Wild Feats

[Tanuki Tales]

Ok, my google-fu and search-fu have wonderfully failed me and the Druid handbooks I've looked at don't even mention them or don't mention them well enough.

So;

How are Wild feats as a whole? Which ones are honestly terrible, which are sub-par, which are decent and which are great?

[MesiDoomstalker]

Ok, my google-fu and search-fu have wonderfully failed me and the Druid handbooks I've looked at don't even mention them or don't mention them well enough.

So;

How are Wild feats as a whole? Which ones are honestly terrible, which are sub-par, which are decent and which are great?

They stink. I admit I don't have encyclopedic knowledge of them, but the ones I remember provide sub-par versions of things you can get with regular wildshape for a shorter period all for the sake of staying in humanoid form. Which is pointless with things like Wildshape Claspings.

[Tanuki Tales]

They stink. I admit I don't have encyclopedic knowledge of them, but the ones I remember provide sub-par versions of things you can get with regular wildshape for a shorter period all for the sake of staying in humanoid form. Which is pointless with things like Wildshape Claspings.

Well, unless I'm reading the Wild Feats descriptor paragraph incorrectly, can't you also get the effects of the feats while in your Wildhsape?

[Zaq]

RAW, Serpent's Bite has no duration, so you just spend one use of Wild Shape (which presumably comes back the next day, since that's how they all work) and permanently get a poisonous bite attack. This probably isn't worth it (though it would be interesting on a Chameleon with a Hierophant buddy: Hierophant gives you the Wild Shape, Chameleon floating feat gives you Serpent's Bite—bam, permanent bite attack), since you'd lose the bite attack when you used Wild Shape anyway, but it's worth mentioning.

Overall, though, they're pretty much strictly inferior to just using Wild Shape normally. They'd have some very, very limited utility in a game that bans Natural Spell, but even then, you could probably find something better to do with your feats.

[MesiDoomstalker]

Well, unless I'm reading the Wild Feats descriptor paragraph incorrectly, can't you also get the effects of the feats while in your Wildhsape?

You are correct. But my point stands that most of the abilities can be obtained through different forms. Spend 2 uses to have one form with one ability of another. Or just switch forms. One costs you a feat for minor benefit, the other doesn't.

[Person_Man]

That depends on how you define a Wild Feat. The ones that have a specific "Wild" descriptor from Comp Adventurer and Comp Divine, which burn a Wild Shape use but don't Wild Shape you into anything, basically mostly suck. But there are other feats that require Wild Shape that are worthwhile. My suggestions:

Frozen Wildshape: You can Wildshape into creatures with the Cold subtype. This opens up a LOT of abusive forms. Frostburn.

Aberration Wild Shape: Even more powerful, you can Wildshape into Aberrations. Lords of Madness.

Beast Shape: Not as powerful, but situationally useful. Wild Shape into your Totem animal (from a specific limited list, but it includes the Gorgon, which has the nifty Flesh to Stone breath weapon) gaining it's Ex and Su abilities. Eberron Campaign Setting.

Dragon Wild Shape: Wild Shape into a small or medium dragon, gaining it's Ex and Su abilities (but not Sp or spellcasting). Draconomicon.

Exalted Wild Shape: Allows you to turn into the Celestial version of any animal, and a small list of Good magical beasts. Useful for the DR and SR offered by the Celestial template. Book of Exalted Deeds.

Lion’s Pounce: Spend a Wildshape for Pounce for 1 hour. Plenty of good Wildshape forms already grant Pounce, but if you happen to want to Wildshape into something without it (like a dragon or cryhydra or whatever), this gives you Pounce for a minimal investment. Comp Divine.

Oaken Resilience: Spend a Wildshape for 10 minutes of plant immunities - Critical Hits (which includes Sneak Attack, Sudden Strike, Skirmish, and massive damage checks), Poison, Sleep, Paralysis, Polymorph, Stunning, and +8 to avoid being Bull Rushed or Tripped. Situational, but very useful for urban campaigns, because at some point you'll probably be fighting a thieves/assassin guild. Comp Divine.

Savage Grapple: You may apply Sneak Attack to Grapple damage. Potentially useful for very specific builds when used with Staggering Strike, Craven, Maiming Strike, etc. Comp Adventurer.

[Grod_The_Giant]

You are correct. But my point stands that most of the abilities can be obtained through different forms. Spend 2 uses to have one form with one ability of another. Or just switch forms. One costs you a feat for minor benefit, the other doesn't.

Although the hilarity/terror of a flying dinosaur is not to be underestimated.