Warlock Gunslinger

[Bannan_mantis]

I was thinking of playing a warlock hexblade and I was looking other some of the invocations before I went over and saw the arcane gunslinger invocation, it's UA but the idea of a arcane gunslinger who uses magic and bullets is something that just seems very cool to me. I have seen multiple people point out how you can just have a gun as your spell casting focus and I like that idea so I decided to make it into a subclass but with more emphasis on the "being a gunslinger" theme with quickdraw and fast hands abilities. I have tried to make this a warlock who can deal large damage by being a caster blaster while also trying to be the first in initiative cause who doesn't want the fastest hands in the west.

This is my first attempt at a homebrew like this and I have probably made this horrendously OP or just bad so please give critiques where necessary.

https://homebrewery.naturalcrit.com/share/B1Zafja2Q

[lunaticfringe]

Sleep deprived first pass.

Way too much initiative shenanigans 'You add your Cha & Dex modifier when rolling initiative', that's all you need. There is already an official invocation called Eldritch Smite. The 14 ability seems meh.

[Bannan_mantis]

um, probably should have specified but eldritch mark is a patron, sorry

Also I used eldritch smite as a base and sorta forgot to change the name, sorry I have been a bit forgetful when making this

[lunaticfringe]

um, probably should have specified but eldritch mark is a patron, sorry

Yeah I edited my post. As I said Sleep deprived, that's my bad.

[Bannan_mantis]

your not the only one my friend and to add onto what you said, eldritch smite to my knowledge is something that is melee only and is the 14th level ability OP? Even with like 6-8 eldritch blast shots from rapid fire

Also made some changes at level 6 with quickdraw

[Vogie]

Pact of Silver
You can use firearms to imbue your magic with more power than before making it more dangerous and powerful. You can summon a magical firearm as a spellcasting focus, whenever you roll for the damage or attack on a cantrip you can add a additional +1 to the roll and you gain proficiency with firearms. Effects which effect weapons can affect your spellcasting focus.

This has variable levels of usability depending on which firearm rules you're using. The Waterdeep Pistol is a 1d10 Ranged weapon with 30/90 range and the Ammunition (Firearms) and Loading Properties. You should probably state that "You can summon a magical firearm that can act as a spellcasting focus" and state how to do so (action/bonus action, et cetera). Also, it is called pact of the silver - are the bullets considered silver (for lycanthrope reasons)? If so, you may want to state that outright.

Overall, this Pact Boon isn't terrible, but isn't overpowered, which is a great place to be. A bit too narrow for me, but more


Suggestions I would make to the subclass itself:

The Eldritch Marksman Patron

Quickdraw
At 1st level, you can add your charisma modifier to initiative rolls and can draw and/or stow any two items a free action during your turn. You ignore the loading property of crossbows and firearms with which you are proficient.

Septic Slug
At 1st level, When you hit a enemy with a ranged weapon attack, you may use a bonus action to give that creature the poisoned condition for the next 2 rounds. You regain this feature when you finish a short or long rest.

Flexible War Magic
Starting at 6th level, whenever you take the Attack action with a ranged weapon on your turn, choose one of the following:

you can attack twice, instead of once; or,
you can cast a cantrip as a bonus action.

Far Sight
Starting at level 10, You can see up to 1 mile away with no difficulty. You are able to discern even fine details as though looking at something no more than 100 feet away from you. Dim light doesn't impose disadvantage on your Wisdom (Perception) checks.

In addition, your weapon attacks score a critical hit on a roll of 19 or 20.

Clear Shot
Starting at level 14, You can forgo an attack roll to choose a creature you have seen in the past minute. You make an attack with either a cantrip that requires an attack roll or 2 attacks with a ranged weapon, and they automatically hit the chosen creature, moving around corners if needed and ignoring three-quarters and half cover. The target takes damage as if it were hit with the attacks or spell, plus an extra 5d10 force damage, and you learn the target's current location. You regain this feature when you finish a long rest.

Reasons for these changes:

Just because someone chooses this patron does not guarantee they are using Pact of Silver. I adjusted it to be flexible enough to fit Tome, Blade and Chain Pacts.
I moved your Infected Shot to the first level so you get more than a ribbon. I also reworded the ribbon so you can wield multiple guns, and also use this build for thrown weapons.
I added a pseudo-Extra attack feature, used only for ranged weapons. This keeps your intended feel, while also giving a boon to bladepact and other pacts (as all warlocks can use darts and Shortbows.
Alternatively, the Pseudo-war magic feature also allows you to either be a Ranged + EB multiattack blaster or a True-strike-empowered Sniper.
Because Chainpact already gives a free source of advantage on attacks, it really shouldn't be an option in the subclass. I used the Arcane Archer's Seeking Arrow as a substitute, expanding it to use either a cantrip or ranged attack, guaranteeing a hit, and increasing the damage - You only get 1 per long rest, instead of 2-3 per short rest. If you use this ability at high levels with EB, you'll do the normal 4d10 from EB plus an additional 5d10, keeping it in line with the Fiend Patron's 10d10 psychic damage (but requiring an attack roll to hit). Also, you get to be Yondu (or Idris Elba's Gunslinger), which is a huge plus.



Eldritch Spear is already used as a name - it's an invocation that increases the range of the Eldritch Blast.

Eldritch Smite can already be used for a ranged weapon, and is actually better than eldritch bullet, as you could knock a target out of the air, or knock a target prone (cutting their movement speed in half if they're on the ground) even though it deals less damage. However, it is only available for Bladepact, so you may want to give something similar or at least thematic for Pact of Silver.

Also, you may want to designate if Pact of Silver will be available to other Patrons - The only other time a boon was added was Star Chain (UA), and that was exclusive to the Seeker class.

[Bannan_mantis]

I like your suggestions a lot and I think I need to clarify something more. It isn't using ranged weapons, it is simply casting cantrips and spells with a firearm as the spellcasting focus. Pact of silver just gives a +1 to your magic attack rolls and damage rolls. I do like your suggestions but this isn't using a actual firearm in the normal way, I must apologise for not being specific.

Also War magic with eldritch blast would be OP, at least I think so. I know you thought it was ranged weapons and stuff but it isn't and if it isn't is two eldritch blasts in one turn OP?

[Vogie]

Also War magic with eldritch blast would be OP, at least I think so. I know you thought it was ranged weapons and stuff but it isn't and if it isn't is two eldritch blasts in one turn OP?

It wouldn't be that OP - It wouldn't be "2 eldritch Blasts in a turn", it'd be a single ranged attack, plus a single EB Cast (with however as many rays). Without Agonizing Blast or Hex, it'd be a comparable amount of damage to a EKF doing an attack + Fire Bolt.

Even though I misunderstood - I still like it. It gives something other than "just another blaster", which is what Tome & Chain are. If you do want to use my version I'd suggest using the Waterdeep pistol, listed above, or MFOV's Firearm Rules (http://mfov.magehandpress.com/2018/04/firearm-rules-redux.html) if you want more modern weapons.

[Bannan_mantis]

I have liked your warlock gunslinger suggestions but I wanted this to be a caster blaster with a firearm theme to them. This isn't something like hexblade but I could see it being similar in the using a weapon as a spell casting focus. I would rather keep this to the caster blaster and I have done some edits to allow bonus action cantrips but it's a weaker cantrip not doing as much damage as normal ones.

Also I am saying that two eldritch blasts in one turn would feel OP even though that isn't what you were thinking, I was referring to something that allows for two EB in one turn.

(But I will maybe consider using your version as a variant and I have borrowed some of your abilities for it)

[Vogie]

If that's what you want, grab a 3 level sorcerer dip. Eldritch Blast, followed by a Quickened Eldritch Blast. Pew Pew Pew.

If you want, you can act as a straight up gunslinger only - shunt all of your spell slots into sorcery points, then EB-QEB all day long, with force damage bullets.

Doubly so if your "gun" is a Rod of the Pact Keeper, which gives +hit based on rarity, and even more "bullets"

[Bannan_mantis]

ehhh idk, I like the idea of getting extra attacks and originally I was considering this having a invocation which is a few times per long/short rest and let you cast a bonus action cantrip. I would rather this allow for something like QEB but stay warlock and not be sorcerer, even if that means lessening the damage it makes for a cool speed shooter feel and the ability only works for cantrips so yeah.