Gunslinger/Ranger - How well do they mix?

[Gwazi Magnum]

Basically, how well do you find the two classes mix/work/compliment one another?

[Sayt]

They're both wis-focused classes, which is synergistic. On the other hand, I think Trench Fighter 3/Ranger 17 is probably better than Gunslinger 5/Ranger 15.

Both achieve the same thing: Dex to damage with firearms, ranger casting and favoured enemy. But Trench Fighter 3 gets you more feats, and more and better spells.

[AvatarVecna]

Thematically, the two classes are a good fit for each other; whether the hunter who wields a gun, or the gunslinger who knows his prey, you end up with a cool idea for a character. Mechanically, it might take some finagling, mostly because Gunslingers kinda require 4 feats to function well (Deadly Aim, Rapid Reload, Quick Draw, and Rapid Shot, IIRC); pulling that off quickly usually requires some interesting tricks. Beyond that, gun ammo is expensive at level 1, especially if you want to free action reload.

My suggestion for a Gunslinger/Ranger build: start out with 2 levels of Ranger (focusing on functioning as an archer), then go into Gunslinger; take Rapid Reload for your level 3 feat, and you'll be fine. You'll have enough cash from adventuring to buy bullets, you'll probably have a backup ranged weapon for when guns just aren't a good idea, and you'll be able to free action reload, no matter what gun you're using.

EDIT: Also, they work okay in Gestalt/Tristalt, but I'd probably just end up doing something like what I did up there (Ranger 2/Gunslinger X) on one track and then something completely different on the other (maybe Cleric, for the Will save and spells; maybe Fighter for the feats; maybe Monk, for the various class abilities and the Sohei archetype trick that lets you use flurry with a musket). Regardless, I'm sure it would work out well anyway, but the two classes are similar enough that putting them on opposite tracks in gestalt seems almost wasteful.

[Geddy2112]

Quite well. I second the ranger/trench fighter mix, you may want to consider using the trophy hunter ranger archtype, so you can get the 1st level deeds and then some others but still have more ranger magic etc.

http://www.d20pfsrd.com/classes/core-classes/ranger/archetypes/paizo---ranger-archetypes/trophy-hunter

[Psyren]

FYI - Pathfinder Unchained, which will be coming out in a few weeks, will contain rules for "Variant Multiclassing." The current plan is for a character to give up several feats in exchange for a partial yet scaling version of the class features of another class. As both Ranger and Gunslinger get bonus feats, you should have a few extra and this will be viable.

We don't know exactly how it will work yet - but it could allow you to, for example, add Grit and Deeds to a Ranger, or add Favored Enemy and Favored Terrain to a Gunslinger.

[Ssalarn]

FYI - Pathfinder Unchained, which will be coming out in a few weeks, will contain rules for "Variant Multiclassing." The current plan is for a character to give up several feats in exchange for a partial yet scaling version of the class features of another class. As both Ranger and Gunslinger get bonus feats, you should have a few extra and this will be viable.

We don't know exactly how it will work yet - but it could allow you to, for example, add Grit and Deeds to a Ranger, or add Favored Enemy and Favored Terrain to a Gunslinger.

Yeah, that's one of the Unchained goodies I'm really looking forward to.

As to the original question - very well. They're two full BAB classes with the same stat requirements, so it's hard to go wrong.

[Gwazi Magnum]

I'm a bit lost as to why the Trophy Hunter/Trench Fighter mix seems to be popular.

Trophy Hunter means losing my Combat Style.
Trench Fighter gives DEX to Dam, but Gunslinger does the same thing.

But Gunslinger also comes with more Grit Points, Grit Deeds, Less Misfire, The Gun Smithing Feat and Quick Draw as long as I'm not Grit empty.
Wouldn't it make more sense to go Gunslinger 5 and then Ranger considering that?

In regards to Gestalt, this is being asked for a Gestalt character.
So what would one think be another fitting class?
One that keeps the theme/focus on Ranger & Gunslinger, not something merely tacked on for meta-game/build reasons.

[grarrrg]

But Gunslinger also comes with more Grit Points, Grit Deeds, Less Misfire, The Gun Smithing Feat and Quick Draw as long as I'm not Grit empty.
Wouldn't it make more sense to go Gunslinger 5 and then Ranger considering that?

All depends if you want a Ranger that uses Guns, or a Gunslinger with improved options.
Trophy Hunter/Trench Fighter gets you DEX-to-Damage 2 levels faster, so you can maximize your Ranger, and Trophy Hunter gives you (most of) what you need Gun-wise, and being able to target Touch-AC at 2 Range Increments can be nice.

Gunslinger 5/Ranger (whatever) is also solid, for reasons you mentioned.


In regards to Gestalt, this is being asked for a Gestalt character.
So what would one think be another fitting class?
One that keeps the theme/focus on Ranger & Gunslinger, not something merely tacked on for meta-game/build reasons.

Well, the main issue with Ranger//Gunslinger gestalt is that it is almost the exact same chassis: Full Bab, d10HD, good Fort/Ref saves, and similar Skills/level.
Thus many people will urge you to shove Ranger/Gunslinger on the same side, and pick up full-casting/Will Save/whatever on the other side.

Going Ranger 20 // Gunslinger 5/[something] can be quite useful though, as Ranger-stuff is not delayed (gotta love Instant Enemy spell), you still get DEX-to-Damage fairly quickly, and with Gunslinger being front-loaded you can kind of go hog-wild with the B side.

Without getting too crazy (and trust me, we can get crazy)...
Inquisitor and Warpriest are probably your best options. Both expand your Spellcasting options, and can give you a variety of combat bonuses (overall I prefer Inquisitor, but to each his own).

Fighter for pure Feats can always be nice on a Ranged attacker.

Urban Barbarian (http://www.d20pfsrd.com/classes/core-classes/barbarian/archetypes/paizo---barbarian-archetypes/urban-barbarian) lets you "DEX-Rage" instead of normal Rage, giving a good boost to Accuracy and Damage (and you can still go to STR-Rage if/when needed).

[Gwazi Magnum]

All depends if you want a Ranger that uses Guns, or a Gunslinger with improved options.
Trophy Hunter/Trench Fighter gets you DEX-to-Damage 2 levels faster, so you can maximize your Ranger, and Trophy Hunter gives you (most of) what you need Gun-wise, and being able to target Touch-AC at 2 Range Increments can be nice.

Gunslinger 5/Ranger (whatever) is also solid, for reasons you mentioned.

I'm mainly considering a kind of bounty hunter/tracker kind of Build.
The kind of guy who you'd hire to find, kill or bring in high value targets.

Though there's only three hard fire arm requirements.
1. Proficient (Obviously)
2. DEX to Damage (Ranged is pretty weak otherwise)
3. Gunsmithing Perk (So it doesn't sabotage my wallet)


Without getting too crazy (and trust me, we can get crazy)...
Inquisitor and Warpriest are probably your best options. Both expand your Spellcasting options, and can give you a variety of combat bonuses (overall I prefer Inquisitor, but to each his own).

Fighter for pure Feats can always be nice on a Ranged attacker.

Urban Barbarian (http://www.d20pfsrd.com/classes/core-classes/barbarian/archetypes/paizo---barbarian-archetypes/urban-barbarian) lets you "DEX-Rage" instead of normal Rage, giving a good boost to Accuracy and Damage (and you can still go to STR-Rage if/when needed).

I'm not to familliar with Inquisitor so I'm going to look a bit deeper into it.
Though in all honesty I'd rather keep spellcasting to a minimum, both my the party members are already full casters.

[Zhentarim]

How would Ranger/Gunslinger compare to a Slayer/Gunslinger?

[AvatarVecna]

Burn the foul necromancer!

[AnonymousPepper]

Burn the foul necromancer!

You know it's bad when one of the previous posts is talking about the upcoming release of Pathfinder Unchained and speaks favorably about Variant Multiclassing.