While gunslingers are full of sound and fury, there is a class of gunslingers that never soil their hands with powder or feel the sting of gun smoke. They commit their deeds in a more hushed manner, but with just as much flair.

Crossbow Maven

A bolt ace is proficient with all crossbows instead of all firearms and begins play with a masterwork crossbow of her choice.

This ability alters the gunslinger’s weapon proficiencies and replaces gunsmith.

Grit (Ex)

A bolt ace regains grit when she scores a critical hit or deals a killing blow with any kind of crossbow. This ability modifies the grit class feature.

Deeds

A bolt ace can perform the following deeds with a crossbow instead of a firearm: gunslinger initiative, pistol-whip, dead shot, targeting, bleeding wound, death’s shot, and stunning shot.

The bolt ace swaps the following deeds.

Sharp Shoot (Ex)

At 1st level, a bolt ace can resolve an attack against touch AC instead of normal AC when firing a crossbow at a target within its first range increment. Performing this deed costs 1 grit point. This deed’s cost cannot be reduced by any ability or effect that reduces the amount of grit points a deed costs (such as Signature Deed).

This deed replaces deadeye.

Vigilant Loading (Ex)

At 1st level, as long as a bolt ace has at least 1 grit point, she does not provoke attacks of opportunity when loading a crossbow.

This deed replaces quick clear.

Shooter’s Resolve (Ex)

At 3rd level, a bolt ace can spend 1 grit point when making a crossbow attack as a standard action and ignore the effects of concealment (though not total concealment) and cover (other than total cover) against that shot.

This deed replaces utility shot.

Distracting Shot (Ex)

At 7th level, a bolt ace can spend 1 grit point and choose to miss a target that she could normally attack within her range with a crossbow attack. When she does, the target loses its Dexterity bonus to AC (if any) for 1 round.

This deed replaces startling shot.

Vigilant Shooter (Ex)

At 11th level, as long as a bolt ace spends 1 grit point when she does so, she does not provoke attacks of opportunity when firing a crossbow.

This deed replaces expert loading.

Inexplicable Reload (Ex)

At 11th level, loading a crossbow becomes unthinking and automatic for a bolt ace. As long as she has at least 1 grit point, she always starts each round of combat (even a surprise round) with her crossbow loaded. Also the amount of time needed to reload a crossbow decreases by one step: a standard action becomes a move action, a move action becomes a swift action, a swift action becomes a free action, and a free action becomes not an action.

This deed replaces lightning reload.

Pinning Shot (Ex)

At 15th level, the bolt ace can spend 1 grit point while shooting a crossbow and attempt to pin down its target with the bolt. If the crossbow attack hits, it pins the target to a nearby object, to a wall, or to the ground, entangling and staggering the target. While pinned by the bolt, the target cannot move out of its space until it takes a standard action to free itself from the pinning bolt, except by means of teleportation.

This deed replaces menacing shot.

Crossbow Training (Ex)

Starting at 5th level, a bolt ace can select one specific type of crossbow, such as hand crossbow or heavy crossbow. She gains a bonus on damage rolls equal to her Dexterity modifier with that crossbow. Furthermore, when she scores a critical hit with that type of crossbow, her critical modifier increases by 1 (a x2 becomes a x3, for example). Every 4 levels thereafter, she can pick a different type of crossbow, gaining the bonus damage and increased critical multiplier with that type of crossbow as well.

This ability replaces gun training.