tier 3 Bolt Ace class for Pathfinder +3.5 game

[gadren]

Because I only allow gunslingers with the Bolt Ace archetype in my tier 3 game (because guns haven't been invented yet), and because the class is below tier 3, I improved it a bit.
I would like you guys to look over it and let me know what you think:

https://sites.google.com/site/bardawilcampaignsite/core-classes/bolt-ace

These are the changes I made:

At 1st level, choose one of the following "specialties":
- Extra Gritty: Your maximum grit and the amount of grit you start with each day with increases by 3/4 your class level (rounded up). This bonus grit is in addition to the amount normally granted by Bolt Ace.
- Disciplined: At 1st, 2nd, 6th, 10th,14th, and 18th level, you gain a bonus combat feat or grit feat. These bonus feats are in addition to the ones normally gained by the Bolt Ace.
- Archetypal: Choose one gunslinger archetype. You gain all its benefits without giving up any class features. Any archetype feature that applies only to firearms instead applies to crossbows.
If a Bolt Ace uses their bonus feats to take Martial Study and use it to learn a maneuver from the Solar Wind discipline, they may use their full Bolt Ace level as their initiator level (instead of half their character level), they may take the feat more than three times, and they may recover any Solar Wind maneuver as a free action by spending grit points equal to the 1/2 the level of the recovered maneuver (rounded up).
A Bolt Ace gets credit for a Killing Blow (and thus recovers grit) if a target is killed by an ally of the Bolt Ace within one round of being damaged by the Bolt Ace's crossbow.
The Crossbow Maven feature also grants a +5 bonus to all skill checks related to crafting or repairing crossbows and their ammunition.
At 2nd level, Bolt Ace gains 1d6 sneak attack, but only with crossbows. Their sneak attack damage improves by 1d6 every 4 levels. When using the sharpshoot deed, they may sneak attack out to their first range increment instead of being limited to 30 ft.
At 6th level, a Bolt Ace can resolve an attack against touch AC instead of normal AC when firing a masterwork crossbow at a target within 30 ft. This does not cost grit points.

[Grod_The_Giant]

You should grant rapid reloading abilities (maybe the feat at 1st and Crossbow Mastery at 6th) and also ask a mod to move this to the Homebrew forum.

But seriously, your issue is utility, not damage. Maneuver access helps, though I don't know what Solar Wind does. So would more skill points. Beyond that... Figure out what a Gunslinger should be like when he's not shooting and come up with stuff along those lines. (Tracking? Carousing?)

[Vhaidara]

I recommend looking at the Martial Training line to replace Martial study. It pretty much does what you want it to do (minus the recovery).

I also recommend including tempest gale (powe playtest discipline, sniping and trick shots)

[gadren]

You should grant rapid reloading abilities (maybe the feat at 1st and Crossbow Mastery at 6th) and also ask a mod to move this to the Homebrew forum.

But seriously, your issue is utility, not damage. Maneuver access helps, though I don't know what Solar Wind does. So would more skill points. Beyond that... Figure out what a Gunslinger should be like when he's not shooting and come up with stuff along those lines. (Tracking? Carousing?)

Thanks for the input.

They have a deed for faster reloading, and they have bonus feats that they can use for feats for faster reloading (which stacks with the deed).

Thanks for reminding me, meant to link Solar Wind on that page. Here's a link: http://www.d20pfsrd.com/path-of-war/disciplines-and-maneuvers/solar-wind-maneuvers
Basically, maneuvers for ranged weapons.

The campaign rules give everyone bonus skills, hence why I didn't change the base amount from gunslinger.
As for other utility, well, they can take more grit to use their big variety of deeds more often, or they can gain extra feats, or they get a free archetype which gives them a variety of options.

I gave them a little bit of sneak attack just because they get a lot of options for sniping and I felt that suited it well.


I recommend looking at the Martial Training line to replace Martial study. It pretty much does what you want it to do (minus the recovery).

I also recommend including tempest gale (powe playtest discipline, sniping and trick shots)

Thanks, I missed the Martial Training line, I will look at it, and look for the playtest you speak of.

[Grod_The_Giant]

They have a deed for faster reloading, and they have bonus feats that they can use for feats for faster reloading (which stacks with the deed).
A good rule of game design is "if you have an option everyone will pick, there's probably something wrong with it"-- either it's too strong, or it's too universally necessary. Literally every gunslinger will need the Rapid Reload feats; have a heart and don't make them suffer through a false choice.


As for other utility, well, they can take more grit to use their big variety of deeds more often, or they can gain extra feats, or they get a free archetype which gives them a variety of options.
Here's thing thing, though: none of them really help with non combat stuff. The class (including maneuvers) offers precisely one thing not related to combat, and Bolt Ace loses it (Utility Shot). Mysterious Stranger + more skill points can I guess let you be a face, but I think you still fall in what I like to think of as "Tier 3.5," along with things like the Warblade and Duskblade-- you have lots of combat options, maybe even some solid skills, but you don't have anything that really applies in other situations. Casters have spells that work outside of combat; things like the Bard and Investigator get things that make them significantly better at using skills than others, and so on.

Off the top of my head, I'd make Gunslingers super-perceptive. Let that be their schtick.

Tracking as a bonus feat.
Reduced penalties for seeing at a distance
Darkvision into See Invisibility into True Seeing, maybe even into Legend Lore/Vision and Foresight.
See through portals, including the faint rifts left by teleport effects
Perfect memory for things they've seen
Class-based bonus to Perception, at least for sight
Trapfinding, and maybe a way to disable traps by shooting them.
Maybe even some **** about seeing through walls or around corners or into thoughts, depending on how intense you want to get.

[gadren]

A good rule of game design is "if you have an option everyone will pick, there's probably something wrong with it"-- either it's too strong, or it's too universally necessary. Literally every gunslinger will need the Rapid Reload feats; have a heart and don't make them suffer through a false choice.


Here's thing thing, though: none of them really help with non combat stuff. The class (including maneuvers) offers precisely one thing not related to combat, and Bolt Ace loses it (Utility Shot). Mysterious Stranger + more skill points can I guess let you be a face, but I think you still fall in what I like to think of as "Tier 3.5," along with things like the Warblade and Duskblade-- you have lots of combat options, maybe even some solid skills, but you don't have anything that really applies in other situations. Casters have spells that work outside of combat; things like the Bard and Investigator get things that make them significantly better at using skills than others, and so on.

Off the top of my head, I'd make Gunslingers super-perceptive. Let that be their schtick.

Tracking as a bonus feat.
Reduced penalties for seeing at a distance
Darkvision into See Invisibility into True Seeing, maybe even into Legend Lore/Vision and Foresight.
See through portals, including the faint rifts left by teleport effects
Maybe even some **** about seeing through walls or around corners or into thoughts, depending on how intense you want to get.


Hmm, good advice, thanks!