Gunslinger

Gunslinger

Gunslingers are largely the returning low class soldiers that were given guns during the Great Wars. They are viewed as low class ruffians by the upper class but provide vital protection to the poor as they work for cheap. Many communities rely on gunslingers to keep order when local authorities tend to be corrupt or outright abusive. Other gunslinger work for the elites and do their dirty work for pay.

Creating a Gunslinger

When creating a gunslinger, consider the following: Why do you continue to fight now that the war is over? Do you want to protect people, make money, are forced to to survive?

Quick Build

To quickly build a gunslinger, make Dexterity your highest ability score, followed by Wisdom. Second, choose the Perception and Acrobatics skills. Lastly, choose the Folk Hero, Guild Artisan, or Soldier background.

Class Features

As a Gunslinger, you get the following class features:

Hit Points

Hit Dice: 1d8 per Gunslinger level
Hit Points at 1st level: 8 + your Constitution modifier
Hit Points at Higher Levels: 1d8 (or 5) + your Constitution modifier per Gunslinger level after 1st Proficiencies Armor: Light armor and medium armor or shields
Weapons: Longarms, sidearms, clubs, crossbows, daggers, scimitars, shortswords, rapiers, and whips
Tools: Tinker’s tools or smith's tools
Saving Throws: Dexterity, Intelligence
Skills: Choose two from Arcana, Acrobatics, Animal Handling, History, Insight, Intimidation, Investigation, Perception, Performance, Persuasion, Sleight of Hand, or Survival.

Equipment

You start with the following equipment, in addition to the equipment granted by your background:
(a) Leather armor, or (b) scale mail (if proficient).
(a) A primitive or advanced sidearm (depending on availability) and 20 rounds, or (b) a primitive or advanced longarm and 20 rounds.
(a) A shortsword, dagger, rapier, whip, or scimitar, or (b) a shield (if proficient), or (c) a primitive or advanced sidearm and 10 rounds.
(a) A dungeoneer’s pack or (b) a scholar’s pack.
Alternatively, you may start with 5d4 × 10 gp to buy your own equipment. If you do, you may also start with one primitive firearm, which does not count against your starting gold.

Gunman's Creed

Some people, foolish people, do not understand you or your choice of weapon, seeing it as cowardly or unrefined. However, to you, your gun is more than a weapon. It represents years of rigorous training and dedication. It represents a bond. Your gun is a part of you, and to insult and denigrate your weapon would be to insult and disparage you.
At 1st level when you choose this class, decide on a creed, a phrase a few words long that represents this connection, and add it to the Bonds section of your character sheet. If you are ever subjected to the frightened condition while your firearm is drawn, you can spend your action to brandish it with a flourish and speak your creed. If you do, you become filled with supernatural courage, immediately ending the frightened condition on yourself and gaining temporary hit points equal to 1d10 + your gunslinger level.

Talking Shop

Gunslingers have an odd tendency to be able to find each other, bonding over their weapons of choice and discussing technical terms that go over everyone else's head. Beginning at 1st level, you may add your proficiency bonus to any Wisdom (Insight), Charisma (Deception), and Charisma (Persuasion) checks made against a creature who has proficiency with firearms.

Firearm Maintenance

A gunslinger's firearm is as much a part of them as their own arms and legs. Failure to clean and maintain your weapon is tactically disadvantageous - akin to being caught unwashed or unclothed. At 2nd level, you gain proficiency with tinker's tools. You may use them during a long rest to perform routine maintenance on a single firearm you possess. If you do so, you may apply a +1 bonus to each attack roll you make with that weapon, until it needs to be reloaded. If you do not use that firearm before your next short or long rest, the benefit is wasted

Gun Tactics

At 2nd level, choose a gun tactic as detailed below. You can’t take a gun tactic more than once, even if you get the option to choose again.

Akinbo Shooting

When wielding two light firearms, you can add your ability score modifier to the damage of the second attack. You can reload both light firearms at once using a bonus action.

Breacher

When you make an attack with a firearm at a creature within 15 feet of you and you roll a 1 or 2 on the damage die, you can reroll the damage die and must take the new roll, even if the number is a 1 or a 2. The firearm must have the scatter property for you to gain this benefit.

Gun Duelist

When wielding a sidearm in one hand and no other weapons, you get a +2 bonus to your damage rolls with these weapons.

Longshot

If you make an attack with a two-handed firearm beyond 30 feet, you get a +2 bonus to damage rolls. The firearm cannot have the scatter property in order to gain this benefit.

Riflery

When wielding a two-handed firearm without the bulky or scatter property, you get a +2 to attack rolls.

Shield Shooting

You can now wield a two-handed firearm with a shield, but must brace it against the shield as a bonus action to fire it.

Loadout

At 3rd level, you choose a loadout - a name representing the firearms and techniques you are the most proficient with. You can choose from the Enforcer, Marksman, and Spellshot loadouts. Your choice grants you features at 3rd level and again at 5th, 10th, 13th, and 17th level.

Ability Score Improvement

When you reach 4th level, and again at 6th, 8th, 12th, 14th, 16th, and 19th level, you can increase one ability score of your choice by 2, or you can increase two ability scores of your choice by 1. As normal, you can't increase an ability score above 20 using this feature.

Slinger's Sense

Beginning at 7th level, your senses and reflexes have become more acute. You can take a bonus action on each of your turns in combat. This action can be used only to take the Dodge, Hide, or Search action.

Clean and Ready

At 9th level, you have become so intimately familiar with your weapon that taking it apart and putting it back together is second nature. You can perform maintenance on a single firearm as described in the Firearm Maintenance feature over the course of a short rest, or perform the maintenance on multiple firearms you own over the course of a long rest. You can work on a number of firearms equal to your Dexterity or Wisdom modifier (minimum 2).

Feeling Lucky, Punk?

At 11th level, your attachment to your weapons of choice borders on unsettling. When you gain this feature, choose either Insight, Intimidation, or Persuasion. Whenever you make a check with the chosen skill, you may add your proficiency bonus to the check if you are not doing so already, provided you are holding your firearm at the time you make the check.

Weakness Sense

At 15th level, you can use your bonus action to make a Wisdom (Perception) check against a creature you can see within the normal range of your firearm. This check is contested by the target's Armor Class. On a successful check, you discover a flaw in the target's defenses, small enough to go unnoticed to all but your sharp senses. Until the end of your turn, attacks you make against that target ignore resistance to bludgeoning and piercing damage.

Nowhere to Run

When you reach 18th level, hitting stationary targets is as easy as breathing. When you target a creature with a ranged weapon attack, if that creature did not move more than 5 feet during its previous turn, you have advantage on the attack roll.

Over My Dead Body

At 20th level, you are so blindingly fast that no one can outdraw or outshoot you. When combat starts, as long as you are not surprised, you can draw a firearm and make a single weapon attack with it before anyone else even rolls initiative. If you are a marksman, you can instead use this action to enter overwatch; if you are a spellshot, you may make a spell bullet attack with a cantrip you know instead. After this action has been taken, initiative is rolled and combat continues.

Loadout

A gunslinger is typically a good shot with just about any firearm. However, every gunslinger has their own preferred specialization that lends itself to what they are best at. Some gunslingers are best in the middle of the fray, applying their combat expertise with their weapons to neutralize a group of defenders. Others prefer to stay out of the action - far, far away, where they can calmly calculate their shot before taking it. Still others combine their gunslinging with specially crafted firearms and rounds, dramatically boosting their own potency.
Each "loadout" represents one of these specializations, from their preferred type of firearm, to the skills and abilities that set them apart from other gunslingers.

Enforcer

This particular specialization is the type to face down a cadre of incoming attackers and come out on top, specializing in the use of pistols, shotguns, and other weapons that work best at short-to-medium range. Despite its moniker, the enforcer does not utilize excessive force, instead relying on precise positioning and tactical takedowns to defeat foes as they come. Watching an enforcer do his work is like watching an elegant dance of death, and some of the best have elevated themselves to legend on their skill alone.
Keep Your Enemies Close
At 3rd level when you choose this loadout, you are just as potent with your firearms at close range as you are at a distance. You no longer have disadvantage when making an attack with a firearm against a hostile creature within 5 feet of you.
Extra Attack
Beginning at 5th level, you can attack twice, instead of once, whenever you take the Attack action on your turn. If before making the second attack you need to reload your weapon, you may reload your weapon as part of that second attack.
Gun Fu
At 10th level, your movements are direct and precise, letting you easily adapt to the flow of battle. Whenever you make a successful ranged attack with a firearm, choose one of the following:
You may move up to 10 feet without provoking attacks of opportunity, as long as you start and end the movement in a space where there are still enemies within the normal range of the firearm you are using, or if you end the movement in a space where you have at least half cover.
You get a +1 bonus to AC until the start of your next turn. The next attack you make this turn is made with advantage, as long as the target of your attack is a different hostile creature within 5 feet of you.
Extra Attack (2)
Beginning at 13th level, you can attack three times when you take the Attack action on your turn. You may reload your weapon as part of the second attack or the third attack if you need to do so.
Decisive Strike
At 17th level, you have mastered the art of subduing your opponents with your overwhelming speed and precise shots to vital areas. After making three attacks with the Attack action, you may use your bonus action to make a fourth attack, as long as the following criteria are met:
All three of the attacks you made with the Attack action were against the same target.
The target is within 10 feet of you.
All three of the attacks hit their target, or at least one of them was a critical hit.
At least one of the attacks you made with the Attack action was made with a firearm.
This fourth attack must be made against the same target, using a firearm you wield. It is made with advantage.

Marksman

This loadout represents a gunslinger who excels with highpowered rifles at long distances, striking their target undetected. The marksman is patient and careful, lying in wait for the perfect moment to take the shot. From a support standpoint, they can provide covering fire, holding enemies at bay for enforcers or other combatants to take care of the dirty work.
The marksman's patient philosophy also shows itself in their equipment. Given time, they are able to create devices to improve their effectiveness, often times completely from scratch.
I Can See You
At 3rd level, your have honed the technique required to improve your efficacy when operating firearms at long distances. Whenever you wield a longarm, you may add 50 feet to its normal and maximum range.
Lesser Overwatch
At 5th level, your reflexes have improved significantly. You may make an opportunity attack against a creature that you can see within your firearm's normal range, using your reaction as normal. This attack may be made against any creature that moves into or out of your firearm's range, or makes an attack while within that range.
Tools of the Trade
When you reach 10th level, at the end of any short or long rest, you can create one of these three temporary items to assist you. The item breaks down at the end of your next short or long rest.
Ghillie Suit. You create a suit, made up of materials from the surrounding environment, that obscures your presence. While wearing the suit and moving no more than half your speed, creatures have disadvantage on their Wisdom (Perception) checks to see you, and you have advantage on your Dexterity (Stealth) checks to remain hidden.
Advanced Silencer. The device you create magically muffles the next three shots you take with your firearm. When an enemy is hit by a bullet fired while the silencer is active, it can use its reaction to make a Wisdom (Perception) check, contested by your Dexterity (Stealth) to try to see you; otherwise, you remain hidden. Bullet With Your Name. You can prepare a number of rounds equal to your Wisdom modifier, imbuing them with the power required to dispatch a specific target. Choose a specific creature or group of creatures — i.e. "Thomas Greensleeves", "the bulette that we are hunting", "the ghouls in the graveyard". If one of these special bullets is used in a successful attack against the named target, the damage is considered magical for the purpose of overcoming resistance and immunity to nonmagical attacks and damage. Additionally, on a successful hit, you may roll the damage for the attack twice, taking either result.
Eagle Eyes
By the time you reach 13th level, your skills at picking off targets at long range have improved to a supernatural level. Whenever you wield a longarm, you may add 50 feet to its normal and maximum range. This is in addition to the 50 feet of range granted by the I Can See You class feature.
Greater Overwatch
At 17th level, you showcase your abilities best when picking off targets at long range. You may use your action to lie in wait, entering the Overwatch state. While in this state, you have a number of reactions equal to your Wisdom modifier (minimum 1), instead of the usual one. While in Overwatch, you can use a reaction to make an opportunity attack against a creature who moves more than 10 feet, makes an attack roll, or casts a spell within your firearm's maximum range. While in Overwatch, your reactions cannot be used for anything except making one of these special opportunity attacks.
Additionally, if an enemy is hit by an overwatch attack, it suffers the following penalties in addition to the ones normally suffered:
1. If a creature is moving, its speed drops to 0 and it can't take reactions until the end of your next turn.
2. If a creature is making an attack roll as a result of a weapon attack, the attack is made at disadvantage.
3. If a creature is casting a spell, it must make a DC 10 Constitution saving throw, as if concentrating on a spell. If it fails the save, the spell fails and has no effect.

Spellshot

This specialization represents the gunslinger who does not wish to stick to lead and steel. This is a magical world, right? Why not make use of it?
The spellshot reinforces her weapon or weapons of choice with magic, allowing her to utilize specially crafted rounds known as spell bullets. Created as a result of a special magical ritual, these bullets concentrate arcane energy that is released on impact.
Usually, spell bullets are fired from revolvers or other smaller, handheld firearms; however, a spellshot who fires rounds from a distance with a rifle can be just as effective, if not more so. Spellshots can take on a support role in a party, especially as the number of spells they can forge into bullets increases, but most find themselves blasting away enemies with powerful evocation magic.

Spellcasting

When you reach 3rd level and choose this loadout, you learn how to augment your gunslinging with magical bullets. In doing so, you learn spells from the wizard spell list. However, your method of casting these spells is far from conventional, requiring special materials and a ritual.
Cantrips. You learn two cantrips from the wizard spell list. You learn an additional wizard cantrip of your choice at 9th level, and another at 17th level. When casting a wizard cantrip you know, you can either cast it normally or utilize your gun, as explained in the Arcane Armament feature.
Preparing Spell Bullets. Instead of casting spells normally, you instead know a ritual that takes spells you know and infuses them into special metal casings known as spell bullets. This ritual requires two hours out of a long rest. If you have any expended spell slots or unused spell bullets before you begin the ritual, you regain those spell slots, and your unused spell bullets lose their magic and become mundane rounds.
The Spellshot Spellcasting table shows how many spell slots you can expend during the ritual to infuse spells into spell bullets.
Spellshot Spellcasting

Gunslinger Level	Cantrips Known	Spells Known	1st	2nd	3rd	4th
3rd	2	3	2	-	-	-
4th	2	4	3	-	-	-
5th	2	4	3	-	-	-
6th	2	4	3	-	-	-
7th	2	5	4	2	-	-
8th	2	6	4	2	-	-
9th	3	6	4	2	-	-
10th	3	7	4	2	-	-
11th	3	8	4	3	-	-
12th	3	8	4	3	2	-
13th	3	9	4	3	2	-
14th	3	10	4	3	2	-
15th	3	10	4	3	2	-
16th	3	11	4	3	3	-
17th	4	11	4	3	3	-
18th	4	11	4	3	3	-
19th	4	12	4	3	3	1
20th	4	13	4	3	3	1

While undergoing this ritual, you can cast a wizard spell you know of 1st level or higher into a spell bullet by expending a spell slot of the spell's level or higher and providing the verbal, somatic, and material components of the spell. When cast this way, the spell has no effect except to be stored in the spell bullet. Later, you can fire these bullets out of your firearm, releasing the stored spell on impact, as explained in the Arcane Armament feature.
Spells Known of 1st-Level and Higher. You know three 1st-level wizard spells of your choice, two of which you must choose from the evocation or transmutation spells on the wizard spell list.
The Spells Known column of the Spellshot Spellcasting table shows when you learn more wizard spells of 1st level or higher. Each of these spells must be a transmutation or evocation spell of your choice, and must be of a level for which you have spell slots. For instance, when you reach 10th level in this class, you can learn one new spell of 1st or 2nd level.
The spells you learn at 8th, 14th, and 20th level can come from any school of magic.
Whenever you gain a level in this class, you can replace one of the wizard spells you know with another spell of your choice from the wizard spell list. The new spell must be of a level for which you have spell slots, and it must be an evocation or transmutation spell, unless you're replacing the spell you gained at 3rd, 8th, 14th, or 20th level from any school of magic.
Spellcasting Ability. Intelligence is your spellcasting ability for spells, since they come from a place of scientific experimenation and arcane theory. You use your Intelligence whenever a spell refers to your spellcasting ability. In addition, you use your Intelligence modifier when setting the saving throw DC for a wizard spell you cast and when making an attack roll with one.
Spell save DC = 8 + your proficiency bonus + your Intelligence modifier
Spell attack modifier = your proficiency bonus + your Intelligence modifier
Arcane Armament At 3rd level when you choose this loadout, you also select a nonmagical firearm that requires manual reloading of its ammunition, such as a revolver, rifle, or any firearm with the loading, long load, or shell loading property. This firearm becomes your arcane armament, and the spell bullets you prepare must be used in that weapon alone. You can select another nonmagical firearm to become your arcane armament at the end of any long rest, during the same ritual in which you prepare your spell bullets.
Spell bullets must be loaded into your arcane armament, requiring you to choose one or more of them when you reload the weapon.
1. When you take the Attack action with your arcane armament, you can replace one of your attacks with a spell bullet attack, a special ranged spell attack using one of your loaded spell bullets, releasing the spell effect on impact with a creature or hard surface.
2. A spell bullet attack has the following properties: The effect of the spell in the spell bullet is based on the level at which it was initially cast.
3. The verbal, somatic, and material components for the spell were already fulfilled when casting the spell into the bullet, thus you do not need to provide them again when the spell is released.
4. A spell that requires concentration needs only be concentrated on once it is released from the spell bullet. If the spell has a range of self, the bullet releases its magic as soon as it is fired, allowing the spell's effect to affect you normally.
5. If the spell has a range of touch or greater, the range of the spell becomes equal to the maximum range of your arcane armament.
6. If the spell requires one or more melee or ranged spell attack rolls, you determine if the first attack roll is a success based on whether or not your spell bullet attack hits. On a hit, the first of the spell's attack rolls is an automatic success. Any subsequent attack rolls, be they against other targets or the same target, must be rolled normally. On a miss, the spell fails and has no effect.
7. If the spell targets one or more creatures without requiring an attack roll, you must still successfully make a spell bullet attack against one of the creatures you choose. On a hit, your spell affects that creature, and additional targets can be chosen normally, starting from that creature. On a miss, the spell fails and has no effect.
8. If the spell creates an area of effect, you can choose a point on the ground, wall, or other solid surface within the range of your arcane armament to make the spell bullet attack against. In this case, the spell bullet attack automatically succeeds, and the spell effect originates from that point.
As an alternative to casting a wizard cantrip you know normally, you may cast it as if it were a spell bullet attack, without expending any ammunition. If you choose to do so, it follows the same rules as detailed above.

Explosive Transmutations

At 5th level, you can alter the properties of normally harmless spells cast into your spell bullets. If you create a spell bullet for a transmutation spell that subjects one or more creatures to an effect that does not deal damage (such as the flash of a pyrotechnics spell, the reduction effect of enlarge/reduce, or the binding energy of earthbind), you can choose to have that spell bullet deal damage to one of those creatures. In addition to its normal effects, the spell now deals 2d6 force damage, plus an additional 1d6 damage for each level of the spell beyond 1st level. If the spell already requires a saving throw, this damage is halved on a successful save. Otherwise, the creature can make a Constitution saving throw to attempt to reduce this damage, taking half damage on a success.

Flexible Preparation

By the time you reach 10th level, your familiarity with the ritual used to create your arcane ammunition has given you the confidence to experiment with it. When you prepare a spell bullet with a spell that deals acid, cold, fire, lightning, necrotic, radiant, or thunder damage, you can substitute that damage with another damage type from this list, altering the spell's properties before you infuse it into the bullet.
Additionally, when you prepare a spell bullet with a spell that would require a Dexterity, Constitution, or Wisdom saving throw, you may choose to change that saving throw to another one from this list, altering the spell before infusing it into the bullet. This change requires expending a spell slot one level higher than usual, but does not increase the spell level of the infused spell.

Broadened Horizons

At 13th level, you begin to see how you can adapt the spellwork of other classes to infuse them into your spell bullets. When you learn new spells as a spellshot, you may now choose the spell from the cleric, paladin, ranger, or wizard spell list. The spell must still be an evocation or transmutation spell. Once learned, it counts as a wizard spell for you, even if it is not on the wizard spell list.
You also have a new option for using your spell bullets. If a spell infused in a spell bullet would create a persistent effect, such as that of spiritual weapon or continual flame, you may activate the spell within it either by loading and firing it or by pressing it against the ground or an appropriate object. In either case, the spell bullet is expended like a regular round.

The Big Kaboom

At 17th level, you can use your action to overload your arcane armament, preparing to unleash a powerful blast of force. When you do this, your action on your next turn must be used to fire the charged energy, making a spell bullet attack against against a point on a solid surface within your arcane armament's maximum range. This special attack expends a spell bullet as normal. At the chosen point, a gigantic burst of energy surges forth, filling a 20-foot radius sphere. Simultaneously, a shockwave of thundrous power erupts from the same point, out to 40 feet.
The energy blast spreads around corners to fill the area, as with the fireball spell. Each creature and object caught in the 20-foot radius of the energy blast must make a Dexterity saving throw against your spell save DC, taking 8d6 fire and 6d6 force damage on a failed save, or half as much on a success.
Each creature in the 40-foot radius of the shockwave is rocked by the powerful force, requiring them to make a Constitution saving throw against your spell save DC. On a failed save, a creature takes 4d6 thunder and 2d6 force damage; on a success, it takes half as much damage. The surface struck also is affected by the cataclysmic force of the attack, instantly vaporizing the material and leaving behind a spherical crater or hole up to 20 feet deep and 20 feet wide.
If you start to use this feature and overload your arcane armament, but then fail to use your next action to fire the charged energy, your arcane armament explodes at the end of your turn, destroying it utterly. This causes the energy burst effect described above to occur, but with you as its center. If you use this feature more than once before the next time you take a long rest, you must spend at least four hours of that rest to repair your arcane armament or apply modifications to a new firearm. This forces you to forego the benefits of a long rest, gaining the benefits of a short rest instead.