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View Full Version : [3.5] A Second Look at Basic Feats (PEACH)



Zemro
2011-05-31, 04:07 PM
I've been doing a lot of talking with some friends about system tweaks to 3.5, and stemming from that I started coming with with alternatives and additions to the core feat set. I generally wanted to make some of those feats more interesting and worth it, particularly to give these basic feat options more worth to a martial character.

The follow feats were made with a couple assumption in mind, based on other stuff I've been working on or in consideration:
A medium save progression, starting at +1 and scaling up to +9 at 20th.
A bit of a weapon's revisit (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?t=198171) I did back in the beginning of May
Basic TWF can be done by anyone, that is, the benefits of Core 3.5's Two-Weapon Fighting feat are allowed to all character by default.
The same thing was done for weapon finesse, allowing character to use dexterity for attack rolls using all light weapons, and a couple of the medium ones.
Power Attack got similar treatment, though only at a 1:1 ratio no matter the weapon.

I've made some comments from a design perspective on some of the feats, noted below them in red. And core feats that don't appear here are ones that I either haven't looked at yet, or that I think are fine as is.

Comments, critiques and suggestions are appreciated.

A-C
Cleave [General]
Prerequisites: Str 15, Powerful Strikes
Benefit: Whenever you deal enough damage to a creature with a melee attack to drop it (reducing it to 0 hit points or killing it) you may immedietly make a bonus melee attack at the same bonus against any target in reach. You may not take a 5ft-step before or after this bonus attack.
I changed little with Cleave, though my Cleave can be used as many time per round as qualified. Instead of just once.

Combat Expertise [General]
Prerequisites: Int 13
Benefit: On your turn when making an attack you can choose to take a penalty on the attack roll, gaining its opposite as a dodge bonus to your armour class. The number of this penalty and bonus cannot exceede your base attack bonus and lasts until the beginning of your next turn.
Allowed a little extra scaling with Combat Expertise.

Crossbow Sniper [Ranged, Style, Weapon]
Prerequisites: Weapon Focus (Any Crossbow or Blowgun), Point Blank Shot, Precise Shot
Benefit: When attacking with a weapon associated with this feat you can add half your dexterity modifier as a bonus to damage, or your full dexterity modifier if the target is flatfooted.
Special: This bonus stacks with that provided by the Dead-Eye feat.
Associated Weapons: Crossbow (hand, heavy, light, repeating), Blowgun
The [Ranged] and [Weapon] tags are probably self descriptive, though this is the first [Style] feat. My thoughts behind [Style] feats is that you could only ever posses once of them.

D
Danger Sense [General]
Prerequisite: Wis 13
Benefit: You may add your Wisdom modifier as a bonus to your Armour Class and Reflex saves when caught flatfooted, and to initiative rolls made after being surprised.
The feat mainly exists to be a prerequisite for Iron Will, and I thought it was a neat little benefit.

Dead-Eye [Ranged]
Prerequisites: Dex 15, Point Blank Shot, Precise Shot
Benefit: You can add your dexterity modifier to your damage rolls with ranged weapons as precision damage when attacking targests within 30ft.
Special: This bonus stacks with that provided by the Crossbow Sniper feat.

Dodge [General]
Prerequisite: Dex 13
Benefit: You gain a dodge bonus to Armor Class equal to half your dexterity modifier (minimum +1).

Any condition that makes you lose your Dexterity bonus to Armor Class also makes you lose dodge bonuses. Unlike most types of bonuses dodge bonuses stack with each other.
Applies all the time and scales. Alternative idea was the simple have it scale from +1 to +5, instead of basing it off Dex. Unsure which way I like better.

E-F-G
Eagle-Eye [Ranged]
Prerequisites:BAB +6, Dex 19, Point Blank Shot, Precise Shot, any other [Ranged] feat.
Benefit: Your ranged attacks ignore the AC bonus granted to targets by anything less than total cover, and the miss chance granted to targets by anything less than total concealment.

Total cover and total concealment provide their normal benefits against your ranged attacks. Once per day per [Ranged] feat you may choose to roll twice and take the better reselt when rolling against the 50% for total concealment.
The first 'big' feat, Eagle-Eye incorporates some large benefits to ranged attacks, and provides an at-use ability. Alternately I was thinking of of a scaling reduction to concealment miss chance and the bonus from types of cover.

Far Shot [Ranged]
Prerequisite: Point Blank Shot
Benefit: When you use a projectile weapon, such as a bow, its range increment increases by one-half (multiply by 1½). When you use a thrown weapon, its range increment is doubled. When using feats with the [Ranged] descriptor that have
a range limitation, increase the distance they can be used by 5ft for every [Ranged] feat you posess to a maximum of 60ft.

Force of Personality [General]
Prerequisite: Cha 15
Benefit: You may use your Charisma in place of you Wisdom for Will saves, and for feats with a prerequisite Wisdom score.

Great Fortitude [General]
Prerequisites: Con 15, Toughness
Benefit: Upon taking this feat increase the base save bonus for classes you have levels in with a poor or average Fortitude save progression by one step, to average or good respectively.
Essentially works out to a +3 bonus I believe, and has the benefit of increasing your base modifier. This could be handy for prerequisites.

H-I
Improved Grapple [Combat, Weapon]
Prerequisites: Dex 13, Improved Unarmed Strike
Benefit: You do not provoke an attack of opportunity when you make a touch attack to start a grapple. You also gain a +2 bonus on all grapple checks.
[Combat] feats modify the combat maneuvers: Grapple, Trip, Bull-Rush, etc... You'll note the bonus is lower, that's because of IUS's benefits.

Improved Unarmed Strike [Combat, Style, Weapon]
Benefit: You count as being armed while unarmed and thus, no longer provoke attacks of opportunity from armed opponents when attacking with your unarmed strike. Though you still get attacks of opportunity against opponents who make unarmed attacks on you.

You may deal lethal or nonlethal damage at your option when attacking with your unarmed strikes. When making combat maneuver checks unarmed you gain a bonus on those checks and opposed rolls equal to the number of [Combat] feats you posess.
Special: This feat counts towards determining the bonus provided for the Weapon Focus and Weapon Specialization feats, providing that 'Unarmed' was the chosen weapon for the feats. [Weapon] Feats with Improved Unarmed Strike as a prerequisite also count towards determining this total.
Also possessing more oomph than its core companion, the bonus to combat maneuvers is an attempt to parallel weapons that inherently give bonuses to those checks.

Intuative Attack [Combat, Style, Weapon]
Prerequisites: Wis 15
Benefit: You can use your wisdom in place of the default ability score when making attack rolls with the associated weapons, and add your wisdom modifier as a bonus on damage rolls with these weapons.
Special: You cannot take this feat if you possess the Weapon Finesse or Powerful Strikes feats. This feat counts towards determining the bonus provided for the Weapon Focus and Weapon Specialization feats, providing that an associated weapon was chosen for those feats.
Associated Weapons: All natural weapons, Gauntlet, Spiked Gauntlet, Dagger, Staff, Sickle, Shuriken, Blowgun
It's Weapon Finesse for Monks, I always liked the idea of this feat so I incorporated it. Unlike weapon finesse, however, your wisdom is a bonus to damage instead of a replacement.

Iron Will [General]
Prerequisites: Wis 15, Danger Sense
Benefit: Upon taking this feat increase the base save bonus for classes you have levels in with a poor or average Will save progression by one step, to average or good respectively.

J-K-L-M
Lightning Reflexes [General]
Prerequisites: Dexterity 15, Dodge
Benefit: Upon taking this feat increase the base save bonus for classes you have levels in with a poor or average Reflex
save progression by one step, to average or good respectively.

Manyshot [Style, Ranged]
Prerequisites: Dex 17, Point Blank Shot, Rapid Shot, +6 BAB
Benefit: As a standard action you may fire two arrows or throw two weapons at a single opponent within 30ft with a single attack roll (at a -4 penalty). You determine damage for each arrow or weapon normally, but precision based damage
is only applied once and on a critical hit only the first arrow deals critical damage.

For every five points of base attack bonus you have above +6, you may add one additional arrow or weapon to this attack, to a maximum of four extra at a base attack bonus of +16. However, each one after the second adds a cumulative -2 penalty on the attack roll (for a total penalty of -6 for three, and -8 for four).

Mobility [General]
Prerequisites: Dex 13, Dodge
Benefit: You get a +4 dodge bonus to your Armour Class against all attacks of opportunity.
Same bonus, slightly more applicable.

O-P-Q
Point Blank Shot [Ranged]
Benefit: You gain a bonus on attack and damage rolls with ranged weapons within 30ft equal to the number of [Ranged] feats you posses up to a maximum of half your character level (rounded up).
This is what the [Ranged] tag is for, note that since PBS has that tag it provides it's standard benefits right off the bat.

Powerful Strikes [Combat]
Prerequisite: Str 15
Benefit: When using the Power Attack action in combat you gain twice the normal bonus to damage when using a heavy weapon, or a medium weapon in two hands. You also gain the normal damage bonus with light weapons as well.

Aditionally you may use the Power Attack option when initiating combat maneuvers with a heavy weapon (or medium weapon in two hands). When you do you take the penalty to the initiating attack roll, adding the bonus to the opposed check.
Special: You cannot take this feat if you have either the Intuitive Attack or Weapon Finesse feats.
Normal: You can use the Power Attack option in combat to take a penalty on all your melee attacks rolls in a round to a maximum of your base attack bonus, adding it as a bonus to your melee damage rolls.It's the rest of the Power Attack benefits you're used to, just with a different name since I called the inherent option Power Attack.

Precise Shot [Ranged]
Prerequisite: Point Blank Shot
Benefit: You do not take the standard -4 penalty to your attack roll for firing or throwing a ranged weapon at an opponent in melee, and you ignore the chance to hit a different target when attack with a range weapon at a grappling opponent.
Slightly better than the core version, not all that much though.

R-S-T
Rapid Shot [Ranged]
Prerequisites: Dex 13, Point Blank Shot
Benefit: When taking a full attack action with a ranged weapon you can make one additional attack at your highest base attack bonus, but all attacks you make that round (your normal attack and any extras) take a -2 penalty.

Scything Blows [General]
Prerequisites: Str 17, Cleave, Powerful Strikes, BAB +6
Benefit: As a standard action you can make a single attack roll against applying it against the AC of two enemies within reach to determine hits. Make seperate damage and critical confirmation rolls for each enemy targeted.
Special: At +11 and +16 BAB increase the number of enemies you can target with the feat by one, to a maximum of four.

Spring Attack [General]
Prerequisites: Dex 15, Dodge, Mobility, BAB +6
Benefit: When making a full attack you can move before and after each attack you are entitled to, up to a maximum of your speed. Choose one target, plus an aditional target for each five points of base attack bonus above +6, your movement during this attack does not provoke an attack of opportunity from these creatures. This feat can only be used while wearing light, medium, or no armour.

You must move at least 5 feet before your first attack, and must continue to move before each subsequant attack in order to utilize the benefits of this feat.

Toughness [General]
Benefit: You gain +1 hit point for each hit die you currently possess, and aditional +1 hit point every time you gain a new hit die. Should you loose a hit die (such as from level drain) that lose also reduces the hit points provided by this feat.
I'm consider having toughness increase the hit die size of your class levels by one, since the average benefit is +1 when increasing. But, since some groups roll and others take averages I'm not sure how that'd balance out.

Two-Weapon Fighting [Weapon]
Prerequisite: Dex 15, Weapon Focus (Any Weapon or Pair of Weapons)
Benefit: While fighting with two weapons you can make an attack with your off-hand weapon each time you would be entitled to make an attack with your main-hand weapon. This attack is made at the same base attack bonus, and calculates its bonuses and penalties independently of the main-hand attack. You still take all the normal penalties for fighting with two weapons.
Normal: You may make a single extra attack with your off-hand weapon at your full attacks when performing a full attack action
Since the slandered TWF stuff was inherent, this covers the improvement feats. It also reveals one of the tweaks to Weapon Focus.

U-V-W-X-Y-Z
Volley [Ranged, Style, Weapon]
Prerequisites: Dex 21, Manyshot, Point Blank Shot, Precise Shot, Rapid Shot, Weapon Focus (Any Bow), BAB +11
Benefit: When using the Manyshot feat with an associated weapon the penalties are reduced by half, -2 for the first and a cumulative -1 penalty for each aditional arrow. Similarly the penalties from using the rapid shot feat with associated are reduce by half to -1. Also, you can fire each arrow at a different target instead of firing all of them at the same target. You make a separate attack roll for each arrow, regardless of whether you fire them at separate targets or the same target. Your precision-based damage applies to each arrow fired, and, if you score a critical hit with more than one of the arrows, each critical hit deals critical damage

Additionally, when using the rapid shot feat you can gain aditional attacks. You can gain up to two extra attacks by taking a cumulative -1 penalty for each shot, and up to a third extra once you reach +16 BAB.
Associated Weapons: Longbow, Shortbow

Weapon Finesse [Combat, Style, Weapon]
Prerequisites: Dex 15, Weapon Focus (Any Associated Weapon)
Benefit: If you have a strength of 11 or lower, you may use your dexterity in place of your strength for determining weapon damage and on combat maneuver checks with the associated weapons. If your strength is instead 12 or higher, your dexterity modifier is instead added as a bonus in those situations.

You may also use your dexterity in place of your strength for attack, but not for damage, rolls with any melee weapon.
Special: You cannot take this feat if you already possess the Intuitive Attack or Power Strikes feats.
Associated Weapons: All light weapons, all natural weapons, Heavy Flail, Flail, Rapier

Weapon Focus
Prerequisite: Proficiency with selected weapon(s)
Benefit: Choose a weapon, you gain a bonus on all attack rolls you makes using the selected weapon equal to 1 plus the number of [Weapon] keyword feats you possess with Weapon Focus for that weapon as a prerequisite.

Alternatively you can choose a pair of weapons, gaining the bonus on attack rolls with both of the selected weapons, but only while fighting with both at the same time.
Special: You can gain this feat multiple times, choosing a new weapon or pair of weapons each time.
Basically Weapon Focus now scales and if you want to TWF with two different weapons you don't have to take Weapon Focus twice.

Weapon Specialization [Weapon]
Prerequisites: Weapon Focus (Any Weapon or Pair of Weapons), BAB +5
Benefit: You gain a bonus on all damage rolls you make using the weapon you chose for Weapon Focus equal to twice the number of [Weapon] keyword feats you posses with Weapon Focus for that weapon as a prerequisite.

If you chose a pair of weapon for weapon focus you gain the bonus on damage rolls with both weapons, but only while fighting with both at the same time.
Special: You can gain this feat multiple times, choosing a new weapon or pair of weapons each time.