[Pathfinder] Dwarven Siege Engineer?

[Kanosint]

Greetings,

With the recent release of Ultimate Combat, and a few feats related to Siege Engines, I've been pondering about making a Dwarven, foul-mouthed Explosives Expert/Siege Engineer... But the amount of options is quite limited. I'd love to use a Bombard with Bombs as ammo, that would get stronger or so when I level.

Anything I missed? Core is preferable, but if there's a third-party expansion that's meant for Pathfinder and balanced, I don't mind.

Kind regards,

Kano.

[Kanosint]

Anyone? No one else ever wanted to be a Dwarf with a cannon as main weapon?

[Cieyrin]

It's a cool and interesting idea, I just don't have Ultimate Combat to be able to really comment on how to make it work. I have the Core books, the APG and the SRD, which gets more bewildering every day.

[subject42]

What level of optimization do you want? I'll see if I can take a crack at something.

Do you want mostly martial or mostly caster?

[Kanosint]

Thanks <3

I mostly want to go for a fun to play one. Magic is allowed, but I don't want to be a spellcaster. A spell or two, or alchemy and such is doable... But I want to rely mostly on his skill as an explosives expert and siege engineer. A clever sciencey guy, preferably tough but not necessarily strong...

Having an assistant or so is no problem for me either.

Kind regards,

Urist McBlaster

[subject42]

I would start with Alchemist as a base platform, due to the Intelligence focus as well as built-in class features that make things go kaboom.

If you take the "Siege Bomb" feat from Ultimate Combat, you can fire a siege engine and your bomb in the same round, using the siege engine's range increment.

[The Gilded Duke]

It seems like the main limiter is the crew requirements for siege weapons.
Only the light ballista has a crew of one, and honestly its damage isn't too great.

A crew of four would let you use all the siege weapons, however you probably don't want to get your entire party tied up with that. The loading times are also problematic. You might want to get two siege weapons set up, each with their own loading teams, that way you only need to focus on firing.

Leadership or Thrallherd are probably the best ways to get lots of people. Maybe a Broodmaster Summoner (they also have Major Creation to cheaply produce ammunition).

Also you will need some way to move your siege weapons. The cheapest two vehicles with siege weapon mounts are the Sailing Ship (10,000 20 large direct siege or 6 huge) or the Heavy Chariot (200 gp, 1 light balista)

I think being a pirate would be more fun myself.
A Sea Singer Bard gets a monkey familiar at level 2, could maybe justify the monkey as the second crew member.

[Bhaakon]

If you go alchemist, you can use similacra to man your siege weapon (either by discovery at level 14, or a little earlier if you take clone master and nerf your bombs).

[Luckmann]

You might want to check out these two recent threads:
[PF] Reloading Firearms quickly? (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?t=210562)
[PF] Titan Mauler + Gunslinger can wield a large/huge blunderbuss (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?t=210752).

They're tangibly related to the topic. I suppose it's more of a "One man cannon" thing than a "Siege Engineer", though. :smalltongue:


If you go alchemist, you can use similacra to man your siege weapon (either by discovery at level 14, or a little earlier if you take clone master and nerf your bombs).Best suggestion so far. I love the idea of manning a siege weapon all by yourself.

"Relax guys. I've got this." and then there's a blurry scene, as taken out of an old Disney short. :smallbiggrin:

[Kanosint]

Oh, don't worry about crew, I was planning on taking Leadership, really. As for carrying... I'd probably use a light Bombard.

Mostly looking for ways to shorten the reload, get a bombard quicker, and other methods on effectively using siege engines as a main weapon. I've never seen it done before... Likely because siege engines aren't usually an adventurer essential, I suppose. But ever since I saw the Alchemist I've been longing for a class or archetype that really focuses on bombs and huge siege engines, rather than how the Alchemist currently uses it as a small part of a whole, with most archetypes focusing on Mutagens or Extracts <<;

[Kanosint]

Also, in UC there's only the Springal Siege Rocket Launcher... Are there rules for other rockets somewhere? I mean, Paizo did great Firearm rules back in 3.5, why did they nerf 'em so hard now?

[The Gilded Duke]

It looks like the best way to go would be to make a Half Giant Gunslinger with the eventual goal of getting a cannon. Half Giants have powerful build, and can use weapons as if they are a large sized creature.

http://www.d20pfsrd.com/psionics-unleashed/races/half-giant

Large sized creatures can use siege firearms as two handed weapons with a -4 penalty. Presumably this gets around crew requirements?

Early on you still have pretty horrible reload times, but you could still use the cannon for the opening shot. Once you get 7th level you could pick up the Dead Shot deed. That would allow you to do multiple cannons worth of damage with a single load.

At 11th level you can pick up Lightning Reload to reload a "two handed firearm" as a swift action.

With the Gunsmith feat you get as a gunslinger, you can quickly craft guns using the crafting rules, which would lower the price of the cannon down to 3,000 gp, and take only 6 days to make. You could also make the ammunition at half price and at a faster speed.

Make sure to put a single point into K. Engineering to not take penalties firing at smaller creatures with your cannon.

[Luckmann]

I would love for there to be something like a Engineer archetype for the Alchemist. A bit less alchemist-y and a bit more engineer-y, like a mathematician, scientist, physicist kind of thing, rather than chemist. Something between a Alchemist and how I envision an Artificer.

Maybe even some kind of Runescribe/Runesmith/Runecaster Engineer/Mathematician kind of class on it's own, built around abusing ley lines and structural integrity, manipulating them with runes, building things, moving stuff, transmutation, technicalities, down to earth like the alchemist, but magical with the rune scribbling akin to the alchemy of the alchemist. With a dedicated Siege Engineer archetype.

But now I'm just rambling.

[Kanosint]

I would love for there to be something like a Engineer archetype for the Alchemist. A bit less alchemist-y and a bit more engineer-y, like a mathematician, scientist, physicist kind of thing, rather than chemist. Something between a Alchemist and how I envision an Artificer.

Maybe even some kind of Runescribe/Runesmith/Runecaster Engineer/Mathematician kind of class on it's own, built around abusing ley lines and structural integrity, manipulating them with runes, building things, moving stuff, transmutation, technicalities, down to earth like the alchemist, but magical with the rune scribbling akin to the alchemy of the alchemist. With a dedicated Siege Engineer archetype.

But now I'm just rambling.

Exactly! I'd kill for that stuff! KIIIILLL XD
A good Engineer/Tinkerer that isn't some potion guy with genetic manipulation XD

[Kanosint]

It looks like the best way to go would be to make a Half Giant Gunslinger with the eventual goal of getting a cannon. Half Giants have powerful build, and can use weapons as if they are a large sized creature.

http://www.d20pfsrd.com/psionics-unleashed/races/half-giant

Large sized creatures can use siege firearms as two handed weapons with a -4 penalty. Presumably this gets around crew requirements?


Thing is, in my OP I stated I want to play a Dwarf. That hasn't changed. Crew won't be a problem, no need to focus on crew. I'm gonna take Leadership or a similar trait that grants me assistants. If possible, I'd play 3 equally leveled chars (but under rest of the party), but I don't think that's doable

[Kanosint]

Ack, sorry for the triple post, but...

I did notice that there's apparantly a Grenadier Archetype in Pathfinder Society Field Guide... That one any good?