. With the restrictions on it (only applying to firearms with capacity trait, only working once per round, costing your reaction) it is definitely less useful than the Gunslingers various reload options. Still might be worth costing a skill feat at the least. Maybe even a class feat - though at that point it would be competing with the 10th level Gunslinger archetype feat to get the Gunslinger's reload.

It might be useful to brew up a custom Archetype that uses Additional Feat rules to get the Gunslinger Reload (or a particular one) at an earlier level.


breithauptclan wrote:
Probably best to have the trigger happen at the start of the character's turn with the condition that the weapon is currently not loaded, but could be cycled to its next loaded capacity slot. I think that would prevent most shenanigans that you don't want.

Hmm... It still looks like I can Fire; Cycle; Fire, then since my weapon is currently empty but has another chamber, cycle at the start of my turn.


You would only be able to keep that full cycle for 3 rounds
round 1 Fire; Cycle; Fire
round 2 Reaction Cycle; Fire; Cycle; Fire
round 3 reaction Cycle; Fire; Reload; Fire
and then your reloading before every shot, so would the burst fire potential be worth the MAP. For gunslingers and fighters i can see it being worth the MAP but for everyone else i wouldn't think so.

personally i normally play characters who are only making one strike per turn so i don't know what is worth the MAP.


Originally i was thinking of this as a thing granted to anyone using a weapon with the capacity trait but what if it was a 3rd level general feat.


Taking a second attack at -4 or -5 is not out of the normal even for less-martial characters (spellcasters, not so much). Especially if it is a scenario where 'This thing really needs to die right now. We just landed a debuff. Everyone hit it hard.'

A 3rd level general feat (maybe even a 1st level general feat) sounds about right. It certainly isn't something that every character is going to be clamoring for. That is my litmus test for level - are there other feats that would be stiff competition for that feat slot? If it is a must-pick, then it is either too low of level, or should be an ability that is freely given. Which is why I think that Witch's Basic Lesson is miscategorized. But that is a different matter. And if it is a never-pick, then it is either too high of a level, or maybe needs reworked entirely.


Also, all this talk about costing feats and such is assuming that you are wanting to keep things relatively balanced with the weapons as they are. Which personally I think that the capacity trait might a bit underpowered at the moment. The only action economy benefit that I see a Slide Pistol has over a Hand Crossbow is that the Slide Pistol can be cycled to a loaded chamber without a free hand. So Slide Pistol and shield is viable for a limited time.

Slide Pistol does have a lot better traits on it though. But also needs martial weapon proficiency.


So a third level general feat that gives you something like

Cycle Chamber reaction
trigger: At the start of your turn if you didn't use a reload or cycle action since the beginning of your last turn.

Cycle a firearm to a loaded chamber or barrel.

Special: this reaction does not count towards its own trigger.


Yeah. I'm liking it. Champion and Fighter would likely give it a pass because it consumes their reaction for the turn. Though once they get additional reactions for their class's reactions they might give it another look.

Primarily it would be the most useful for people using pistol and shield, or people who are using a pistol without being a Gunslinger. It gives a bit of extra action economy if they are using a capacity weapon. But nothing overboard. I'm thinking pistol and shield Precision Ranger, or caster that wants to get martial weapon proficiency and use a pistol.

At 3rd level general it is directly competing with things like Untrained Improvisation, Ancestral Paragon, and Prescient Planner.

You could also put it at 1st level general where it would compete with Weapon Proficiency (which caster characters would likely need to get first anyway), Toughness, Diehard, and Adopted Ancestry.

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