This is part of a series of posts I'm making in prep for a FFXIV x D&D sourcebook I'm writing. Other related articles are:
Gunbreaker
This week's homebrewed FFXIV job is the Gunbreaker. I'm basing this one off of the Battle Smith Artificer, since the Battle Smith is the tank version of the Artificer class, with a pet. Gunbreakers aren't really known for having mechanical dogs around them however, so I had to replace that feature with something more fitting.
The first, obligatory feature of this subclass is Gunblade Mastery. It grants proficiency with the "gunblade", which I establish doesn't need to be a sword. I think it would be perfectly reasonable to assume other versions of the gunblade that aren't necessarily swords would exist. I state that the gunblade is used as a spellcasting focus, because most of this subclasses' spells and abilities will originate from it.
The Gunbreaker Spells list is a modified version of the Battle Smith spells list, since I thought most of it was fitting already. I changed conjure barrage and fire shield for binding smite and staggering smite, since I thought smite spells would fit this subclass better, since it can be explained as the character charging a bullet with a smite spell and then using that on their next attack. The only spell I'm not sure about is Warding Bond, since that's more of a Paladin thing, but I'll leave it there for now.
The Cartridge Charge feature is the main replacement of the Battle Smith's Steel Defender feature. Instead of a trusty companion, Gunbreakers have a mechanic that is similar to the psionic power type features from some of the new subclasses in Tasha's Hidden Cauldron. This mechanic would then allow characters to give some of their attacks an extra oomph when they so choose. The way you can recharge this feature through spell slots is also reminscent of how Gunbreakers typically need to imbue ammunition with their own aether. Generous DMs could also allow other PCs to recharge the Gunbreaker's ammunition as a reward for roleplaying.
I based Royal Guard off of Battle Ready, and left it mostly untouched, except I added the ability to increase the user's AC by 2 if they leave a hand available, so players can have their fantasy of a Gunblade-user that doesn't need a shield, just like it's been portrayed in the videogames so far. I would strongly suggest they use a shield if they would play at higher levels, however.
The Bloodfest feature, originally a variant of the Battle Smith's Arcane Jolt, was added in this manner, principally because I thought that allowing your Cartridge Charge dice to be restored when dealing critical hits was very unreliable. So instead, dealing damage is enough to "power up" your ammunition in a way that lets you do additional things with it. This way, I can introduce more job abilities into this subclass as well. Aurora is strong, as it essentially heals you twice, and it's great in a pinch. The second heal used to happen at the beginning of the turn, until I realized that something like that could lead to the Gunbreaker always having a way to start the turn conscious after being knocked out over the course of the round (Assuming they always have something to hit). Fated Circle purposefully doesn't allow for saving throws, making it a strong feature against minion-type enemies.
The Superbolide feature is pulled right out of the game. The Gunbreaker definitely needs as much staying power as they can get, especially given that their hit dice is a d8 (so their HP is always lower than a fighter's or barbarian's). Because this feature lowers the PCs HP to 1, it's something you'd only want to use when you're faced with an attack that is about to knock you out. Like an overpowered version of Uncanny Dodge that comes at a cost. Is this feature good enough to merit a once per day use? I'm still not sure. Maybe I'll come back later and change that if necessary.
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