Black powder and firearms are a natural extension of the alchemical experimentation that investigators use on a regular basis. Steel hounds are investigators who have taken to using firearms in place of the more mundane weapons their counterparts favor.
Weapon and Armor Proficiency
Steel hounds are proficient with simple weapons, plus the rapier, the sap, and one type of firearm selected at 1st level. They are proficient with light armor, but not with shields. This ability replaces the investigator's weapon and armor proficiency.
At 2nd level, the steel hound gains both the Amateur Gunslinger and Gunsmithing feats as bonus feats. He also gains a battered gun identical to the one gained by the gunslinger. This ability replaces poison lore.
Investigator Talents
Whenever he gains a new investigator talent, the steel hound can instead select one of the following feats: Extra Grit or Rapid Reload.
Deed
At 4th level, a steel hound gains the following deed. This deed works and interacts with grit the same way that gunslinger deeds do, but only the steel hound can use it. If the steel hound also has levels in gunslinger, he can spend grit points from that class to use this deed.
A steel hound can spend 1 grit point to ignore all miss chances due to concealment when making firearm attacks. This effect lasts until the end of his turn. This ability allows the steel hound to ignore concealment, but does not reveal the enemy or allow him to see the enemy. This ability replaces swift alchemy.
At 11th level, a steel hound can select a gunslinger deed in place of an investigator talent. For this purpose, his effective gunslinger level is equal to his investigator level – 4.