I recently came across the Mongoose publishing Modern Playaids: Sniper supplement and had a look through.
Personally, I think it's great. Well thought out and captures exactly what a sniper is - a stealthy, highly skilled marksman with an unmatched ability to kill from hiding with a single well-placed shot.
Now, when I showed it to a couple of friends of mine, they took a quick look at it and said 'BROKEN! BROKEN! BROKEN!'
The points of contention:
1) The Elite Sniper gets Critical Strike at 9th Class Level. The Soldier, by comparison, doesn't get it until 10th.
2) Trademark Weapon: +1 to attack rolls, and a damage bonus equal to Elite Sniper level to damage. (+10 at max). Trademark weapon can be changed every level.
3) Cover use: Sniper can spend a full round action to conceal himself better, treating the cover bonus granted to him as one step better. So, half cover would become 3/4, and 9/10 would become total.
4) Ranged Killer: At 10th Class Level, can make a ranged coup de grace attack up to the standard range increment of the rifle. Must make an attack roll as normal in order to hit.
At first glance, they may have a point. However:
1) The Sniper can't be taken until at least one level later than the Soldier as it has a BAB requirement of +4 as opposed to +3. Therefore, when both characters are 13th level, they both get access to the Critical Strike ability.
2) The Trademark Weapon is limited to longarms. Can't be used with assault rifles, shotguns, pistols or anything else. So, in other words, the damage bonus applies to a weapon that can only realistically make a single shot in a round whilst an assault rifle can make multiple.
3) Cover use helps protect the sniper from retribution after taking his killshot. Snipers go to great lengths to hide before, during and after their shot. This class feature helps reflect that skill better than a simple hide check, as a sniper's chosen firing position is often difficult to hit without carpet bombing.
4) Ranged coup de grace is nasty, granted. However, there's a lot of 'ifs' associated with it. Not only has the sniper got to be in an advantageous position to take the shot, but the target has got to be totally unaware of the sniper's presence, which simply isn't going to happen in a regular firefight. This ability only really comes into play in a solo 'assassination' mission where the sniper is operating independently deep behing enemy lines.
So, what do the denizens of the board think?
Personally, I think the class beautifully captures what a true sniper is: Stealthy, skilled and deadly. The ranged coup de grace attack will not come up very often in normal play, and in regular firefights the Elite Sniper is going to be less useful than the Soldier, unless he can get into a good position.
I'm not brilliant at explaining myself, I know, but this is a class I'd love to play.
My point is, I know what it feels like to want to play a realistic sniper, but most of the time, your fellow PCs and GM will hate you for it, even if it isn't broken. It might seem broken, but it rarely is.
/T
The top ability now does this:
Ranged Killer: At 10th Level, the Elite Sniper is a highly skilled marksman able to cause massive damage on an unsuspecting target. When making an attack against an opponent who is denied his Dexterity bonus to defence, the Elite Sniper increases the critical multiplier of his Trademark Weapon by one. So, for example, a PSG-1 usually has a x2 critical modifier. A 10th Level Elite Sniper with Trademark Weapon (PSG-1) treats it as if it has a x3 critical modifier instead.
This attack can only be made with a Trademark Weapon, and can only be used up to the weapon’s first range increment.
Try looking at the Marksman AdC and the Sniper PrC for inspiration, one of them has a similar ability.
Show
MARKSMAN AdC
Background
A Marksman is trained to place shots accurately at long range and represents several archetypes, such as a show gunner, criminal, Marine Scout or SWAT police officer. This class is broader than the sniper archetype; military snipers are more extensively trained and is expected to make more difficult shots. Snipers also receive special military training (which naturally varies by branch and country). A military sniper could use levels in Marksman, but would probably have Soldier levels as well.
Requirements
To qualify to become a Marksman, a character must fulfill the following criteria.
· Base Attack Bonus: +4.
· Skills: Hide 8 ranks, Spot 6 ranks
· Feats: Dead Aim, Far Shot, Personal Firearms Proficiency.
Class Information
The following information pertains to the Marksman prestige class.
Hit Die
Marksmen gain 1d8 hit points per level. The character's Constitution modifier applies.
Action Points
Marksmen gain a number of action points equal to 7 plus one-half their character level, rounded down, every time they attain a level in this class.
Class Skills
The Marksman's class skills are as follows:
Balance (Dex), Climb (Str), Concentration (Con), Craft (electronic, mechanical) (Int), Hide (Dex), Knowledge (earth and life sciences, physical sciences, tactics, technology) (Int), Move Silently (Dex), Navigate (Int), Profession (Wis), Repair (Int), Search (Int), Spot (Wis), and Survival (Wis).
Skill Points at Each Level: 4 + Int modifier (5 if human)
Level BAB Fort Reflex Will Class Features Def Rep
1 +1 +1 +1 +0 Headshot, Range +0 +1
2 +2 +2 +2 +0 Between the Eyes +1 +1
3 +3 +2 +2 +1 Range +1 +1
4 +4 +2 +2 +1 Between the Eyes +1 +2
5 +5 +3 +3 +1 Critical Strike, Range +2 +2
Class Features
Headshot
A Marksman's shots are particularly dangerous. The massive damage save against a Marksman's sniper rifle shots increases by +1 per level of the Marksman (to a maximum increase of +5 at 5th level).
Range
Every time he gains this ability, a Marksman increases the range of all firearm attacks by 25%.
Between the Eyes
Every time he gains this ability, the Marksman gains +1d10 bonus to damage. This ability can only be used when using a sniper rifle with the scope and the Dead Aim feat against a target that is flat-footed or unaware of the Marksman.
Example: Red Snake is a 4th-level Marksman, armed with a PSG-1 sniper rifle. His allies, regular infantrymen, attack the enemy. Red Snake is hiding and his opponents do not see him. After several rounds of combat, Red Snake picks out their leader and shoots him. Even though the enemy leader is not flat-footed or surprised (since he's already in combat) he wasn't aware of Red Snake, so Red Snake gets to apply his bonus damage. However, the enemies are now aware there is a sniper somewhere, so Red Snake cannot use this ability again this combat.
Critical Strike
A Marksman using a sniper rifle with the scope and the Dead Aim feat, against a target that is flat-footed or unaware of him, augments the threat range of the weapon by two, and double the damage modifier with the weapon.
Background
A Marksman is trained to place shots accurately at long range and represents several archetypes, such as a show gunner, criminal, Marine Scout or SWAT police officer. This class is broader than the sniper archetype; military snipers are more extensively trained and is expected to make more difficult shots. Snipers also receive special military training (which naturally varies by branch and country). A military sniper could use levels in Marksman, but would probably have Soldier levels as well.
Requirements
To qualify to become a Marksman, a character must fulfill the following criteria.
· Base Attack Bonus: +4.
· Skills: Hide 8 ranks, Spot 6 ranks
· Feats: Dead Aim, Far Shot, Personal Firearms Proficiency.
Class Information
The following information pertains to the Marksman prestige class.
Hit Die
Marksmen gain 1d8 hit points per level. The character's Constitution modifier applies.
Action Points
Marksmen gain a number of action points equal to 7 plus one-half their character level, rounded down, every time they attain a level in this class.
Class Skills
The Marksman's class skills are as follows:
Balance (Dex), Climb (Str), Concentration (Con), Craft (electronic, mechanical) (Int), Hide (Dex), Knowledge (earth and life sciences, physical sciences, tactics, technology) (Int), Move Silently (Dex), Navigate (Int), Profession (Wis), Repair (Int), Search (Int), Spot (Wis), and Survival (Wis).
Skill Points at Each Level: 4 + Int modifier (5 if human)
Level BAB Fort Reflex Will Class Features Def Rep
1 +1 +1 +1 +0 Headshot, Range +0 +1
2 +2 +2 +2 +0 Between the Eyes +1 +1
3 +3 +2 +2 +1 Range +1 +1
4 +4 +2 +2 +1 Between the Eyes +1 +2
5 +5 +3 +3 +1 Critical Strike, Range +2 +2
Class Features
Headshot
A Marksman's shots are particularly dangerous. The massive damage save against a Marksman's sniper rifle shots increases by +1 per level of the Marksman (to a maximum increase of +5 at 5th level).
Range
Every time he gains this ability, a Marksman increases the range of all firearm attacks by 25%.
Between the Eyes
Every time he gains this ability, the Marksman gains +1d10 bonus to damage. This ability can only be used when using a sniper rifle with the scope and the Dead Aim feat against a target that is flat-footed or unaware of the Marksman.
Example: Red Snake is a 4th-level Marksman, armed with a PSG-1 sniper rifle. His allies, regular infantrymen, attack the enemy. Red Snake is hiding and his opponents do not see him. After several rounds of combat, Red Snake picks out their leader and shoots him. Even though the enemy leader is not flat-footed or surprised (since he's already in combat) he wasn't aware of Red Snake, so Red Snake gets to apply his bonus damage. However, the enemies are now aware there is a sniper somewhere, so Red Snake cannot use this ability again this combat.
Critical Strike
A Marksman using a sniper rifle with the scope and the Dead Aim feat, against a target that is flat-footed or unaware of him, augments the threat range of the weapon by two, and double the damage modifier with the weapon.
Food for thought at least!
Still, it's here for us to enjoy!
Thanks again. I'll run it by my GM if I need to. I'm hoping he'll accept the rewrite of the original class, as now the Soldier has more damage potential than the Sniper.....unless he scores a critical, in which case OWCH!!:D
Also, snipers tend to kill with a single shot - some assault rifles are known not to do that (*cough* 5.56mm *cough*).
I don't have my books on me. What is the 'threadcutter'?
Glad you enjoyed it. It's not mine though, and unfortunately, I don't remember who wrote it.
I remember when that class was posted... 'Twas during one of the larger "I want a sniper character" thread era's... Was it Johannixx (thanks for correct spelling) who made it? If I recall correctly, he did make a Marksman class.