Post/Author/DateTime	Post
#1 dang13 Apr 24, 2015 9:31:51	I'm fairly new to dnd, (I've been playing less than a year) but I've already begun to think about DMing. I'm working on a sort of wild west campaign and I'm trying to think of new subclasses or class options that fit a sort of western theme. I've already seen the Gunslinger fighter martial archetype created the guys at Critical Role and I really like that.    So I'm looking for class options that have already been made/playtested, or just ideas on how to make class options to fit a wild west theme.
#2 LuisCarlos17f Apr 25, 2015 0:13:43	If PC can be gunslingers, then DM can create anti-guns defenses for monsters, for example a goblin shaman could summon warrior spirtis (more fays than outsiders) or a magic anti-ballistic force field, or barbarian orcs could use magic tatoos with damage reduction for ballistic. A psionic could create ectoplasm to block enemy canons.    I mean if you add firearms and magic in your campaign, maybe you will need a lot of playtesting for a right balance of power.
#3 Tempest_Stormwind Apr 25, 2015 9:21:45	Guns are listed in the DMG for modern and Renaissance era levels of tech. The Western style would probably use the Renaissance rifles and the modern revolver. For proficiency by class and the idea of ballistic countermeasures, see the recent feature (http://dnd.wizards.com/articles/features/my-new-d20-modern-campaign). If armor and magic frequently give ballistics DR or the like, then you have a reason for firearms to not be the overpowering force they are if used as printed.
#4 Brock_Landers Apr 25, 2015 9:52:33	Just convert your heiny away, 5th Ed is basically a 3rd Ed Lite, with some 4th Ed slathered on top, so easy to convert pre-4th ed material (especially 3rd Ed).
#5 Macv12 Apr 25, 2015 10:56:56	Call all the ranged weapons "guns" instead of bows and crossbows and a few classes fit the theme just fine. Fighter, rogue, and ranger love it. Bards are doable, wizards still get crossbow proficiency. Paladins aren't too happy, but you can houserule that if you want to include them.   Hard to imagine what new options would be thematic. Explosives are pretty much the only other thing that strikes me as uniquely "Wild West," so a bomb-based class might work. I've seen a few alchemist classes floating around, not sure if they've been tested. Aside from that gunslinging is not that different from slinging anything else, as far as D&D is able to differentiate.
(Reply to #5) arnwolf666	Macv12 wrote:
#7 dang13 Apr 28, 2015 13:44:58	Thanks for all the suggestions guys! I did create a table two weeks ago, converting ranged weapons into guns. Then my DM showed me the gunslinger archetype for the fighter made by Critical Roll. It's good to hear that someone else has tried and liked the idea of converting the conventional ranged weapons, as that can save a lot of time from rebalancing and converting older matierial.   Still open to suggestions on additional classes with a western twist to them!
#8 JohnLynch Apr 29, 2015 6:58:34	Do you want a fantasy/western mashup? A mystical western feel (so no wizards or clerics, but potentially native american shamans, snake oil salesman whose wares may actually be the curealls they claim, etc)? Or hollywood western with just cowboys and indians (no magic, but spellless ranger, spell-less cleric)?   You could definitely use the Barbarian (Totem Warrior) for native Americans (you can rename the class to Warrior if you feel a bit funny saying all native americans are barbarians). You could easily reflavour the Ranger (Beast Master) into a Shaman with a spirit companion. It's HPs are equal to either half of what the creature would normally have or double your Shaman level, whichever is higher. In return it is resistant to all damage due to it's s spectral/ghostly nature as it only half resides in the physical world with the other half still in the spirit world. When it dies you must go into a trance for 8 hours where you journey to the spirit world and find it once again. During these journeys you can sometimes receive a vision warning you about the future (plothooks!)
#9 JohnLynch Apr 29, 2015 7:58:03	Here's a Cavalier subclass for the fighter that I think would help in a western themed game.   Cavalier's mount At 3rd level you train with a suitable mount (such as a riding horse) that is large or smaller and has a CR of 1/4 or less. You add your proficiency bonus to its AC, attack rolls and damage rolls as well as any saving throws and skills it is proficient in. Its HP equals its normal maximum or 4 times your fighter level.   You can use your action to get it to attack, dash, disengage, dodge or help. When you have the Extra Attack feature you can make 1 weapon attack when you command the mount to take the attack action. This increases to 2 weapon attacks at 11th level and 3 weapon attacks at 20th level.   If the beast dies you must spend 8 hours training with another suitable mount before it counts as a cavalier's mount.   Exceptional training At 7th level on any of your turns when the mount  doesn't act you can spend a bonus action to get it to dash, disengage, dodge or help.   Bestial Surge At 11th level when you use your second wind class feature, the cavalier's mount can regain hit points equal to 1d10+fighter level instead of you if you so choose.   Shared Surge At 15th level when your use your second wind class feature, both you and your mount regain hit points equal to 1d10+fighter level.   Teamwork Coordination At 18th level when you start of combat, both you and your mount roll initiative. You both use whichever initiative roll you choose. ------ The Ranger (beastmaster) subclass cops a lot of flack around here for being fairly underpowered. I've grabbed it and tweaked it a bit to change it into a Fighter subclass. I've run the numbers against the Fighter (battlemaster) subclass and the two seem to be fairly equitable in terms of damage. It doesn't outshine the Ranger (beastmaster) subclass IMO as you're heavily restricted in the animal companion you can take, and the Ranger does get to have his animal companion attack twice each round (while the fighter's mount only attacks once) and can benefit both himself and his animal companion with spells. Although the horse is slightly sturdier then what sort of animal companion a ranger can normally get.
#10 Brock_Landers Apr 29, 2015 12:36:04	Check out Pathfinder's Gunslinger class (easily converted).
(Reply to #8) dang13	JohnLynch wrote:
#12 Mechatarrasque May 12, 2015 10:10:34	I don't know, paladin feels pretty western to me, and not just because of the TV show, but the notion of the "man on the white horse" coming in to save the town got a second life in westerns.  If you let the paladin use regular smite via ranged weapons that could be interpreted as a shot that had divine intervention.
#13 ChrisCarlson May 12, 2015 10:15:44	I won't say you can't (or shouldn't) do this with D&D. But I will say there are other systems out there that do a good job of this sort of setting. Depending on style preferences, there are certainly a few options worth looking into.
(Reply to #13) arnwolf666	ChrisCarlson wrote:
#15 LuisCarlos17f May 13, 2015 7:45:25	There is a term of that "Fantasy western": Weird West. I like the idea of a D&D western, but I miss too much the hand-to-hand fights with armours and shields.    Have you seen the rpg "Steam States"? I did, but only in Spanish languange.    I have thought about a monster template to add ballistic damage reduction, because gods or lord fays have blesses/cursed monster what can´t be hurt by firearms but by only cold weapons.
(Reply to #15) arnwolf666	LuisCarlos17f wrote:
#17 LuisCarlos17f May 14, 2015 4:43:05	When we talk about faeries, I feel a irresistible tempation to "steal" ideas from the background by other rpg "Changeling: the dreaming", even the glamour magic with own game mechanic.    Yes, I would like a d20 version of the different creatures from the old "World of Darkness" by White Wolf, the blood points, the gnosis and rage, the "areté", the glamour, the corpus...
#18 Marandahir May 14, 2015 7:45:12	I would check out the Swordmage homebrew – Indy Jones type adventure archeologists, with a magical twist. Could really easily be seen as a magical cowboy with the right twist – the weapon being what you cast from, so that magic missle spell? it's a gun-shot.