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PrGo
2010-09-26, 05:50 PM
Howdy, playgrounders!

Last session, my Djinni died at the hands of a pretty nasty Deep Dragon. Since the rest of the party can't afford a True Resurrection and I was getting bored playing him anyways, we decided that I should take over a certain NPC dwarf named Flintlocke (cuz he just fits the description perfectly) who is a leader of a (now severely decimated) dwarven adventuring group that explored the Underdark.

I get to stat him as I wish, and since his main weapons are a pair of magical revolvers that never run out of ammo and don't have to be reloaded, I thought of building him around that aspect.

So what I want is a badass dual wielding dwarf who kicks ass and asks questions later.

Since there's not much stuff (or better yet any stuff) for revolvers, modifying crossbow feats might be appropriate.

I rolled these rolls, and get to pick the one I like most. So any suggestions on that are welcome too.
Roll 1: 11, 13, 16, 18, 11, 11
Roll 2: 15, 15, 10, 15, 13, 8

Starting at level 9, and looking to do some serious damage with these two babies (meaning pretty optimized, but not going for the extreme cheesiness).

Any suggestions or builds are welcome. Thanks in advance :smallbiggrin:

Project_Mayhem
2010-09-26, 05:52 PM
You could play a blasty warlock, fluffing all of his blast invocations as pistol shots?

PrGo
2010-09-26, 05:53 PM
You could play a blasty warlock, fluffing all of his blast invocations as pistol shots?

That's not really what I'm looking for. Since I'll take the cost for those guns out of my starting wealth, I'm looking to have as much attacks as possible with bestest damage possible with them.

arguskos
2010-09-26, 05:57 PM
Swift Hunter seems appropriate here. Scout/Ranger with a level of Monk who's used a Sparring Dummy of the Master, maybe? That'd be pretty decent, if fairly unoptimized.

Knowing the level we're shooting for and the optimization level might be helpful, by the by.

PrGo
2010-09-26, 05:59 PM
Knowing the level we're shooting for and the optimization level might be helpful, by the by.

Riiiiiight, sorry. Edited the first post :smalltongue:

Project_Mayhem
2010-09-26, 06:00 PM
Oh right, you already have the guns - I thought we were trying to model them. In that case I'd second Swift hunter if it weren't that I kind of see a gunfighter as predominantly staying still? Dunno

PrGo
2010-09-26, 06:03 PM
Oh right, you already have the guns - I thought we were trying to model them. In that case I'd second Swift hunter if it weren't that I kind of see a gunfighter as predominantly staying still? Dunno

Yeah, skirmish isn't an option too. He'd look cooler standing on the ground being immovable and shooting everything in sight :smalltongue:
Also I mentioned already wanting as much attacks as possible, and that just doesn't work with skirmish since I can't skirmish and full attack.
Or... can I?

Project_Mayhem
2010-09-26, 06:11 PM
theres ways of getting 10 foot steps as a free action - that could be fluffed as some kind of badass flash step - like *swish BLAMBLAMBLAMBLAM*

Iku Rex
2010-09-26, 06:11 PM
Stats for the revolvers?
Books available?

Crossbow Sniper (PHBII) seems like a very useful feat if the GM will allow it with guns.

JKTrickster
2010-09-26, 06:13 PM
Are you against using homebrew materials? Guns don't have much love within DnD but homebrew has plenty of options - from entire base classes and prestige classes to homebrewed ToB disciplines to feats to even stats of guns.

So if you really want to optimize you should look into the homebrews.

Baron Corm
2010-09-26, 06:13 PM
One of the best crossbow-specific feats is Crossbow Sniper from the PHBII. It gives you a bonus on damage rolls equal to 1/2 your Dexterity bonus, and doubles the range at which you can sneak attack. So you might want to combine that with sneak attack.

You're gonna want Rapid Reload to load the guns in combat, TWF to be able to wield both with minimal penalties, and Weapon Focus to qualify for Crossbow Sniper... so that's 4 feats right there if you choose that build. A human or fighter level could also get Improved TWF in by level 9.

From there you could take feats like Point Blank Shot, Precise Shot, Rapid Shot, and Greater TWF. You can also fit those in earlier with more fighter levels, relying on magic weapon properties instead of sneak attack for damage.

Urpriest
2010-09-26, 06:16 PM
A Swift Hunter with a 10' step (or Cloistered Cleric+Travel Devotion) gets you everything except the implacable, stand-your-ground feel, so it depends how much you value that.

Actually, your description makes me think of a dual-wand wielding artificer. Fluff the wands as magical guns, get multiple attacks via Twin Spell/Split Ray, Dual Wand Wielder (not sure that's the name), and Quicken Spell.

PrGo
2010-09-26, 06:20 PM
In my gaming group, we always had a unspoken ban of the homebrew stuff, so that's not an option. Thanks anyways.

I've just checked the Sparring Dummy item and it seems pretty nice. I'd have only 6k gold left to buy my guns with. Unless it's not consumed after use (which wouldn't make sense) then I might sell it for 15k gold. Opinions?

Rapid reload isn't needed since the weapon's magic keeps it loaded at all times.
Also Crossbow sniper would do nice if I combine it with skirmish.


A Swift Hunter with a 10' step (or Cloistered Cleric+Travel Devotion) gets you everything except the implacable, stand-your-ground feel, so it depends how much you value that.

Actually, your description makes me think of a dual-wand wielding artificer. Fluff the wands as magical guns, get multiple attacks via Twin Spell/Split Ray, Dual Wand Wielder (not sure that's the name), and Quicken Spell.

Yeah after weighing my options, I decided to go with Skirmish. Dual wielding wands is awesome, but I'm just not into counting charges and crafting items.

Guess it's Swift Hunter for me.

Project_Mayhem
2010-09-26, 06:23 PM
I might nick this actually :p.

I like the idea of a trench coated gunfighter suddenly blurring and reappearing to your side before unloading a full clip ...

Tael
2010-09-26, 06:38 PM
Did somebody say Black Rain (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?p=5471505#post5471505)? *Cue Awesome Guitar Solo*

Seriously, if you are a Gunslinger, you must utilize the Black Rain Disciple.*

*This assertion is null and void if you DM does not allow ToB or Homebrew.

PrGo
2010-09-26, 06:44 PM
Did somebody say Black Rain (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?p=5471505#post5471505)? *Cue Awesome Guitar Solo*

Seriously, if you are a Gunslinger, you must utilize the Black Rain Disciple.*

*This assertion is null and void if you DM does not allow ToB or Homebrew.

Sweet mother of all that is awesome. I'm gonna hit my DM with every one of my books (and I have a lot) if he doesn't let me take those maneuvers.
Thanks a million, mate :smallbiggrin:

gomipile
2010-09-26, 06:45 PM
I'll second the vote on Swift Hunter + a 1-level dip of Cleric with Travel Devotion. Pick Undeath as one of your cleric domains, Travel as the other, so you get 4 extra turn attempts. For flavor, and utility, pick undead as your fist favored enemy with ranger, and use that in-depth study of killing undead as the justification for picking the Undeath domain.

This way you get to use the Travel Devotion feat to move as a swift action, then full attack. Two Weapon Fighting works with ranged, so if you can get your DM to rule that Improved Two-Weapon Fighting and Greater Two-Weapon Fighting work with ranged as well, you can get those for free with your Ranger levels.

Prime32
2010-09-26, 08:48 PM
What are the stats for these revolvers?

true_shinken
2010-09-26, 08:51 PM
For flavor, and utility, pick undead as your fist favored enemy with ranger, and use that in-depth study of killing undead as the justification for picking the Undeath domain.


This is a very good idea, since you will also be able to deal skirmish damage to undead.

PrGo
2010-09-26, 08:54 PM
What are the stats for these revolvers?

Dunno yet, was just scrolling through MiC and couldn't find something that I like. I'll try again in the morning. Anyways, I have 36k gold to spend on them and additional starting gear, so if you have any advice, it would be appreciated :smallbiggrin:

Boren
2010-09-26, 09:53 PM
D20 modern has a lot of gun feats to grab up so you might want to look into that. If you want a real gun list that has actual stat differences to the different guns you could be using look in Call of Ctuchlhu 5.6 handbook you would just have to convert the ranges into feet not yards.

DragoonWraith
2010-09-26, 09:55 PM
There's a fair amount of homebrew based around guns. The entire Draw, Partner! (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?t=108730) contest, for example, as well as the excellent Black Rain (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?t=99529) martial discipline. I highly recommend this material.

ErrantX
2010-09-26, 10:01 PM
I'd actually suggest using the Gun Mage (See Iron Kingdoms Character Guide) and Swiftblade (see WotC website). Nearly full Gun Mage casting, nearly full BAB, perhaps dabble into Abjurant Champion, and really you get yourself one bad muther $#%#%@. Best part is that swiftblade like scout rewards you for moving, so you'll get skirmish from that.

EDIT: I'd second DW's mention of the Draw, Partner! contest as well.

-X

Gabe the Bard
2010-09-27, 01:19 AM
This is more of a concept suggestion, but maybe you can find a way to cast spells into your bullets so they affect your targets on impact, similar to a Spellwarp Sniper.

A friend of mine played a gunslinging wizard/techsmith for one session, and the DM gave her a special pair of pistols to do just that. In effect, she Charmed a kobold by shooting him in the butt.

You would have to talk to your DM about how to make it work mechanically, but it could be fun.

Greenish
2010-09-27, 03:36 AM
Dunno yet, was just scrolling through MiC and couldn't find something that I like. I'll try again in the morning. Anyways, I have 36k gold to spend on them and additional starting gear, so if you have any advice, it would be appreciated :smallbiggrin:Quick Loading is for crossbows, but it should work for guns too. A nondimensional space that stores up to 100 bolts.

Prime32
2010-09-27, 04:17 AM
Dunno yet, was just scrolling through MiC and couldn't find something that I like. I'll try again in the morning. Anyways, I have 36k gold to spend on them and additional starting gear, so if you have any advice, it would be appreciated :smallbiggrin:I just use crossbows with 20/x3 crit rates.

It doesn't really make sense for guns to be exotic weapons, since the main advantage when they were introduced was that they took far less training than a bow.

Iku Rex
2010-09-27, 04:53 AM
There's a pistol on page 145 in the DMG.

Prime32
2010-09-27, 04:55 AM
There's a pistol on page 145 in the DMG.That page also has a katana and an antimatter rifle. :smalltongue:

FelixG
2010-09-27, 05:14 AM
That page also has a katana and an antimatter rifle. :smalltongue:

Antimatter rifles have always been the traditional counter to high level tier 1 casters :P

Also

Step 1: Buy Iron Kingdoms campaign setting book
Step 2: Marvel in all the steampunky goodness that will help your character
Step 3: ???
Step 4: Profit!

true_shinken
2010-09-27, 09:28 AM
Step 1: Buy Iron Kingdoms campaign setting book
Step 2: Marvel in all the steampunky goodness that will help gimp your character
Step 3: ???
Step 4: Profit!
FTFY.
Ironm Kingdoms is awesome, but rules-wise, everything in there is very weak.

ErrantX
2010-09-27, 09:39 AM
FTFY.
Ironm Kingdoms is awesome, but rules-wise, everything in there is very weak.

Just depends on the kind of game you wanna run. :smallsmile:

IK RPG is pretty good, all in all, if you follow their guidelines. If you want a more fantastic Iron Kingdoms, open the floodgates to the disallowed supplements. It is what it is.

-X

Notreallyhere77
2010-09-27, 10:39 AM
I made a decent build for a dual-revolver-wielder for a Pathfinder game, but I never got to play him (he was a back-up character, and my wizard is unusually long-lived for one of my characters), but I had more feats to work with at the level I made him at.

There are stats for firearms in the Pathfinder Chronicles Campaign Setting, if you don't feel like relying on homebrew or DMG. The revolver does 1d6 damage and holds 5 shots, IIRC. I don't remember the other details.

As for feats, PBS, Precise shot, and TWF are obvious choices, Rapid shot is a good choice if you want to spam your bullets, but the penalty is harsh when combines with the standard TWF penalty. If you can, take Improved rapid shot the first chance you get. Shot on the run is not worth investing the feats that lead up to it, IMO, but if you want to play up the cowboy thing, Mounted archery (and its improved version) is worth a look.

Signmaker
2010-09-27, 11:57 AM
Olo's old guns-akimbo Crossbow spammer comes to mind.

The gist, IIRC, was Double Hit, Splitting, Lightning Mace (via Aptitude?), and a tweaked crit range. It shouldn't be too cheesy as long as your crit range is only passible rather than Dispater-riffic.

Greenish
2010-09-27, 11:59 AM
Olo's old guns-akimbo Crossbow spammer comes to mind.

The gist, IIRC, was Double Hit, Splitting, Lightning Mace (via Aptitude?), and a tweaked crit range. It shouldn't be too cheesy as long as your crit range is only passible rather than Dispater-riffic.What did it use for reloading?

Signmaker
2010-09-27, 12:05 PM
What did it use for reloading?

....good question. This was two years ago, and I'm not sure I remember.

Attilargh
2010-09-27, 12:10 PM
I'd actually suggest using the Gun Mage (See Iron Kingdoms Character Guide) and Swiftblade (see WotC website).
If you've ever wanted to track the soreness of your character's eyes or the hardness of your gun, the Gun Mage is the class for you.

I don't think anything more needs to be said about the mechanical side of Iron Kingdoms.

ErrantX
2010-09-27, 12:14 PM
If you've ever wanted to track the soreness of your character's eyes or the hardness of your gun, the Gun Mage is the class for you.

I don't think anything more needs to be said about the mechanical side of Iron Kingdoms.

Your dismissive comment aside, Gun Mage is actually a decent class. It has a great selection of spells and good damage potential. While it is no Wizard, it is easily Tier 3 for it's spell selection alone. I don't know where your comment about eye soreness is coming in, but gun hardness is alleviated easily by either house ruling it or getting a magelock. Done and done.

-X

true_shinken
2010-09-27, 07:48 PM
Your dismissive comment aside, Gun Mage is actually a decent class. It has a great selection of spells and good damage potential. While it is no Wizard, it is easily Tier 3 for it's spell selection alone. I don't know where your comment about eye soreness is coming in, but gun hardness is alleviated easily by either house ruling it or getting a magelock. Done and done.

-X

This reeks of Oberoni Fallacy.
Yes, gunmage is decent within Iron Kingdoms. You are suggesting you use one outside of it. They would just get their ass handed to them by any other partial caster.
I'd say tier 4 at most. Heck, they have to prepare each bullet before using them.

DanReiv
2010-09-27, 08:15 PM
Actually, you can get some quite decent build as long as revolver = crossbow is homebrewed.

For reality sake just give it better damage dice/crit and you're done. (or grab a revolver from modern D20 - done)

So +1 Quickloading, Spliting revolvers.

You just need a lot of feats (TWF and all the ranged road, crossbow sniper/deadly shot/crossbow mastery) and possibly SA to max damage.

I'd say Fighter 2/PsyWar 2/Enter the cheese X :smallbiggrin: Hey at least it'll gives you 4 feats, +4 for lvl 9. That's 8 covered already, let's say 10 with flaws, you'll need flaws :smallbiggrin:

D Knight
2010-09-27, 08:21 PM
why not dervish? you have to move a little and change the requirements a little but other than that dance away and watch your foe fall in a pool of there own blood.

Urpriest
2010-09-27, 08:32 PM
why not dervish? you have to move a little and change the requirements a little but other than that dance away and watch your foe fall in a pool of there own blood.

He's said his DM is anti-homebrew (besides the guns themselves, apparently).

PrGo
2010-09-27, 08:40 PM
Sorry, fellas, I guess I should have cleared it properly. I convinced my DM to allow Black Rain (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?p=5471505#post5471505)
Thank you all for taking your time and trying to assist me with this, it is very appreciated :smallbiggrin:

Attilargh
2010-09-28, 02:33 AM
I don't know where your comment about eye soreness is coming in
Rules for casting lots and lots of rune bullets.

I can't fault you for not remembering it. It's a completely meaningless penalty, because the whole process will take place during downtime anyway, due to taking hours and needing all sorts of fancy tools. It's also kinda silly, because the only way to strain anything in D&D is to be a Gun Mage and write really tiny runes on bullets.

WeeFreeMen
2010-09-28, 03:19 AM
I have a gift for you. Im sure you will Enjoy it.
Now I know 90% of the people on this board have a thing for Swordsage, however, this is ONE of the cases were I recommend it.
Plus, the fluff is AWESOME. The maneuvers are balanced (they are redefined and rethought from other schools but with a Gun-Wushu feel)

I hope this helps.
http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?p=5471505

Edit: Gah! Ninja'd for the first time! and I only got up to get a drink :[
Oh well, Im glad you found something you liked.