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Gunbreaker

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Charging forward with his allies at his
back, a hrothgar smashes through the
garlean formation with a blast from his
weapon. With a triumphant roar, he dives
into the fray, crossing blades with his foes.

On the sunny shores of La Noscea, a
mighty blast shatters the silence. A roegadyn
woman, brandshing an axe gunblade, swings
her weapon, sweeping a trail of explosions
around her to fend off a swarm of kobolds.

A quivering merchant recoils, as a wicked
blade arcs towards him. It crashes against a
miraculous barrier, and the merchant turns in time
to see a miqo’te launch herself at the assailant, smoke trailing from her blade.

Trained with rare and unique weapons called gunblades, Gunbreakers are an elite group of
warriors charged with defending the innocent. Their weapons use powerful, aether-charged ammunition to decimate their foes and protect their allies.

Masters of the Gunblade

Gunbreakers draw their unique strengths from the weapons they wield. Once the hallmark of the Bozjan royal guard, gunblades are a strange fusion of melee weapons and a unique firearm system. Gunblades require incredibly specialised training that has been passed down through the years by surviving Bozjan warriors. Gunblades are weighty and unwieldy
weapons, rendering them unusable by the average soldier. Only by dedicating years of their life can one hope to master the gunblade.

The gunblades themselves are fueled by aetherically charged munitions known as cartridges. Gunbreakers uses their pool of personal aether
to charge the cartridges, before quickly loading
and pulling the trigger, firing the cartridge and
creating one of a variety of unique effects. Gunblades
are used for both offense and defense in equal part,
being able to create either devastating
explosive attacks, or manifest barriers of pure
energy around a target. With training, a gunbreaker
can master more unorthodox abilities.

CLASS | THE GUNBREAKER

 

 

The Royal Guard of Bozja

The origin of the gunbreakers can be traced to ancient Bozja. The first gunblades were used by the royal guard, an elite group of soldiers called Gunnhildr’s Blades. At the height of the Allagan Empire’s power, the Gunnhildr’s Blades were deployed on the battlefield for the first time. Their task was to destroy the Empire’s long range siege weapons with their gunblades, quite literally breaking the enemy’s guns. And thus, the first gunbreakers were born.

Since then, the techniques of the gunbreakers have been passed down by Bozjan warriors and spread beyond it’s borders. After the destruction of the Bozjan Citadel, few remain that can teach the art. But they are out there, ready and willing to pass down their techniques to those with the strength to wield them.

Creating a Gunbreaker

When creating your gunbreaker character, think about why you chose to walk this path; becoming a gunbreaker is no easy feat, and a gunblade is a dangerous weapon. Think about why you chose this profession and why it is

you fight. Who are you fighting for?

Gunbreakers are, at their core, soldiers, and every

soldier needs a reason to fight.

Next, think about how you learned to become a

gunbreaker. Did you find an ancient and battered

soul crystal that resonated with you? Did you seek

out a wise and elderly mentor from the old days of Bozja? Perhaps you were taken under the wing of a wandering gunbreaker who was fleeing the empire? Or, perhaps you hail from Garlemald itself, having learned similar techniques in your training, or mimicked the the style of gunbreakers you met on the field of battle?

Consider next how your alignment might affected or be affected by your past and your goals. Most gunbreakers are typically lawful good; have you strayed from that path? Do you still strive to do good, yet use your abilities to threaten and intimidate others? Maybe you seek vengeance, and use your abilities in an evil manner? Or maybe, you are truly wicked at heart, and should never have been given such abilities?

Finally, think about why you chose to take your abilities and become an adventurer. This could tie into previous answers; maybe you are seeking vengeance on the man who killed your mentor? Or perhaps you want to strike against the empire for the horrors they inflicted on your homeland?

Quick Build

You can make a gunbreaker quickly by following these suggestions. First, you should make Strength your highest ability score, followed by Constitution. Second, choose the soldier background.

CLASS | THE GUNBREAKER

 

 

Class Features

As a gunbreaker, you gain the following class features

Hit Points

Hit Dice:

1d10 per gunbreaker level

Hit Points at 1st Level:

10 + your Constitution modifier

Hit Points at Higher Levels:

1d10 (or 6) + your Constitution modifier gunbreaker level after 1st

Proficiencies

Armor:

All armour, shields

Weapons:

Simple weapons, martial weapons, firearms

Tools:

Smith’s Tools

Saving Throws:

Strength, Constitution

Skills:

Choose two from Arcana, Athletics, History, Insight, Intimidation, Investigation, Perception or Sleight of Hand

Equipment

You start with the following equipment, in addition to the equipment granted by your background:

• (a) a martial weapon and a shield or (b) two martial weapons
• (a) a pistol and 20 bullets or (b) any simple melee weapon
• (a) a dungeoneer’s pack or (b) an explorer’s pack
• Chain mail and a set of smith’s tools

Gunblade

In your training, you have learned how to design and build your own gunblades. Over the course of an hour, you can use smith’s tools to convert a melee weapon into a gunblade. You can have up to two gunblades at once. If you attempt to construct a third, you must dissasemble one of your existing gunblades, converting it back into a normal melee weapon. A weapon you convert into a gunblade gains the following properties:

Weighty. Only you know how to wield the unique weight

of your gunblade. If another creature tries to use your

gunblade, it cannot add it’s proficiency bonus to the

attack roll.

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Lightning Shot. You can use your gunblade to make a

simple ranged attack. The attack has a range of 30

feet and you are proficient with it. The attack uses your

Dexterity modifier for the attack and damage rolls, the

damage die is a d6, and it deals lightning damage.

Additionally, when you reach 6th level, your gunblades count as magical for the purposes of overcoming weakness and resistance.

Cartridges

Also at 1st level, you have a number of aether–charged catridges that you can swiftly load into your gunblade and fire to unleash powerful cartridge features. You begin knowing three such features: Blasting Zone, Burst Strike and Heart of Stone. You learn more cartridge features as you gain levels in this class.

You must be wielding a gunblade to be able to fire a cartridge. A cartridge is expended after it is fired, and you regain all expended cartridges after finishing a short or long rest.

Some of your gunbreaker features require your target to make a saving throw to resist the feature’s effects. The saving throw DC is calculated as follows:

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Blasting Zone

As an action, you can fire a cartridge to instantly destroy a nonmagical, Medium or smaller object within reach of a gunblade you are wielding.

When you reach 11th level, the object can be Large or smaller, and when you reach 17th level, the object can be Huge or smaller.

Burst Strike

When you hit a creature with a melee attack using a gunblade, you can fire a cartridge to follow up with a deadly blast. The target must make a Strength saving throw. On a failed save, the creature takes 2d8 fire damage and is knocked prone. On a failed save, the creature takes half as much damage and suffers no other effect. If the attack was a critical hit, the creature automatically fails the saving throw.

When you reach 11th level, the damage increases to 3d8, and instead of knocking a creature prone on a failed save, you can push it back up to 15 feet. When you reach 17th level, the damage increases to 4d8.

Heart of Stone

When you or another creature you can see within 30 feet of you takes damage, you can use your reaction to fire a cartridge, creating a magical barrier around the target, that reduces the damage taken by 1d8 + your Constitution modifier (minimum reduction of 1).

When you reach 11th level, the range increases to 60 feet, and when you reach 17th level, the range increases to 90 feet.

Fighting Style

At 2nd level, you adopt a particular style of fighting as your specialty. Choose one of the following options. You can’t take a Fighting Style option more than once, even if you later get to choose again.

Blind Fighting

You have blindsight with a range of 10 feet. Within that range, you can effectively see anything that isn’t behind total cover, even if you’re blinded or in darkness. Moreover, you can see an invisible creature within that range, unless the creature successfully hides from you.

Defense

While you are wearing armor, you gain a +1 bonus to AC.

CLASS | THE GUNBREAKER

 

 

Dueling

When you are wielding a melee weapon in one hand and no other weapons, you gain a +2 bonus to damage rolls with that weapon.

Great Weapon Fighting

When you roll a 1 or 2 on a damage die for an attack you make with a melee weapon that you are wielding with two hands, you can reroll the die and must use the new roll, even if the new roll is a 1 or a 2. The weapon must have the two-handed or versatile property for you to gain this benefit.

Gunner

The damage die of your gunblade’s Lightning Shot increases to 1d10.

Two Weapon Fighting

When you engage in two-weapon fighting, you can add your ability modifier to the damage of the second attack.

Protection

When a creature you can see attacks a target other than you that is within 5 feet of you, you can use your reaction to impose disadvantage on the attack roll. You must be wielding a shield.

Provoker

Once per turn, when you hit a creature with a melee weapon attack, you can use a bonus action to provoke the creature until the start of your next turn. While provoked, the creature has disadvantage on attacks rolls against creatures other than you.

Brutal Shell

Starting at 2nd level, you are able to use the excess aether from your cartridges defensively. Whenever you fire a cartridge, and you gain 5 temporary hit points which last for 1 minute.

Additionally, when you use Heart of Stone and target another creature, you can choose to have that creature gain the temporary hit points from this feature, rather than you. When you do so, the temporary hit points last until the start of the creature’s next turn.

When you reach 11th level, the number of temporary hit points you gain increases to 10, and when you reach 17th level, it increases to 15.

Gunbreaker Contingent

When you reach 3rd level, you undergo specialised training, joining a contingent of like-minded gunbreakers. Through your contingent, you learn unique techniques and abilities to use in conjunction with your gunblade. Choose from the Queen’s Guard, Ravager, Elementalist or Shadowhunter Contingents, each of which is presented at the end of the class description. The contingent you choose grants you features at 3rd level and again at 7th, 10th, and 15th level.

Ability Score Increase

When you reach 4th level, and again at 8th, 12th, 16th, and 19th level, you can increase one ability score of your choice by 2, or you can increase two ability scores of your choice by 1. As normal, you can’t increase an ability score above 20 using this feature.

Martial Versatility (Optional)

Whenever you reach a level in this class that grants the Ability Score Improvement feature, you can replace a fighting style you know with another fighting style available to gunbreakers. This replacement represents a shift of focus in your martial practice.

Extra Attack

Beginning at 5th level, you can attack twice, instead of once, whenever you take the Attack action on your turn.

Deft Hands

By 6th level, you have become more adept at handling your gunblade and tools. You can convert a weapon into a gunblade in half the time it would normally take, and you can repair objects using your smith’s tools twice as fast. Your proficiency bonus is doubled for any ability check you make using Smith’s Tools.

Heart of Light

Starting at 9th level, whenever a creature you can see forces you to make a saving throw against a spell or other magical effect, you can use your reaction to fire a cartridge and release a surge of defensive energy. You and any other creature within 30 feet that was also forced to make the saving throw have advantage on the roll.

Martial Enforcer

At 13th level, your imposing presence emboldens your allies. When you or a creature within 30 feet of you makes a Charisma check, the creature gains a bonus to the roll equal to your Strength modifier (minimum of +1). You must be conscious and visible to grant this bonus.

Continuation

At 14th level, you are able to capitalise on the momentum from your gunblade. When you hit a creature with a melee attack using a gunblade, you can fire a cartridge as a bonus action to force the creature to make a Constitution saving throw. On a failed save, the creature suffers one of the following effects of your choice:

Abdomen Tear. The creature has disadvantage on the next Strength or Dexterity saving throw it makes before the end of your next turn.

Eye Gouge. The creature is blinded until the end of your next turn.

Jugular Rip. The creature can’t cast any spells that require a verbal component, and can speak only falteringly until the end of your next turn.

CLASS | THE GUNBREAKER

 

 

Bloodfest

Starting at 18th level, when you roll initiative and have no cartridges remaining, you regain 2 cartridges.

Gunmetal Soul

By the time you reach 20th level, your body and soul has been hardened by war. You have resistance to bludgeoning, piercing and slashing damage. Additionally, whenever you use Heart of Stone and target another creature, you can extend this benefit to them. The creature gains resistance to bludgeoning, piercing and slashing damage until the start of its next turn, including against the triggering damage.

Gunbreaker Contingents

Gunbreakers found their origins in the depths of war and strife, where they were deployed to fill a partiular role. Throughout history, different divisions and companies have gone on to develop their own unique styles of combat to fill different roles on the battlefield. Over time, they evolved into the contingents we know today.

Queen’s Guard Contingent

Gunbreakers of the Queen’s Guard contingent learn a fighting style descended from that of the original Gunnhildr’s Blades. Moreso than any other gunbreaker, they strive to protect their allies from any and all harm, empowering their defensive techniques, and putting themselves in harms way in place of their allies.

Vigilant Companion

At 3rd level, you are a dependable and vigilant ally. You have advantage on Wisdom (Perception) checks made while standing watch, and you have a +2 bonus to your passive Wisdom (Perception) score while a friendly creature is within 30 feet of you.

Royal Guard

Starting at 3rd level, you defend your allies even at risk to yourself. You can fire a cartridge as a bonus action to protect a creature you can see within 5 feet, erecting a defensive ward and interjecting yourself between friend and foe until the start of your next turn.

While the creature is protected, it has half cover. If the creature takes damage from any source while protected, they take only half damage, while you take the other half. The effect ends early if you and the creature are separated by more than 5 feet.

Nebula

Starting at 7th level, you are able to make the most of your own defences. While you have temporary hit points, you have a +1 bonus to AC.

Aurora

At 10th level, you master an enigmatic technique to prolong yourself on the front lines. As an action, you can fire a cartridge and envelop yourself in healing light. For 1 minute, you regain 1d4 hit points at the start of each of your turns. You don’t gain this benefit if you have 0 hit points.

Superbolide

From 15th level, whenever you are reduced to 0 hit points but not killed outright, you can fire a cartridge as a reaction to drop to 1 hit point instead. When you do so, you have resistance to all damage until the start of your next turn.

GUNBREAKER | QUEEN’S GUARD

 

 

Ravager Contingent

The ravager contingent is a group spoken about with hushed whispers and apprehensive tongues. On the battlefield, these gunbreakers resemble fierce animals, tearing across the battlefield and ripping into their foes. They strike with a flurry of blows, felling a target in moments before setting their sights on fresh prey. Some rumours suggest that they struggle to tell friend from foe, and that the slightest misstep will send them hunting after you.

No Mercy

Starting at 3rd level, you can fire a cartridge as a bonus action to empower yourself with a merciless fury. Until the end of your turn, you gain the following benefits:

• Your melee weapon attacks using a gunblade score a critical hit on a roll of 19 or 20 on the d20.
• Your walking speed increases by 10 feet.
• You have advantage on melee weapon attacks using a gunblade if the target has less than half its maximum hit points.

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This effect ends early if you are incapacitated, or if your turn ends and you haven’t taken the Attack action.

Brutal Visage

Also at 3rd level, your merciless combat style invokes fear in all that have seen you in battle. You can use your Strength modifier in place of Charisma when making Intimidation checks. You have advantage on Inimidation checks against creatures that have seen you fight. You can also fire a cartridge when you make an Intimidation check to give yourself advantage on the roll.

Rough Divide

When you reach 7th level, you become able to propel yourself through the air by firing a cartridge. As a bonus action, you can fire a cartridge and move up to 30 feet in any direction without provoking attacks of opportunity.

Terminal Trigger

At 10th level, your ruthless onslaught cripples your foes. When you reduce a creature to less than half its maximum hit points, you can fire a cartridge as a bonus action to force the creature to make a Constitution saving throw. On a failed save, the creature is stunned until the start of your next turn.

Wicked Talon

Starting at 15th level, you become able to brutally exploit the pain of your enemies. When you score a critical hit against a creature using your gunblade, the next attack you make against the same creature also becomes a critical hit. You can only gain this benefit once on each of your turns.

 

 

Elementalist Contingent

Versatile and adaptive gunbreakers tend towards the elementalist contingent. They imbue elemental energies into their gunblades, before charging forth and scorching the battlefield with unique and unorthodox techniques. Their understanding of elemental energies allows them to perform feats unlike any other contingent, blasting away nearby enemies and crippling their defences. With such variety at their fingertips, they are able to rapidly adjust to any enemy they face.

Elemental Cartridges

At 3rd level, you have learned to imbue your cartridges with elemental power. When you finish a short or long rest, choose one of the following damage types to infuse into your cartridges: acid, cold, fire, lightning, or thunder. The damage type of your gunblades Lightning Shot and your Burst Strikes changes to your chosen damage type until you choose a different one using this feature. You also gain one of the following benefits, determined by your choice of damage type.

Acid. As an action, you can touch a tiny metal object, such as a lock or key, with your gunblade to rapidly corrode it. The object takes 1d6 acid damage.

Cold. As an action, you can freeze a 5-foot cube of water, provided there are no creatures in it. The ice thaws after one minute, or after you use this feature again.

Fire. You can use your action to touch a flammable object with your gunblade and ignite it.

Lightning. You can use your action to touch a living creature that has 0 hit points with your gunblade, sending a jolt of lightning through it. The creature becomes stable.

Thunder. You can use your action to create a loud burst of sound that can be heard up to 100 feet away.

Fated Circle

Also at 3rd level, when you take the attack action, you can forgo one of your attacks to fire a cartridge and unleash elemental energy around you. Creatures within 15 feet of you must make a Dexterity saving throw. On a failed save, a creature takes 1d8 damage, and is pushed back 10 feet. On a successful save, a creature takes half as much damage and is only pushed back 5 feet. The damage type is the same as the one you chose for your Elemental Cartridges.

The damage of this feature increase as you gain levels in this class, increasing to 2d8 at 11th level, and 3d8 at 17th level.

Bow Shock

Starting at 7th level, your elemental ammunition is so intense that it causes lingering damage. When you use Burst Strike or Fated Circle, you can fire a cartridge as a bonus action to afflict one creature that failed the save with lingering energy. Alternatively, if the creature failed the save by 5 or more, they become afflicted without you needing to fire a cartridge.

An afflicted creature takes an additional 1d4 damage of the same type as your Elemental Cartridges, and for 1 minute, the creature takes the same damage at the start of each of it’s turns.

The creature can repeat the saving throw at the end of each of it’s turns, ending the effect on a success.

Elemental Heart

Staring at 10th level, you have resistance to the damage type you chose for your Elemental Cartridges, and when you use Heart of Stone and target another creature, the creature gains the same damage resistance damage until the start of its next turn, including against the triggering damage.

Sonic Break

Starting at 15th level, you can shatter a foes defences. When a creature fails the saving throw against Burst Strike, instead of knocking the creature prone, you can cause it to have vulnerability to one of the following damage types of your choice: acid, cold, fire, lightning, or thunder. The vulnerability lasts until the end of your next turn. Once you use this feature against a creature, you can’t use it against that creature again until you finish a long rest.

GUNBREAKER | ELEMENTALIST

 

 

Shadow Hunter Contingent

Legends surrounding the fall of Garlemald tell of mysterious, shadowy figures from another world, and an even more enigmatic entity that stood against them. Known only as the Shadow Hunter, this man stood against the dark creatures from beyond our world, with a gunblade in hand. From these myths and stories, a new contingent of gunbreakers arose; the shadow hunter contingent. Armed with the knowledge and skills to slay extraplanar creatures, this contingent fights in the shadows to protect the innocent from threats beyond comprehension.

Shadow Lore

At 3rd level, your training under the Shadow Hunter Contingent has taught you everything you need to know to destroy otherworldly creatures. You have advantage on Wisdom (Survival) checks to track aberrations, celestials, elementals, fey, or fiends, as well as on Intelligence checks to recall information about such creatures.

Hunter’s Brand

Also at 3rd level, when you hit a creature with a melee weapon attack using a gunblade, you can fire a cartridge to magically brand the creature for 1 minute.

The first time on each of your turns you deal damage to the branded creature, it takes an additional 1d6 damage and whenever it makes a Concentration check, it subtracts a d6 from the roll. If the creature is an aberration, celestial, elemental, fey or fiend, the d6s become d8s, and you have a +1 bonus to attack rolls against the creature.

The brand lasts for 1 minute, or until you use this feature to brand a different creature.

Shadow Lock

Starting at 7th level, a creature branded by your Hunter’s Brand has its speed reduced by 10 feet.

Additionally, whenever the branded creature attempts to take the Dash action, teleport, or leave its current plane by any means, you can fire a cartridge as a reaction to force it to make a Constitution saving throw. On a failed save, the attempt to Dash, teleport or leave its current plane fails, and its speed becomes 0 until the start of your next turn.

An aberration, celestial, elemental, fey or fiend makes the saving throw at disadvantage.

Vigil Ward

By 10th level, you are so accustomed to dealing with extraplanar entities, that you have advantage on saving throws againt being charmed or frightened, and against any effect that would possess you or otherwise control you.

Innocence

Starting at 15th level, you smite your foes and refuse their return to life. When a creature branded by your hunter’s brand dies, it’s body is consumed and explodes. Creatures of your choice within 5 feet of the branded creature must make a Constitution saving throw, taking 2d6 fire damage on a failed save, or half as much on a successful one. Afterwards, it’s body is reduced to a pile of fine gray dust, and it can only be restored to life by means of a true resurrection or wish spell. An aberration, celestial, elemental, fey or fiend makes the saving throw at disadvantage.

 

 

Chemmonger Contingent

Warfare breeds innovation. Where the people adapted to Garlemald’s innovations with new magic, Garlemald adapted right back with gilded armaments and magic-resistant machina. And so, their foes adapted right back, developing a new method of killing that used acids to melt hulls, and poisons to kill lungs: chemical warfare. Some gunbreakers on the front lines soon adopted this new and frowned-upon method of war, adapting their gunblades to spew acid and venom, and claiming the moniker of the Chemmonger Contingent.

Chemical Warfare

At 3rd level, you’ve begun tinkering with chemicals and poisons, developing your skills in conjunction with your martial prowess. You gain the following benefits:

• You gain proficiency with Alchemist’s Supplies.
• You have advantage on saving throws against the Poisoned condition.
• Your Burst Strike can deal your choice of acid, fire or poison damage.

Chemical Mine

Also at 3rd level, you wield chemical weapons to control the battlefield. When you take the Attack action, you can forgo one of your attacks to fire a cartridge set a chemical mine in an unoccupied space within 60 feet of you. The mine lasts for 1 minute, or until detonated. You can have a number of active mines equal to your proficiency bonus.

If you attempt to set an additional mine while at your maximum, choose one of your active mines to detonate.

You can detonate the mine as a bonus action on your turn. Alternatively, you can detonate the mine as a reaction when a creature moves within 10 feet of it.

When the mine detonates, each creature within 10 feet of it must make a Dexterity saving throw, taking 2d6 damage on a failed save, or half as much on a successful one. The damage type is your choice of acid or poison.

The damage of your mines increases as you gain levels in this class, increasing to 3d6 at 11th level, and 4d6 at 17th level.

Acrid Aura

Starting at 7th level, after you use Burst Strike or Chemical Mine, an aura of poisonous gas extends 10 feet out from you until the end of your next turn. When a hostile creature starts its turn in the aura, or enters it for the first time on its turn, it takes poison damage equal to your proficiency bonus.

When you reach 15th level, the range of this aura increases to 30 feet.

Mithridatism

From 10th level, exposure to your own chemicals has granted you a modicum of resistance. You have resistance to acid and poison damage, and are immune to the poisoned condition.

Heart of Stone and target another creature, the creature gains resistance to acid and poison damage until the start of its next turn, including against the triggering damage.

Kiss of Black Rose

Finally, at 15th level, you learn to develop and wield the ultimate chemical weapons. Your Burst Strike and Chemical Mine can also deal necrotic damage. When you deal either acid, poison or necrotic damage to a creature using Burst Strike or Chemical Mine, you can fire a cartridge as a bonus action to force the creature to make a Constitution saving throw. On a failed save, it suffers one of the following effects, depending on the damage type you dealt.

Acid. You reduce the creature’s AC by 2 until the end of your next turn.

Poison. The creature becomes Blinded and Poisoned.

Necrotic. The creature’s max hp is reduced by an amount equal to the damage taken for 1 minute.

GUNBREAKER | CHEMMONGER

 

 

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