Marksman
A marksman has mastery over their firearm of choice. They can be quick and in your face or meticulous and through your skull all depending on their gun of choice. The freedom to choose how they fight makes them very specialized combatants. They can be precise with rifles, speedy with pistols, tactical with slingshots, destructive with cannons and damaging with shotguns.
Choosing to pursue marksmanship is choosing effectively whatever style of fighting you want so long as you have the right gun. If you’d like to offer your friends support from the backlines or get right into things in the front, be a marksman.
Class Overview
| Level | Proficiency Bonus | Features | Slingshot Stars (Optional) | Green Stars (Optional) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | +2 | Deadeye. Archetype Technique | 0 | 0 |
| 2 | +2 | N/A | 0 | 0 |
| 3 | +3 | Debilitating Shot, Archetype Technique | 2 | 0 |
| 4 | +3 | Stat Increase | 4 | 0 |
| 5 | +4 | Archetype Technique | 6 | 5 |
| 6 | +4 | Stat Increase | 8 | 6 |
| 7 | +5 | Archetype Technique | 10 | 7 |
| 8 | +5 | Stat Increase | 12 | 8 |
| 9 | +6 | N/A | 14 | 9 |
| 10 | +6 | Stat Increase, Archetype Technique | 16 | 10 |
Class Features
Hit Points
- Hit Dice: 1d8 per level for first three levels, then 2d8 per level.
- Hit Points at First Level: 8 + Your Con mod
- Hit Points at Higher Levels: 8 + Your Con mod until level 3, then 16 + Your Con mod.
Proficiencies
- Armor: Light and Medium Armor
- Weapons: Simple Ranged Weapons, Martial Ranged Weapons
- Saving Throws: Dex + Int
- Skills: Acrobatics, Slight of Hand/Stealth (choose one), Investigation, Deception
Equipment
- (a) a Rifle or (b) any Martial Ranged Weapon
- (a) 2 Flintlocks or (b) 2 of any Simple Ranged Weapons
- An Explorer’s Pack and Thieves’ Tools
Level 1 Abilities
Deadeye
- You can accurately gauge distances and know how to adjust your weapon accordingly.
- You score a critical hit with your Marksman weapon on a 19 or 20 on a d20.
- You have advantage on opportunity attacks.
Level 1 Options
Musket: Rifle Savant
You are specialized in long range shooting with muskets or ranged weapons. The damage of your weapon’s projectiles increases by 5 every 10 feet after 30 feet to a maximum of 50 damage.
Pistols: Guns Ablazing
Your speedy movement and quick reflexes allows you to navigate the battlefield with ease. You can take the dash or disengage action as a bonus action.
Slingshot: Scared Tactics
- RUN AWAY! You can take the disengage action as a bonus action.
- Your movement speed is 5 times your level feet more than your initial movement.
Cannon: Big Shot
If you hit a creature’s AC, every other creature within 5 feet of them takes half the damage dealt to the creature hit.
Shotgun: Smoking Gun
Your shotgun fires in a 15 foot wide and 15 foot long cone. Your damage at the farthest tile deals 1d8, the middle tile deals 2d8, and the closest tile deals 3d8.
Level 3 Abilities
Debilitating Shot
- A shot to a creature’s arm 5 above their AC forces the creature to drop what they are holding on a Dex saving throw against your Int score.
- A shot to a creature’s leg 5 above their AC drops their movement speed by 10 to a minimum of 0 on a Dex saving throw against your Int score.
Level 3 Options
Musket: Sniper Strategem
- Headshot. When you choose to attack with your ranged weapon, you can try to aim for their head, at the cost of accuracy. When you attack, you can impose disadvantage on yourself. However, if you hit, it deals double damage. There is no limit to the amount of times you can do this in a short or long rest.
- Readied Sightline. As a reaction, if a creature walks within your weapon’s range in a cardinal direction of you, you can attempt to shoot at them. You can do this as many times as your proficiency bonus and can also apply Headshot to this.
Pistols: Pistoleer Prowess
- Rapidfire. When you choose to attack with your ranged weapon, you can choose to shoot all your bullets. When you attack, you can activate this ability to roll twice as many dice. However, if you want to shoot with your guns again, you must take your action to reload. There is no limit to the amount of times you can do this in a short or long rest
- Sidestep. As a reaction, if a creature is about to hit you with a melee attack, before you know if it hits or not, you can choose to move to an unoccupied square within 5 feet of the creature and attempt to shoot the creature. You can use this as many times as your Dex mod.
Slingshot: Bag O' Tricks
Special Attack! You can create different Shots a day equal to 2 per level. You gain access to the shots Caltrop Star, Cactus Star, Exploding Star, Flame Star, and Shuriken Star.
Save DC: 8+Int+Dex
Caltrop Star
Bonus Action, Shot out and 20 by 20 ft square on ground. Any movement taken over the square takes 1d8 piercing damage.
Bursting Cactus Star
Normal to hit but deals an extra 2d8 + Dex piercing damage in a 10 ft radius of who was hit. On the start of the creatures turn hit by this, they must make a DC 13 Str saving throw or take another 1d8 until they pass
Exploding Star
Normal to hit but deals an extra 4d8 + Dex force damage in a 5 foot radius. Makes rough terrain where hit.
Flame Star
Normal to hit but instead does 3d6 + Dex fire damage and gives the creature hit disadvantage on attack rolls until the end of their next turn.
Shooting Shuriken Star
Bonus Action, Normal to hit and damage but you can essentially fire three times in squares next to the square you just fired at.
Sticky Star
As a reaction to a melee attack, you expend two of your Shots and throw out a sticky substance at the creature, forcing them to reroll. If they fail, their movement speed becomes zero until the end of their next turn.
Cannon: Demolitions Expert
- Incendiary Round. When you choose to attack with your Cannon, you can load an incendiary round. You roll to hit as normal, but add your Int mod d6’s in a 15 foot radius, but the maximum range decreases by 30 feet.
- Rocket Jump. As a reaction to an incoming melee attack, you can deal 2d8 force damage in a 10 foot radius to you (yourself included) and get blown somewhere within 30 feet.
Shotgun: Enforcer
- Double Pump. A number of times a day equal to your proficiency bonus, you can make two attacks with your Shotgun on your turn.
- Skeet Shot. As a reaction to a projectile against you, you can attempt to shoot it out of the sky. You can make an attack against the projectile, and if your roll is higher than the projectile’s, it gets shot out of the sky.
Level 5 Ability Options
Musket: Steady Aim
You focus entirely on your precision to aim center mass and hit your creature dead on. If you take your entire turn (no other actions, bonus actions, movement, or reaction), you increase the maximum range of your gun by 15 x Sniper level feet, you gain advantage on the shot, and you ignore resistances and temp HP. You cannot apply Headshot to this hit.
Pistols: Spray and Pray
You spin around quickly and fire even quicker. Every hostile creature within a 20 foot radius around you must make a dex saving throw or take 5d6 + Dex piercing damage. After this, you must also take your action to reload if you want to shoot again. There is no limit to how many times you do this.
Slingshot: Pop Greens
You gain access to a special type of Star attack called Pop Greens, which come from plants. When firing your Slingshot, you can instead use Devil Snare, Bamboo Javelin, Impact Wolf, Sleep Grass, and Firework Flowers.
Green Star: Devil
As an action, you launch a seed at a creature within range which then bursts into a large field of huge venus flytraps. Every creature within 15 feet of the one you shot at must make a Dex save or become Restrained and take 4d8 + Dex slashing damage. The creatures that fail their save are restrianed until they succeed on a subsequent turn.
Green Star: Bamboo Javelin
As an action, you fire a small piece of bamboo into the ground within range, which sprouts a field of stabbing bamboo from the ground. Every creature within 20 feet of where you shot must make a Str saving throw or take 5d8 + Dex piercing damage.
This lasts until the end of your next turn, so any creature that starts their turn in the bamboo’s radius or walks into the bamboo’s radius must make the same Str save or take 3d8 + Dex.
Green Star: Impact Wolf
As an action, you fire off a Pop Green which sprouts into grass in the shape of a wolf somewhere within range. It is a basic AC check to hit, and deals 6d8 + Dex force damage while lowering the creature’s AC by 2.
Green Star: Sleep Grass
As an action, you fire out a Pop Green which sprouts into a flower somwhere within range that releases a sleeping gas in a 15 foot radius. You roll 7d8 + Dex, and anyone in the radius with a lower current HP than what you rolled falls Unconscious.
Green Star: Firework Flowers
As an action, you shoot out a Pop Green which sprouts into several exploding flowers somwhere within range. Every creature within 30 feet of where you shot must make a Dex saving throw or take 4d8 + Dex fire damage.
Cannon: Catch of The Day
You fire off a huge net from your Cannon to ensnare your foes. As an action, every creature in a 15 by 30 foot line of you must make a Dex saving throw against 10 + your Dex or be trapped in a net. While in the net, they are Grappled and Prone unless they succeed on a save again on their turn.
Shotgun: Buckshot
You switch ammo types to unleash devastating slugs. As a bonus action, you switch your ammo to Buckshot, meaning your damage increases by 3d8 and grants a +3 to hit, but deals 20 feet of knockback every shot. To turn it off, it is also a bonus action.
Level 7 Ability Options
Musket: Harpoon Shot
As a bonus action, you shoot off a harpoon from your ranged weapon. It has the range of your gun but allows you to stick to wherever you shoot and move there. If you hit a creature with this attack, it deals damage as normal, but they must make a str saving throw or be dragged and take an additional 1d8 for every 10 feet dragged. It ends when it gets to you. At any point of the line being taught, you can choose to disconnect the rope and leave them in that unoccupied spot. This attack only works if you are firing the harpoon from something.
Pistols: Trigger Happy
- As an action, you begin to shoot and you just don’t stop. As long as you keep passing AC checks, you can keep taking your action to shoot the same creature again.
- If you miss a shot on a creature with your ranged weapon attack, and there is another creature within 10 feet of them, you can roll again to see if it hit that creature instead. This can be applied to a regular shot or a series of shots from Trigger Happy.
- Reloading is now a bonus action for all skills.
Slingshot: Grow Up
You can activate this mode as a bonus action. While in the mode, you gain a +3 to hit, every Slingshot attack deals an additional your Int mod d6’s, but your gun doesn’t move with you. It is a free action to disable this mode, but it immediately disables any passive benefits from this.
Cannon: Blow Up
As a bonus action, you activate an attachment to shoot flames out of your Cannon. When you make a ranged weapon attack, you instead shoot out a gust of fire in a 25 foot line. Every creature in the line must make a Dex saving throw against your Int mod + 10 or take your proficiency bonus d8’s + Dex fire damage. You can deactivate this as a free action.
Shotgun: Pro Up
As a bonus action, you can swap between types of ammo or add an extension. You can have one ammo type and one extension (these stack with Buckshot).
- Dragon’s Breath. Your attacks deal 3d8 + Dex fire damage.
- Armor Piercing Ammo. Your attacks have an extra +3 to hit and lower the opponent’s AC by 1 when hit.
- Flechette Round. Your attacks leave shrapnel in the creature hit, taking 3d8 if they elect to move on their turn.
- Barrel Extension. Your range for your Shotgun doubles.
- Rapid Loader. You make three attacks when making a Multiattack.
Level 10 Ability Options
Musket: Lead-Lined Casket
You fire just one shot at a weak point in your enemy’s arsenal. You make a Intelligence (Investigation) check to find a weak spot as described to you by the DM. If the weak point is on a creature, you just have advantage when hitting them and add a number of dice to your damage equal to your proficiency bonus. If the weak point is on a structure or surface, you automatically hit them and the creature just takes a dex saving throw at disadvantage.
Pistols: Blink of An Eye
- After you use all the movement you can on your turn, you move too quickly for a creature to react to you. If you then choose to take your action to shoot a creature, there is no AC check required and the amount of die you roll is increased by your dex mod. This does not work with Trigger Happy, but it does work with Rapidfire.
- Your base movement becomes 80 feet.
- Your movement is so quick that creatures can’t take opportunity attacks against you.
Slingshot: Fall of Goliath
As an action once per short rest, you fire an incredible shot worthy of a brave warrior. You add your Int modifier on top of your attack. You deal 9d8 + Dex mod piercing damage. You can add the effects from Grow Up to this shot, but not the effects of Pop Greens or Special Attack!
Cannon: Mother of All Bombs
As an action once per short rest, you blast off a single bomb from your Cannon to somewhere in range of your ranged attack. Every creature in a 30 foot radius of the explosion must make a con saving throw against your Int mod + 10 or take 8d8 + Dex mod force damage, or half as much on a successful save. Any time a creature starts their turn in the radius, they must make another Con saving throw or take 4d8 radiant damage.
Shotgun: Magnum Opus
As an action once per short rest, you can automatically score a critical hit on an attack against a creature within 5 feet of you. You can add Buckshot or any Pro Up ability to this attack.