SigaVaHeil
2005-12-13, 11:04 AM
Some ideas for feats. Please constructively critique.
Improved Dire Charge [Epic, Fighter]
You can make a full attack as part of a charge at any time.
Prerequisites: Base Attack Bonus +23, Dire Charge
Benefit: The character can make a full attack as part of a charge.
A fighter can select this as one of his bonus feats.
Notes: If it's too powerful, Superior Initiative (one of the worst epic feats) could be added as a prerequisite to tone things down. Personally, I think being required to take 3 feats, 2 of which are epic, to be able to do this isn't too unreasonable, especially considering the restrictions on when someone can charge, plus it can't be taken till level 25 at the earliest. The BAB restriction is obviously flexible, but I feel there should be some minimum so that a person couldn't just grab both Dire Charge and Improved Dire Charge immediately at 21st level.
Greater Critical [Epic, Fighter]
Choose one type of a weapon, such as a longsword or greataxe. With that weapon, you are capable of doing massive amounts of damage on a succesful critical hit.
Prerequisites: Improved Critical with weapon to be chosen, Power Critical with weapon to be chosen (Complete Warrior), Weapon Focus with weapon to be chosen
Benefit: Choose a weapon. The crit multiplier of that weapon is increased by n-1, where n is the base crit multiplier of the weapon. This feat does not stack with similar effects. Example: A longsword's multiplier is x2. With this feat it increases to x3.
Special: You may take this feat multiple times; its effects do not stack. Each time you select it, this feat applies to a different armor type for which you have learned Improved Critical.
A fighter can select this as one of his bonus feats.
Notes: Quite frankly, the person who designed Overwhelming Critical was a MORON. 1) No epic character gives two coppers about getting an extra d6 on the rare occasions when they score a critical... by the time they're epic it's the BONUSES that matter... this is specifically discussed in the "Behind the Curtains" sections where it talks about how Critical Hits are designed. 2) Why the heck are melee people the only ones who should get better critical hits? With the rediculous strength requirements and the feats only applying to melee attacks, it leaves bow users high and dry... and personally I think an arrow through the eye should hurt. I don't want to just replace the effects of Overwhelming Critical so I designed this more in line with the similar feats included in its prerequisites... if some poor soul out there actually wants Overwhelming Critical, let him have it. As far as balance goes, this is an epic feat after all, and it statistically (I believe) wouldn't change the average damage of a weapon any more than Improved Critical would if it was a stand alone feat. Personally, I like giving warriors incentive to take feats that compliment each other rather than forcing them to pick and choose between abilities to use. Plus, I think this allows for warriors to feel truly EPIC when they score a crit with an Axe or Scythe, doing x5 or x7 damage respectively.
Greater Overrun [General, Fighter]
You are capable of moving through opponents quickly and effeciently.
Prerequisites: Improved Overrun
Benefit: You can attempt an overrun as a free action taken during your move. There is no limit to the Overrun attempts you can make in a round.
Normal: You can attempt an overrun as a standard action taken during your move.
A fighter can select this as one of his bonus feats.
Notes: The rules on Overrun are a bit tricky. The way I read them, you can only perform one Overrun during your turn (since it's a standard action), meaning you can only push through one person. With this feat, one could essentially keep going through as many opponents as they can succeed in their strength checks against, and they would still have a standard action remaining. Side note - The quick description of Improved Overrun differs from the written description... the quick one says you don't incur attacks of opportunity, the written one makes no mention of this, so I personally go with the ruling that you do still take attacks of opportunity. This fact helps to balance out being able to run through multiple people since you're provoking attacks from all of them.
Overrunning Charge [Epic, Fighter]
Not even enemies can obstruct your charge.
Prerequisites: Greater Overrun
Benefit: You can make an Overrun attempt as part of a charge. If you succesfully overrun an opponent, that opponent does not count as obstructing your path for purposes of the charge.
Normal: You cannot attempt an Overrun as part of a charge. Any opponents between you and the target of your charge prevent you from charging.
A fighter can select this as one of his bonus feats.
Notes: Obviously you see a theme by now, one I came to enjoy in a campaign I recently played in: Charge charge charge! I was considering working minimum Tumble or Balance into the prerequisites, but I'm not certain they're entirely appropriate... honestly I think Balance would be more appropriate than Tumble. Sure, Tumble is designed for moving through other people's squares, but charging is all about a *lack* of finesse, whereas balance might be appropriate simply for being able to keep your feet while shoving through someone at full tilt.
Destructive Overrun [Epic, Fighter]
Even interlying objects do not prevent your charging.
Prerequisites: Greater Overrun, Strength 25
Benefit: You can make an Overrun attempt versus inanimate objects. Use the objects break DC for its opposing Strength check; if you succeed, you destroy the object rather than knocking it down.
A fighter can select this as one of his bonus feats.
Notes: Continues with the above theme, but honestly I picture this being more what an Adamantine Golem would do... just barreling through walls like they were nothing on the way to its target. In combination with Overrunning Charge and Fleet of Foot, this would allow a character to charge anywhere his Strength is strong enough to take him. It may seem overpowered, especially given Improved Dire Charge up above, but keep in mind that this is 8 feats (not counting Power Attack which is a great feat anyway), most of them otherwise useless and 4 of them Epic, devoted to one goal... a goal that STILL can't be done all the time because there is still a minimum distance one has to travel as part of a Charge, and there are most certainly going to be situations where a character won't be able to push through the stuff in the way.
I'm rather fond of Rich Burlew's OGL content, particularly the fighter feats, but I wanted to comment on some of them that I feel should be changed and ask your opinions on it. Take these notes for what they're worth, just the opinion of a rules monkey. The originals can be found at http://www.giantitp.com/Func0004.html
Armor Focus [General, Fighter]
Choose any specific type of armor, such as chain mail or full plate armor. You are more adept at moving when wearing that armor.
Prerequisites: Proficiency with selected armor.
Benefit: When wearing the selected armor type, the armor check penalty applied to your skills is reduced by 1. This reduction stacks with that granted by masterwork armor, but cannot reduce the total armor check penalty to less than 0. The maximum Dexterity bonus for that armor increases by 1 if the armor is medium or heavy armor. These benefits apply both to standard armor and to armors made of special materials, such as mithral or adamantine.
Special: You may take this feat multiple times; its effects do not stack. Each time you select it, this feat applies to a different armor type.
Commentary: Why should medium and heavy armors be the only ones to benefit from this feat? Since light armor users rely on Dexterity even more for their armor class, they too should be able to benefit from this. What's more, this restriction is also inconsistent with the Epic version of the feat... in the Epic version the Maximum Dexterity bonus for Light Armor goes from unmodified to non-existant (more about the Epic version discussed later). As such I think a better version would be:
Benefit: When wearing the selected armor type, the armor check penalty applied to your skills is reduced by 1. This reduction stacks with that granted by masterwork armor, but cannot reduce the total armor check penalty to less than 0. The maximum Dexterity bonus for that armor increases by 1. These benefits apply both to standard armor and to armors made of special materials, such as mithral or adamantine.
I feel the same way for the Greater version, which I think should read:
Greater Armor Focus [General, Fighter]
Choose any specific type of armor, such as chain mail or full plate armor, for which you have learned the Armor Focus feat. You excel at moving while wearing that armor.
Prerequisites: Proficiency with selected armor, Armor Focus with selected armor.
Benefit: When wearing the selected armor type, the armor check penalty applied to your skills is reduced by 1. This reduction stacks with that granted by masterwork armor and that granted by Armor Focus, but cannot reduce the total armor check penalty to less than 0. The maximum Dexterity bonus for that armor increases by 1. These benefits apply both to standard armor and to armors made of special materials, such as mithral or adamantine.
Special: You may take this feat multiple times; its effects do not stack. Each time you select it, this feat applies to a different armor type for which you have learned Armor Focus.
I think the Epic version of these two feats should actually be dummed down from its initial state:
Epic Armor Focus [Epic, Fighter]
Choose any specific type of armor, such as chain mail or full plate armor, for which you have learned the Greater Armor Focus feat. You are the undisputed master at moving while wearing that armor.
Prerequisites: Proficiency with selected armor, Armor Focus with selected armor, Greater Armor Focus with selected armor.
Benefit: When wearing the selected armor type, you suffer no armor check penalties to any skill. Your Dexterity bonus to your Armor Class is not limited by the armor at all; you may ignore the maximum Dexterity modifier for that armor. These benefits apply both to standard armor and to armors made of special materials, such as mithral or adamantine.
Special: You may take this feat multiple times; its effects do not stack. Each time you select it, this feat applies to a different armor type for which you have learned Greater Armor Focus.
Commentary: This is too good, and it is inconsistent with other Epic [equipment] Focus feats. I feel it is too good because there is a Salient Divine ability (Divine Armor Mastery) thats sole effect is to let the deity ignore the maximum Dexterity of light and medium armor. Don't get me wrong, I think Epic feats should be powerful, but this one could have an effect greater than one of very few powers that Gods get to choose from... granted, it would only apply to one form of armor, but it could potentially be heavy armor which is better than even the gods can do. The trend among Epic [equipment] Focus and Epic [equipment] Specialization feats is that they provide double the benefit of the non-epic versions. In keeping with this trend, I think a more appropriate version of the feat would read:
Epic Armor Focus [Epic, Fighter]
Choose any specific type of armor, such as chain mail or full plate armor, for which you have learned the Greater Armor Focus feat. You are the undisputed master at moving while wearing that armor.
Prerequisites: Proficiency with selected armor, Armor Focus with selected armor, Greater Armor Focus with selected armor.
Benefit: When wearing the selected armor type, the armor check penalty applied to your skills is reduced by 2. This reduction stacks with that granted by masterwork armor and that granted by Armor Focus, but cannot reduce the total armor check penalty to less than 0. The maximum Dexterity bonus for that armor increases by 2 if the armor is medium or heavy armor. These benefits apply both to standard armor and to armors made of special materials, such as mithral or adamantine.
Special: You may take this feat multiple times; its effects do not stack. Each time you select it, this feat applies to a different armor type for which you have learned Greater Armor Focus.
Anyway, I appreciate any feedback you guys can offer. If you guys like any of these, by all means please feel free to use them as you see fit in any of your campaigns.
Improved Dire Charge [Epic, Fighter]
You can make a full attack as part of a charge at any time.
Prerequisites: Base Attack Bonus +23, Dire Charge
Benefit: The character can make a full attack as part of a charge.
A fighter can select this as one of his bonus feats.
Notes: If it's too powerful, Superior Initiative (one of the worst epic feats) could be added as a prerequisite to tone things down. Personally, I think being required to take 3 feats, 2 of which are epic, to be able to do this isn't too unreasonable, especially considering the restrictions on when someone can charge, plus it can't be taken till level 25 at the earliest. The BAB restriction is obviously flexible, but I feel there should be some minimum so that a person couldn't just grab both Dire Charge and Improved Dire Charge immediately at 21st level.
Greater Critical [Epic, Fighter]
Choose one type of a weapon, such as a longsword or greataxe. With that weapon, you are capable of doing massive amounts of damage on a succesful critical hit.
Prerequisites: Improved Critical with weapon to be chosen, Power Critical with weapon to be chosen (Complete Warrior), Weapon Focus with weapon to be chosen
Benefit: Choose a weapon. The crit multiplier of that weapon is increased by n-1, where n is the base crit multiplier of the weapon. This feat does not stack with similar effects. Example: A longsword's multiplier is x2. With this feat it increases to x3.
Special: You may take this feat multiple times; its effects do not stack. Each time you select it, this feat applies to a different armor type for which you have learned Improved Critical.
A fighter can select this as one of his bonus feats.
Notes: Quite frankly, the person who designed Overwhelming Critical was a MORON. 1) No epic character gives two coppers about getting an extra d6 on the rare occasions when they score a critical... by the time they're epic it's the BONUSES that matter... this is specifically discussed in the "Behind the Curtains" sections where it talks about how Critical Hits are designed. 2) Why the heck are melee people the only ones who should get better critical hits? With the rediculous strength requirements and the feats only applying to melee attacks, it leaves bow users high and dry... and personally I think an arrow through the eye should hurt. I don't want to just replace the effects of Overwhelming Critical so I designed this more in line with the similar feats included in its prerequisites... if some poor soul out there actually wants Overwhelming Critical, let him have it. As far as balance goes, this is an epic feat after all, and it statistically (I believe) wouldn't change the average damage of a weapon any more than Improved Critical would if it was a stand alone feat. Personally, I like giving warriors incentive to take feats that compliment each other rather than forcing them to pick and choose between abilities to use. Plus, I think this allows for warriors to feel truly EPIC when they score a crit with an Axe or Scythe, doing x5 or x7 damage respectively.
Greater Overrun [General, Fighter]
You are capable of moving through opponents quickly and effeciently.
Prerequisites: Improved Overrun
Benefit: You can attempt an overrun as a free action taken during your move. There is no limit to the Overrun attempts you can make in a round.
Normal: You can attempt an overrun as a standard action taken during your move.
A fighter can select this as one of his bonus feats.
Notes: The rules on Overrun are a bit tricky. The way I read them, you can only perform one Overrun during your turn (since it's a standard action), meaning you can only push through one person. With this feat, one could essentially keep going through as many opponents as they can succeed in their strength checks against, and they would still have a standard action remaining. Side note - The quick description of Improved Overrun differs from the written description... the quick one says you don't incur attacks of opportunity, the written one makes no mention of this, so I personally go with the ruling that you do still take attacks of opportunity. This fact helps to balance out being able to run through multiple people since you're provoking attacks from all of them.
Overrunning Charge [Epic, Fighter]
Not even enemies can obstruct your charge.
Prerequisites: Greater Overrun
Benefit: You can make an Overrun attempt as part of a charge. If you succesfully overrun an opponent, that opponent does not count as obstructing your path for purposes of the charge.
Normal: You cannot attempt an Overrun as part of a charge. Any opponents between you and the target of your charge prevent you from charging.
A fighter can select this as one of his bonus feats.
Notes: Obviously you see a theme by now, one I came to enjoy in a campaign I recently played in: Charge charge charge! I was considering working minimum Tumble or Balance into the prerequisites, but I'm not certain they're entirely appropriate... honestly I think Balance would be more appropriate than Tumble. Sure, Tumble is designed for moving through other people's squares, but charging is all about a *lack* of finesse, whereas balance might be appropriate simply for being able to keep your feet while shoving through someone at full tilt.
Destructive Overrun [Epic, Fighter]
Even interlying objects do not prevent your charging.
Prerequisites: Greater Overrun, Strength 25
Benefit: You can make an Overrun attempt versus inanimate objects. Use the objects break DC for its opposing Strength check; if you succeed, you destroy the object rather than knocking it down.
A fighter can select this as one of his bonus feats.
Notes: Continues with the above theme, but honestly I picture this being more what an Adamantine Golem would do... just barreling through walls like they were nothing on the way to its target. In combination with Overrunning Charge and Fleet of Foot, this would allow a character to charge anywhere his Strength is strong enough to take him. It may seem overpowered, especially given Improved Dire Charge up above, but keep in mind that this is 8 feats (not counting Power Attack which is a great feat anyway), most of them otherwise useless and 4 of them Epic, devoted to one goal... a goal that STILL can't be done all the time because there is still a minimum distance one has to travel as part of a Charge, and there are most certainly going to be situations where a character won't be able to push through the stuff in the way.
I'm rather fond of Rich Burlew's OGL content, particularly the fighter feats, but I wanted to comment on some of them that I feel should be changed and ask your opinions on it. Take these notes for what they're worth, just the opinion of a rules monkey. The originals can be found at http://www.giantitp.com/Func0004.html
Armor Focus [General, Fighter]
Choose any specific type of armor, such as chain mail or full plate armor. You are more adept at moving when wearing that armor.
Prerequisites: Proficiency with selected armor.
Benefit: When wearing the selected armor type, the armor check penalty applied to your skills is reduced by 1. This reduction stacks with that granted by masterwork armor, but cannot reduce the total armor check penalty to less than 0. The maximum Dexterity bonus for that armor increases by 1 if the armor is medium or heavy armor. These benefits apply both to standard armor and to armors made of special materials, such as mithral or adamantine.
Special: You may take this feat multiple times; its effects do not stack. Each time you select it, this feat applies to a different armor type.
Commentary: Why should medium and heavy armors be the only ones to benefit from this feat? Since light armor users rely on Dexterity even more for their armor class, they too should be able to benefit from this. What's more, this restriction is also inconsistent with the Epic version of the feat... in the Epic version the Maximum Dexterity bonus for Light Armor goes from unmodified to non-existant (more about the Epic version discussed later). As such I think a better version would be:
Benefit: When wearing the selected armor type, the armor check penalty applied to your skills is reduced by 1. This reduction stacks with that granted by masterwork armor, but cannot reduce the total armor check penalty to less than 0. The maximum Dexterity bonus for that armor increases by 1. These benefits apply both to standard armor and to armors made of special materials, such as mithral or adamantine.
I feel the same way for the Greater version, which I think should read:
Greater Armor Focus [General, Fighter]
Choose any specific type of armor, such as chain mail or full plate armor, for which you have learned the Armor Focus feat. You excel at moving while wearing that armor.
Prerequisites: Proficiency with selected armor, Armor Focus with selected armor.
Benefit: When wearing the selected armor type, the armor check penalty applied to your skills is reduced by 1. This reduction stacks with that granted by masterwork armor and that granted by Armor Focus, but cannot reduce the total armor check penalty to less than 0. The maximum Dexterity bonus for that armor increases by 1. These benefits apply both to standard armor and to armors made of special materials, such as mithral or adamantine.
Special: You may take this feat multiple times; its effects do not stack. Each time you select it, this feat applies to a different armor type for which you have learned Armor Focus.
I think the Epic version of these two feats should actually be dummed down from its initial state:
Epic Armor Focus [Epic, Fighter]
Choose any specific type of armor, such as chain mail or full plate armor, for which you have learned the Greater Armor Focus feat. You are the undisputed master at moving while wearing that armor.
Prerequisites: Proficiency with selected armor, Armor Focus with selected armor, Greater Armor Focus with selected armor.
Benefit: When wearing the selected armor type, you suffer no armor check penalties to any skill. Your Dexterity bonus to your Armor Class is not limited by the armor at all; you may ignore the maximum Dexterity modifier for that armor. These benefits apply both to standard armor and to armors made of special materials, such as mithral or adamantine.
Special: You may take this feat multiple times; its effects do not stack. Each time you select it, this feat applies to a different armor type for which you have learned Greater Armor Focus.
Commentary: This is too good, and it is inconsistent with other Epic [equipment] Focus feats. I feel it is too good because there is a Salient Divine ability (Divine Armor Mastery) thats sole effect is to let the deity ignore the maximum Dexterity of light and medium armor. Don't get me wrong, I think Epic feats should be powerful, but this one could have an effect greater than one of very few powers that Gods get to choose from... granted, it would only apply to one form of armor, but it could potentially be heavy armor which is better than even the gods can do. The trend among Epic [equipment] Focus and Epic [equipment] Specialization feats is that they provide double the benefit of the non-epic versions. In keeping with this trend, I think a more appropriate version of the feat would read:
Epic Armor Focus [Epic, Fighter]
Choose any specific type of armor, such as chain mail or full plate armor, for which you have learned the Greater Armor Focus feat. You are the undisputed master at moving while wearing that armor.
Prerequisites: Proficiency with selected armor, Armor Focus with selected armor, Greater Armor Focus with selected armor.
Benefit: When wearing the selected armor type, the armor check penalty applied to your skills is reduced by 2. This reduction stacks with that granted by masterwork armor and that granted by Armor Focus, but cannot reduce the total armor check penalty to less than 0. The maximum Dexterity bonus for that armor increases by 2 if the armor is medium or heavy armor. These benefits apply both to standard armor and to armors made of special materials, such as mithral or adamantine.
Special: You may take this feat multiple times; its effects do not stack. Each time you select it, this feat applies to a different armor type for which you have learned Greater Armor Focus.
Anyway, I appreciate any feedback you guys can offer. If you guys like any of these, by all means please feel free to use them as you see fit in any of your campaigns.