A wonder of magical research, artificing expertise, and masterful craftsmanship. Instead of enchanting the weapon normally, it has been crafted to activate a simple magical and mechanical sequence, resulting in a controlled burst of power, far stronger than a regular enchantment.
The Gunbreaker
A Martial Archetype — by aiir
A fighter wielding a marvel of artifice, craftsmanship, and magic — the Gunbreaker is unique both in its martial discipline and weapon. They control the battlefield with explosive might, drawing the attention of foes, so their allies may stay safe. A vanguard in both senses of the word. Dare stand in a Gunbreaker's way, and be met with a savage blade along
with a brutal end.
Artisanal Weaponry
3rd-level Gunbreaker feature
Be it through a craftsman, by exploring, from your faction, or just yourself — you get your hands on a gunblade of an eligible base weapon of your choice. Along with it, you gain proficiency in tinker's tools to repair, maintain, and potentially craft your gunblade, and to create Cartridges to fuel your weapon.
If your gunblade is destroyed or you lose it, you can create a new one, or modify a weapon to become one. You require a set of tinker's tools and supplies worth triple the base weapon's cost when creating one, or double the base weapon's cost when modifying an existing weapon. This process can be performed during a long rest. You can also modify an eligible magic weapon into a gunblade, requiring a set amount of time and gold worth of supplies as determined by your DM.
The gunblade is described on page 4.
Arcane Ammunition
3rd-level Gunbreaker feature
As a Gunbreaker, your expert knowledge allows you to alter and refine the magical energy stored within your gunblade's Cartridge cells.
Overriding the gunblade's Cartridge rules, you instead use your own: You can create a number of Cartridges equal to your fighter level. Furthermore, you can infuse them more easily, recharging a number of discharged Cartridges equal to half your fighter level (rounded up) when you finish a short rest, or all discharged ones when you finish a long rest. Rules for reloading and Cartridge capacity remain unchanged.
Savage Discipline
3rd-level Gunbreaker feature
With your unique weapon you employ an equally unique martial discipline, referring to specific maneuvers as
gunblade tactics.
Tactics. You learn three tactics of your choice, which are listed under "Gunblade Tactics" on pages 2 and 3.
You learn an additional tactic of your choice at 7th, 10th,
and 15th level. Each time you learn a new tactic, you can
also replace one tactic you know with a different one.
Cartridges. Cartridges fuel your tactics, and must be
loaded in your gunblade in order to discharge them.
Saving Throws. Some of your tactics require your target to make a saving throw to resist the tactic's effects. The saving throw DC is calculated as follows:
Tactic save DC = 8 + your Proficiency Bonus +
your Strength or Dexterity modifier (your choice)
Gunbreaker Etymology
The origin of the first part of their name is self-explanatory. The second part comes from them breaking through enemy front lines, shattering their formation as vanguards leading the charge.
The Gunbreaker — by aiir
Addendum to Martial Versatility
Add the following option to the 4th-level optional fighter feature.
- If you know any tactics from the Gunbreaker archetype, you can replace one tactic you know with a different tactic.
Royal Guard
7th-level Gunbreaker feature
The gunbreaker is a vanguard, a point man. You fulfill this role this by bravely drawing your foe's enmity, identifying yourself as the biggest threat on the battlefield. Thus you also improve in reading people and leading conversations. You gain the following features:
Lion's Heart. You gain proficiency in one of the following skills of your choice: Insight, Intimidation, or Persuasion.
Lion's Roar. A creature hit by your gunblade, during a turn where you discharge at least 1 Cartridge, has disadvantage on attack rolls against targets other than you until the start of your next turn.
Improved Cartridges
10th-level Gunbreaker feature
Your understanding of Cartridges has improved dramatically, allowing you to increase the potency of the magic within the cells, and alter their explosive release to have a minor abjuration aspect. You gain the following features:
Brutal Shell. The dice of your gunblade's Burst Strike feature and the ones of your gunblade tactics increase in size by one step: from d6s to d8s.
Protective Exhaust. Once during your turn, when you discharge at least 1 Cartridge, you gain temporary hit points equal to your Wisdom modifier + your proficiency bonus.
Superbolide
15th-level Gunbreaker feature
As a warlord on the battlefield, your grit and guts make you an undying warrior. As a bonus action, you can pre-emptively brace yourself for a fatal strike. For the following round, if you take damage that reduces you to 0 hit points and doesn't kill you outright, you can use your reaction to regain 1 hit point. In addition, whenever you take damage, it's reduced to 0. This benefit lasts until damage has been reduced to 0 this way a number of times equal to your Constitution modifier, or until the end of your next turn, whichever occurs first.
Once you use the reaction, you can't use this feature again until you finish a long rest.
Renzokuken
18th-level Gunbreaker feature
The ultimate Gunbreaker tactic that's also sometimes referred to as "Army of One" or "Continuous Sword". A set of savage gunblade forms where the user keeps attacking relentlessly. Whenever you use your gunblade's Burst Strike feature on your turn, you can discharge 1 Cartridge to
make an additional attack. You can't use Burst Strike
on a hit with this additional attack.
Gunblade Tactics
The tactics are presented in alphabetical order.
Aurora
You alter the energy in your Cartridges to carry some of your life force and discharge it toward an ally, sharing your naturally improved regeneration with them.
As part of the bonus action when using your Second Wind feature, you can discharge 1 Cartridge to restore the same number of hit points to another creature you can see within 30 feet of you.
Blasting Zone
You fine-tune the magic in your Cartridges and alter the magitech sequence of your gunblade to discharge the energy in a focused line, creating an extension of your gunblade made of pure energy, which you slam down on your enemies.
You use this tactic in place of an attack during your Attack action. Once per turn, you can discharge 2 Cartridges to strike enemies in a line from you that is up to 30 feet long and 5 feet wide. Each creature in the line must make a Dexterity saving throw. A creature takes 2d6 + your fighter level force damage on a failed save, or half as much on a successful one.
Enhancing Vapors
You alter the energy in a Cartridge and discharge it to inhale the exhaust, which bolsters your physique and increases your muscle density for a short period of time.
As a bonus action, you can discharge 1 Cartridge to gain the effects of the Jump and Longstrider spells for a number of rounds equal to your Wisdom modifier.
Fated Circle
You fine-tune the magic in your Cartridges and alter the magitech sequence of your gunblade to discharge the energy, creating primed orbs of magic around you, as you spin in a circle. You finish by pulling the trigger and detonating the orbs.
As an action, you can discharge 3 Cartridges and each creature, other than you, within 10 feet of you must make a Dexterity saving throw. A creature takes 3d6 + your fighter level fire damage on a failed save, or half as much on a successful one.
The Gunbreaker —by aiir
Gun Metal Soul
You alter the energy in your Cartridges to be abjuration magic and discharge them toward an ally to shield them from an attack made against them.
As a reaction, after a creature you can see within 30 feet of you is attacked (this can include yourself), you can discharge 2 Cartridges to give it a 1d6 bonus to AC until the start of your next turn. You choose to use this tactic after the attacker declares their attack, but before they make their attack roll.
Heart of Light
You alter the energy in your Cartridges to be abjuration magic and discharge them toward an ally to protect them from imminent harm.
As a reaction, after a willing creature you can see, other than yourself, within 30 feet of you makes a saving throw, you can discharge 2 Cartridges and let the creature reroll the saving throw. The target must use the new roll. You choose to use this tactic after the creature makes its saving throw roll, but before the DM determines whether it succeeds or fails.
Heart of Stone
You alter the energy in your Cartridges to be abjuration magic and discharge them toward an ally to grant them a barrier.
As an action, you can discharge up to 3 Cartridges and choose a creature you can see, other than yourself, within 30 feet of you. That target gains temporary hit points equal to 1d6 for each Cartridge discharged + half your fighter
level (rounded up). Temporary hit points
gained this way last for 1 hour.
Lightning's Shot
You fine-tune the magic in your Cartridges and alter the magitech sequence of your gunblade to discharge the energy in a condensed form at an enemy.
You use this tactic in place of an attack during your Attack action. You can discharge 1 Cartridge to make a ranged attack against a creature within 60 feet of you with your gunblade. If the target is further than 20 feet away from you, you have disadvantage on the attack. On a hit, you deal 1d6 + your Wisdom modifier force damage to the target.
Rough Divide
You enhance your Cartridge's explosive release, and discharge it behind you to use that recoil and momentum to strike an enemy with a forceful blow.
You use this tactic in place of an attack during your Attack action. Once per turn, you can discharge 2 Cartridges to travel up to a distance equal to half your speed in a straight line. If a creature is in your reach after this travel, you can make an attack against it. On a hit, you deal an extra 1d6 thunder damage, and if the target is Large or smaller it must make a Strength saving throw. On a failed save, you knock the target prone.
Stimulating Vapors
You alter the energy in your Cartridges and discharge them to inhale the exhaust, which heightens your senses, enabling you to locate certain creatures or objects.
As an action, you can discharge a number of Cartridges to gain the effects of one of the following spells for half its full duration: 2 Cartridges for the Locate Object and Locate Animals or Plants spells, or 3 Cartridges for the Locate Creature spell.
The Gunbreaker — by aiir
Items
Gunblade
Generic variant, rare
— Cid, his last name unknown
This weapon has a hilt or handle, and commonly also parts of the blade, which has been crafted to house a unique magitech mechanism. A gunblade can be crafted directly, or an existing weapon can be modified into one, if the crafter has the sufficient know-how, time, and supplies. A gunblade inherits all features and properties of its base weapon, and if the base weapon was a magic weapon that required attunement, its gunblade version also requires attunement.
A gunblade houses and discharges magical energy cells called Cartridges, and it can hold up to 6 of them at a time. You can create and maintain a number of Cartridges equal to your proficiency bonus, recharging all discharged ones when you finish a short or long rest. You need a bonus action and a free hand to reload up to 6 Cartridges, taking them out from a case or other container is part of the bonus action.
In their base function Cartridges are discharged into the blade, creating tremors that rapidly vibrate it, which increase the weapon's piercing- or cutting power. Leftover energy from discharging also results in an explosive release of exhaust.
Base Items. This item variant can be applied to any simple or martial melee weapon that deals either piercing or slashing damage, and lacks the Heavy property.
Burst Strike. When you hit a creature with a melee weapon attack, you can pull the gunblade's trigger and discharge 1 Cartridge to deal an extra 1d6 thunder damage.
Hands-On. Any gunblade requires two hands to use, even if the base weapon doesn't. This property is relevant only when you attack with the weapon, not when you simply hold it.
Non-Gunbreaker Gunblade Users
The gunblade version of weapons as described works perfectly fine, even if the wielder doesn't have the Gunbreaker Martial Archetype. As a DM, just be considerate about the expert and specialist knowledge required to craft one, think about how or why a player or non-player character would have that.
The Gunbreaker naturally comes with the aforementioned knowledge as described in its Artisanal Weaponry feature.
Credits
Created by aiir#9916 on Discord and /u/aiir on Reddit.
Shoutout to /u/SomeDeathKnight and /u/TheShiningPhoenix. Both of them tried their hand at a gunblade-user before, and I did take inspiration from their versions.
Artwork Credits
- Page 1, background. Square Enix Co., Ltd., FFXIV New Gridania concept art. Available from: here.
- Page 1, foreground. Square Enix Co., Ltd., FFXIV Gunbreaker concept art. Available from: here.
- Page 2. Tristan Lim, FFXIV Job stones, Available from: Artstation, here.
- Page 3, top. Square Enix Co., Ltd., FFXIV Shadowbringers trailer still. Available from: here.
- Page 3, bottom and page 4. Square Enix Co., Ltd., FFXIV Thancred Waters concept art. Available from: here.
- Page stain templates by Jared Ondricek. Available from: here.
- Page theme by /u/SwordMeow.
Legal Disclaimers
This is unofficial Fan Content permitted under the Fan Content Policy. Not approved/endorsed by Wizards. Portions of the materials used are property of Wizards of the Coast. ©Wizards of the Coast LLC.
I do not own the rights or permissions to neither Dungeons & Dragons nor Final Fantasy series. Copyrights and/or trademarks of any character and/or image used belong to their respective owners. This is purely a fan project made for fun, and I do not stand to gain monetary profit from this document.
The Gunbreaker — by aiir