The ringing cracks of a desperado’s dual-wielded pistols can often sound like the worst storm of the year coming in. For small towns, overrun by bandits and the like, that’s never too far from the truth.
The desperado is an archetype of the gunner class.
Archetype Main Ability Scores:
The desperado mainly focuses on DEX for martial combat and WIS for their class features.
Archetype Feature Replacements:
1st – Gunsmith, Skirmish. 3rd – Cover Fire. 4th – Flanking Fire, Gun Training. 7th – Hairtrigger. 12th – Covering Fire. 17th – Penetrating Shot. 18th – Death Shot. 19th – Lethal Patience.
Gunsmith
A desperado must take a trainee pistol when he chooses a battered firearm at 1st level, although he gains two pistols instead of one. They are worth 2d10 gil each when sold.
This ability modifies gunsmith.
Akimbo Style (Ex)
At 1st level, a desperado is so used to wielding two weapons at once, that he treats them almost as the same weapon. Whenever he takes an attack action with a simple one-handed firearm, he may also fire a single extra attack at his highest BAB with a simple one-handed firearm wielded in his offhand. The desperado incurs the normal penalties for two-weapon fighting on both attacks in the turn and he may not use Vital Strike with either attack. In addition, whenever he draws or stows a single simple one-handed firearm, he may draw or stow another simple one-handed firearm with his other hand as a free action.
This ability replaces skirmish.
Gunnery Talents (Ex)
The desperado gains access to following gunnery talents:
Akimbo Apace (Ex): Once per round per wielded simple one-handed firearm, when a desperado misses an attack, he may make an additional attack at the same base attack bonus with that firearm as a free action. This ability cannot trigger from misfires. Prerequisites: gunner level 6.
Gun Spinner (Ex): The desperado can stow a simple one-handed firearm as a swift action rather than a move action.
Marksmanship: Dual-Wield (Ex): The desperado gains Two-Weapon Fighting as a bonus feat. Prerequisites: Dex 15.
Marksmanship: Dual-Wield, Improved (Ex): The desperado gains Improved Two-Weapon Fighting as a bonus feat. Prerequisites: Dex 17, Two-Weapon Fighting, gunner level 8.
Marksmanship: Dual-Wield, Greater (Ex): The desperado gains Greater Two-Weapon Fighting as a bonus feat. Prerequisites: Dex 19, Improved Two-Weapon Fighting, gunner level 16.
Powder Packer (Ex): Once per day, when the desperado uses Gunsmithing to craft a stack of ammunition, he may do so with 10 minutes of work rather than 1 day of work. At 10th level, he may do so up to three times per day.
Dual Reload (Ex)
At 3rd level, the desperado may reload two wielded simple one-handed firearms with one action, rather than just one, and may even do so without a free hand.
This ability replaces cover fire.
Guns Blazing (Ex)
At 4th level, a desperado is so adept with his dual-wielded pistols, he can rival the speed of an automatic weapon. When firing a semi-automatic simple one-handed firearm and making the extra attack granted by the semi-automatic rate of fire, he may make a single extra attack at his highest BAB with another semi-automatic simple one-handed firearm wielded in his off-hand, increasing the penalty on all attacks by 1. If the desperado has the Rapid Shot feat he instead takes no penalties for using the extra attacks granted by this class feature and the semi-automatic firearm property. The desperado still takes the two-weapon fighting penalties as normal.
This ability replaces flanking fire.
Suppressive Fire (Ex)
At 7th level, the desperado can force his enemies to think twice about their movements, lest they get a face full of lead. As a standard action, he fires a number of bullets up to the number of attacks he could make in a full attack (including semi-auto and effects such as haste) in a cone equal to the first range increment of his wielded simple one-handed firearms (i.e. if he wields a pistol with a range increment of 30 ft., this cone is 30 ft. If he wields firearms with different range increments, use the lowest range increment). A number of enemies in this cone up to the number of bullets fired must make Will saves (DC 10 + half of his gunner level + his Wisdom modifier). If they fail, they take a -2 penalty to attack and damage rolls and move at half speed. These penalties last for a number of rounds equal to the desperado’s Wisdom modifier. At 12th level, the attack and damage penalty increases to -3, and at 17th level the attack and damage penalty increases to -4.
This ability replaces hairtrigger.
Suppressive Shots (Ex)
At 12th level, enemies targeted by the desperado’s suppressive fire ability take damage equal to the minimum weapon damage of his main hand simple one-handed firearm (as if he had rolled a 1 on all damage dice). This damage cannot be critical. Enemies that succeed on their Will save only take half of this damage (rounded down).
This ability replaces covering fire.
Critical Onslaught (Ex)
At 17th level, when a desperado confirms a critical hit with a simple one-handed firearm against a target, all other attacks made by the desperado using simple one-handed firearms against that target increase his critical threat range by 1 until the end of the current turn. This ability stacks with itself, and stacks with Improved Critical and similar abilities, but is calculated after all other modifiers.
This ability replaces penetrating shot.
Let ‘Em Have It (Ex)
At 18th level, a desperado’s attacks are so numerous and deadly that it almost forms a cloud of lead. As a full-round action, the desperado may instead attack in a cone equal to the first range increment of his simple one-handed wielded firearms (i.e. if he wields a pistol with a range increment of 30 ft., this cone is 30 ft. If he wields firearms with different range increments, use the lowest range increment), and expend all his ammunition in two wielded simple one-handed firearms. The desperado may choose to split a number of attacks equal to the expended ammunition among all targets within the cone. Each attack takes a penalty on its roll equal to the total ammo expended.
This ability replaces death shot.
Hail of Lead (Ex)
At 19th level, the desperado can make certain that no one who lands in his sights is safe. As a full-round action, a desperado may attack in a burst centered around himself with a radius equal to the first range increment of his simple one-handed wielded firearms (i.e. if he wields a pistol with a range increment of 30 ft., this burst is 30 ft. If he wields firearms with different range increments, use the lowest range increment), expending his ammunition in two wielded simple one-handed firearms up to a maximum of 20 bullets. Enemies within this area take weapon damage for each bullet expended, using the damage from the simple one-handed firearm from which each bullet was expended (i.e., if the desperado fires 10 bullets from his main hand firearm and 5 from his off hand firearm, this burst deals 10 times weapon damage from the main hand firearm and 5 times the damage from the off hand firearm). This is not an attack roll. Add the enhancement bonus for each firearm only once to the damage. Total the sum of the damage before applying DR or resistances. A successful Reflex save (DC 10 + half of his gunner level + his Wisdom modifier) halves this damage.
This ability replaces lethal patience.