Currently it is not possible to navigate to the Gunslinger using the class menu. You can however easily select it on your character builder screen, when selecting your fighter subclass.
Now that the Gunslinger can be found on the class menu for Fighter's, I'm genuinely interested to hear everyone's feedback regarding this subclass. Please share your thoughts.
I personally like it a lot, but I am a bit of a gun nerd in real life, so :D Gunslingers can hold their own, and with the firearms feat, it can make an excellent all-around class. I generally play them as a dexterous marksman or a sniper, picking off targets from afar, but you can easily hold a palm pistol and a scimitar, and you can be that pirate who gets a shot off every time you hit someone with a melee weapon. They are fighters as a base class, so you can still wield some pretty heavy stuff.
It's not for everyone, but it is a hard-hitting class. You will have to have a discussion with your DM regarding the line in the Adept Marksman feat. "You also regain 1 [grit point] when you roll a 20 on firearm attacks or you deal a killing blow to a significant threat (DM's discretion)" to understand what he constitutes as a significant threat or if he will allow you to gain grit points back on a kill in general.
I was recently looking at making a Fighter (Brute)/Bard, but then I was messing around with the idea of a pirate gunslinger (how novel right?) and the idea of taking a couple levels in bard to give some thematic boosts and utility on a pirate ship came up.
Kalashtar (Eberron campaign) So a boost to Dex, Wis, Cha (have not rolled stats yet but just using standard array gets a decent stat array) and take the kalashtar skill advantage with Intimidation because guns are scary (who needs bullying shot). So being a pirate means certain things are more useful, like supporting the crew and keeping your own hide intact. Knockdown shot, and the disadvantage shot to mess with enemies was my plan (torn on whether I should take the knockback to knock others overboard). Them the bard part comes in, probably just two levels, for Mending cantrip (things break with explosives yeah?) and Dancing Lights to illuminate your enemy or send the lights below decks while boarding. Spells would be Healing Word, for triage, Feather Fall in case someone falls from the rigging, Sleep for sneaky infiltration, Faerie Fire to pick out anyone giving orders, and Bane just to mess with the enemies.
Jack of All trades would just be a good flavor to a pirate, that they have picked up numerous useful skills from other crew members and the like. IT kinda trips my trigger (pun semi intended) as just a fun idea. Pretty sure everything else would just be gunslinger. Oh yeah I figure the reason she is making the guns is because they are getting some inspiration from the other spirit residing within her (which she doesn't have knowledge about because orphan sold to a pirate crew). I REALLY wanna try it out. First time I have actually been excited over the Gunslinger class.
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"Where words fail, swords prevail. Where blood is spilled, my cup is filled" -Cartaphilus
"I have found the answer to the meaning of life. You ask me what the answer is? You already know what the answer to life is. You fear it more than the strike of a viper, the ravages of disease, the ire of a lover. The answer is always death. But death is a gentle mistress with a sweet embrace, and you owe her a debt of restitution. Life is not a gift, it is a loan."
I, personally LOVE Gunslingers. I was once playing a Level 15 human gunslinger, and using a pepper box, three attacks per round, and Action Surge, dealt 60-70 damage to the dragon we were fighting in one turn. They're just a knockout class overall
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“Basically, if you tell anyone, we’ll kill you. We’re pretty good at that sort of stuff”-Salros Viper, Whispers Bard, paid assassin
Thinking of doing a gunslinger/sorcerer combo but also thinking I might go melee as well. I have a gunslinger level 10 doing the Ravenloft campaign and honestly thinking of 10 levels for another class but open to ideas. Stats support whatever class already I have strength 18 con 20 Dex 20 wis 16 int 15 chr 16. Using high elf race. Just trying to mix it up with this character
Thanks this is my first campaign. Rolled stats with the DM and he said it was crazy what I rolled. Only grew five levels and those are my stats. Still getting a feel for everything but I am trying to create a character to use in multiple campaigns. Thanks for the advice and I will look into the rogue class.
Gunslingers are pretty cool and could dovetail well with most classes. It's not difficult to find a way for combat power to be supported by other classes. I could see a barbarian who charges in with a shotgun and when out of ammo clubs people with the butt of the gun. Rogues and swashbucklers especially could do some cool things, particularly if your DM is willing to work with you to create a hybrid sword/pistol combo (it was really a thing). Imagine a way of shadow monk who can teleport from shadow to shadow and snipe enemies.
Most spellcasting classes are of course a natural fit because there are all kinds of utility spells/powers that would support your character. Warlocks or shadow sorcerors can both obtain ways to see through magical darkness, so dropping a darkness spell on your opponents then blasting away. Action surge also provides a valid use for the true strike cantrip, since you can cast it and then immediately attack. Warlock gunslingers would be able to use eldritch invocations for other purposes than combat effectiveness and go more on the utility route.
Both the Gloomstalker and Horizon Warrior archetypes of the ranger provide for some fun powers that boost your attack power. The gloomstalker gets an extra attack on their first round of combat that deals bonus damage if it hits.
There's a ton of cool flavor backgrounds/origins you can do for a gunslinger as well. Imagine a folk hero character who followed a friend/significant other/idol out into the world and discovered they themselves weren't strong enough for normal combat, but then discovers the mysteries of black powder. Or the low level criminal who grabs a box off the back of a wagon stuck in the mud and discovers inside is a pistol and becomes a feared gunslinger?
I agree with the general thread in all this: it's all about how you want to play it.
Action surge also provides a valid use for the true strike cantrip, since you can cast it and then immediately attack.
Unfortunately, True Strike sucks. "On your next turn, you gain advantage on your first attack roll against the target, provided that this spell hasn't ended."
If it were simply the next attack you made (which is how I initially read it as well), that would remove a large chunk of the problems with the cantrip. It would still be suboptimal, but not as suboptimal.
Right true, well then you could shoot, action surge to cast true strike and then make your buffed attack next turn. Might be even better if you know the enemy is close to fleeing/etc, since you only have to have them within 30 feet when casting it, not when you make the attack.
Action surge also provides a valid use for the true strike cantrip, since you can cast it and then immediately attack.
Unfortunately, True Strike sucks. "On your next turn, you gain advantage on your first attack roll against the target, provided that this spell hasn't ended."
If it were simply the next attack you made (which is how I initially read it as well), that would remove a large chunk of the problems with the cantrip. It would still be suboptimal, but not as suboptimal.
true strike: nothing about it says you have to cast it once combat starts.
hell, I’ve had a (Homebrew warning!) DM allow, that I could start battles having true strikes, at the expense of always being last in initiative, where there’s a risk my concentration breaks anyways.
truestrikes not great. But let’s not pretend it’s close to as horrible as skywrite
I suppose there's situations where you could have True Strike up at the start of a battle, though I think it'd have to be a situation where you know your group is about to start a fight.
As far as skywrite, yeah it's garbage in combat but most of us don't only play D&D for combat. It's also the kind of spell that is more useful at higher levels when casting a 2nd level attack or healing spell isn't going to do a ton, but using it to coordinate with your allies, create a ominous cloud to back up a lie/intimidation attempt, etc.
I've never been much of a forum user so I hope this is the appropriate place to stage this question. And if you know if it has been answered elsewhere I'd be grateful if you could point me to that thread.
So I am prepping to run a gunslinger in an upcoming campaign with a new group. I want to put as much real world science and engineering as possible into the character as a reasoning for why he has access to black powder and firearms. Because such, I've been doing a ton of research on the composition of early black powder and how the heck a revolver actually works, as im not a gun-savy person.
My question is: How have you introduced firearms? I'm trying to keep mine as early staged as possible without making them too bad, if that makes sense. Paper cartridges and percussion caps for a revolver seem like the way I will be going as a flintlock style pistol seems too slow, but I'd love feedback from others as I've never really studied the specifics of how a character like Percy crafts his ammo and cares for his firearms.
truestrikes not great. But let’s not pretend it’s close to as horrible as skywrite
how dare you compare an spell that completely wastes you action and concentration against an pretty dang useful utillity spell that has an near infinite range and is such an massive flex, use it to pretend to be god, to write obcene things, to shape rain clouds arround, and to tell the BBEG in their tower to go *** themselves, send complaints about faulty gear to an shopkeep, spare yourself from the sun when it is way too sunny, and all of this in a fantastic ritual that does not even need a spell slot
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i am soup, with too many ideas (all of them very spicy) who has made sufficient homebrew material and character to last an thousand human lifetimes
As a DM, I didn't put much thought into "how is this scientifically possible?" as I ran Waterdeep: Dragon Heist for a group of friends and they're Drow Gunslingers that have poisonous pistols, so firearms already exist according to this module. With the Artificer becoming OC, I think it's fairly plausible to explain to others that firearms can exist; as I've been wanting to play a Swashbuckler Rogue who wields a scimitar and a pistol.
DM-ing an Eberron campaign - a world with "technology" powered by magic rather than science - I introduced "arcane pistols". There's even a picture in the Eberron book.
It made sense that these guns were invented by artificers and are powered by minor enchantments/infusions rather than gunpowder.
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Hey there everyone,
Matthew Mercer's Gunslinger (fighter subclass) is available for free on D&D Beyond.
If you wish to view the subclass, you can find it here:
https://www.dndbeyond.com/characters/classes/gunslinger
Currently it is not possible to navigate to the Gunslinger using the class menu.You can however easily select it on your character builder screen, when selecting your fighter subclass.Pun-loving nerd | She/Her/Hers | Profile art by Becca Golins
If you need help with homebrew, please post on the homebrew forums, where multiple staff and moderators can read your post and help you!
"We got this, no problem! I'll take the twenty on the left - you guys handle the one on the right!"🔊
Now that the Gunslinger can be found on the class menu for Fighter's, I'm genuinely interested to hear everyone's feedback regarding this subclass. Please share your thoughts.
DM: Waterdeep: Dragon Heist
I personally like it a lot, but I am a bit of a gun nerd in real life, so :D
Gunslingers can hold their own, and with the firearms feat, it can make an excellent all-around class. I generally play them as a dexterous marksman or a sniper, picking off targets from afar, but you can easily hold a palm pistol and a scimitar, and you can be that pirate who gets a shot off every time you hit someone with a melee weapon. They are fighters as a base class, so you can still wield some pretty heavy stuff.
It's not for everyone, but it is a hard-hitting class. You will have to have a discussion with your DM regarding the line in the Adept Marksman feat. "You also regain 1 [grit point] when you roll a 20 on firearm attacks or you deal a killing blow to a significant threat (DM's discretion)" to understand what he constitutes as a significant threat or if he will allow you to gain grit points back on a kill in general.
But this is the opinion of one man.
I was recently looking at making a Fighter (Brute)/Bard, but then I was messing around with the idea of a pirate gunslinger (how novel right?) and the idea of taking a couple levels in bard to give some thematic boosts and utility on a pirate ship came up.
Kalashtar (Eberron campaign) So a boost to Dex, Wis, Cha (have not rolled stats yet but just using standard array gets a decent stat array) and take the kalashtar skill advantage with Intimidation because guns are scary (who needs bullying shot). So being a pirate means certain things are more useful, like supporting the crew and keeping your own hide intact. Knockdown shot, and the disadvantage shot to mess with enemies was my plan (torn on whether I should take the knockback to knock others overboard). Them the bard part comes in, probably just two levels, for Mending cantrip (things break with explosives yeah?) and Dancing Lights to illuminate your enemy or send the lights below decks while boarding. Spells would be Healing Word, for triage, Feather Fall in case someone falls from the rigging, Sleep for sneaky infiltration, Faerie Fire to pick out anyone giving orders, and Bane just to mess with the enemies.
Jack of All trades would just be a good flavor to a pirate, that they have picked up numerous useful skills from other crew members and the like. IT kinda trips my trigger (pun semi intended) as just a fun idea. Pretty sure everything else would just be gunslinger. Oh yeah I figure the reason she is making the guns is because they are getting some inspiration from the other spirit residing within her (which she doesn't have knowledge about because orphan sold to a pirate crew). I REALLY wanna try it out. First time I have actually been excited over the Gunslinger class.
"Where words fail, swords prevail. Where blood is spilled, my cup is filled" -Cartaphilus
"I have found the answer to the meaning of life. You ask me what the answer is? You already know what the answer to life is. You fear it more than the strike of a viper, the ravages of disease, the ire of a lover. The answer is always death. But death is a gentle mistress with a sweet embrace, and you owe her a debt of restitution. Life is not a gift, it is a loan."
I, personally LOVE Gunslingers. I was once playing a Level 15 human gunslinger, and using a pepper box, three attacks per round, and Action Surge, dealt 60-70 damage to the dragon we were fighting in one turn. They're just a knockout class overall
“Basically, if you tell anyone, we’ll kill you. We’re pretty good at that sort of stuff”-Salros Viper, Whispers Bard, paid assassin
This is really great to see, I'll have to give it a complete once-over because I'd only done HB versions in the past. Can't wait to dig into this.
Thinking of doing a gunslinger/sorcerer combo but also thinking I might go melee as well. I have a gunslinger level 10 doing the Ravenloft campaign and honestly thinking of 10 levels for another class but open to ideas. Stats support whatever class already I have strength 18 con 20 Dex 20 wis 16 int 15 chr 16. Using high elf race. Just trying to mix it up with this character
Dude those stats are crazy! Rogue/gunslinger appears to work well, but with those stats the sky's the limit
“Basically, if you tell anyone, we’ll kill you. We’re pretty good at that sort of stuff”-Salros Viper, Whispers Bard, paid assassin
Thanks this is my first campaign. Rolled stats with the DM and he said it was crazy what I rolled. Only grew five levels and those are my stats. Still getting a feel for everything but I am trying to create a character to use in multiple campaigns. Thanks for the advice and I will look into the rogue class.
Gunslingers are pretty cool and could dovetail well with most classes. It's not difficult to find a way for combat power to be supported by other classes. I could see a barbarian who charges in with a shotgun and when out of ammo clubs people with the butt of the gun. Rogues and swashbucklers especially could do some cool things, particularly if your DM is willing to work with you to create a hybrid sword/pistol combo (it was really a thing). Imagine a way of shadow monk who can teleport from shadow to shadow and snipe enemies.
Most spellcasting classes are of course a natural fit because there are all kinds of utility spells/powers that would support your character. Warlocks or shadow sorcerors can both obtain ways to see through magical darkness, so dropping a darkness spell on your opponents then blasting away. Action surge also provides a valid use for the true strike cantrip, since you can cast it and then immediately attack. Warlock gunslingers would be able to use eldritch invocations for other purposes than combat effectiveness and go more on the utility route.
Both the Gloomstalker and Horizon Warrior archetypes of the ranger provide for some fun powers that boost your attack power. The gloomstalker gets an extra attack on their first round of combat that deals bonus damage if it hits.
There's a ton of cool flavor backgrounds/origins you can do for a gunslinger as well. Imagine a folk hero character who followed a friend/significant other/idol out into the world and discovered they themselves weren't strong enough for normal combat, but then discovers the mysteries of black powder. Or the low level criminal who grabs a box off the back of a wagon stuck in the mud and discovers inside is a pistol and becomes a feared gunslinger?
I agree with the general thread in all this: it's all about how you want to play it.
Unfortunately, True Strike sucks. "On your next turn, you gain advantage on your first attack roll against the target, provided that this spell hasn't ended."
If it were simply the next attack you made (which is how I initially read it as well), that would remove a large chunk of the problems with the cantrip. It would still be suboptimal, but not as suboptimal.
Partway through the quest for absolute truth.
Right true, well then you could shoot, action surge to cast true strike and then make your buffed attack next turn. Might be even better if you know the enemy is close to fleeing/etc, since you only have to have them within 30 feet when casting it, not when you make the attack.
if you are truly desperate to find an use for true strike, 17 levels of the thief arcetype for the rouge lets you have two turns per round
i am soup, with too many ideas (all of them very spicy) who has made sufficient homebrew material and character to last an thousand human lifetimes
true strike: nothing about it says you have to cast it once combat starts.
hell, I’ve had a (Homebrew warning!) DM allow, that I could start battles having true strikes, at the expense of always being last in initiative, where there’s a risk my concentration breaks anyways.
truestrikes not great. But let’s not pretend it’s close to as horrible as skywrite
Blank
I suppose there's situations where you could have True Strike up at the start of a battle, though I think it'd have to be a situation where you know your group is about to start a fight.
As far as skywrite, yeah it's garbage in combat but most of us don't only play D&D for combat. It's also the kind of spell that is more useful at higher levels when casting a 2nd level attack or healing spell isn't going to do a ton, but using it to coordinate with your allies, create a ominous cloud to back up a lie/intimidation attempt, etc.
Hello friends!
I've never been much of a forum user so I hope this is the appropriate place to stage this question. And if you know if it has been answered elsewhere I'd be grateful if you could point me to that thread.
So I am prepping to run a gunslinger in an upcoming campaign with a new group. I want to put as much real world science and engineering as possible into the character as a reasoning for why he has access to black powder and firearms. Because such, I've been doing a ton of research on the composition of early black powder and how the heck a revolver actually works, as im not a gun-savy person.
My question is: How have you introduced firearms? I'm trying to keep mine as early staged as possible without making them too bad, if that makes sense. Paper cartridges and percussion caps for a revolver seem like the way I will be going as a flintlock style pistol seems too slow, but I'd love feedback from others as I've never really studied the specifics of how a character like Percy crafts his ammo and cares for his firearms.
Thank you so much.
how dare you compare an spell that completely wastes you action and concentration against an pretty dang useful utillity spell that has an near infinite range and is such an massive flex, use it to pretend to be god, to write obcene things, to shape rain clouds arround, and to tell the BBEG in their tower to go *** themselves, send complaints about faulty gear to an shopkeep, spare yourself from the sun when it is way too sunny, and all of this in a fantastic ritual that does not even need a spell slot
i am soup, with too many ideas (all of them very spicy) who has made sufficient homebrew material and character to last an thousand human lifetimes
As a DM, I didn't put much thought into "how is this scientifically possible?" as I ran Waterdeep: Dragon Heist for a group of friends and they're Drow Gunslingers that have poisonous pistols, so firearms already exist according to this module. With the Artificer becoming OC, I think it's fairly plausible to explain to others that firearms can exist; as I've been wanting to play a Swashbuckler Rogue who wields a scimitar and a pistol.
DM: Waterdeep: Dragon Heist
you mean just the regular firearms rules from the DMG?
i am soup, with too many ideas (all of them very spicy) who has made sufficient homebrew material and character to last an thousand human lifetimes
DM-ing an Eberron campaign - a world with "technology" powered by magic rather than science - I introduced "arcane pistols". There's even a picture in the Eberron book.
It made sense that these guns were invented by artificers and are powered by minor enchantments/infusions rather than gunpowder.