Gunslinger

Gunslinger

An elf lays the barrel of her rifle atop a rock, peering through the bushes and waiting for the perfect opportunity to strike a distant target. When her mark is clearly in sight, she pulls the trigger, taking his head with a single shot and making her escape.

A dwarf clad in dark leathers pulls a revolver from his hip, unloading a shot into the bandit approaching him. Three others begin to charge at the dwarf, and with lightning reflexes, he fells them all before they have the opportunity to close the distance.

A scarred goliath points his shotgun towards a group of merchants, demanding the surrender of their goods. When one of the merchants charges the goliath, he pulls a dagger from his belt, gutting the hero before unloading his weapon into another.

Gunslingers make use of quick reflexes and overwhelming firepower to get the upper hand in combat situations. Out of combat gunslingers make excellent scouts and lookouts.

Cutting Edge Weaponry

Gunslingers are skilled at using new and unique technology. They have an intimate understanding of their weaponry and are quick to adapt in changing situations. Their dexterous nature and long ranged firepower allow them to stay on the outskirts of battle while still dishing out devastating damage. Even when in unfavorable situations, a gunslinger always has an extra trick up their sleeve.

Varied Beginnings

Gunslingers come from a variety of backgrounds and employ themselves in numerous professions. A gunslinger can be anything from a common bandit to a soldier, or even an intellectual tinkerer. Although gunslingers aren't quite as popular as the common sellsword yet, they are certainly on the rise, especially in the higher classes of society. Whatever their background, one thing all gunslingers have in common is their grit in battle and unparalleled finesse with firearms.

Creating a Gunslinger

When creating a gunslinger, be sure to consider the setting of the campaign. Are firearms common or rare? Is your character perhaps the first to wield firearms in your setting? Does your character have enemies or rivals who covet their (potentially) rare and powerful technology? Are you from a far off land where firearms are much more common, or perhaps from a different plane entirely? Who taught your character to use firearms? And what is your character's relationship with that person like? Consider how these factors may influence the way in which your character interacts with the other player characters, npcs, and the world around them.

Quick Build

You can make a gunslinger quickly by following these suggestions, First, Dexterity should be your highest ability score, followed by Intelligence. Follow it with an ability that represents your character's alternate strengths.

The Gunslinger

Level	Proficiency Bonus	Features	Grit Points
1st	+2	Gunsmith, Shooting Style, Expertise	—
2nd	+2	Grit, Trick Shots	2
3rd	+2	Specialization, Deft Hands	2
4th	+2	Ability Score Improvement	2
5th	+3	Extra Attack	3
6th	+3	Specialization Feature	3
7th	+3	Evasion, Additional Trickshot	3
8th	+3	Ability Score Improvement	3
9th	+4	Deadeye	4
10th	+4	Trained Ear, Additional Trickshot	4
11th	+4	Specialization Feature, Extra Attack (2)	4
12th	+4	Ability Score Improvement	4
13th	+5	Deadly Accuracy	5
14th	+5	Eagle Eyes	5
15th	+5	True Grit, Additional Trickshot	5
16th	+5	Ability Score Improvement	5
17th	+6	Specialization Feature	6
18th	+6	Critical Mastery, Additional Trickshot	6
19th	+6	Ability Score Improvement	6
20th	+6	Perfect Aim, Extra Attack (3)	6

hit dice: 1d8 per gunslinger level

hit points at 1st level: 8 + your Constitution modifier

hit points at higher levels: 1d8 (or 5) + your Constitution modifier per gunslinger level after 1st

armor proficiencies: light armor

weapon proficiencies: Simple weapons, firearms

tools: Tinker's tools

saving throws: Dexterity, Intelligence

skills: Choose three skills from Acrobatics, Arcana, Intimidation, Investigation, Perception, Sleight of Hand, and Stealth

starting equipment:
You start with the following equipment, in addition to the equipment granted by your background:

• (a) a musket and 20 rifle bullets, (b) two flintlock pistols and 20 pistol bullets, or (c) one blunderbuss and 20 shotgun bullets


• (a) a dungeoneer’s pack or (b) an explorer’s pack


• Leather armor, a dagger, and Tinker's tools

Alternatively, you may start with 5d4 x 10 gp to buy your own equipment.

spellcasting:
This class has no spellcasting, though a specialization may grant spells.

class features:

Gunsmith

You have proficiency with Tinker's tools. You may use them to craft ammunition at half the cost and to maintain your firearms.

Expertise

Choose two of your skill proficiencies, or one of your skill proficiencies and your proficiency with tinker's tools. Your proficiency bonus is doubled for any ability check you make that uses either of the chosen proficiencies.

Shooting Style

You adopt a particular style of gunslinging as your specialty. Choose one of the following options. You can’t take a Shooting Style option more than once, even if you later get to choose again.
Akimbo
You may engage in two weapon fighting using light firearms. When you engage in two-weapon fighting, you can add your ability modifier to the damage of one of the attacks.
Careful Shot
You can add your Dexterity modifier to the first damage roll you make with a firearm on your turn.
Duelist
When you are wielding a firearm in one hand and no other weapons, you gain a +2 bonus to damage rolls with that weapon.
Nimble
While you are carrying a firearm in your hand, gain a +1 bonus to AC.
Rapid Reloader
You can reload as a bonus action.
Skeet Shooter
As a reaction, when a creature within your weapon's range makes a ranged weapon attack, you may attempt to shoot the projectile out of the air. Make an attack roll against the projectile. If your attack roll beats the creature's roll, your bullet redirects the projectile, causing it to miss entirely.
Steady Aim
When you roll a 1 on a damage die for an attack with a firearm, you can reroll the die and must use the new roll, even if the new roll is a 1.
Suppressing Fire
When a hostile creature you can see within your firearm's range makes an attack, you may spend a reaction to fire in their direction to impose disadvantage on the attack.
Take Cover
The bonus you receive from half and three-quarters cover is doubled. Additionally, as a reaction to being targeted by a ranged attack, you may move 5 feet, and if that movement results in granting you cover from the attack, you receive the corresponding bonus.

Grit

Starting at 2nd level, through your quick reflexes and rigorous training, you are able to take a variety of maneuvers. Your skill is represented by Grit Points. Your gunslinger level determines the number of Grit Points you have, as shown in the Grit Points column of the Gunslinger table. Grit Points are used to perform various class features.

You regain 1 expended Grit Point each time you roll a critical strike or reduce the health of an enemy of significant threat to 0 (DM's discretion). You regain all expended Grit Points after a short or long rest.

Some of your grit features require your target to make a saving throw to resist the feature's effects. The saving throw DC is calculated as follows:

Grit Save DC = 8 + your proficiency bonus + your Intelligence modifier

Trickshots

At 2nd level, you learn to perform powerful shots against your opponents. You learn two Trickshots of your choice, as detailed in the following list. You may only use one trickshot per attack and must declare that you are using a Trickshot before the attack roll is made, if an attack roll is required.

You learn one additional trick shot at 7th, 10th, 15th, and 18th level. When you learn a new Trickshot, you may also choose a Trickshot you already know and replace it with another Trickshot.

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 after shooting your firearm to gain advantage on a Charisma (Intimidation) check.

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.

Destructive Shot. When you make a firearm attack against a creature, you can expend 2 grit points to attempt to overload the gun with gunpowder. For this attack, the firearm has the property Destructive 10. If the attack hits, the target is treated as vulnerable to the damage of the attack. If the firearm destructs, you take additional damage equal to your level.

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.

Distracting Shot. When you make a firearm attack against a creature, you may expend 1 grit point to attempt to distract the creature, giving your allies an opening. On a hit, the creature must make a Wisdom saving throw. On a failed save, attack rolls against the creature have advantage until the start of the creature's next turn.

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.

Graceful Shot. When you make a firearm attack, you can expend one grit point to immediately move 15 feet without provoking opportunity attacks. Furthermore, you gain a +2 to AC until the start of your next turn.

Jump Shot. When you make a firearm attack, you can expend one grit point to immediately jump up to 3 times your normal jumping distance. This movement must be movement that you have available on your turn.

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 attack gains a +1 to the firearm’s misfire score. On a hit, the creature suffers normal damage, while every creature in a line directly behind the target within your first range increment must succeed on a Dexterity saving throw or suffer one die of your firearm's damage dice.

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 making a firearm attack against a creature, you may expend 1 Grit Point to attempt to topple them. On a hit, the target must succeed on a Strength saving throw or be knocked prone.

Specializations

At 3rd level, you choose a specialization that you emulate in the exercise of your gunslinging abilities, all of which are detailed at the end of the class description, your specialization grants you features at the 3rd level and then again at the 6th, 11th, and 17th level.

Deft Hands

By 3rd level, you are able to maneuver your firearms with great finesse. You may expend 1 Grit Point to reload or unjam a firearm as a bonus action. If another feature would already allow you to do this as a bonus action, you can instead do so with no action required. You also no longer require a free hand to reload your weapon.

Ability Score Improvement

When you reach 4th level, and again at 8th, 12th, 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.

Using the optional feats rule, you can forgo taking this feature to take a feat of your choice instead.

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.

Evasion

Beginning at 7th level, you can nimbly dodge out of the way of certain area effects, such as a red dragon's fiery breath or an ice storm spell. When you are subjected to an effect that allows you to make a Dexterity saving throw to take only half damage, you instead take no damage if you succeed on the saving throw, and only half damage if you fail.

Dead Eye

Starting at 9th level, you learn to carefully line up exceptionally lethal shots. When you make a ranged weapon attack using the attack action on your turn, you may choose to forgo one or more of the extra attacks granted by your Extra Attack class feature. For each attack you choose to forgo, you gain a +2 to the attack roll. You also increase the damage of the attack by 1 roll of your weapon's damage die for each attack forgone. Additionally, if a creature struck by deadeye has to make a Grit saving throw, such as when struck by the Winging Shot Trickshot, it does so with disadvantage.

Trained Ear

By 10th level, through your extensive dealings with firearms, explosions now rarely faze you. You gain resistance to thunder damage, and advantage on saving throws against effects that would make you blinded or deafened.

Deadly Accuracy

Beginning at 13th level, your firearm attacks score a critical hit on a roll of 19 or 20.

Eagle Eyes

By 14th level, you can recognize even fine details at a glance. You can use 1 grit point to take the Search Action as a bonus action, gaining advantage on Wisdom (Perception) and Intelligence (Investigation) checks that rely on sight when you do so.

True Grit

At 15th level, your determination allows you to dig deep and find a way to keep yourself in the fight. When you would be reduced to 0 hit points but not killed outright, you can spend 2 grit points to drop to 1 hit point instead.

Critical Mastery

At 18th level, your firearm attacks score a critical hit on rolls of 18, 19, or 20. Furthermore, you now regain 2 expended grit points on a critical hit using firearms.

Perfect Aim

At 20th level, you have achieved true mastery with firearms. When you make an attack roll with a firearm and miss, you can spend 2 grit points to reroll the attack roll. If the new attack would hit, you regain 1 grit point.

subclass options:

Martial Archetypes

Battlefield Medic

Battlefield Medic

Battlefield medics are experts in providing support to their allies. They are able to weave through the fight, administering aid to their allies while gunning down their enemies. Due to their sharp intellect, Battlefield Medics also gain access to a larger pool of Grit and Trickshots than other gunslingers.

Gunslinger Level	Feature
3rd	Grit Reservoir, Combat Medicine
6th	Violent Remedy
11th	Lifeline
17th	Do No Harm

Grit Reservoir

When you choose this specialization at the 3rd level, you gain a number of max Grit Points equal to your Intelligence modifier (minimum of one) in addition to the Grit Points granted by your gunslinger level. These Grit points function the same as those granted by your gunslinger level.

Combat Medicine

When you choose this specialization at the 3rd level, you learn to quickly tend to wounds incurred on the battlefield. Whenever you heal a creature as part of this subclass, you use a number of grit points equal to how many d6s you heal. As an action or an attack as part of your Extra Attack feature, you may expend up to 3 Grit Points to touch and heal a creature up to 3d6 + your Intelligence modifier.

Violent Remedy

By 6th level, you have learned to combine medicine and gunslinging in a unique way. When you critically strike a creature or when a creature dies within 60 feet of you, you can use your reaction to shoot an empowering tonic at a creature you see within 60 feet of you, granting one of the following benefits:

• Heal for a d6.
• Gain advantage on their next attack.
• Gain resistance to bludgeoning, piercing, or slashing damage from nonmagical attacks until the end of their next turn.

Lifeline

By the 11th level, you have become efficient at finding the safest and quickest path towards your allies when they are in danger. Your walking speed is increased by 10 feet and you gain a bonus to your AC equal to half your your Intelligence modifier, rounded down (minimum of one).

Furthermore, you learn to pull your allies from danger. As a bonus action, you may expend 1 Grit Point to move a willing creature you can touch up to 5 feet. This movement does not incur attacks of opportunity.

Do No Harm

By 17th level, when using the Violent Remedy feature, the target creature gains all listed benefits instead of a single benefit of your choice. In addition, when granting a creature other than yourself the benefits of Violent Remedy, you also gain the benefits.

Long Gunner

Long Gunner

The Long Gunner's most effective weapon is the rifle, shot from a long range. While they don't have the most defensive options and they take longer to set up the shot, their firepower is serious, and their accuracy is deadly. With a well-timed and perfectly lined-up shot, their bullets find their way into the weak spots of their targets.

Gunslinger Level	Feature
3rd	Evasive Maneuvers, Bullseye
6th	Assassin's Precision
11th	Careful Shooter
17th	Headshot

Evasive Maneuvers

Starting at 3rd level, when you are hit by a melee attack while prone, you can use a grit point and your reaction to force the attacker to reroll the attack and use the new roll. In addition, once per short or long rest, you can immediately jump 10 feet away without taking opportunity attacks and make a firearm attack against your attacker.
You also have advantage on Strength (athletics) or Dexterity (acrobatics) checks made when climbing or jumping

Bullseye

At 3rd level, while prone you get advantage on the first attack of your turn. If that attack hits, it does an extra 1d4 damage. This damage increases to 2d4 at 6th level, 3d4 at 11th level, and 4d4 at 17th level.

Assassin's Precision

Beginning at 6th level, if you are prone and you haven't used any movement on your turn, your first attack crits on a roll of 17 or higher.
Additionally, any firearm attack you hit against any creature that hasn't taken a turn in the combat yet is an automatic crit.

Careful Shooter

At 11th level, whenever you use your Deadeye feature, each attack forgone increases the damage by 2 rolls of your weapon's damage die, instead of 1.

Headshot

Starting at 17th level, you become a master of killing opponents with a single strike. When you hit a ranged weapon attack against a creature while using the Deadeye class feature, you can guarantee the attack critically strikes.
Once you use this feature, you cannot do so again until you complete a short or long rest.

Related information: Firearms