Marksman

The best way to kill your target is to do it before they even know you are there. Thanks to your relentless study and experimentation with gunpowder you have found a way to strike from a distance and with unmatched precision. 

The Marksman is a master of the jezzail. A long, muzzle loading, flintlock firearm designed for long range accuracy. Firearms and weapons of similar design are extremally rare, often forcing the Marksman to design and construct his own. A Marksman may come from various origins. From a ruthless assassin or a crazed scientist to an army specialist. But they all have one thing in common and that's the love for the craft. Every Marksman is proud of his creations and puts enormous effort into their firearms and training. On the battlefield you can usually find them positioned behind the back lines hiding behind cover and focusing on a single enemy, lowering their defences and exploiting their weaknesses. Out of combat their talents are best used for finding hidden creatures and object, perceiving the surroundings, cracking locks and fiddling with traps and strange devices.

The Marksman should focus most of their ability points towards Dexterity and Wisdom, which are most needed to accurately fire, operate and repare a firearm. The most valuable skill to a Marksman is Perception and Stealth.

Gunsmith

Starting when you choose this archetype at 3rd level, you gain proficiency with firearms, allowing you to add your proficiency bonus to attacks made with firearms.

Additionally you gain proficiency with Tinker’s Tools. You may use them to craft ammunition at half the cost, repair damaged firearms, or even draft and create new ones (DM’s discretion). Some extremely experimental and intricate firearms are only available through crafting.

You gain a number of grit points equal to your Wisdom modifier (minimum of 1). You regain 1 expended grit point each time you roll a 20 on the d20 roll for an attack with a firearm, or deal a killing blow with a firearm to a creature of significant threat (DM’s discretion). You regain all expended grit points after a long rest.

 

Firearm Properties

Firearms are a new and volatile technology, and as such bring their own unique set of weapon properties. Some properties are followed by a number, and this number signifies an element of that property (outlined below). These properties replace the optional ones presented in the Dungeon Master’s Guide. Firearms are ranged weapons.

Reload. The weapon can be fired a number of times equal to its Reload score before you must spend 1 attack or 1 action to reload. You must have one free hand to reload a firearm.

Misfire. Whenever you make an attack roll with a firearm, and the dice roll is equal to or lower than the weapon’s Misfire score, the weapon misfires. The attack misses, and the weapon cannot be used again until you spend an action to try and repair it. To repair your firearm, you must make a successful Tinker’s Tools check (DC equal to 8 + misfire score). If your check fails, the weapon is broken and must be mended out of combat at a quarter of the cost of the firearm. Creatures who use a firearm without being proficient increase the weapon’s misfire score by 1.

Explosive. Upon a hit, everything within 5 ft of the target must make a Dexterity saving throw (DC equal to 8 + your proficiency bonus + your Dexterity modifier) or suffer 1d8 fire damage. If the weapon misses, the ammunition fails to detonate, or bounces away harmlessly before doing so.

Ammunition

All firearms require ammunition to make an attack, and due to their rare nature, ammunition may be near impossible to find or purchase. However, if materials are gathered, you can craft ammunition yourself using your Tinker’s Tools at half the cost. Each firearm uses its own unique ammunition and is generally sold or crafted in batches listed below next to the price.

Steady Eye

Starting at 3rd level, you can use the bonus action granted by your Cunning Action to make a Wisdom (Perception) check to try and perceive any hidden creatures or objects.

Additionally, you can spend one of your Grit Points to gain Darkvision of 30 ft. for an hour. If you already have Darkvision, its range increases by 30 ft. for the same duration.

Munition at the Ready

Starting at 9th level, you can use the bonus action granted by your Cunning Action to reload a single firearm.

Shield Breaker

By 13th level, you have learned the precision and power needed to break ones defences. You can spend 1, 2 or 3 of your grit points before you make an attack with a firearm. On a hit, the target's AC is reduced by the number of grit points spent for 1 minute. If the attack misses you do not regain the expended grit points and the target is immune to this effect for the duration of 1 hour.

Additionally, you can use your new found talent to hit a creature even behind cover. Before you make an attack with your firearm, you can spend 1 grit point to ignore the properties of 1/2 cover or 2 grit points to ignore the properties of 3/4 cover for that attack.

Master of Distance

When you reach 17th level, you have become adept at attacking from afar. If you're positioned more than 60 ft. from your target, you can spend 1 of your grit points to deal a deadly blow. If the attack hits, the target suffers extra damage equal to your sneak attack damage. This damage does not double if you score a critical hit. This feature can be used even if you gain sneak attack damage because of a different reasons. In that case, you add the damage granted by this feature to the damage granted by your regular sneak attack.