The Western Rider is a daring gunslinger who embodies the rugged spirit of the frontier—where survival depends on your aim, your wits, and the loyalty of your steed. Trained in the lawless stretches of windswept plains, scorched deserts, and dust-choked canyons, these fighters are both crack shots and seasoned riders, feared and respected wherever trails grow cold and justice rides fast.

Masters of firearm combat, Western Riders specialise in pistols, rifles, and improvised ranged weapons, bringing deadly precision and lightning-fast reflexes to the battlefield. Whether they’re gunning down foes from horseback, sliding behind cover for a sharp crack of their sidearm, or standing alone against a charging horde, they turn the chaos of a gunfight into a deadly dance.

Equally skilled in mounted combat, they form an unbreakable bond with their steeds—often specially trained and fiercely loyal. From the saddle, they unleash controlled bursts of fire, perform daring manoeuvres, and even leap from mount to mount in pursuit of prey. Their steed becomes more than just a means of travel—it’s an extension of their will, a partner in battle, and sometimes, the only ally they can trust.

Western Riders are more than just fighters—they are symbols of justice, vengeance, and freedom. Whether they wear a tin star or ride under their own code, they are always ready to answer the call when danger rides into town. Quick on the draw and even quicker to act, a Western Rider always has your back—or your bullet.

Keen Shot

As a Western Rider, guns are your best friend, apart from your horse. Firearms are almost second nature to you, and you gain proficiency with all of them. From pistols to rifles, muskets to hand cannons, you add your proficiency bonus to the attack roll.

Horseplay

As Western Riders, your horse is your life, if they go down, you are no longer a rider. You gain the Mounted Combatant feat and proficiency in land vehicles.

Cassidy Dash

You’ve trained to strike fast and ride hard, weaving through danger and firing on the move with ruthless efficiency.

• Mobile Marksman: If you move at least 10 feet while mounted before making a ranged weapon attack with a firearm, you do not provoke opportunity attacks from any creatures within 5 feet of you for the remainder of your turn. This reflects your ability to fire and manoeuvre without exposing yourself to retaliation.

• Charging Shot: While mounted, if you take the Dash action on your turn, you can make one firearm attack as a bonus action during the same turn. This attack represents a quick shot taken while spurring your mount forward and is made without adding your ability modifier to the damage roll, unless that modifier is negative.

Note: You may only use one of these benefits per turn. If you benefit from Mobile Marksman, you cannot use Charging Shot on the same turn, and vice versa.

This feature reflects the Western Rider’s ability to flow between motion and violence—either darting past threats while firing or charging headlong into battle with a snap-shot mid-gallop.

Who shot first?

At 10th level, your reflexes sharpen to near-supernatural levels, allowing you to seize the smallest openings in the chaos of battle.

Once per short or long rest, when a creature misses you with an attack roll, you can use your reaction to immediately make a single firearm attack against that creature. This attack is made after the triggering attack is resolved but before any other creature takes an action.

If you are mounted and the triggering attack also misses your mount, your counter-shot is made with advantage, as your combined motion and instinctive coordination with your steed create a blur too swift to track.

Additionally, if you are using firearms that require reloading, you may choose to reload one chamber or firearm as part of the same reaction, allowing you to fire without sacrificing your offensive tempo.

This feature represents your uncanny ability to read an opponent’s mistakes and punish them with split-second precision—whether ducking beneath a sword swing in the saddle or sidestepping an arrow to return fire with deadly accuracy.

Ned's Escapades

By 15th level, your legend rides ahead of you like dust on the wind. You and your mount move as one—fast, precise, and impossible to pin down. Your experience on the trail and in the thick of combat has honed you into a near-untouchable force, striking like lightning and vanishing before your enemies can react.

• Evasive Presence: Opportunity attacks made against you or your mount are made with disadvantage, as your swift movement, low profile, and tactical awareness make it difficult for foes to land a clean strike when you pass by.

• Master of Terrain: Your mount is no longer hindered by difficult terrain of any kind—natural or magical—allowing you to chase, escape, or outflank with unmatched agility across any battlefield.

• Rolling Thunder: If you move at least 20 feet on your turn before hitting a creature with a firearm attack, you can force that creature to make a Strength saving throw (DC = 8 + your proficiency bonus + your Strength modifier). On a failed save, the target is knocked prone, staggered by the force and momentum of your hit.

• Frontier Reflexes: When you and your mount both succeed on saving throws against the same spell or magical effect, you can immediately move up to half your mount’s movement speed as a reaction. This movement does not provoke opportunity attacks, allowing you to reposition or charge in for a counterattack with uncanny timing and precision.

The Good, The Bad, The Ugly

“When the dust settles, only one of us’ll be standin’.”

At 18th level, your legend precedes you—your trigger finger is the stuff of frontier ballads, and your eyes lock onto targets with deadly clarity the moment danger stirs. You no longer wait for a fight to start; you start the fight.

• High Noon Standoff: When you roll initiative and are not surprised, you can immediately make one firearm attack against a creature you can see within your firearm’s range. This attack occurs before any creature takes their turn. If this attack hits, it is treated as a critical hit, regardless of the number rolled on the d20. This shot represents your reputation, instinct, and unerring draw—the culmination of every duel and ambush you've survived.

• No Cover from Justice: Once per turn, when you make a firearm attack, you can choose to ignore half cover and three-quarters cover. Whether they’re ducking behind barrels, battlements, or magical barriers, your shot finds its mark.

• Quick on the Draw: You gain a +2 bonus to initiative rolls, reflecting your ever-sharpened instincts and readiness to act. Your keen awareness means you're rarely caught off guard, and your enemies rarely get the chance to act first.

This feature cements you as a mythic figure of the West—faster, sharper, and deadlier than any gunslinger alive. When your hand twitches toward the holster, people listen.