Bullet Dancer (Pathfinder Second Edition Archetype)
(art by Eio-Eio-Eio on DeviantArt)
It’s interesting how creating a concept by blending two aspects can change and yet remain the same despite starting from one end instead of the other, meeting your goal in the middle. Such is the case with today’s archetype, the bullet dancer.
This archetype is sort of a successor to the Black Powder Vaulter archetype from First Edition, but while the BPV added monk and agility elements to the gunslinger class, this archetype seems to work best with monk as the base, adding in gunslinger traits.
The end result in either case is a character that practices the cinematic art of Gun Fu, wielding pistols in close range combat with all sorts of martial maneuvers for fights that are spectacular and amazing to watch, but probably not practical in real life.
…But we’re not here for practical, now are we?
Regardless, this archetype is perfect for a character that wants their combat style to be a deadly dance with deadly firearms at their command.
The base dedication of this archetype grants training with firearms and melee attachments and parts of such weapons, including bayonets, reinforced stocks, and the melee components of combination weapons. What’s more, these warriors learn a new stance for fighting with firearms and these attachments, including unleashing a flurry of attacks with them.
The whirlwind of strikes these warriors unleash allows them to follow up a melee strike with their gun by pulling the trigger at close range, preventing retaliatory strikes and even giving powder burns to such point blank foes.
With a bit of flair, the dexterous maneuvers of these gunslingers can distract foes long enough to catch them off guard with a shot.
They can also learn a few qi spells, mostly those that accelerate movement or imbue their attacks with spiritual energy.
Seemingly defying physics, these martial artists can use the kickback of their weapon to aid their propulsion when performing great acrobatic leaps.
During such a leap, they can even attack foes along the way with their chosen weapon, perhaps even catching them with traces of burning powder.
While other warriors reactively strike with melee weapons, bullet dancers learn the gunslinger art of firing off a shot in close range in reaction.
The biggest problem with gun-kata, especially in a setting where most guns are single-shot, is reloading, but some learn to do so seemingly as an afterthought after a normal shot.
Like many skilled gunslinger or slinger-adjacent figures, a trick shot to knock around objects or detonate dangerous objects is well within the capabilities of these martial artists.
Others use precise aim to knock weapons and items out of the hands of foes.
Another trick shot lets them ricochet bullets to hit foes out of direct line of fire.
Later on, those that master baffling foes with their spinning weapons can do so to multiple foes at once.
Those that favor twin pistols can learn to fire both at once, saving time to perform other tasks.
This archetype is more or less for monks (with or without a gunslinger multiclass) or gunslingers multiclassing into monk only, with other classes having to put in serious effort to do so. With that in mind, this archetype is great for mixed melee and ranged combat, turning their firearms into tools of rapid death. No matter your exact build, you’re probably going to want to invest in multiple firearms, particularly those that have a larger capacity than one shot, because even with a feat that lets you attack and reload when not doing other special shots, you’re going to want to have a backup when you don’t have time in your action economy to reload.
With their blending of monastic focus and gunslinger grit, it’s easy to imagine the steely focus one could expect from these warriors, but that doesn’t mean they can’t have fun, both off and on the battlefield. What remains true no matter the characterization is their firm focus and discipline in making their guns an extension of their own bodies.
Ever since her love was lost to war and violence, Renska has thrown herself into her training with her guns, becoming almost like a graceful machine of death according to her peers. In her grief and pain, she seeks a way to make that poetic descriptor a reality, stripping away flesh, mind, and soul to become an engine of death and bullets.
Taking inspiration from the monstrous irlgaunts, the research division of Foknard’s military has made great strides in replicating the powerful gastrolith projectiles of the creature for their own cannons, and have been working on a miniaturized version for use by a single gunner. However, the prototype was stolen, and rumors persist of an agile gunslinger whose strangely organic-looking pistol fires corrosive shot.
The Way of the Firework Serpent is a fairly new martial art, but one that the nagaji founders are very proud of with their gun swords and other black powder weapons on full display. However, while they are discerning about who they teach, they are willing to do so with outsiders that prove they can handle such weaponry.
