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Lev
2010-06-24, 08:41 PM
Embrace Pain [General]
Req - HD4 or higher, Wis 12+

Every time you take damage convert up to your character level/5 damage into nonlethal damage and gain a +2 to fortitude and -2 to will saves until your next turn (Maximum +4/-4), you can use this ability to alter 1HP per hit dice you have per day.
If the damage is already nonlethal then instead of converting it you can choose to reduce it by that amount.

Corporate M
2010-06-24, 09:37 PM
Hmmm, it's interesting. I give you that. I don't know if I'd take it, very situational. (Fort saves come in handy more often then will, but I wouldn't nesscarly want to giveup one for the other) And converting damage into non-lethal is useful, and there's not really many defensive feats that are good.

I'd say it's a good feat. It adds something to the game as there's not many ways to convert damage, and at the same time isn't overpowered in any regard. You should've posted this at the odd fighter feats topic though. That topic was a comprehensive list of potential homebrew feats to incorporate ingame. Maybe I'll look for it later and bump it up for you if you're interested in building a fighter and thats why you're showing off your feat.

Milskidasith
2010-06-24, 10:02 PM
This is very meh... you can convert a total of four damage, at level twenty, into nonlethal.

This isn't useful, because it provides a hilariously low amount of actual reduction, and if you don't have any way to reduce nonlethal damage, it doesn't do anything at all.

Lev
2010-06-25, 01:58 AM
Edit- Save modification maxes out at +4/-4
Edit- New Mechanic: NL Reduction

Hmmm, it's interesting. I give you that. I don't know if I'd take it, very situational. (Fort saves come in handy more often then will, but I wouldn't nesscarly want to giveup one for the other) And converting damage into non-lethal is useful, and there's not really many defensive feats that are good.

I'd say it's a good feat. It adds something to the game as there's not many ways to convert damage, and at the same time isn't overpowered in any regard. You should've posted this at the odd fighter feats topic though. That topic was a comprehensive list of potential homebrew feats to incorporate ingame. Maybe I'll look for it later and bump it up for you if you're interested in building a fighter and thats why you're showing off your feat.
Actually this feat I wrote as just a scribble in my ongoing house rules, I never intended to use it, also it's not a fighter feat-- it's just a multitool feat which grants multiple meanings as it's applied to role play, from as you are taking it a hardened gladiator type fighter feat, or as opposite that to the masochistic cleric.

The mechanics are simple, it acts as a bursting of damage reduction with a scalable usage, starting at 5 uses for it's maximum power then scaling up to about 9 before upgrading it's maximum usage again. It allows even and smooth growth of it's power on almost every level so the player can enjoy watching it grow.

It doesn't ACTUALLY reduce the real damage because they are still effecting you, you just choose to take a small cut or a broken finger a little bit differently than you or I would; This is done by converting LDMG to NLDMG which means that it doesn't register as damage on your HP, which is essentially the same thing.
I've now added in that it actually negates NL damage which should balance it out.

Mind you a barbarian only gets DR -1 at level 7.

Lix Lorn
2010-06-25, 04:04 AM
Why non-lawful? I can see a controlling, psychopathic masochist with a code of iron. (Shrug)

Lev
2010-06-25, 04:12 AM
Why non-lawful? I can see a controlling, psychopathic masochist with a code of iron. (Shrug)
Good point!

Edited: Swapped alignment for wis req.

Anyone have any more tweaks?

DracoDei
2010-06-25, 12:12 PM
Hmmm.... a bizarre fusion of Improved Toughness with Iron Will, and some drawbacks to make it still balanced. Requires knowing your enemy to know when to use it. Which is odd, because it requires something that is very "gut level" for the character to be applied with tactical savvy (not that that can't be justified, even in-character). Wait... it doesn't refreshing with healing the way Improved Toughness does (because it is a per day cap, rather than an increase to max hp). Maybe if you said that healing over max. hp can be applied to restore the per day, but not above the per day damage coversions maximum? So if at 16th level you get hit for 20 damage, convert 3 points of damage leaving 13 in your per-day pool, and then get healed for 30, all the3 damage goes away, and your per day pool of convertible damage goes back to 16?

Lev
2010-06-25, 02:43 PM
Hmmm.... a bizarre fusion of Improved Toughness with Iron Will, and some drawbacks to make it still balanced. Requires knowing your enemy to know when to use it. Which is odd, because it requires something that is very "gut level" for the character to be applied with tactical savvy (not that that can't be justified, even in-character). Wait... it doesn't refreshing with healing the way Improved Toughness does (because it is a per day cap, rather than an increase to max hp). Maybe if you said that healing over max. hp can be applied to restore the per day, but not above the per day damage coversions maximum? So if at 16th level you get hit for 20 damage, convert 3 points of damage leaving 13 in your per-day pool, and then get healed for 30, all the3 damage goes away, and your per day pool of convertible damage goes back to 16?
I didn't imagine it as a tactical skill, you could use it tactically but generally it's a pain threshold buffer, or somewhat of a psychic battery for pain tolerance.

But about refilling it, what do you think about taking NL damage to restore the damage modifying pool? Like, take 4NL damage to restore 1HP in your Embrace Pain pool?

jiriku
2010-06-25, 03:39 PM
A Con requirement would be more appropriate than a hit die requirement. If you think it's too powerful for that, you could also add Improved Toughness as a prerequisite.

I'd say just remove the daily cap altogether. What's the worst that's gonna happen?

Lev
2010-06-30, 12:47 AM
A Con requirement would be more appropriate than a hit die requirement. If you think it's too powerful for that, you could also add Improved Toughness as a prerequisite.

I'd say just remove the daily cap altogether. What's the worst that's gonna happen?
Con req swap and unlimited cap would make it so you essentially had DR1 at level 1 at the cost of 1 feat, where as DR1 is a level 7 barbarian class feature.

The feat has a wis req rather than a con req because it requires a strong will rather than a strong body-- it doesn't actually limit the damage's effect.

Lix Lorn
2010-06-30, 11:04 AM
Con req swap and unlimited cap would make it so you essentially had DR1 at level 1 at the cost of 1 feat, where as DR1 is a level 7 barbarian class feature.
Not a very good one, from what I hear.

jiriku
2010-06-30, 11:47 AM
Con req swap and unlimited cap would make it so you essentially had DR1 at level 1 at the cost of 1 feat, where as DR1 is a level 7 barbarian class feature.

The feat has a wis req rather than a con req because it requires a strong will rather than a strong body-- it doesn't actually limit the damage's effect.

Wouldn't be too concerned IIWY.


This feat is not as good as DR/1.
DR/1 is not that hot in the first place.
A feat should be better than a minor class feature. You can get a new feature every level, but you get a feat only every 3 levels.


If you don't like Improved Toughness as a prerequisite, consider Iron Will instead. It connects with the idea of emotional fortitude, and most martial classes have poor Will saves that need shoring up anyway, so they won't mind picking up the prerequisite.

Temotei
2010-06-30, 01:06 PM
Not a very good one, from what I hear.

Oh, DR 1/- is absolutely stupid for 7th level. DR 1/- is useful at...1st and 2nd level? Yeah. That's about it.


Embrace Pain [General]
Req - HD4 or higher, Wis 12+

Every time you take damage convert up to your character level/5 damage into nonlethal damage and gain a +2 to fortitude and -2 to will saves until your next turn (Maximum +4/-4), you can use this ability to alter 1HP per hit dice you have per day.
If the damage is already nonlethal then instead of converting it you can choose to reduce it by that amount.

Honestly, I'd never take this feat. It's just too weak. Getting four damage converted to nonlethal damage at level 20 and getting a nice bonus to Fortitude, but with an equal penalty to Will saves...blah. The limit just makes it worse. I'd never take it even if the cap was nonexistent.

Actually, you could probably just make it damage reduction and get away with it. Don't give it a cap, though.

Also, feats have odd ability requirements. Make it Wis 13.

Lev
2010-07-01, 05:00 AM
You guys are right, it certainly isn't a power feat.
Though I don't tend to like running power campaigns and choose to invite players who make choices based on RP rather than power.

I mainly posted this to get second opinions on how it might be abused, I didn't really intend it to appeal to the average GitP surfer.