Midnight Gun

Many gunslingers have a sinister reputation, but the midnight gun earns her notoriety by pledging herself to the forces of evil. Wielding firearms laden with unholy power, she strikes fear into innocent hearts and remorselessly hunts down those who defy her. Some midnight guns are lone heralds of hell, bringing a swathe of death and misery before drifting on to another town. Others serve as terrifying agents of tyrants and evil archpriests, keeping the population in check through intimidation as much as through murderous skill.

Table: Midnight Gun
Level Base Attack Bonus Fort Save Ref Save Will Save Special Spells per day
            1st 2nd 3rd 4th
1st +1 +2 +0 +2 Aura of evil, deeds, grit, gunsmithing
2nd +2 +3 +0 +3 Malevolent shot, unholy resilience
3rd +3 +3 +1 +3 Cruelty, suppressing menace
4th +4 +4 +1 +4 Aura of cowardice, figure of dread 0
5th +5 +4 +1 +4 Fiendish firearm 1
6th +6/+1 +5 +2 +5 Cruelty 1
7th +7/+2 +5 +2 +5 Dead shot, profane shot, startling shot 1 0
8th +8/+3 +6 +2 +6 Shot straight from hell 1 1
9th +9/+4 +6 +3 +6 Cruelty 2 1
10th +10/+5 +7 +3 +7 Vigilante talent 2 1 0
11th +11/+6/+1 +7 +3 +7 Cruel shot, die by the gun 2 1 1
12th +12/+7/+2 +8 +4 +8 Cruelty 2 2 1
13th +13/+8/+3 +8 +4 +8 Vigilante talent 3 2 1 0
14th +14/+9/+4 +9 +4 +9 Menacing shot, sinful shot 3 2 1 1
15th +15/+10/+5 +9 +5 +9 Cruelty 3 2 2 1
16th +16/+11/+6/+1 +10 +5 +10 Vigilante talent 3 3 2 1
17th +17/+12/+7/+2 +10 +5 +10 Luck of the damned 4 3 2 1
18th +18/+13/+8/+3 +11 +6 +11 Cruelty 4 3 2 2
19th +19/+14/+9/+4 +11 +6 +11 Cheat death, death’s shot 4 3 3 2
20th +20/+15/+10/+5 +12 +6 +12 Evil’s executioner 4 4 3 3

Class Features

Weapon and Armor Proficiency

A midnight gun is proficient with all simple and martial weapons, firearms, and light armor.

This modifies weapon and armor proficiencies.

Gunslinger

At 1st level, a midnight gun gains Gunsmithing as a bonus feat. She also gains a battered gun identical to the one gained by the gunslinger.

This ability replaces detect good.

Grit (Ex)

At the start of each day, a midnight gun gains a number of grit points equal to her Charisma modifier (minimum 1). Her grit goes up or down throughout the day, but usually cannot go higher than her Charisma modifier (minimum 1), though some feats and magic items may affect this maximum. A midnight gun spends grit to accomplish deeds (see below), and regains grit in the following ways.

Critical Hit with a Firearm: Each time the midnight gun confirms a critical hit with a firearm attack while in the heat of combat, she regains 1 grit point. Confirming a critical hit on a helpless or unaware creature or on a creature that has fewer Hit Dice than half the midnight gun’s character level does not restore grit.

Killing Blow with a Firearm: When the midnight gun reduces a creature to 0 or fewer hit points with a firearm attack while in the heat of combat, she regains 1 grit point. Destroying an unattended object, reducing a helpless or unaware creature to 0 or fewer hit points, or reducing a creature that has fewer Hit Dice than half the midnight gun’s character level to 0 or fewer hit points does not restore any grit.

Halting Good with a Firearm: When the midnight gun successfully uses a firearm to banish a good outsider, dispel a good-aligned effect or interrupt the casting of a good-aligned spell or spell-like ability, she regains 1 grit point.

Deeds

A midnight gun gains the following deeds.

At 1st level, she gains the deadeye, gunslinger’s dodge and quick clear deeds.

At 3rd level, she gains the unique suppressing menace deed.

At 7th level, a midnight gun gains the dead shot and startling shot deeds. She also gains the unique profane shot deed.

At 11th level, she gains the unique cruel shot and die by the gun deeds.

At 14th level, a midnight gun gains the menacing shot deed and the unique sinful shot deed.

At 19th level, a midnight gun gains the cheat death and death’s shot deeds.

Suppressing Menace (Ex)

At 3rd level, while she has at least 1 panache point, when a midnight gun hits an opponent with a firearm shot, she can choose to use Intimidate to demoralize that opponent as a swift action instead of a standard action. This ability doesn’t work with scatter shots.

Profane Shot (Su)

At 7th level, as long as the midnight gun has at least 1 grit point, when she confirms a critical hit against a target subject to a spell or spell-like ability with the good descriptor, or a divine spell or spell-like ability granted by a good deity, she can attempt to dispel it as though casting dispel magic.

Cruel Shot (Su)

At 11th level, as a swift action, a midnight gun can expend grit to infuse one of her cruelties into a bullet as she fires. If the attack deals damage, the target also suffers the effects of her cruelty unless it succeeds at the Fortitude saving throw. The cost of the deed is equal to one-third the minimum level required to select that cruelty (for example, 3 grit points to inflict the poisoned cruelty).

Die By The Gun (Su)

At 11th level, as long as the midnight gun has at least 1 grit point, she gains DR 2/good and piercing. This increases by 2 at 14th level and every three levels thereafter.

Sinful Shot (Su)

At 14th level, as long as the midnight gun has at least 1 grit point, her attacks with firearms are treated as evil-aligned for the purpose of overcoming damage reduction.

This replaces smite good, plague bringer, aura of vengeance, and aura of sin.

Malevolent Shot (Su)

At 2nd level, a midnight gun can infuse her bullet with unholy power as a swift action. A malevolent shot deals additional negative energy damage equal to her Charisma modifier + half her antipaladin level. If the target of the malevolent shot is of good alignment, this damage increases to her full antipaladin level + Charisma modifier. She can use a malevolent shot a number of times per day equal to 1/2 her antipaladin level + her Charisma modifier.

This replaces and counts as touch of corruption.

Aura of Cowardice (Su)

A midnight gun gains the aura of cowardice class feature at 4th level, rather than 3rd level. Any target that takes damage from the midnight gun’s firearm attacks suffers the effects of her aura of cowardice for a number of rounds equal to her Charisma modifier.

Figure of Dread (Su)

At 4th level, the midnight gun develops either a notorious or an enigmatic reputation. If she chooses to be notorious, she gains the vigilante’s renown social talent. She is always treated as being in her vigilante identity, but she can apply the Diplomacy effect to creatures who share a common goal with her (such as criminals, or guards in an evil city) and have an initial attitude of at least indifferent. At 9th level and every 5 levels thereafter, she can choose to select one of the following vigilante talents whose prerequisites she meets instead, treating her antipaladin level as her vigilante level. She is considered an avenger for the purpose of selecting these talents.

Social Talents: discreet enquiries, great renown, hidden magic, incredible renown, instant recognition, mockingbird, owl’s sight, skill familiarity, triumphant return.

Vigilante Talents: another day, chase master, mockery, nothing can stop me, unexpected strike.

If she chooses to be enigmatic, the midnight gun gains the dual identity class feature and the obscurity social talent. At 7th level and every 3 levels thereafter, she can select any vigilante social talent whose prerequisites she meets instead, treating her antipaladin level as her vigilante level. She can also select from the following vigilante talents as though she were a stalker vigilante: blind spot, hide in plain sight, mockery and stalker sense.

This replaces channel negative energy.

Fiendish Firearm (Su)

At 5th level, a midnight gun’s favoured weapon carries an echo of dreadful power. She chooses one firearm to imbue with malevolence.

As a swift action, she can call forth the malevolence for a number of rounds equal to her class level. At 5th level, the malevolence grants the weapon a +1 enhancement bonus, or increases an existing enhancement bonus by 1.

At 8th level the firearm gains the called weapon property while its malevolence is called forth. At 11th level it gains the huntsman property, and the bonus granted on Survival checks is equal to the midnight gun’s Charisma modifier. At 14th level it gains the cruel weapon property. At 17th level it gains the seeking property. At 20th level it gains the heart-piercing quality.

The malevolence imparts no benefits if the weapon is held by anyone other than the midnight gun, but resumes giving benefits if returned to the midnight gun.

A midnight gun can use this ability once per day at 5th level, and one additional time per day for every four levels beyond 5th, to a total of four times per day at 17th level.

If a firearm imbued with her malevolence is destroyed, the midnight gun loses the use of this ability for 30 days, until she gains a level, or until she regains grit by making a killing blow to a good creature with a firearm, whichever comes first. During this period, the midnight gun takes a –1 penalty on attack and weapon damage rolls.

This replaces and counts as fiendish boon.

Shot Straight From Hell (Su)

At 8th level, a midnight gun can expend two uses of her malevolent shot as a swift action, causing her next firearm attack to unleash a bolt of malevolent destruction. A shot straight from hell is a ranged touch attack with the normal range increment of her weapon. It doesn’t require ammunition or powder, and has no chance of misfiring. Instead of the normal effects of her bullet, she deals 1d6 points of damage for every two antipaladin levels she possesses, and can inflict the effects of one of her cruelties on the target. This ability can’t be used with scatter shots.

This replaces aura of despair.

Luck of the Damned (Su)

At 17th level, a midnight gun can escape even magical and unusual attacks. If she succeeds at a Fortitude or Reflex saving throw against an attack that normally deals half damage on a successful save, she instead takes no damage.

This replaces aura of depravity and counts as the evasion class feature.

Evil’s Executioner (Su)

At 20th level, a midnight gun is a relentless slayer in the service of the dark powers. When she uses a malevolent shot, she ignores concealment and cover (but not total cover), and treats total concealment as concealment. Whenever she uses a shot straight from hell and successfully strikes a good outsider, the outsider is also subject to a banishment, using her antipaladin level as the caster level (her weapon and unholy symbol automatically count as objects that the subject hates). In addition, whenever she uses a shot straight from hell, she deals the maximum possible amount.

This replaces unholy champion.

Section 15: Copyright Notice

The Antipaladin’s Almanac, © 2020, Librarians & Leviathans.

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