Fighter (Gunslinger)

Overview & Creation

Most warriors and combat specialists spend their years perfecting the classic arts of swordplay, archery, or pole arm tactics. Whether duelist or infantry, martial weapons were seemingly perfected long ago, and the true challenge is to master them.   However, some minds couldn’t stop with the innovation of the crossbow. Experimentation with alchemical components and rare metals have unlocked the secrets of controlled explosive force. The few who survive these trials of ingenuity may become the first to create, and deftly wield, the first firearms.   This archetype focuses on the ability to design, craft, and utilize powerful, yet dangerous ranged weapons. Through creative innovation and immaculate aim, you become a distant force of death on the battlefield. However, not being a perfect science, firearms carry an inherent instability that can occasionally leave you without a functional means of attack. This is the danger of new, untested technologies in a world where the arcane energies that rule the elements are ever present.   Should this path of powder, fire, and metal call to you, keep your wits about you, hold on to your convictions as a fighter, and let skill meet luck to guide your bullets to strike true.

Class Features

Fighting Style You adopt a particular style of fighting as your specialty. Choose one of the following options. You can't take a Fighting Style option more than once, even if you later get to choose again.   • Archery You gain a +2 bonus to attack rolls you make with ranged weapons.   • Close Quarters Shooter (UA) When making a ranged attack while you are within 5 feet of a hostile creature, you do not have disadvantage on the attack roll. Your ranged attacks ignore half cover and three-quarters cover against targets within 30 feet of you. You have a +1 bonus to attack rolls on ranged attacks.   • Defense While you are wearing armor, you gain a +1 bonus to AC.   • Dueling When you are wielding a melee weapon in one hand and no other weapons, you gain a +2 bonus to damage rolls with that weapon.   • Great Weapon Fighting When you roll a 1 or 2 on a damage die for an attack you make with a melee weapon that you are wielding with two hands, you can reroll the die and must use the new roll, even if the new roll is a 1 or a 2. The weapon must have the two-handed or versatile property for you to gain this benefit.   • Mariner (UA) As long as you not wearing heavy armor or using a shield, you have a swimming speed and a climbing speed equal to your normal speed, and you gain a +1 bonus to armor class.   • Protection When a creature you can see attacks a target other than you that is within 5 feet of you, you can use your reaction to impose disadvantage on the attack roll. You must be wielding a shield.   • Tunnel Fighter (UA) As a bonus action, you can enter a defensive stance that lasts until the start of your next turn. While in your defensive stance, you can make opportunity attacks without using your reaction, and you can use your reaction to make a melee attack against a creature that moves more than 5 feet while within your reach.   • Two-Weapon Fighting When you engage in two-weapon fighting, you can add your ability modifier to the damage of the second attack.   Second Wind You have a limited well of stamina that you can draw on to protect yourself from harm. On your turn, you can use a bonus action to regain hit points equal to 1d10 + your fighter level.   Once you use this feature, you must finish a short or long rest before you can use it again.   Action Surge Starting at 2nd level, you can push yourself beyond your normal limits for a moment. On your turn, you can take one additional action on top of your regular action and a possible bonus action.   Once you use this feature, you must finish a short or long rest before you can use it again. Starting at 17th level, you can use it twice before a rest, but only once on the same turn.   Martial Archetype At 3rd level, you choose an archetype that you strive to emulate in your combat styles and techniques The archetype you choose grants you features at 3rd level and again at 7th, 10th, 15th, and 18th 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.   Extra Attack Beginning at 5th level, you can attack twice, instead of once, whenever you take the Attack action on your turn.   The number of attacks increases to three when you reach 11th level in this class and to four when you reach 20th level in this class.   Indomitable Beginning at 9th level, you can reroll a saving throw that you fail. If you do so, you must use the new roll, and you can't use this feature again until you finish a long rest. You can use this feature twice between long rests starting at 13th level and three times between long rests starting at 17th level.       Gunslinger   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.   Adept Marksman When you choose this archetype at 3rd level, you learn to perform powerful trick shots to disable or damage your opponents using your firearms.   Trick Shots. You learn two trick shots of your choice, which are detailed under “Trick Shots” below. Many maneuvers enhance an attack in some way. Each use of a trick shot must be declared before the attack roll is made. You can use only one trick shot per attack.   You learn an additional trick shot of your choice at 7th, 10th, 15th, and 18th level. Each time you learn a new trick shot, you can also replace one trick shot you know with a different one.   Grit. 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 short or long rest.   Saving Throws. Some of your trick shots require your targets to make a saving throw to resist the trick shot’s effects. The saving throw DC is calculated as follows:     Trick Shot save DC = 8 + your proficiency bonus + your Dexterity modifier   Quickdraw When you reach 7th level, you add your proficiency bonus to your initiative. You can also stow a firearm, then draw another firearm as a single object interaction on your turn.   Rapid Repair Upon reaching 10th level, you learn how to quickly attempt to fix a jammed gun. You can spend a grit point to attempt to repair a misfired (but not broken) firearm as a bonus action.   Lightning Reload Starting at 15th level, you can reload any firearm as a bonus action.   Vicious Intent At 18th level, your firearm attacks score a critical hit on a roll of 19-20, and you regain a grit point on a roll of 19 or 20 on a d20 attack roll.   Hemorrhaging Critical Upon reaching 18th level, whenever you score a critical hit on an attack with a firearm, the target additionally suffers half of the damage from the attack at the end of its next turn.   Trick Shots These trick shots are presented in alphabetical order.   Bullying Shot You can use the powerful blast and thundering sound of your firearm to shake the resolve of a creature. You can expend one grit point while making a Charisma (Intimidation) check to gain advantage on the roll.   Dazing Shot When you make a firearm attack against a creature, you can expend one grit point to attempt to dizzy your opponent. On a hit, the creature suffers normal damage and must make a Constitution saving throw or suffer disadvantage on attacks until the end of their next turn.   Deadeye Shot When you make a firearm attack against a creature, you can expend one grit point to gain advantage on the attack roll.   Disarming Shot When you make a firearm attack against a creature, you can expend one grit point to attempt to shoot an object from their hands. On a hit, the creature suffers normal damage and must succeed on a Strength saving throw or drop 1 held object of your choice and have that object be pushed 10 feet away from you.   Forceful Shot When you make a firearm attack against a creature, you can expend one grit point to attempt to trip them up and force them back. On a hit, the creature suffers normal damage and must succeed on a Strength saving throw or be pushed 15 feet away from you.   Piercing Shot When you make a firearm attack against a creature, you can expend one grit point to attempt to fire through multiple opponents. The initial attack gains a +1 to the firearm’s misfire score. On a hit, the creature suffers normal damage and you make an attack roll with disadvantage against every creature in a line directly behind the target within your first range increment. Only the initial attack can misfire.   Violent Shot When you make a firearm attack against a creature, you can expend one or more grit points to enhance the volatility of the attack. For each grit point expended, the attack gains a +2 to the firearm’s misfire score. If the attack hits, you can roll one additional weapon damage die per grit point spent when determining the damage.   Winging Shot When you make a firearm attack against a creature, you can expend one grit point to attempt to topple a moving target. On a hit, the creature suffers normal damage and must make a Strength saving throw or be knocked prone.

Starting Equipment

Equipment • (a) chain mail or (b) leather, longbow, and 20 arrows • (a) a martial weapon and a shield or (b) two martial weapons • (a) a light crossbow and 20 bolts or (b) two handaxes • (a) a dungeoneer's pack or (b) an explorer's pack