Halfling Sling Staff Master

[Stanimal]

My current group is going to run Mummy's Mask AP. I have been wanting to play a Halfling who specializes in the Sling Staff and uses it as a primary weapon. Also, building him as a switch hitting ranger that prefers ranged combat but can mix it up in melee when needed. Ever since I read about the sacred keepsake Knotted Strap, I wanted to incorporate this into the ranger, but as it was druid only it never seemed viable.

Enter Advanced Class guide's Hunter class and I think I've found a way to do it and hopefully still make it viable. I've been working on a great back story but haven't worked out much of the mechanics.

The GM has been in our group for about two years, but this will be her first time GM'ing. It's not PFS, so I think she won't be opposed to letting most, if not all, sling feats apply to the sling staff.

Any advice on traits \ feats? Thanks in advance for any insights or assistance.

[NightbringerGGZ]

If you want to get full iterative attacks, you'll need to pick up the Ammo Drop and then Juggle Load feats. On top of that, you'll want the normal ranged feats. Alternatively, you might get your GM to let you apply the Warslinger trait to the Sling Staff. You can also use the sling staff as a Club, which isn't a great weapon but gives you an option for melee combat if you get rushed.

I'd advice keeping a decent Strength and Dexterity, since you'll get Strength to Damage on both ranged and melee attacks. The weapon states that "Your Strength modifier applies to damage rolls when you use a halfling sling staff just as it does for thrown weapons." Check with your GM, as you might be able to justify gaining 1.5x Str to damage when you use the sling via the Two Handed Thrower feat.

Anyway, a standard ranged build will serve you well so long as you keep the feat tax for full iterative attacks in mind. You may also want the Primal Companion archetype, which gives your pet Eidelon abilities. This could be uses in several amusing ways.

[QuickLyRaiNbow]

Query: as a person who has never used Pathfinder, what, if anything, makes a sling staff different from a Dragonlance hoopak?

[Slipperychicken]

1. There's a halfling alternate racial feature which lets you reload slings as a free action. Ask your GM about letting you use it for a Sling Staff. It worked for me.

2. You don't need to be a "switch hitter" since the sling staff doubles as a 2H club.

3. You need bonus feats, badly. Fighter is my top choice, so you can pick up your mandatory ranged feats (PBS, Precise Shot, Rapid Shot, and Deadly Aim) in the first few levels, then pick up any other feats you want after that.

4. Get mounted. You're small, and a 50+ speed medium mount (like a wolf) will let you kite like a boss. Also lets you take advantage of mounted lance charges sometimes. You don't need mounted feats or a special companion, just Ride ranks.

[Khatoblepas]

Query: as a person who has never used Pathfinder, what, if anything, makes a sling staff different from a Dragonlance hoopak?

- Halfling Sling Staff only functions as a sling-staff and a club, whereas a Hoopak functions as a Sling-Staff, Quarterstaff, Shortspear, Bullroar, improvised butterfly net, thieving equipment, neat feather storage device

- Halflings don't get a +2 to hit with a Halfling Sling Staff, nor do non-halflings get a -2 to hit with them. Instead, they are Exotic for non-halflings.

[QuickLyRaiNbow]

Heh, appreciate it, thanks.

[Stanimal]

Query: as a person who has never used Pathfinder, what, if anything, makes a sling staff different from a Dragonlance hoopak?

I know it won't have the capabilities, but I am flavoring it as such... More of a lacrosse stick, than a true sling staff to justify the juggle load, etc. Easier to toss a bullet and catch in a basket than some how catch in sling, close and release. Eventually I was going to try to locate a gnomish engineer\inventor that could hollow out the shaft and have some sort of spring loaded mechanism that could keep the bullets in the shaft and when I depress a trigger it would allow one to roll into the pouch for launching... but that's further down the road.

Thanks for the feat\traits advice.

[Slipperychicken]

I know it won't have the capabilities, but I am flavoring it as such... More of a lacrosse stick, than a true sling staff to justify the juggle load, etc. Easier to toss a bullet and catch in a basket than some how catch in sling, close and release. Eventually I was going to try to locate a gnomish engineer\inventor that could hollow out the shaft and have some sort of spring loaded mechanism that could keep the bullets in the shaft and when I depress a trigger it would allow one to roll into the pouch for launching... but that's further down the road.

Thanks for the feat\traits advice.

So no luck on the "Warslinger" alternate racial feature? Because the GM is already letting you use sling feats on sling staffs, so it shouldn't be too much of a stretch.

[Stanimal]

2. You don't need to be a "switch hitter" since the sling staff doubles as a 2H club.
Perhaps I misunderstood the term, but that's basically what I meant. The halfling would be able to quickly and easily switch from ranged to melee stance\mode without much fuss - providing the versatility of switch hitting, I suppose. It was late when I originally posted, haha... might not have been very coherent.


4. Get mounted. You're small, and a 50+ speed medium mount (like a wolf) will let you kite like a boss. Also lets you take advantage of mounted lance charges sometimes. You don't need mounted feats or a special companion, just Ride ranks.
This is a solid idea!

[Stanimal]

So no luck on the "Warslinger" alternate racial feature? Because the GM is already letting you use sling feats on sling staffs, so it shouldn't be too much of a stretch.

Haven't even asked yet, she'd probably be ok with it. It's a hobby of mine to over complicate things though, and I like designing and modifying existing weapons... It's a horrible thing really...