Dragon Powder Marksmen [3.5 Prestige Class PEACH]

Strudel110 · 03-25-2010, 11:34 PM

Dragon Powder Marksmen
"The clap of thunder and the smell of fire and brimestone--those are the things the dragon powder marksman knows best; some call them crazy to use such weapons--others simply die." Sneaky criminals, carefree show-offs, and vengeful vigilantes describe the most common attitudes of dragon powder marksmen. Firearms are a rare gnomish invention and are hard to maintain, find, and operate, so one should not expect to find them everywhere. Marksmen tend to inadvertently inspire others to become marksmen, although they remain relatively small in number due to the risks involved, and the tendency of two marksmen dueling upon meeting. Marksmen attempt to panic and cause chaos amongst their enemies, spreading the pain and scattering large groups. Most marksmen are rogues or fighters, the former choosing the class to perform powerful ranged sneak attacks often ending fight before the truly begin while the latter become marksmen to mow down close to mid range enemies with weapons like the blunderbuss. Wizards, most likely multiclass, with skills in alchemy could enhance their weapons to be even more powerful. NPC marksmen, while not always evil, would rather fight than talk, your first gun may come their corpse.

Hit Die: d8.

Requirements
Base Attack Bonus: +4
Alignment: Any nonlawful. The wanton destruction caused by these weapons rarely find a place amongst lawful people.
Feats: Dodge, Quick Draw, Point Blank Shot
Special: Must have witnessed a dragon powder weapon in action, and obtain one of his/her own.

Class Skills
Dragon Powder Marksmen's class skills are Intimidate (Cha), Profession (Wis), Craft (Int), Spot (Wis), and Tumble (Dex).
Skill Points at Each Level:2+ Int modifier

Level	Attack Bonus	FortSave	RefSave	WillSave	Special
1st	+1	+0	+2	+2	Overcharged Shot
2nd	+2	+0	+3	+3	Close Combat Shot
3rd	+3	+1	+3	+3	Rapid Reload, Penetrating Shot
4th	+4	+1	+4	+4	Quick Step
5th	+5	+1	+4	+4	Crack Shot
6th	+6	+2	+5	+5	Gunslinger
7th	+7	+2	+5	+5	Quick Step
8th	+8	+2	+6	+6	Scorching Blast
9th	+9	+3	+6	+6	Bloody End
10th	+10	+3	+7	+7	Boom Headshot!

Class Features
Weapon and Armor Proficiency: a dragon powder marksmen becomes proficient with Pistols, Muskets, and Blunderbuss's (See Below)

Overcharged Shot (ex): You can increase the power of your shots by packing more dragon powder than is probably safe, this also makes shots less accurate.

On your action, before making attack rolls for a round, you may choose to subtract a number from all ranged attack rolls and add the same number to all ranged damage rolls . This number may not exceed your base attack bonus. The penalty on attacks and bonus on damage apply until your next turn.

Special: If you attack with a Blunderbuss, instead add twice the number subtracted from your attack rolls.

Close Combat Shot (ex): At 2nd level, a dragon powder marksmen may make ranged attacks in a threatened square without provoking an attack of opportunity.

Rapid Reload (ex): At 3rd level a dragon powder marksmen may reload a dragon powder weapon as a swift action rather than a standard action.

Penetrating Shot (ex): A 3rd level dragon powder marksmen may declare a penetrating shot, which on a successful hit damages all enemies in a 40ft. line. You can use this ability once per round.

Crack Shot (ex): At 5th level your shots are so precise you can knock weapons from even the tightest grip. You may make ranged disarm attempts as though you had the Improved Disarm feat.

Gunslinger (ex): When entering combat you draw your firearm with an impressive flourish striking fear into the hearts of your enemies. At 5th level a Dragon Powder Marksmen drawing his weapon may make an intimidate check against all onlooking enemies with a bonus for every 2 levels of dragon powder marksmen, all enemies who fail their checks are shaken(page 76 player's handbook) for 1d6 rounds.

Quick Step (ex): At 4th and 7th level your movement speed increases by 10ft.

Scorching Blast (ex): At 8th level a Dragon Powder Marksmen may make a Scorching Blast attack against an enemy up to 10 feet away, a Scorching Blast is a normal ranged firearm attack that adds 1d4 fire damage per two levels. Can be used once a day plus one per two levels.

Bloody End (ex): At 8th level your enemies tend to die in the most unpleasant ways around you, whenever you kill an enemy you may announce that it was a gruesome kill and all enemies able to see the death have to pass an intimidate
check or become panicked, you gain a +2 bonus if you used the gunslinger ability, +2 if you killed the enemy with a special shot, and +2 for every other enemy killed in this manner during the fight.

Boom Headshot! (ex): A tenth level Dragon Powder Marksmen is capable of severing the heads of those he shoots. Upon a roll of natural 20 with a pistol, musket or blunderbuss (followed by a successful roll to confirm the critical hit), the shot severs the opponent’s head (if it has one) from its body. Some creatures, such as many aberrations and all oozes, have no heads. Others, such as golems and undead creatures other than vampires, are not affected by the loss of their heads. Most other creatures, however, die when their heads are blown off.

About the Class
Dragon powder is an alchemical substance that ignites and in proper measurements explodes with enough power to power gnomish inventions called firearms, powerful but inaccurate ranged weapons.

Those who witness such weapons are often drawn by its power, and seek to master them, becoming marksmen. Such individuals are often cocky to the extreme and their fighting exemplifies this, leading them to try more and more difficult shots.

Weapon	Damage	Cost	Criticals	Range	Weight	Damage Type
Pistol	1d8	250G	x3	50ft.	3lbs.	Piercing
Musket	1d10	500G	x3	100ft.	10lbs.	Piercing
Blunderbuss	2d6	300	19-20 x2	30ft.	8lbs.	Piercing

Reloading is a standard action

Ammo: all fire arms use both dragon powder charges(costs 100g for 50 charges), and either bullets or buckshot (only blunderbuss).

Turret guns: Pistols and Muskets can be upgraded to turret guns, giving the weapons eight rotating barrels allowing the wielder to fire eight times before reloading, but making reloading a full round action (standard action with fast reload). The complicated mechanism costs 500g.

Sawed Off: Blunderbuss' become more powerful when the barrel is sawed in half (2d8), but at a reduced range of 20ft.

and

Double Barreled: A Blunderbuss with two barrels may be fired twice before reloading. The extra barrel adds 300 gp to the price

Updated!...Twice!...Nay Thrice!!!

Innis Cabal · 03-25-2010, 11:51 PM

Its a little cluttered. Put spaces between seperate things, makes it easier to read. There is also no fluff, which is important. How do they come about, what do they do. Why can't they be lawful? You say they like destruction but its only ever mentioned there.

What drives people to become this PrC?

Strudel110 · 03-26-2010, 12:00 AM

K' will do but I'll have to fix it, and add fluff, tomorrow.

Temotei · 03-26-2010, 12:02 AM

Put the class features in the order the table presents them. It's really annoying to read the table and have to scroll down past two abilities to find the first level class feature then go back for the third level class feature.

EpicEvokerElf · 03-26-2010, 12:04 AM

It'd be real nice if the abilities were written out in order; I spent a few minutes trying to make sense of the progression. Beyond that, I'm too tired to say at the moment.

Lord Vukodlak · 03-26-2010, 12:08 AM

I think a PrC class that is so specialized in kind weapon should require the proficiency to gain the 1st level, maybe remove one of the feat requirements an add in exotic weapon prof: Pistol, Musket or Blunderbuss.

Strudel110 · 03-26-2010, 12:20 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Lord Vukodlak

I think a PrC class that is so specialized in kind weapon should require the proficiency to gain the 1st level, maybe remove one of the feat requirements an add in exotic weapon prof: Pistol, Musket or Blunderbuss.

Weapon and Armor Proficiency: a Dragon Powder Marksmen becomes proficient with Pistols, Muskets, and Blunderbuss's.
it's in there already

Quote:

Originally Posted by Temotei221

Put the class features in the order the table presents them. It's really annoying to read the table and have to scroll down past two abilities to find the first level class feature then go back for the third level class feature.

Fixed!

Lord Vukodlak · 03-26-2010, 12:39 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Strudel110

Weapon and Armor Proficiency: a Dragon Powder Marksmen becomes proficient with Pistols, Muskets, and Blunderbuss's.
it's in there already
!

I Know! I'm saying the class should REQUIRE you be proficient in one of those 3 types of weapons BEFORE you can take the 1st level of the class.

Obrysii · 03-26-2010, 08:42 AM

I've reformatted the text to make it easier to read.

I've done a bit of editting and adjusted abilities, renaming "Piercing Shot" as "Ranged Cleave" and swapping it with Quick Reload so that the Dragon Powder Marksmen could, you know, actually use that ability.

Spoiler

Note: you need to tighten up your grammar, and you're missing class skills.

FlamingKobold · 03-26-2010, 10:07 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Strudel110

Weapon and Armor Proficiency: a Dragon Powder Marksmen becomes proficient with Pistols, Muskets, and Blunderbuss's.
it's in there already

No, you should have to already be proficient with the weapon. It doesn't make sense otherwise.

On the capstone: do you have to declare it before you shoot? If so, it's utterly worthless.

Haven't read through the rest all that actively, though.

boomwolf · 03-26-2010, 10:35 AM

Also agreeing that Proficiency should be required, not granted.

More fluff will be nice.

The capstone ability is worthless. I suggest making it like the "vorpal" ability, like this:

Boom headshot!
A tenth level Dragon Powder Marksmen is capeable of severing the heads of those he shoots. Upon a roll of natural 20 with a pistol, musket or blunderbuss (followed by a successful roll to confirm the critical hit), the shot severs the opponent’s head (if it has one) from its body. Some creatures, such as many aberrations and all oozes, have no heads. Others, such as golems and undead creatures other than vampires, are not affected by the loss of their heads. Most other creatures, however, die when their heads are blown off.

Lord Vukodlak · 03-26-2010, 10:40 AM

The range cleave sounds kind of silly, what does he do curve the bullet? How I always envisioned cleave was your hit knocks the guy down and you keep going into another foe.

So "Piercing Shot" is the correct name and it should effect an enemy BEHIIND the one you downed, perhaps allowing a bit of extra range between them.

For a ranged cleave the projectile should go through the foe and directly into a guy behind him

Human Paragon 3 · 03-26-2010, 10:44 AM

How about instead of piercing shot as an ability, you give penetrating shot (PhBII) as a bonus feat. It lets you attack all enemies in a 40 foot line, I believe.

Lord Vukodlak · 03-26-2010, 10:53 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Gaurd Juris

How about instead of piercing shot as an ability, you give penetrating shot (PhBII) as a bonus feat. It lets you attack all enemies in a 40 foot line, I believe.

Sounds much better

Obrysii · 03-26-2010, 01:43 PM

I just renamed it because that's what it's doing. It's emulated Cleave but at range.

IMO, I'd change it to some sort of thing like said above - where it goes through the enemy.

Strudel110 · 03-26-2010, 05:02 PM

Thanks for the help guys, I fixed some stuff but I still need class skills and fluff.
Any ideas for fluff? I think I'd like to make it a group effort.

Strudel110 · 03-26-2010, 05:43 PM

Class skills are up, now I just need some fluff if anyone wants to take a whack at it.

Lord Vukodlak · 03-26-2010, 05:57 PM

I do like the class, well except for the last ability, I don't like vorpal weapons so I certainly don't like that ability.

I am noticing it requires quick draw but grants quick draw as a bonus feat.
Maybe the crossbow sniper feat, but for firearms you add half your dexterity modifier on damage rolls.

I bold damage rolls as I'm certain someone will miss read damage and assume attack rolls.

Strudel110 · 03-26-2010, 06:04 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Lord Vukodlak

I do like the class, well except for the last ability, I don't like vorpal weapons so I certainly don't like that ability.

I am noticing it requires quick draw but grants quick draw as a bonus feat.
Maybe the crossbow sniper feat, but for firearms you add half your dexterity modifier on damage rolls.

I bold damage rolls as I'm certain someone will miss read damage and assume attack rolls.

Oops I forgot to remove Quick Draw, thanks for catching that.

Temotei · 03-26-2010, 06:24 PM

Does the "witness a dragon powder weapon in action" prerequisite require the witness to see someone hit something, hit an enemy, be shot...what's "in action" defined as?

Does the user have to be proficient for the witness to meet that prerequisite?

Quote:

Class Skills[/u]
Dragon Powder Marksmen's class skills are Intimidate (Cha), Spot (Wis), and Tumble (Dex).

Alright then. Add Craft (Int), first of all.

Other ideas:

Concentration (Con) (you have to at least have some concentration to hit things when you shoot, right? This is just fluff, though)
Handle Animal (Cha)
Listen (Wis)
Profession (Wis)
Sleight of Hand (Dex) (perhaps giving them a class feature that allows reloading faster with this skill or to attack as a swift action after reloading once per encounter)
Survival (Wis)

I don't understand the Dodge feat requirement. It seems odd.

Quote:

All firearms have -1 attack bonus.

Take that out.

Strudel110 · 03-26-2010, 07:00 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Temotei221

Does the "witness a dragon powder weapon in action" prerequisite require the witness to see someone hit something, hit an enemy, be shot...what's "in action" defined as?

Does the user have to be proficient for the witness to meet that prerequisite?

Alright then. Add Craft (Int), first of all.

Other ideas:

Concentration (Con) (you have to at least have some concentration to hit things when you shoot, right? This is just fluff, though)
Handle Animal (Cha)
Listen (Wis)
Profession (Wis)
Sleight of Hand (Dex) (perhaps giving them a class feature that allows reloading faster with this skill or to attack as a swift action after reloading once per encounter)
Survival (Wis)

I don't understand the Dodge feat requirement. It seems odd.

Take that out.

To answer your first question, they need to see someone using a firearm on targets, enemies, anything. Added Craft (Int) I'd also like to do something with Sleight of Hand.

Temotei · 03-26-2010, 07:02 PM

Also, how many skills do they get per level? What's their hit dice?

For the first, I'd recommend 2 + Int modifier per level.

For the second, I recommend d8 or d6.

Strudel110 · 03-26-2010, 07:18 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Temotei221

Also, how many skills do they get per level? What's their hit dice?

For the first, I'd recommend 2 + Int modifier per level.

For the second, I recommend d8 or d6.

Sounds good updated!

Temotei · 03-26-2010, 08:22 PM

You definitely need more class skills. Anyone with 14 or more Intelligence will be taking cross-class skills. I'd say the best addition right now would be Profession.

Strudel110 · 03-26-2010, 08:45 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Temotei221

You definitely need more class skills. Anyone with 14 or more Intelligence will be taking cross-class skills. I'd say the best addition right now would be Profession.

Updated! I'm working on fluff, but right now I'm drawing a blank.

Lord Vukodlak · 03-26-2010, 09:12 PM

I don't actually see any wanton destruction in the class to warrant the non-lawful requirement,

"The clap of thunder, the smell of fire and brimestone, those are the things teh Dragon Powder Marksman knows best, some call them crazy to use such weapons others simply die."

Temotei · 03-26-2010, 09:17 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Lord Vukodlak

I don't actually see any wanton destruction in the class to warrant the non-lawful requirement,

"The clap of thunder, the smell of fire and brimestone, those are the things teh Dragon Powder Marksman knows best, some call them crazy to use such weapons others simply die."

"The clap of thunder and the smell of fire and brimestone--those are the things the dragon powder marksman knows best; some call them crazy to use such weapons--others simply die."

Fixed.

Strudel110 · 03-27-2010, 08:49 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Temotei221

"The clap of thunder and the smell of fire and brimestone--those are the things the dragon powder marksman knows best; some call them crazy to use such weapons--others simply die."

Fixed.

Nice quote, I shall stick it in somewhere.

Temotei · 03-27-2010, 01:16 PM

Skills should be in alphabetical order.

The dragon powder marksman’s class skills (and the key ability for each skill) are are Craft (Int), Intimidate (Cha), Profession (Wis), Spot (Wis), and Tumble (Dex).

Never capitalize the class name unless you have to, like when it's at the beginning of a sentence. Even then, only capitalize the first word of the class name.

herbe · 03-27-2010, 02:43 PM

nice prc. go on

In the table there is a 'improved quick step'. Maybe i misread something Do you think a second 'quick step' ?