Guns Really Aren't As Powerful As You Think in Pathfinder

It has been nearly 10 years since Ultimate Combat dropped from Paizo, and with it the gunslinger class. And despite having had the following conversation in dozens of different forums, Facebook groups, and threads, I figured that I'd collect this all in one place in order to create a simple, easy-to-reference piece for any game runners out there who are worried that guns are just "too powerful" for your game.

They're really not. And I can break down why pretty easily.

There's about to be a lot of shots fired.

Also, for those who want to make sure they don't miss any of my updates, consider subscribing to my newsletter! And if at the end of this you've got a hankering for putting a shooter on your table, then consider checking out my Pathfinder character conversions for The Punisher, Doc Holliday, and John Wick.

 

Lastly, if you're looking for high-caliber action with the sort of guns that are as powerful as a lot of players seem to think, then you should really take a look at the Savage Company Campaign Setting as well as the recently released Savage Company Infantryman's Handbook. That's where you'll find the big guns.

Lastly, if you're looking for some additional fun and flavor, then you might want to check out my 5 Tips For Playing Better Gunslingers. Honestly, I think it's one of the more instructive articles in that particular series.

Let's Talk About The Touch Attack

The thing that gets a lot of people wound up is the fact that firearms are touch attacks. But a lot of players and game masters alike seem to skip past all of the fine print and qualifications that actually puts this into perspective.

Just some provisos... some quid pro quo...

First of all, an early firearm (the sort you're going to have access to in an average game run by the core setting's rules, or which you acquire as a class feature as a gunslinger) is only a touch attack within the first range increment. After that it takes the normal -2 to attack for distance, and resolves against standard armor class. That usually means you have to be within 20 feet to 50 feet at the very longest, which is more than close enough for the angry enemy they shot to charge them on their turn.

Secondly, a touch attack is not some huge upset that's going to reduce difficulty to nearly nothing. Size modifiers, Dexterity modifiers, cover, concealment, and a slew of other things still apply. Ducking behind a rock, or planting a tower shield, is often enough to keep one safe from even the deadliest gunfighter. Because it's true that someone firing a pistol is more likely to hit their target than they would if they were firing a hand crossbow... but it's no more likely than if they were shooting a wand with a ray spell. And chances are good the ray is going to have a lot better range.

Guns Aren't All That Powerful On Their Own

The other misconception people seem to have is that firearms are this encounter-killing mechanic that completely wrecks challenge level if they're present. Smaller firearms deal 1d6 of damage, and the largest reasonable two-handed firearm deals 1d12 damage. The double hackbutt deals 2d12 but it is not something you can easily acquire, and the damn thing is wheelbarrow-mounted, so it's not something players should be walking around with unless you're allowing ogrekin at your table.

And if you're doing that nonsense, guns are really a drop in the bucket.

Sure, it's a touch attack. If you're playing a character with a full BAB and a decent Dexterity score, chances are pretty good you're going to hit your target barring other obstacles (there's no concealment, they're within the first range increment, etc.). But if you hit, you've done either the equivalent of a short sword, or a great ax blow. Can that kill an enemy at low levels? Sure, if you're lucky it will blast a goblin's head off, or reduce a skeleton to a pile of bone dust. But even rolling max damage on that attack after a couple of levels is just going to annoy the monster, and mark the shooter out as a target. And if there's more than one threat present on the field, you likely won't have enough bullets to go around.

And the numbers only get worse as you level up.

Guns by themselves aren't a huge threat to one's enemies; they need something to dovetail with them in order to actually be effective. For instance, combining a gun with sneak attack is a great way to deal a lot of damage really quickly, without the need to rely on a spell to get a touch attack. If a gun is combined with class features that let you use them in unique ways (such as the gunsliner's deeds), or with a class that adds bonus damage (precision damage, adding Dexterity modifier to firearm damage, etc.) then that is quickly going to beef them up. Even something like the ranged magus archetype, or the spellslinger wizard archetype that lets you combine your gun with spells is going to give you more bang for your buck. Gunslinging paladins will dole out some serious harshness on devils, demons, and undead if they combine a shotgun with smite. And so on, and so forth.

But just the gun all by itself? Not that much of a threat. Especially when you consider some of the following...

They're Expensive (Both To Acquire, And To Use)

Guns are probably the most expensive non-magical weapons in the game. It's one reason that gunslingers are just handed a busted gat at level one, and why only they can use it without penalty. Basic guns can cost hundreds to thousands of gold just to acquire, and that's without any special abilities, masterwork detailing, etc.

 

We're discounting the fire lance here, because again it's the exceptions that prove the rule.

What did it cost? GDP of a mid-sized nation, since you ask.

And if you do want to buff up your firearms to be sure you can overcome damage reduction, and get some extra elemental effects or special abilities added to your shooting irons? Then you're pouring most of your gold into those upgrades. When you add in the cost of black powder, alchemical cartridges, and other aspects of firearm use, they suck up your adventuring earnings pretty damn fast. There are specific magic items that let you get around those costs, but again, you need to either find or make them.

Financial costs aren't the only thing to consider when it comes to firearm use, though; they're also fairly rare in a lot of locations. So if a player can't fix or modify the weapon themselves, and you're not in an area of the map where there are going to be gunsmiths about, that's going to create a problem. Guns are also pretty feat intensive if you want to really make them effective, and that goes double if you aren't marrying them to a potent class feature like the ones mentioned above.

First, you need proficiency in the weapon to avoid the -4 penalty (this is usually gained from a class feature, but not always). Then you need to acquire several ranged combat feats, such as Point Black Shot and Precise Shot to avoid penalties for shooting into melee while getting a small attack and damage boost. Rapid Reload is often a necessity, because much like crossbows guns can be an absolute ass-ache to keep loaded as combat goes on. Deadly Aim is often necessary for boosting your damage with these weapons, but it's a feat that you get the biggest benefit from when you have a full BAB. For those who want to make every shot count, feats like Vital Strike may be worthwhile. The Gunsmithing feat is often required for keeping guns repaired and loaded, and if a player isn't playing a gunslinger they may not get it for free.

In summary, if you're going to use guns effectively, that's where a great deal of your monetary resources, and your character resources, are going to go. Especially if they aren't just a convenient delivery system for a spell or a sneak attack.

They Come With Built-In Drawbacks

Guns have a lot of drawbacks that you need to overcome in order to use them effectively. Their relatively short range is one, and their expense is another. As mentioned, they can also be murder on your action economy, requiring you to really cut corners, or rely on spells and special abilities to make sure that you've always got a round in the pipe.

They can also blow up in your face.

Guys... I think Flint rolled another 1!

If you roll particularly low on an attack with an early firearm, then you have to deal with misfires. And misfires can cost you... especially if you're a player who rolls a lot of natural 1s, the way I tend to. While there are ways to downplay or negate misfires, their probability also increases when you do things like utilize alchemical cartridges... so they're going to happen at least a few times.

The other major built-in drawback of a firearm is powder. Black powder and ammunition is subject to water, subject to fire, and to all sorts of other situational issues. So if an enemy uses spells to ruin ammunition, or if a gunslinger gets caught in a dragon's breath weapon or a fireball, that incident could become far more costly than it otherwise might have been. Even something like being bullrushed into a river could destroy the ammunition in their weapon, as well as the bullets in their cartridge belt. And even when it does go off, it's loud as hell, which can alert other encounters there's something going on next door.

These are things you can overcome. There are items and magic cases that safeguard your equipment, as well as spells that can silence your area, but those also play into the cost of using a firearm in a hostile world. And while a game master may opt not to use these particular weaknesses to avoid ruining a player's fun and frustrating them, they are still there, and still viable.

Any Weapon Can Be Overpowered In The Right Hands

Hey there... heard someone was talking shit about archers?

I've been at a lot of tables over the years, and I've seen players crack out every, single weapon you could use. From frenzied berserkers whose greatswords can cleave dragons in half, to dagger-wielding assassins that tore encounters apart, to a wizard that turned a first-level spell into a nuclear hellstorm by applying just the right combination of feats, boosts, and metamagic rods... the weapon by itself was just one aspect of the character.

More to the point, though, I've seen a lot of game masters who end up getting steam-rolled by the party not because the party's too powerful, but because they aren't utilizing any sort of strategy for their villains.

I talked about this more in Party Balance is Mostly a Myth. Instead, Ask How You're Challenging The Party, but it bears repeating. Every character is going to be strong in some situations, and not as strong in others. If a target is within relatively close range and has a low touch AC, that is the gunfighter's time to shine. If a target has a high damage reduction, the ability to deflect bullets, is under a lot of cover, or is shrouded by illusion, then they're far more likely to end up shooting at shadows and not doing a whole hell of a lot while someone else steps up to get the job done.

If a gun could completely destroy your game's challenge, step back and ask why? Especially when you consider all of the weaknesses, limitations, and required support from class features, feats, etc. it takes to make these weapons really dangerous.

Lastly, a Note on Genre

This is Crunch week, and as such I've been largely focusing on the mechanical aspects of firearms (and particularly early firearms) as they're written for Pathfinder's first edition. As such, I have not gotten into setting, conventions, etc.

But I feel that should be addressed.

If you are running a Pathfinder campaign set in Golarion, then firearms are a part of that setting canon. If you are running a different setting (possibly one of your own design) where firearms do not exist, then they are not a part of that setting canon. Some players love guns in their fantasy settings, some players hate them, and some players are indifferent regarding their presence. But that is a discussion you can have on its own merits.

By the numbers, though, guns are not that big of a deal by themselves in a mechanical sense. As long as you run them as they're written, and track all of the things associated with their use, they're barely be a blip on the radar regarding challenge. You aren't required to use them at your table, but if the mechanics are really your concern, you can put that concern to bed.

Like, Share, and Follow For More!

That's all for this week's Crunch topic! For more of my work, check out my Vocal archive, and stop by the YouTube channel Dungeon Keeper Radio! Or if you'd like to read some of my books, like my alley cat noir novel Marked Territory, my sword and sorcery novel Crier's Knife or my latest short story collection The Rejects, head over to My Amazon Author Page!

To stay on top of all my latest releases, follow me on Facebook, Tumblr, Twitter, and now on Pinterest as well! And if you'd like to help support me and my work, consider Buying Me A Ko-Fi or heading over to The Literary Mercenary's Patreon page to become a regular, monthly patron! Even a little bit of help can go a long way, trust me on that one.