Duskblade, Ranged (5e Class)

Duskblade

A duskblade is a person with magic blood who harnesses his spellpower and channels it through his gun.

This class is a variant of the "Duskblade" class, made with abilities from both the "Duskblade" and the "Gunslinger" classes.

Making a Duskblade

The duskblade is usually a front-line combatant, and his spells supplement him to suit this purpose. He also gains the ability to imbue his weapons with elemental energy that he calls upon from the energy around him.

Abilities: As a melee combatant, Dexterity and Constitution are both valuable to aid in the duskblade's survival. Depending upon his preferred armament, Strength could be equally as important. But Intelligence is perhaps his most pivotal stat because it defines the duskblade's strengths and limitations as an arcane spellcaster.

Races: Humans tend to make the best duskblade builds, due to their lack of restrictions and bonus feat at first level.

Alignment: Any, but they tend to be neutral.

Starting Gold: 6d4x10 (120).

Starting Age: Adulthood

Table: The Duskblade

Hit Die: d8

Level	Base Attack Bonus	Saving Throws			Special	Spells per Day
		Fort	Ref	Will		0	1st	2nd	3rd	4th	5th	6th
1st	+1	+2	+0	+2	Armored Mage Light, Eschew Materials, Gunsmith	3	3	—	—	—	-	-
2nd	+1	+3	+0	+3	Combat Casting, Nimble +1	3	3	—	—	—	-	-
3rd	+2	+3	+1	+3	Arcane channeling	4	4	0	—	—	-	-
4th	+3	+4	+1	+4	Armored mage Medium	4	4	3	—	—	-	-
5th	+5	+4	+1	+4	Quick cast 1/day, Gun training 1	5	5	3	—	—	-	-
6th	+6	+5	+2	+5	Nimble +2, Spell Power +2	5	5	4	2	1	0	-
7th	+7	+5	+2	+5	Armored mage Heavy	6	6	4	3	1	0	-
8th	+8/+1	+6	+2	+6	Bonus Feat	6	6	5	3	2	1	0
9th	+9/+2/+1	+6	+3	+6	Gun training 2	6	6	5	4	3	2	1
10th	+10/+3/+1	+7	+3	+7	Quick cast 2/day	6	6	6	4	3	2	1
11th	+10/+3/+2	+7	+3	+7	Spell Power +3	6	6	6	5	3	2	2
12th	+11/+4/+2	+8	+4	+8	Bonus Feat	6	6	6	5	4	2	2
13th	+12/+4/+2	+8	+4	+8	Arcane channeling Full Attack, Gun training 3	6	6	6	6	4	3	2
14th	+13/+4/+3	+9	+4	+9	Nimble +4	6	6	6	6	5	3	2
15th	+13/+6/+3	+9	+5	+9	Quick cast 3/day	6	6	6	6	5	4	2
16th	+14/+7/+3	+10	+5	+10	Spell Power +4	6	6	6	6	6	4	3
17th	+14/+7/+4	+10	+5	+10	Gun training 4	6	6	6	6	6	5	3
18th	+14/+8/+4	+11	+6	+11	Spell Power 5, Nimble 5	6	6	6	6	6	5	4
19th	+14/+9/+5	+11	+6	+11	Bonus Feat	6	6	6	6	6	6	4
20th	+15/+10/+5	+12	+6	+12	Quick cast 4/day	6	6	6	6	6	6	5
Class Skills (4 + Int modifier per level, ×4 at 1st level) Climb (Str), Concentration (Con), Diplomacy (Cha), Heal (Wis), Intimidate (Cha), Jump (Str), Listen (Wis), Search (Int), Spellcraft (Int), Spot (Wis), Swim (Str).

Class Features

All of the following are class features of the Duskblade.

Weapon and Armor Proficiency: A duskblade is automatically proficient with all simple and martial weapons, and with all firearms. They are proficient with all light, medium, heavy armor. .

Spells: You begin play knowing three 0-level spells and three 1st-level spells, chosen from the duskblade spell list. You also know one additional 0-level spell for each point of Intelligence bonus. Each time you gain a new class level, you learn one additional spell of any level you can cast, chosen from the duskblade spell list.

Upon reaching 5th level, and at every subsequent odd-numbered level, you can choose to learn a new spell in place of one you already know. In effect, you lose access to the old spell in exchange for gaining the new one. The new spell's level must be the same as that of the spell being exchanged, and it must be at least two levels lower than the highest-level spell you can cast. For instance, upon reaching 9th level, you could trade in a single 1st-level spell (two levels below the highest-level spell you can cast, which is 3rd) for a different 1st-level spell. You can swap only a single spell at any given level and must choose whether or not to swap the spell at the same time that you gain new spells known for the level.

You need not prepare spells in advance. You can cast any spell you know at any time, assuming you have not yet used up your spells per day for that spell level.

Armored Mage: Normally, armor of any type interferes with an arcane spellcaster's gestures, which can cause spells to fail if those spells have a somatic component. A duskblade's limited focus and specialized training, however, allows you to avoid arcane spell failure so long as you stick to light armor and light shields. This training does not extend to medium or heavy armors, nor to heavy shields. This ability does not apply to spells gained from a different spellcasting class.

At 4th level, you learn to use medium armor with no chance of arcane spell failure.

At 7th level, you learn to use a heavy shield with no chance of arcane spell failure.

Eschew Materials: At 1st level, a duskblade gains the eschew materials feat.

Gunsmith: At 1st level, a gunslinger gains one of the following firearms of her choice: blunderbuss, musket, or pistol. Her starting weapon is battered, and only she knows how to use it properly. All other creatures treat her gun as if it had the broken condition. If the weapon already has the broken condition, it does not work at all for anyone else trying to use it. This starting weapon can only be sold for scrap (it’s worth 4d10 gp when sold). The gunslinger also gains Gunsmithing as a bonus feat.

Nimble: Starting at 2nd level, a gunslinger gains a +1 dodge bonus to AC while wearing light or no armor. Anything that causes the gunslinger to lose her Dexterity bonus to AC also causes the gunslinger to lose this dodge bonus. This bonus increases by +1 for every four levels beyond 2nd level (to a maximum of +5 at 20th level).

Combat Casting: At 2nd level, a duskblade gains the combat casting feat.

Arcane channeling: Beginning at 3rd level, you can use a standard action to cast any touch spell you know and deliver the spell through your weapon with a melee attack. Casting a spell in this manner does not provoke attacks of opportunity. The spell must have a casting time of 1 standard action or less. If the melee attack is successful, the attack deals damage normally; then the effect of the spell is resolved.

At 13th level, you can cast any touch spell you know as part of a full attack action, and the spell affects each target you hit in melee combat that round. Doing so discharges the spell at the end of the round, in the case of a touch spell that would otherwise last longer than 1 round.

Quick cast: Beginning at 5th level, you can cast one spell each day as a swift action, so long as the casting time of the spell is 1 standard action or less.

You can use this ability twice per day at 10th level, three times per day at 15th level, and four times per day at 20th level.

Gun training: Starting at 5th level, a gunslinger can select one specific type of firearm (such as an axe musket, blunderbuss, musket, or pistol). She gains a bonus equal to her Dexterity modifier on damage rolls when firing that type of firearm. Furthermore, when she misfires with that type of firearm, the misfire value of that firearm increases by 2 instead of 4. Every four levels thereafter (9th, 13th, and 17th), the gunslinger picks up another type of firearm, gaining these bonuses for those types as well.

Spell power: Starting at 6th level, you can more easily overcome the spell resistance of any opponent you successfully injure with a melee attack. If you have injured an opponent with a melee attack, you gain a +2 bonus on your caster level check to overcome spell resistance for the remainder of the encounter. This bonus increases to +3 at 11th level, to +4 at 16th level, and to +5 at 18th level.

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