Feat Trees

[Qoios]

Hello, again, Playgrounders!

I come again to ask for advice: I'm looking for feats similar in nature to the Luck feats from Complete Scoundrel. Specifically, the qualities I'm looking for are as follows:

1 - They add a mechanic that is distinctive, rather than simply granting bonuses to extant abilities, or similarly transparent, background boons.

2 - They provide distinct uses for that mechanic, such that it is useful in a variety of scenarios, rather than being excessively narrow.

3 - They are collectively improved by the taking of more feats of their type, rather than being connected solely through flavor.

4 - They have minimal to no restrictions on availability, especially with regards to character race or class.

Do any such feat trees exist, other than Luck feats, and if so, where? Any 3.X or Pathfinder material is acceptable, including third party. No homebrew, though.

Thanks for whatever you fantastic folks turn up!

[Keld Denar]

Combat Focus from PHBII is something similar to this. You take the first one (Combat Focus), and you get a benefit. You take any other one, and you get it's benefit, and it and Combat Focus are slightly boosted. You take a 3rd one, and all 3 benefits are boosted.

Otherwise, Tactical feats (most of which are in Complete Warrior, but they are spattered all over) are generally feats that give you new applications of existing abilities. They generally have decent prereqs, so they would be considered at the top of a feat tree. They don't really interact with other tactical feats, though.

[Glimbur]

The Shape Soulmeld, Open X Chakra, and Cobalt/Cerulean Thingy feats from Magic of Incarnum are somewhat like this. Shape Soulmeld gives you an ability, you can improve the ability with Bonus Essentia, and you can get a stronger ability through Open [appropriate] Chakra. Or you can take, say, Cerulean Power which makes Power Attack better and also Cobalt Expertise to make Combat Expertise better and then you can pick which of the two you want to be better at on a given day.

It's an interesting subsystem.

There's also the binding feats from Tome of Magic, the Binder section.

Or you can delve in to Truenaming from the same book, but look at your cost/benefit there before you take the plunge.

[Kelb_Panthera]

There are also the feats in the subsystem books designed to allow a character to access that subsytem without multiclassing.

shape soulmeld and the open chakra feats in MoI

Martial stance and study from ToB as well as the feats that require maneuvers as prereq's

Psionic feats and wild talent

ToM's bind vestige and improved bind vestige as well as the recitation feats.

The combat form feats that Keld Denar mention from PHB2 fit your criteria to a T as well.

I don't think tactical feats are quite what you were looking for, but they're mostly worthwhile feats anyway, since they can really expand a fighting character's options.


Edit: partially ninja'd.

[Dusk Eclipse]

I think the Weapon Style feats from CWar were supposed to work like this; but they got shafted with HORRIBLE HORRIBLE pre-requisites so to the best of my knowledge save for a very few exceptions (Jack B. Quick) they are generally not used.

[nedz]

The Heritage Feats.

Fey and Fiendish in CMage, and Draconic in CArc

Ed: Draconic Heritage requires Sorc 1, but the other two trees are completely open.

[Urpriest]

While failing at 4, Shifter Feats are kind of like this.

[nedz]

There are also several feat trees in BoED, but you have to be good.

[Kelb_Panthera]

The Heritage Feats.

Fey and Fiendish in CMage, and Draconic in CArc

Ed: Draconic Heritage requires Sorc 1, but the other two trees are completely open.
Actually dragon magic made a feat that lets you get into the draconic heritage line without being a sorcerer, it also included a few new branches for the tree.

There are also several feat trees in BoED, but you have to be good.

Not just good, Good+. Exalted status is picky.

[Person_Man]

Vile Feats from the Book of Vile Darkness, Champions of Ruin, Elder Evils, and the Fiendish Codex I & II. Some are fairly strong: Deformity (Claws) gives you 2 claws, Deformity (Tall) grants +5 natural reach, Deformity (Madness) gives you immunity to mind-affecting effects, Insane Defiance allows you to redirect a mind-affecting effect to another target, Chosen of Evil gives you an Insight bonus to many different checks equal to the number of Vile feats you have, Evil Blessing gives you your Cha bonus to Saves, Slave to Evil improves spell resistance to divine casting and at high levels can prevent divine casting, Abominable Form, Dark Speech, and Dark Whispers are fairly good Fear and Confuse effects.

Some of them involve taking Con or Wis damage, which makes them ideal for an Incarnate or Binder (which can negate or repair the cost).

[Kelb_Panthera]

Vile Feats from the Book of Vile Darkness, Champions of Ruin, Elder Evils, and the Fiendish Codex I & II. Some are fairly strong: Deformity (Claws) gives you 2 claws, Deformity (Tall) grants +5 natural reach, Deformity (Madness) gives you immunity to mind-affecting effects, Insane Defiance allows you to redirect a mind-affecting effect to another target, Chosen of Evil gives you an Insight bonus to many different checks equal to the number of Vile feats you have, Evil Blessing gives you your Cha bonus to Saves, Slave to Evil improves spell resistance to divine casting and at high levels can prevent divine casting, Abominable Form, Dark Speech, and Dark Whispers are fairly good Fear and Confuse effects.

Some of them involve taking Con or Wis damage, which makes them ideal for an Incarnate or Binder (which can negate or repair the cost).

On that note, FC 1&2 have abyssal heritor and devil-touched feats respectively. Both sets improve either their effect or number of uses based on how many you have from the same set.