Dissonance
2013-10-23, 09:12 PM
So I believe that I have figured out a fun build to make a Sniper mage. Not with spells, but with an actual sniper rifle.
First a couple stipulations:
- Gun's everywhere rulesetting assumed (explained later)
- 20 point buy
anyways, on to the build!
Mag C. McSnipe
Human [Aasimar*] Avg HP: 63[58]
Gunslinger 1/ Wizard (spellslinger) 5[1]/ Eldritch knight 3[7]
Str: 10[10] Dex: 17+1[17+1] Con: 13+1[13] Int: 16+2[17+1] Wis: 8[8+2] Cha: 7[7+2]
BAB: +7[9] Fort: +7[7] Ref:+8[8] Will: +4[4]
important trait:
Magic prodigy(?) whatever the trait is that inceases your caster level by 2 up to your HD
class abilities:
gunslinger: Gun training, Grit, Deeds
wizard: arcane gun, mage bullets, school of the gun (abjuration, enchantment, evocation, illusion) bonus feat
eldritch knight: bonus feats[x2]
core feats:
- point blank shot
- precise shot
- focused shot
- deadly aim
- [critical focus]
key spell:
- named bullet
how this works:
levels 1 through 8 you will play the role of a battlefield controller/DPS. your only a single spell level behind dedicated casters and your to-hit is pretty good thanks to a gun's touch AC hit condition. classic control spells like grease and glitterdust when they are out there, then pelt them with you firearm to add to the DPR while saving spells. Striking a balance between control and damage rewards the spellcaster, since they can cast less spells and still contribute. You won't contribute as much as a full caster, nor be as bursty or as deadly as a dedicated DPR class. but the combination of your skills will keep you relevant and contributing to level 9.
Because at lv 9, the gloves come off. At level 9 you get the final component to a dangerous combo. here is a rundown
cast named bullet: naming known and dangerous creature
use mage bullets: +4 enhancement to weapon
use feats: point blank shot, focused shot and deadly aim against named creature
assuming a hit (very easy because of touch AC) that is weapon damage + Dex + Int +9+4+6+1 and auto threatens a Crit. confirming that crit means you deal x 4 damage.
lets reiterate that: with just the base stats alone that is a flat 28 damage before weapon damage is even added. assuming rifle, that is an avg 5 damage. so we can reliably expect 33 x4 damage. which equates to 132 damage. in other words one shotting most CR 9 creatures and bringing the rest to less than 10 hp. Remember this doesn't take into account the various magic items you are sure to pick up along the way. items that can easily add to the damage, and bump you to the point where you one shot all CR 9 monsters. at level 9.
Welcome to the sniper mage.
and it only gets better from here. in the later levels you are able to take feats that enhance your auto crits. (staggering crit followed by full attack if it isn't dead?) Eventually you the EK capstone letting you swift cast ANY spell you know (auto crit stagger into swift disintegrate into full attack next round?) and finally, your still a full caster, with a full caster level. In short, you rock whatever field you go to.
notes:
first: you can replace the 1 gunslinger level with 3 levels of fighter with the trench fighter archetype. it accomplishes the same thing (getting dex to damage) but will stall entry into eldrich knight and push back getting named shot to level 11 and prevent you from eventually getting 9th level spells. in exchange you get 3(!) more feats and the ability to run this build in a non guns everywhere game. not going to call it a decent trade, but it's doable.
note: you need to be an aasimar for this to work. details directly below.
second: I specifically put the Aasimar stuff there because I know I'll be called on it if I don't because of the new rules regarding spell like abilities. However, with the parameters given, there isn't really too much of a difference between the two in the long run. at the build's level, the aasimar will have his resistances, darkvision, and daylight, while the human will have his skill point/level. the extra feats balance out at 9, but human gets his much sooner. Human also gets to put his flexible point into a high stat for free, while the aasimar needs to put his into stats that aren't nearly as important. Further, with 5 levels of wizard to Aasimar's 1, we can safely call the favored class bonus to be squarely in the human's favor. So between Aasimar and Human for the build, it is really up to you.
Alright, what do you guys think? I've had this guy in the back of my mind for two and a half years and I think his time is finally near.
First a couple stipulations:
- Gun's everywhere rulesetting assumed (explained later)
- 20 point buy
anyways, on to the build!
Mag C. McSnipe
Human [Aasimar*] Avg HP: 63[58]
Gunslinger 1/ Wizard (spellslinger) 5[1]/ Eldritch knight 3[7]
Str: 10[10] Dex: 17+1[17+1] Con: 13+1[13] Int: 16+2[17+1] Wis: 8[8+2] Cha: 7[7+2]
BAB: +7[9] Fort: +7[7] Ref:+8[8] Will: +4[4]
important trait:
Magic prodigy(?) whatever the trait is that inceases your caster level by 2 up to your HD
class abilities:
gunslinger: Gun training, Grit, Deeds
wizard: arcane gun, mage bullets, school of the gun (abjuration, enchantment, evocation, illusion) bonus feat
eldritch knight: bonus feats[x2]
core feats:
- point blank shot
- precise shot
- focused shot
- deadly aim
- [critical focus]
key spell:
- named bullet
how this works:
levels 1 through 8 you will play the role of a battlefield controller/DPS. your only a single spell level behind dedicated casters and your to-hit is pretty good thanks to a gun's touch AC hit condition. classic control spells like grease and glitterdust when they are out there, then pelt them with you firearm to add to the DPR while saving spells. Striking a balance between control and damage rewards the spellcaster, since they can cast less spells and still contribute. You won't contribute as much as a full caster, nor be as bursty or as deadly as a dedicated DPR class. but the combination of your skills will keep you relevant and contributing to level 9.
Because at lv 9, the gloves come off. At level 9 you get the final component to a dangerous combo. here is a rundown
cast named bullet: naming known and dangerous creature
use mage bullets: +4 enhancement to weapon
use feats: point blank shot, focused shot and deadly aim against named creature
assuming a hit (very easy because of touch AC) that is weapon damage + Dex + Int +9+4+6+1 and auto threatens a Crit. confirming that crit means you deal x 4 damage.
lets reiterate that: with just the base stats alone that is a flat 28 damage before weapon damage is even added. assuming rifle, that is an avg 5 damage. so we can reliably expect 33 x4 damage. which equates to 132 damage. in other words one shotting most CR 9 creatures and bringing the rest to less than 10 hp. Remember this doesn't take into account the various magic items you are sure to pick up along the way. items that can easily add to the damage, and bump you to the point where you one shot all CR 9 monsters. at level 9.
Welcome to the sniper mage.
and it only gets better from here. in the later levels you are able to take feats that enhance your auto crits. (staggering crit followed by full attack if it isn't dead?) Eventually you the EK capstone letting you swift cast ANY spell you know (auto crit stagger into swift disintegrate into full attack next round?) and finally, your still a full caster, with a full caster level. In short, you rock whatever field you go to.
notes:
first: you can replace the 1 gunslinger level with 3 levels of fighter with the trench fighter archetype. it accomplishes the same thing (getting dex to damage) but will stall entry into eldrich knight and push back getting named shot to level 11 and prevent you from eventually getting 9th level spells. in exchange you get 3(!) more feats and the ability to run this build in a non guns everywhere game. not going to call it a decent trade, but it's doable.
note: you need to be an aasimar for this to work. details directly below.
second: I specifically put the Aasimar stuff there because I know I'll be called on it if I don't because of the new rules regarding spell like abilities. However, with the parameters given, there isn't really too much of a difference between the two in the long run. at the build's level, the aasimar will have his resistances, darkvision, and daylight, while the human will have his skill point/level. the extra feats balance out at 9, but human gets his much sooner. Human also gets to put his flexible point into a high stat for free, while the aasimar needs to put his into stats that aren't nearly as important. Further, with 5 levels of wizard to Aasimar's 1, we can safely call the favored class bonus to be squarely in the human's favor. So between Aasimar and Human for the build, it is really up to you.
Alright, what do you guys think? I've had this guy in the back of my mind for two and a half years and I think his time is finally near.