Hello there.
My friend and I decided to join some kind of pathfinder society game but in a student club of our university (many players, many GMs and many independent games with almost random people), so there is no connection with official PFS. We're going to play together so we're planning on build our characters synergistically.
Free Archetype is on so I will play a Dhampir Spellshot Gunslinger with jezail and Psychic (for the Imaginary weapon on 6th) and Investigator (for the Stratagem on 10th) archetypes expecting some good numbers on my spell-woven shots.
My friend is quite uncertain about his character so we would be glad to hear any advices and tips regarding potential synergistic combos with my slinger.
Thank you in advance!
| 2 people marked this as a favorite. |
Sniping Duo is a fun archetype for a team situation like this, though you're the one that takes it rather than the other person (who is your spotter). Not providing cover for each other is huge if the other person is melee since it means they don't get in your way, and there's a lot of nifty abilities in there for just this kind of scenario.
Generally speaking because most Firearms have Fatal, Gunslinger tends to lean to being a crit-happy class. Crits are very good and you want them. So a good synergy is something that helps you do that.
The most obvious one is Bard: Easy access to attack boosting abilities and debuffing magic can tilt the numbers drastically in your favor to get more crits. Of course, Bards synergize with basically everything because its just a really good class, and any party of random players tends to benefit from having one.
Another way to go is with a Trip/Grab character. Something that will be in melee. This both makes it harder for enemies to get in your face but also being grabbed or prone puts flat-footed on the target, lowering their AC and making them easy to hit. You don't have a ton of easy ways to make that happen yourself, so someone doing it for you is hugely helpful because it means more crits.
Lots of builds can do that. Fighter with a 2h weapon and Slam Down is an easy one to build: it's got good damage in its own right and with heavy armor and good HP it has some durability. It also benefits from its own ability: Fighter has Reactive Strike so if they trip something, when it stands up, the Fighter gets another attack. You can also take some CHA and get Intimidate for Demoralize as Fighter doesn't really need DEX or INT so you can invest a bit elsewhere. (My son played a Fighter with good CHA in Extinction Curse and he was a wrecking machine.)
Lots of other ways to do it of course, but I've seen combos like that in action with a Gunslinger in games I've run and it can really lay down some hurt.
| 1 person marked this as a favorite. |
So, given you don't know exactly who you're playing with from week to week, I don't reccomend doubling up on roles. If you're bringing a gunslinger, I wouldn't bring a second martial who is light on slills. I'd suggest a Martial with more skill availability like Investigator, Swashbuckler, Tome Thaumaturge, or Rogue, or a caster of some kind. Further honing in on synergies and
-Spellshots can be decent recall knowledge characters so I'd lean towards a character with a focus on Charisma skills.
-I'd avoid a melee character who is heavily dependent on other melee allies like a thief rogue. Skirmishing and more self sufficient options are more attractive.
-You probably don't have the resources to make your gunslinger good at healing, so healing spells or investment in the medicine skill will be welcome.
-Low mobility tanks are problematic if you can't count on a second melee character to absorb some damage, as no one character can handle all the incoming damage of a severe or greater encounter.
So, with that in mind, here are some ideas
-A scoundrel rogue can specialize in face skills and isn't dependent on a flanking buddy they may not have this week. Demoralize, Critical Successes to feint and things like Dirty trick offer ways to debuff enemies.
-The Monk is very good at skirmishing, which can reduce incoming damage if they're the only melee character. Your action efficiency also makes things like shields to tank while skirmishing or the medic dedication more attractive. Flurry of Maneuvers also allows them to include tripping and/or grappling for debuffing.
-Bards are excellent support characters and faces, but they can run into redundancy issues at low levels in a multi-bard party if neither has considered what they can do if Courageous Anthem isn't needed.
-Cloistered Cleric and Warpriest are both worthy inclusions. I do not reccomend Battle Harbinger in a free archetype game.
As for archetypes, you'll want to look at the class you've picked and how the archetype can support the role or cover a new one. Medic dedication or any of the various social archetypes could be good places to start.
As for how you can build your character to be more synergistic with whatever your friend builds....
1) Casters can really benefit when someone else can take over recall knowledge. If you use your free recall knowledge when reloading to answer questions for them (Like the lowest or highest save an enemy has or an elemental weakness or resistance), that saves them an action they may need for positioning, a spellshape feat, or a 1 action spell.
2) The Fake-out feat provides excellent support for other characters, and it's especially valuable for spell attack rolls, which can represent a significant resource expenditure but punch significantly above your weight. You can help ensure you can provide that bonus even if you end your turn with your firearm empty if you purchase a gauntlet bow and release your off hand grip from your gun at the end of the turn (remember that you can reestablish your grip while reloading since your off hand is doing the reloading anyway).
3) Investing a bit into a reinforced stock so you can cover for your buddy in melee if they absolutely need flanking ahainst a boss or some of the heat taken off them is a good jdea.
Alternatively, if you want to do something slightly silly but thematic, your friend could throw building to cover as many roles as possible put the window and build a Drifter gunslinger with the sniping duo feat which could be hillarious fun (remember to use a combination weapon as your melee weapon as a drifter)
If you want some thematic synergy to go with the mechanical synergy, you might suggest to your friend a great kholo inventor wearing power armor as their innovation and wielding a kopesh (trip trait)/shield (inventors get Shield Block) combo. Increase Athletics and Intimidation first (the Laughing Kholo 9th level ancestry feat can save a skill feat for Battle Cry); if the game is expected to reach 14th+ level, get Master proficiency in Acrobatics by 13th level so that the character can take both Soaring Armor and Aerobatics Mastery at 14th.
For free archetype, exemplar (choose a weapon ikon compatible with a kopesh) can add some additional damage options if Rare options are allowed. Alternately, the character can lean into shield use with the bastion archetype.