Class Feature Friday: Way of the Sniper (Pathfinder Second Edition Gunslinger Way)
(art by darth-iskander on DeviantArt)
It’s time for another gunslinger way, and this time we’re looking at a more stealthy, long-ranged combatant, which has parallels to the musket master archetype from the previous edition.
However, while the way of the sniper isn’t limited to two-handed firearms like it’s First Edition predecessor, they still come highly recommended for damage output and range.
This way also differs from the previous two we’ve covered as the gunner is more concerned with stealth and precision than bravado and getting stuck in at close range, making for a more quiet, steely sort of grit.
Using cover to their advantage, these snipers deal precision blows from long range from angles the foe is not defending against, proving that no matter the era or tech level, a long-ranged marksperson can be the most terrifying things one can face in a fight.
Ducking behind cover or out of sight is the perfect time to reload, so it’s only natural that these sharpshooters train to do so reflexively when staying out of enemy sightlines.
When beginning a combat from stealth, these snipers train to line up killing shots, dealing massive damage to a foe during their initial attack.
Even when not unleashing such a deadly ranged shot, they can still target the vitals of foes to cause large amounts of bleeding.
Once the battle is joined, especially masterful snipers can still get deadly precise shots off if they return to being hidden.
There are a few feats tied to this way, such as Sniper’s Aim, allowing them to increase their accuracy by taking more time to line up their shot, or Headshot, to finish off an already injured for with a precise shot to the cranium.
Other useful feats include Cover Fire, Defensive Armaments, Alchemical Shot, Smoke Curtain, Unseen Passage, Called Shot, Penetrating Fire, Blood in the Air, Deadeye, Ricochet Shot, Fatal Bullet, Instant Return, Ricochet Master, Final Shot, Piercing Critical, Unerring Shot, Ricochet Legend, and anything else that you feel would benefit the build.
This way is all about dealing as much damage as possible at range with each shot, as such, it really is best used behind cover and concealment, where you can keep moving to hide yourself from your foe and attack from a new, deadly angle. Give them buffs to stealth and a really nice gun and watch them pick off their foes.
While there is no denying how deadly a marksman with any weapon can be, fighting from stealth and at long range is universally considered by most soldiers to be a coward’s fighting style, or at the very least unsporting, which may affect how others see them.
The armies of good are coming together, uniting to face down the forces of the Blighted One, but despite their unity, there is still some clashes here and there. The orc warriors of Bervost Hold find it distasteful to fight alongside the marksmen of the city of Regammon, both for their favoring ranged combat and old grudges. Only the efforts of a rare orcish aphorite named Stalwart have the two forces managed to reconcile.
It is said that the holy musket Starspear was forged when a powerful angel sacrificed their physical form to become a weapon wielded by heroes. Whether there is any truth to that, a rhevanna, a fiend that jealously hunts celestials of all stripes, is after the weapon, though its exact motives are unknown.
With a war record like his, the soldier known as Orphan-Maker in propaganda has quite the reputation. Most of it is certainly manufactured by the government of his home, but enough of it is true to earn the name, and the number of wandering vengeful dead brought about by his deadly aim is nearly as extensive.
