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The Gun Machine

Call this build Robocop or Major if you want, but you are a literal walking machine, envelopped in the thickest armor you can find, blasting folks with your gun. Absolutely glorious. We are taking the Gun Tank and the Techslinger Archetypes and the Stalwart Defender Prestige Class. Our Leveling should look like the following:

Classes

Gunslinger 10/Stalwart Defender 10

Race

Android. Thematically appropriate and extremely fun.

Ability Scores

15Point-Buy

Str 10/Dex 17/Con 14/Int 10/Wis 14/Cha 8

Everything in Dexterity.

20Point-Buy

Str 14/Dex 17/Con 14/Int 10/Wis 14/Cha 8 Everything in Dexterity

25Point-Buy

Str 14/Dex 18/Con 15/Int 10/Wis 14/Cha 8

Round up Constitution then everything in Dexterity.

Traits

Armor Expert lets you reduce Armor penalty, Rich Parents give you the chance to get a good armor early on.

Favored Class Bonus

We have tons of hp already, put that in skills.

Skills

Knowledge(Engineering) and Knowledge(Local) are thematically appropriate for us here, and then both Perception and Craft to significantly reduce the cost of our ammunition is going to be mandatory. Acrobatics increases our poor maneuverability.

Feats by Level

1-Point-Blank Shot

3-Precise Shot

5-Dodge

7-Toughness

9-Endurance

11-Technologist

13-Armor Focus(Full Plate)

15-Deadly Aim

17-Power Attack

19-Improved Bull Rush

I am fairly certain you did not see coming half the feats we took. Toughness, Endurance and Dodge, while neat, are strictly here due to Prerequisites to get into Stalwart Defender. Precise Shot being absolutely mandatory for any ranged build. And whenever our damage starts slowing down, we get a neat damage upgrade via Technologist allowing us to use advanced technological skills, and we can choose it because we are a Techslinger (allowing us to use advanced firearms, meaning anywhere between modern firearms to antimatter rifles) and Deadly Aim. Armor Focus further increases our AC and Power Attack and Improved Bull Rush gives us options when melee is inevitable.

Defensive Powers by Level

12-Internal Fortitude

14-Fearless Defense

16-Smash

18-Mighty Resilience

20-Intercept

We are extremely resilient when it comes to AC and Hit Points, and via Internal Fortitude and Fearless Defense, we are immune to a few downright crippling Conditions. Smash allows us an additional option in melee, Mighty Resilience let us negate a Critical Hit or Sneak Attack once/Defensive Stance which is a life saver, and Intercept allows us to protect our allies. Take cover and demolish enemies from where you stand, or heck, just stand in the middle of the corridor and blast them into oblivion, your impenetrable defenses turning you into a walking tank akin to a Space Marine.

Equipment

You start for free with a gun that is either a Pistol, Blunderbuss or Musket, but as a Techslinger, you can rapidly upgrade this all the way to modern firearms and even to sci-fi guns. Personally I like the idea that this one build works well with a Blunderbuss and eventually Shotgun, but if you wanna play the Major, Pistol into modern Rifles works perfectly fine too.

So with that fat pack of starting cash pick the single best armor you can get. Treat yourself.

Final Thoughts on the Build

The idea of a Ranged Stalwart Defender was something I had toyed with in the past and mixing it with a Gun Tank turned out to be extremely fun and surprisingly effective. With a Blunderbuss we attack in a cone that bypasses armor, all the while we are going around in full plate armor, and if we get in our Defensive Stance, we become as close to unkillable as this game allows, with a massive AC, which is further enhanced by Gun Tank allowing a High Dex in Full Plate. Or we can pick a Pistol and a Tower Shield(yes, we are, in fact, proficient in it) and have the highest AC in the damned game before buffs/shenanigans, beating even the Fighters to it. And our mobility remains largely untouched via Acrobatics when not in a Defensive Stance so have fun playing the Major vaulting above attackers and blasting them from behind with her rifle. Or as Robocop just walk through a wall and say to the enemy that you are here to apprehend them dead or alive like the absolute gigachad you are.

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