Alagos
2015-04-22, 06:29 AM
Hello Everyone,
Now that college is nearly out for the summer, I've been toying with a fun build idea to use when I rejoin a friend's campaign. Gun-Fu is something that has been very difficult to replicate properly in D&D/Pathfinder, so I took a crack at it to see if I could not only make it functional, but stylish and fun. I've got the first few levels down, but I'm looking for suggestions on where to take things afterwards.
What I've come up with is a (hopefully not broken) spin on the Synthesist Summoner to create a steampunk-ish Ironman. Huge charisma, proficiency with nearly all weapons, devastating short range guns, and very strong armor, all wrapped around a relatively helpless man with a personality that gets him in far too much trouble. Think Pulp Fiction's Jules' gritty sass mixed with the deviously charming Lando Calrissian. Hitman and Gentleman, but vulnerable if you catch him off guard.
This is what the build looks like so far.
Pathfinder Only
No 3rd Party (no DSP or SoP, sadly)
20 Point Buy
Nothing overtly broken or abused.
Starting Level 5, standard WBL.
Race: Human
Starting Stats:
7 STR
10 DEX
7 CON
14 INT
16 WIS
19 CHA (20 at level 4)
Traits: Magical Knack, +2 CL up to character level
Reactionary, +2 initiative
Pistolero/Mysterious Stranger Gunslinger 1 / Kata Master/Sensei Monk 1 / Synthesist Summoner 3 (Yes, I know, Synthesist, but bear with me.)
Feats:
1-Rapid Reload (pistol)
Point Blank Shot
2-Dodge
3-Mobility
5-Leaping Shot
Level 1: Pistol Proficiency, a CHA grit pool, etc.
Level 2: Brings the Fu into Gun-Fu. IUS and WIS to AC. Kata Master gets me a CHA based Panache pool and access to Derring-Do and more importantly, Opportune Parry & Riposte, for rapid Matrix-style parrying and counterattacking all while the guns are still blazing. Sensei grants a fluff-appropriate Inspire Courage a la Bard for a nice little buff before and during combat.
Level 3-5: Summoner goodies. Standard fare for spell selection up to level 5 (Grease, Mage Armor, Haste, etc.)
By level 5, this is what I'm looking at roughly in terms of stats:
Base 30+18 HP (temp hp from Eidolon suit)
+4 BAB
Base 5 to all saves
Base 21 AC (25 with Mage Armor)
5 Grit Pool
5 Panache Pool
Evolutions:
Ability Increase, Dexterity (2 points)
Limbs: Arms (2 points)
Tentacle (1 point)
Extra set of arms lets me hold up to 4 pistols at a time, all reloaded by my trusty mechanical manipulator (tentacle). Alchemical cartridges and Rapid Reload make reloading all the pistols a free action each. Extra arms are refluffed to appear as shoulder cannons or wrist launchers (think steampunk War Machine).
Fused Stats:
17 STR
15 DEX
13 CON
14 INT
16 WIS
20 CHA
With the use of a single grit point, I can use Leaping Shot:
"You gain a +2 bonus on Acrobatics checks made to jump. As a full-round action, you can move up to your speed and make firearm attacks at your highest base attack bonus with each loaded firearm you are wielding. You can make these attacks at any point during your movement, and if you are wielding two firearms, you can make the attacks at different points during the movement. At the end of this movement, you fall prone. This deed costs 1 grit point to perform.
This is basically ranged Pounce with guns. I'll be hitting for a total of 4d8+4 at +8 vs touch AC, and then reload upon landing. Rinse and repeat. The feat says nothing about needing to be standing before using it again, so "up to your speed" is applicable even if I'm rolling on the ground.
If I choose to spend another grit point, I can activate Up Close and Deadly for +1d6 to each of my shots. A third grit point adds my +5 CHA modifier to each hit. So in a big fight, vs a single target, I'm looking at 30ft movement in any direction and pattern and a 4d8+4d6+24 burst vs touch AC (if within 20 ft, which I should be once I move into range). Hopefully, once this combo has gone off, whatever I shot at will be dead, allowing me to recover a grit point. Having so many attacks at full BAB gives plenty of opportunity for crits even with a 20x4 crit range. And the freedom of movement allows me to leap into range and back out again.
With a high AC and plenty of hit points, I won't fare too badly in melee range either. IUS lets me attack even with all my hands full, and there's always the option of 2H wielding a greatsword with one pair of hands and holding a heavy shield/another greatsword in the other. Enlarge Person, Haste, Glitterdust etc, will keep me busy and contributing as a buffer/debuffer if the situation calls for it. If the going gets really rough, dismissing my Eidolon suit and casting buffs/BFC and Summon Monster II from the sidelines is an option as well. Ideally I'd also be the party face, having a very high charisma and solid skills despite Summoner only granting 2+INT per level.
The problem is, what to do after this point. I've kinda dived after the Leaping Shot trick so that I have it right off the bat. I know I'd like to continue with Summoner levels in order to gain Flight through evolution points and/or spells, but beyond that, I haven't a clue. Possible feats I've considered are Multiweapon Fighting to take full advantage of how many arms I'll have (roughly 6-8 by level 10). I've also considered taking 3 levels of Trench Fighter to get DEX to damage and pick up more ranged feats like Precise Shot, Deadly Aim, etc, or even continuing Gunslinger for access to better deeds.
Speaking of flight, does anyone know how Leaping Shot and flight would interact? How does one fall prone in mid-air? The feat description says nothing about needing to be on the ground before or after the movement.
Any suggestions? Comments?
Now that college is nearly out for the summer, I've been toying with a fun build idea to use when I rejoin a friend's campaign. Gun-Fu is something that has been very difficult to replicate properly in D&D/Pathfinder, so I took a crack at it to see if I could not only make it functional, but stylish and fun. I've got the first few levels down, but I'm looking for suggestions on where to take things afterwards.
What I've come up with is a (hopefully not broken) spin on the Synthesist Summoner to create a steampunk-ish Ironman. Huge charisma, proficiency with nearly all weapons, devastating short range guns, and very strong armor, all wrapped around a relatively helpless man with a personality that gets him in far too much trouble. Think Pulp Fiction's Jules' gritty sass mixed with the deviously charming Lando Calrissian. Hitman and Gentleman, but vulnerable if you catch him off guard.
This is what the build looks like so far.
Pathfinder Only
No 3rd Party (no DSP or SoP, sadly)
20 Point Buy
Nothing overtly broken or abused.
Starting Level 5, standard WBL.
Race: Human
Starting Stats:
7 STR
10 DEX
7 CON
14 INT
16 WIS
19 CHA (20 at level 4)
Traits: Magical Knack, +2 CL up to character level
Reactionary, +2 initiative
Pistolero/Mysterious Stranger Gunslinger 1 / Kata Master/Sensei Monk 1 / Synthesist Summoner 3 (Yes, I know, Synthesist, but bear with me.)
Feats:
1-Rapid Reload (pistol)
Point Blank Shot
2-Dodge
3-Mobility
5-Leaping Shot
Level 1: Pistol Proficiency, a CHA grit pool, etc.
Level 2: Brings the Fu into Gun-Fu. IUS and WIS to AC. Kata Master gets me a CHA based Panache pool and access to Derring-Do and more importantly, Opportune Parry & Riposte, for rapid Matrix-style parrying and counterattacking all while the guns are still blazing. Sensei grants a fluff-appropriate Inspire Courage a la Bard for a nice little buff before and during combat.
Level 3-5: Summoner goodies. Standard fare for spell selection up to level 5 (Grease, Mage Armor, Haste, etc.)
By level 5, this is what I'm looking at roughly in terms of stats:
Base 30+18 HP (temp hp from Eidolon suit)
+4 BAB
Base 5 to all saves
Base 21 AC (25 with Mage Armor)
5 Grit Pool
5 Panache Pool
Evolutions:
Ability Increase, Dexterity (2 points)
Limbs: Arms (2 points)
Tentacle (1 point)
Extra set of arms lets me hold up to 4 pistols at a time, all reloaded by my trusty mechanical manipulator (tentacle). Alchemical cartridges and Rapid Reload make reloading all the pistols a free action each. Extra arms are refluffed to appear as shoulder cannons or wrist launchers (think steampunk War Machine).
Fused Stats:
17 STR
15 DEX
13 CON
14 INT
16 WIS
20 CHA
With the use of a single grit point, I can use Leaping Shot:
"You gain a +2 bonus on Acrobatics checks made to jump. As a full-round action, you can move up to your speed and make firearm attacks at your highest base attack bonus with each loaded firearm you are wielding. You can make these attacks at any point during your movement, and if you are wielding two firearms, you can make the attacks at different points during the movement. At the end of this movement, you fall prone. This deed costs 1 grit point to perform.
This is basically ranged Pounce with guns. I'll be hitting for a total of 4d8+4 at +8 vs touch AC, and then reload upon landing. Rinse and repeat. The feat says nothing about needing to be standing before using it again, so "up to your speed" is applicable even if I'm rolling on the ground.
If I choose to spend another grit point, I can activate Up Close and Deadly for +1d6 to each of my shots. A third grit point adds my +5 CHA modifier to each hit. So in a big fight, vs a single target, I'm looking at 30ft movement in any direction and pattern and a 4d8+4d6+24 burst vs touch AC (if within 20 ft, which I should be once I move into range). Hopefully, once this combo has gone off, whatever I shot at will be dead, allowing me to recover a grit point. Having so many attacks at full BAB gives plenty of opportunity for crits even with a 20x4 crit range. And the freedom of movement allows me to leap into range and back out again.
With a high AC and plenty of hit points, I won't fare too badly in melee range either. IUS lets me attack even with all my hands full, and there's always the option of 2H wielding a greatsword with one pair of hands and holding a heavy shield/another greatsword in the other. Enlarge Person, Haste, Glitterdust etc, will keep me busy and contributing as a buffer/debuffer if the situation calls for it. If the going gets really rough, dismissing my Eidolon suit and casting buffs/BFC and Summon Monster II from the sidelines is an option as well. Ideally I'd also be the party face, having a very high charisma and solid skills despite Summoner only granting 2+INT per level.
The problem is, what to do after this point. I've kinda dived after the Leaping Shot trick so that I have it right off the bat. I know I'd like to continue with Summoner levels in order to gain Flight through evolution points and/or spells, but beyond that, I haven't a clue. Possible feats I've considered are Multiweapon Fighting to take full advantage of how many arms I'll have (roughly 6-8 by level 10). I've also considered taking 3 levels of Trench Fighter to get DEX to damage and pick up more ranged feats like Precise Shot, Deadly Aim, etc, or even continuing Gunslinger for access to better deeds.
Speaking of flight, does anyone know how Leaping Shot and flight would interact? How does one fall prone in mid-air? The feat description says nothing about needing to be on the ground before or after the movement.
Any suggestions? Comments?