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View Full Version : [3.5] Dabbling feats



Zaq
2009-12-25, 01:37 AM
So, there are a good handful of feats that let you dabble in... well, basically other class features. Here are the ones I can think of offhand (surely not exhaustive)

Spells:
There's the SLA-granting feats in Complete Arcane: Communicator, Insightful, Necropolis Born, Night Haunt, Soul of the North, Spell Hand. They're not generally considered to be very good, though they make for flavorful NPCs. There are also some Heritage feats that give SLAs, if memory serves... I think those are a little better, but they come at the end of feat chains.

Psionics:
Hidden Talent gives you a psionic power and a couple PP. The host feats in CPsi give psi-like abilities, often a selection thereof.

Pact Magic:
Bind Vestige, Improved Bind Vestige, Practiced Binder give some basic pact magic abilities, some of which are actually pretty good (Aura of Sadness, anyone?).

Truespeak:
Truespeak Training, Least Utterance of the Evolving Mind, Utterance of the Evolving Mind, Utterance of the Crafted Tool, Utterance of the Perfected Map give some pretty decent delving into Truespeak. Pity that you have to invest so stinkin' much into it.

Animal Companion:
Wild Cohort basically gives you a worse animal companion.

Tome of Battle:
Martial Study, Martial Stance are pretty well-known and well-used.

Incarnum:
Shape Soulmeld, Open Least Chakra, Open Lesser Chakra, Open Greater Chakra let you do some pretty nice meldshaping even as a non-meldshaper. The other Incarnum feats even give you Essentia.

Auras:
Draconic Aura, from Dragon Magic, lets anyone have nice auras.

There are probably others that I'm forgetting, but oh well. Now, here's the question: What's everyone think about these? Are any worth using? What kind of characters do you like to put them on? How do we make them worthwhile? What tricks do you like to do with them? I think that there's a lot that can be done with these, but when is it worthwhile?

ex cathedra
2009-12-25, 01:40 AM
Hidden Talent is good for Psicrystals.

Martial Study/Stance and Shape Soulmeld are good for... well, almost everyone.

Edit: As for tricks, I like using Hidden Talent to let my psicrystal qualify for Psionic Feats, which I can Feat Leech (http://www.d20srd.org/srd/psionic/powers/featLeech.htm) from it. You can guess the rest.

Ernir
2009-12-25, 08:55 AM
Superior Unarmed Strike (ToB) gives you scaling US damage similar to what the Monk gets.

EDIT: Snap Kick gives you something better than Flurry, too. :smalltongue:


Now, here's the question: What's everyone think about these? Are any worth using? What kind of characters do you like to put them on?
I have considered the binding feats (for Aura of Sadness, indeed) for a Hexblade/Paladin of Tyranny debuffer build.

Deth Muncher
2009-12-25, 09:29 AM
Superior Unarmed Strike (ToB) gives you scaling US damage similar to what the Monk gets.

Also gives you a free Monk's Belt, basically, if you happen to be a monk.

Tavar
2009-12-25, 09:31 AM
Or an unarmed swordsage.

Though it doesn't give the AC boost.

Corlindale
2009-12-25, 09:42 AM
Arcane Disciple (from Comp. Divine) is pretty good, it gives you access to the Domain spells of one cleric domain as an arcane caster (but only 1/day pr. spell).

Darrin
2009-12-25, 09:55 AM
Magical Training (FRCS) gives you three 0-level arcane spells and a caster level as either a 1st level Wizard or Sorcerer without taking any levels in Wizard or Sorcerer.

Minor Divine Spellcaster (Dragon #305) is the divine version, pick four 0-level orisons, and you can cast up to 3/day.

Planar Touchstone (Planar Handbook) linked to the Catalogues of Enlightenment gives you access to a Domain power without any cleric levels. Take the Magic domain, and you can activate sorcerer/wizard scrolls and wands as a 1st level wizard.

You can also pick up proficiency/weapon focus from a non-War deity by taking the War domain power for that deity (Catalogues of Enlightenment does not require you to worship any particular deity, nor does it specify that War needs to be in their portfolio). So you can pick up EWP: Spiked Chain and Weapon Focus: Spiked Chain with only one feat (you need 8 ranks of Knowledge: the Planes, though).

A Sorcerer 6 or Bard 7 can take Necromantic Bloodline and Kin Mastery (Dragon Compendium), and can turn undead 1/day without any Cleric levels.

God Touched and Divine Channeler (Dragon #305) can also give you turn undead 1/day without any Cleric levels.

Tiktakkat
2009-12-25, 12:53 PM
Arcane Disciple (from Comp. Divine) is pretty good, it gives you access to the Domain spells of one cleric domain as an arcane caster (but only 1/day pr. spell).

Yes, but add Spontaneous Healer on top of it, and use your wizard levels to qualify for spontaneous caster only prestige classes and feats.
A feat intensive bit of weaseling, but still gratuitously fun.

dspeyer
2009-12-26, 11:53 AM
While it's a bit of a stretch, the skill feats (Able Learner, Nymph's Kiss, the class skill feats (http://community.wizards.com/go/thread/view/75882/19860850/Alternative_ways_to_get_new_Class_skills)) let you dabble in skill-monkeying. This is especially viable for classes like wizard and swordsage that tend to get more skill points than they have obvious use for.

Zaq
2009-12-26, 06:06 PM
What does everyone think about Dragonmarks, either with or without fluff restrictions? If you have access to the book Dragonmarked, you have a few good options for actually useful spells a couple times per day, but you have to burn some relatively high level feats on them. Thoughts?

Thurbane
2009-12-26, 06:53 PM
The vestige binding feats are pretty cool for adding abilities to a melee type or other non-caster.

PlzBreakMyCmpAn
2009-12-26, 07:46 PM
You can also pick up proficiency/weapon focus from a non-War deity by taking the War domain power for that deity (Catalogues of Enlightenment does not require you to worship any particular deity, nor does it specify that War needs to be in their portfolio). So you can pick up EWP: Spiked Chain and Weapon Focus: Spiked Chain with only one feat (you need 8 ranks of Knowledge: the Planes, though).Nice cheese. This means NI feats with DCFS. Hmm I think a DM would say no! :smallyuk:

Ernir
2009-12-27, 03:26 AM
Yes, but add Spontaneous Healer on top of it, and use your wizard levels to qualify for spontaneous caster only prestige classes and feats.
A feat intensive bit of weaseling, but still gratuitously fun.

Spontaneous Divination does it more easily. :smalltongue: