#picaroon

Nothing screams “Daring Adventure” like a gun in one hand and a blade in the other, and today we’re taking a look at the picaroon!

While still at its heart a swashbuckler, this archetype, which admittedly, uses a name which is already almost synonymous with the name of the class it is based around, is specialized in blending a melee and pistol combat style, much more so than the previously-reviewed musketeer swashbuckler, and certainly more than the musketeer cavalier.

One might strongly associate this archetype with piracy and high seas adventures, but anywhere where firearms and daring charisma meet, picaroons are sure to appear.

It’s interesting to see the swashbuckler, a hybrid class with an ancestry with the gunslinger class, to return to its roots a bit more by blending firearms and acrobatic, daring combat.

 As one might expect, the panache of these swashbucklers is rejuvenated not just by dealing deadly blows with signature swashbuckling weaponry, but also by their guns.

Additionally, they gain a selection of new uses for that daring boldness, such as the ability to expend some to fire their weapon quickly without giving nearby opponents an opening.

They also gain the common gunslinger deed of being able to quickly clear a jammed firearm.

Foes familiar with firearms rightly attempt to dodge and flinch away from a barrel pointed in their faces, and a picaroon can use this to their advantage, striking while the opponent shies away from such a feint.

With practiced dexterity, these gunmen can reload their pistols with uncanny speed, even faster if they further train or use cartridges to speed up the process, though reloading with such speed requires a bit of energy to do so.

Beyond those deeds, picaroons deliberately train themselves not only to use finesse blades, but also to use them alongside a light firearm, one in each hand.

Action economy is everything with this archetype, so if you’re interested in a swashbuckler that is deadly in both melee and range, this may be what you’re looking for. Definitely have a high charisma score, as you’ll likely need it to keep your gun loaded and your swashbuckler safe. Also definitely pick up pistol types with multiple barrels so you can make multiple shots without reloading. You’ll also want a feat selection and the like to keep you as mobile and safe as possible as well.

 There’s nothing about the picaroon that implies much about how they behave differently than their swashbuckler contemporaries, though the definition of picaroon is closer to “scoundrel”. However, nothing about the class mechanics paint them as such, so the name likely derives with a negative association that less adventurous persons in society have towards adventuring types. In fact, in some places where firearms are common, picaroons might even be the default swashbuckler, no matter the locale.

  Completely at home on the open sea with a strong wind at xir back, the infamous picaroon Eshal captains the Velvet Cutlass, a pirate vessel the daring sylph won in a duel. Now, xe leads xir daring crew in daring raids on merchant vessels and adventures on mysterious islands, building up a reputation, and treasure hold.

 Despite his skill with rapier and pistol, the infamous but shortsighted Commander Geren ended up a prisoner of war. However, late at night, a figure in bloody armor appeared outside his cell, promising to free him, but only if he rides the stranger’s horse into battle. What Geren realizes too late is the Horse is that of the Horseman of War.

Now all you hoes can thirst over @pic-a-roon in a banana speedo.

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