Order of the Marksman

While most Blood Hunter Orders look to the past, in tradition, and ancestry, the Order of the Marksman looks to the future. The Order of the Marksman revolves around building and designing firearms. Perhaps you are the first person to craft such a weapon, and in doing so, unlocked the blood magic in your veins. Maybe you were chosen by the secret order because you got close to uncovering the secret of firearms. No matter how you learned about them, you have become one of the most dangerous people in the world, and are now responsible for the fate of how the world's technology advances. Will you take this knowledge to your grave, or will you you sell it?

Author's Note

I was inspired by Matthew Mercer to create this subclass, his fighter subclass, as a subclass for his class, the Blood Hunter. This subclass uses elements of Matthew Mercer's Gunslinger, and expands on the features of the Blood Hunter. I do not claim ownership to anything from his Gunslinger or Blood Hunter, I'm simply using mechanics that he created as I am creating this as an homage to Matthew Mercer, but I also wanted a gunslinger that used blood magic without multi-classing.

Firearm Proficiency

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.

Gunsmith

Upon choosing this archetype at 3rd level, 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.

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.

Firearms

NAME	COST	AMMO	DAMAGE	WEIGHT	RANGE	PROPERTIES
Palm Pistol	50g	2g (20)	1d8 piercing	1 lb.	(40/160)	Light, reload 1, misfire 1
Pistol	150g	4g (20)	1d10 piercing	3 lb.	(60/240)	Reload 4, misfire 1
Musket	300g	5g (20)	1d12 piercing	10 lb.	(120/480)	Two-handed, reload 1, misfire 2
Pepperbox	250g	4g (20)	1d10 piercing	5 lb.	(80/320)	Reload 6, misfire 2
Blunderbuss	300g	5g (5)	2d8 piercing	10 lb.	(15/60)	Reload 1, misfire 2
Bad News	Crafted	10g (5)	2d12 piercing	25 lb.	(200/800)	Two-handed, misfire 3, explosive
Hand Mortar	Crafted	10g (1)	2d8 fire	10 lb.	(30/60)	Reload 1, misfire 3, explosive

Rite of the Marksman

When you join this order at 3rd level, you learn the esoteric rite Rite of the Marksman (detailed below).

Rite of the Marksman. Your rite damage is piercing type. This rite can only be activated on firearms.

Enhancing Rite

At 7th level, the magical energy from your crimson rite enhances the weapon. When your crimson rite is active, all damage from that weapon is considered magical.

Bonus Blood Curse

At 11th level, you learn the Blood Curse of the Focused for your Blood Maledict feature. This does not count against your blood curses known.

Blood Curse of the Focused. As a bonus action, you hone your aim and gain advantage on your next attack with a firearm.

Amplify. You can add your wisdom modifier to the attack roll.

Overriding Rite

At 15th level, your rite is stronger than your firearms. If you're using a crimson rite on a firearm and it misfires, you can continue to attack with the weapon. Every additional attack will increase that firearm's misfire score by one. The weapon breaks if it misfires again or if the rite fades. If the rite fades before the weapon misfires again, the weapon is considered broken.

Precision Marksman

At 18th level, your skill with firearms is impeccable. Whenever you use a firearm that does not already have a bonus to attack and damage rolls those firearms have a +1 to attack and damage rolls. This bonus does not count as a magical bonus.

You also gain the Blood Curse of Precision for your Blood Maledict feature. This does not count against your blood curses known.  

Blood Curse of Precision. As a bonus action, you can cause your magical energy to flow through firearms you're holding, if they don't already have magical bonuses to attack and damage rolls, they gain a +2 bonus to each until the end of your turn.

Amplify. The bonuses become +3.