Pistol Mage Paragon Path

[the Jester]

BACKGROUND: Guns in the campaign are rare and mostly possessed by the enemy. They don't use gunpowder; instead, they run on powdered sunlight (sunpowder). Only a certain sect of orcs knows how to make sunpowder weapons, but the pcs in my campaign captured a few and a few shots' worth of sunpowder. The sunpowder pistols do 1d10 damage, and when you fire one, the square you are in is filled with smoke, granting concealment to creatures in it until the end of your next turn. The wizard took one of the pistols and loves it- ever seen Wizards?- so I put this together for him.

Please critique.

PISTOL MAGE

“Everyone needs a backup.”
Prerequisite: Arcane power source, Exotic Weapon Proficiency (sunpowder weapons)

While some wizards disdain any weapon but their magic, you have a fondness for your ultimate backup weapon- a gun. You have learned to use it to channel your magic; you have determined to learn to use it to improve your magic.

PISTOL MAGE PATH FEATURES

Pistol Implement (11th level): Choose an arcane implement that you specialize in, whether the wand, staff or orb. You can use a pistol as if it were that type of arcane implement when casting your spells. You do not gain your proficiency bonus to spells without the Weapon keyword, but you do gain any enhancement bonus that the pistol may have.

Sunpowder Action (11th level): When you spend an action point to gain an extra action, all attacks that you make before the end of your next turn gain the fire and radiant keywords.

Sunpowder Mastery (11th level): You can fire your shots with a miniscule amount of sunpowder. You no longer expend sunpowder when using your pistol.

Pistol Mastery (16th level): You do not provoke opportunity attacks when firing your pistol, and you crit on a 19-20 when firing your pistol.

Shot from the Hip--- Pistol Mage Attack 11
He who fires first has the edge.
Encounter--- Arcane, Weapon
No Action (at start of encounter, before initiative is rolled)--- Ranged weapon
Requirement: You must be wielding a pistol.
Effect: You make this attack immediately, before initiative is resolved, and then act again normally on your initiative.
Attack: Intelligence vs. Reflex--- Target: One creature.
Hit: 2 [W] + Intelligence modifier damage.
Effect: You gain concealment until the end of your next turn.

Tap the Power of the Sun--- Pistol Mage Utility 12
You use the power locked in the sunpowder you possess, to charge your magic with the sun’s energy.
Encounter--- Arcane
Minor Action--- Personal
Effect: Until the end of your next turn, all of your attack powers gain the fire and radiant keywords.

Hail of Bullets--- Pistol Mage Attack 20
You fire a hail of magical bullets at your enemies, blazing with fire and radiant energy.
Daily--- Arcane, Fire, Implement, Radiant
Standard Action--- Close blast 5
Target: Each enemy in burst
Attack: Intelligence vs. Reflex
Hit: 5d6 + Intelligence modifier fire and radiant damage, and target is blinded until the end of your next turn.
Miss: Half damage, and target is not blinded.
Effect: You gain concealment until the end of your next turn.

 

[Emirikol]

Cool stuff.

Jay H

 

[cold1s]

As the player running the above referenced character, I look forward to this Paragon Path. I'd also like to thank the Jester for letting me play one of the first Cydra 4th ed. paragon paths.

The mage ended up with a pistol following an encounter with some orcs. I liked the flavor of a pistol wielding mage, as mentioned above, everyone needs a backup.* In another game-feel related issue, I feel uneasy about at-will powers completely replacing the value of weapons in some classes. No one wants to be relegated to standing in the back shooting a crossbow or hucking darts, but it is good to have the option.

This paragon path power will defiantly put this wizard on the “strikery” end of controller, which he already is. I look forward to combining the pistol with some existing feats, like Point Blank Shot, a remastered classic. I would like to create some new feats and magics, as well. I guess here would be a good place to post them when they are DM approved.

The concealment will be handy, especially since a hit with the 11th level encounter power is sure to draw fire, and hopefully some movement past our strikers and defenders. I also like having a wizard that can do radiant damage.

16th and 20th level powers look fun.

In short, this should all add up to some fun and dramatic Story Hour posts.


*The idea originates in me watching the movie Wizards. Specifically the final confrontation between the good and evil wizards. We can discuss more details or how awesome that movie is elsewhere.

 

[kenmarable]

I gotta say I despise this paragon path - I now have more awesome PC ideas that I have time to play! Thanks a lot!

All silliness aside, it is a very fun looking paragon path. The only constructive criticism I can think of is that for having an Arcane power source requirement, it doesn't feel very arcane at all. Or are the sunpowder guns fundamentally an arcane item?

The pistol implement is great, but beyond that one thing, the rest seems like it could easily be martial or even any power source at all. But like I said, maybe it's because the sunpowder weapons are arcane magic items, I don't know.

Also, with the pistol implement, personally, I think it would be fun to instead just have it added to the list of possible implements for all classes* and give wizards a new implement mastery ability specifically tied to the pistol. Maybe damage bonus equal to Dex on all ranged spells or apply the Weapon keyword to all ranged At Wills and/or add 1[W] damage (haven't really thought these through, they are just off the top of my head and definitely more striker than controller).

But these are more brainstorming of possible additions and tweaks than criticisms. I think the paragon path is very nice and it's definitely on my shortlist for possible use. Although I'm leaning more towards a warlock or bard... hmm...

* Not sure how making it another implement would play with the melee-focused swordmage or any other future melee-focused arcane classes (i.e. I think my dream PC concept is a melee-focused arcane striker, however that would look). It might work just fine mechanically and not be too odd flavor-wise specializing in melee use of a pistol. But I haven't really dug in too deep. Just overall, I think it might work to make it an additional implement rather than having it act just like another one, and that helps the mechanics fit the flavor better than basically having a pistol-shaped orb, for example.

 

[cold1s]

Your points are all well taken. I will let the Jester speak for himself on design issues. Other DMs might want to take this path as a guide for their own, since this is a custom build for a specific character. I can say that this path works well with the particular history of this PC.

Also, yes, sunpistols are arcane in nature, and VERY rare.

When you read the Fall of Civilization SH after a few updates, this path will seem very natural for the character using it.