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Carl
2013-08-06, 07:48 AM
An all new feats system. Lets be fair the there are some distinct issues with feat variability in terms of power and utility and a not inconsiderable range of issues in other area’s. My main aim here was to add a bit more power and variability to the system without turning them into class level features.

Along the way I am going to address some issues too. Feats that are too powerful, feats that are weak, and a few other things.


Feats: Feats are acquired in the same fashion as before. Every 3rd level.

Masteries: Every time you gain a feat as a result of levelling up you also gain a free mastery. A mastery must be spent to improve a feat you already posses, (if no valid feats exist the mastery is saved and may be applied as soon as you can validly apply it). The feat improved may be the feat you are granted as a result of the level gained.

The maximum mastery level a feat may posses, not counting bonus masteries, (see below), is equal to 1/3 your current level.

Bonus Masteries: Bonus Masteries are applied in the same fashion as normal ones, but do not count against the limit on maximum mastery level.

All current class bonus feats, (but not free feats, e.g. ranger combat style feats), become bonus masteries.

If a class gains a specific feat due to classes levels that is not listed below, but does posses one or more pre-requisites that is listed, treat it as granting a mastery in each pre-requisite.

Unless listed otherwise, the pre-requisites have not changed. Base effect is the initial effect, Mastery Effect is the effect of mastery levels. Unlisted feats are presumed deleted, and any feat that has them as a pre-requisite has the pre-requisite removed.

Feat List A consists of feats who’s base effect is the same as their SRD counterparts.

Feat List A:

Light Armour Proficiency:

Masteries: Each level of mastery grants the user a +1AC bonus when wearing Light Armour.

Medium Armour Proficiency:

Masteries: Each level of mastery grants the user a +1AC bonus when wearing Medium Armour.

Heavy Armour Proficiency:

Masteries: Each level of mastery grants the user a +1AC bonus when wearing Heavy Armour.

Augment Summoning:

Masteries: The enhancement bonus increases by 1 for each mastery level taken.

Combat Casting:

Masteries: The bonus increases by +1 per mastery level

Dodge:

Masteries: The dodge bonus increases by +1 per mastery

Deflect Arrows:

Masteries: You may deflect one additional arrow per round per mastery level

Exotic Weapon Proficiency:

Masteries: Each mastery allows you to select a new Exotic Weapon to become proficient in.

Extra Turning:

Masteries: As per the effects of selecting the feat again. As a result of this you may no longer select the feat twice or more.

Great Fortitude:

Masteries: The bonus increases by +1 per mastery level

Improved Bull Rush:

Masteries: The bonus increases by +1 per mastery level

Improved Disarm:

Masteries: The bonus increases by +1 per mastery level

Improved Initiative:

Masteries: The bonus increases by +1 per mastery level

Improved Grapple:

Masteries: The bonus increases by +1 per mastery level

Improved Overrun:

Masteries: The bonus increases by +1 per mastery level

Improved Sunder:

Masteries: The bonus increases by +1 per mastery level

Improved Trip:

Masteries: The bonus increases by +1 per mastery level

Improved Turning:

Masteries: The bonus increases by +1 per mastery level

Iron Will:

Masteries: The bonus increases by +1 per mastery level

Lightning Reflex’s:

Masteries: The bonus increases by +1 per mastery level

Martial Weapon Proficiency:

Masteries: Each mastery allows you to select a new Martial Weapon to become proficient in.

Mobility:

Masteries: The bonus increases by +4 per mastery level

Mounted Combat:

Masteries: You gain a +1 bonus to the ride checks per mastery level

Shield Proficiency:

Masteries: You gain a +1 bonus to your AC per mastery level whilst wielding any shield type covered by this proficiency

Simple Weapon Proficiency:

Masteries: Each mastery allows you to select a new Simple Weapon to become proficient in.

Snatch Arrows:

Masteries: You may catch one additional arrow per round per mastery level

Spell Focus:

Masteries: As per the effects of selecting the feat again. As a result of this you may no longer select the feat twice or more.

Spell Mastery:

Masteries: As per the effects of selecting the feat again. As a result of this you may no longer select the feat twice or more.

Spell Penetration:

Masteries: The bonus increases by +1 per mastery level

Tower Shield Proficiency:

Masteries: You gain a +1 bonus to your AC per mastery level whilst wielding any shield type covered by this proficiency

Trample:

Masteries: The bonus increases by +1 per mastery level

Two-Weapon Defence:

Masteries: The AC bonus increases by +1 per mastery level

Two Weapon Fighting:

Masteries: You may make 1 additional attack with your off-hand weapon per mastery level. You may never however make more off-hand attacks than main hand attacks.

Weapon Focus:

Masteries: The bonus increases by +1 per mastery level

Weapon Specialisation:

Masteries: The bonus increases by +1 per mastery level



Feat list B is made up of feats that have changed significantly. Crafting and metamagic feats are covered separately afterwards however.

Feat List B:

Blind Fight:

Base Effect: An invisible attacker gets no advantages related to hitting you in melee. That is, you don’t lose your Dexterity bonus to Armor Class, and the attacker doesn’t get the usual +2 bonus for being invisible. The invisible attacker’s bonuses do still apply for ranged attacks, however. You take only half the usual penalty to speed for being unable to see. Darkness and poor visibility in general reduces your speed to three-quarters normal, instead of one-half. In addition your miss chance against targets with concealment or full concealment is reduced by 10%

Masteries: The miss chance is reduced by a further 10% per mastery level


Cleave:

Base Effect: If you deal a creature enough damage to make it drop (typically by dropping it to below 0 hit points or killing it), you get an immediate, extra melee attack against another creature within reach. You may take one 5-foot step before making this extra attack. The extra attack is with the same weapon and at the same bonus as the attack that dropped the previous creature. You can use this ability once per round.

Masteries: You may use this ability one additional time per round per mastery level, taking a maximum of 1 5 foot step between each attack.

Combat Expertise:

Base Effect: You may add or deduct up to 4 points from your attack roll or your AC to gain an equivalent bonus to the opposite stat.

Masteries: Increases the maximum amount that can be added/deducted by 2 per mastery level.

Combat Reflex’s:

Base Effect: You may make one additional attack of opportunity per turn.

Masteries: Increases the number of AoO by 1 per mastery level.

Eschew Materials:

Base Effect: You may cast any spells with Material Component requirements who’s value is 1GP or less without the use of Materials.

Masteries: Increases the maximum value of Materials that the feat is effective with to 25GP on the application of the first mastery, and by an additional 25GP’s every mastery thereafter.

Far Shot:

Base Effect: The range increment of any ranged weapon the character uses is increased by 10Ft for projectile weapons and 15Ft for thrown weapons.

Masteries: Increases the range increment by another 10Ft for projectile weapons and 15Ft for thrown weapons.

Improved Critical:

Base Effect: The critical multiplier of the weapon is increased by 1.

Masteries: Increases the critical multiplier of the weapon by 1.

Mounted Archery:

Base Effect: When using a projectile weapon or thrown weapon from horseback whilst moving the character gains a +2 modifier to the attack roll if the mount is moving at double speed, and a +4 modifier if the mount is running.

Masteries: Increases the bonus by a further +2 when the mount is moving at double speed, and a +4 modifier if the mount is running.

Precise Attack:

Base Effect: If when rolling for a melee or ranged attack you total attack roll exceeds your targets AC you gain a +1 Damage bonus to that attack if wielding a Light weapon, a +2 Bonus if wielding a One-Handed Weapon, and a +3 Bonus if wielding a two-handed weapon.

Masteries: The bonus increases by +1 if wielding a Light weapon, +2 if wielding a One-Handed Weapon, and +3 if wielding a two-handed weapon.

Special: The above values apply when the feat is used by medium or Small Creatures. Creatures of a size category smaller than Small suffer a -1 reduction to the listed values. Creatures of a Large or Huge Size Category Double the listed values. Creatures of a Gargantuan or Colossal Size Category Treble these values.

Author Note: This is the new version of Power Attack and has the same Requirements and counts as Power Attack for all other feats e.t.c. requiring Power Attack.

Rapid Attack:

Base Effect: Any time you would normally be allowed to make a main hand attack, (Melee or Ranged), except when making an Attack of Opportunity, you may make one additional attack at half your base attack bonus.

Masteries: Increases the attack bonus by 1. The attack bonus of the extra attack may never exceed your full base attack bonus however.

Note this replaces Rapid Shot and has the sole requirement of Dex 13. It is not required for any feat’s requiring Rapid Shot and as such any feats requiring Rapid Shot should have that Requirement removed.

Ride by Attack:

Base Effect: If moving at a run whilst mounted you may as part of the move make a single melee attack against a target which you come within Reach of whilst wielding a melee weapon, alternatively you may make a single ranged attack against a target that is within one range increment. These attacks may be made at any point along your move and you are free to continue moving if you have excess movement remaining. If you choose to do this you do not provoke an AoO from that opponent/s attacked.

Masteries: Increases the number of targets you may attack by 1.

Spirited Charge:

Base Effect: When making an attack from a mount as part of a charge or when making a Ride by Attack via the feat of the same name you gain a +1 Damage bonus on all attacks when wielding a Light weapon, a +2 Bonus when wielding a one handed melee weapon, a +3 Bonus when wielding a two-handed melee weapon, and a +4 bonus when wielding a Lance.

Masteries: Increases the damage bonus by +1 on all attacks when wielding a Light weapon, +2 when wielding a one handed melee weapon, +3 when wielding a two-handed melee weapon, and +4 when wielding a Lance.

Spring Attack:

Base Effect: After making an attack, (melee or ranged), you may take a single 5Ft step. Doing so does not provoke an attack of opportunity from anyone.

Masteries: The number of 5Ft steps you may take per round increases by one. You may use these together, (thus allowing you to take multiple 5Ft steps after a single attack), separately, or any combination thereof.

Stunning Fist:

Base Effect: You must declare that you are using this feat before you make your attack roll (thus, a failed attack roll ruins the attempt). Stunning Fist forces a foe damaged by your unarmed attack to make a Fortitude saving throw (DC 10 + ½ your character level + your Wis modifier), in addition to dealing damage normally. A defender who fails this saving throw is stunned for 1 round (until just before your next action). A stunned creature drops everything held, can’t take actions, takes a -2 penalty to AC, and loses his Dexterity bonus to AC. You may use this ability once per day.

Masteries: Increases the number of uses per day by 1.

Monk: A monk may select Stunning Fist as a bonus feat at 1st level, even if she does not meet the prerequisites. A monk who selects this feat, (either at first level or later), gains a number of bonus masteries equal to his Monk level.

Whirlwind Attack:

Base Effect: When using the Full Attack action you may make a full set of attacks against two targets instead of the usual one. Both Targets must be within the Reach of your weapon/s.

Masteries: Increases the maximum number of targets that may be attacked by 1.


Feat list C is made up of Metamagic and similar feats, a full list is given below.

All Feat List C Feats have been modified as follows:

Base Effect: The Base effect remains unchanged except it applies to 1st level Spells only

Masteries: Masteries increase the maximum spell level that may be affected by 1

Feat List C:

Empower Spell
Enlarge Spell
Extend Spell
Heighten Spell
Maximize Spell
Natural Spell
Quicken Spell
Silent Spell
Still Spell
Widen Spell

Feat List D is made up of feats I’ve not converted for one reason or another but I haven’t explicitly gotten rid of. I’ll discuss them in turn here in terms of the challenges they represent. To be blunt I’m looking for help. For now use them as they are on the SRD with no Masteries options.

Feat List D:

Diehard
Endurance
Improved Counterspell
Improved Familiar
Improved Feint
Improved Precise Shot
Improved Shield Bash
Improved Unarmed Strike
Leadership
Manyshot
Precise Shot
Quick Draw
Rapid Reload
Run
Toughness
Track
Weapon Finesse:

Virtually all of these feats have the same basic issue at their core. They have a binary effect in that they allow you to do something you previously couldn’t. On it’s own this isn’t an issue, but there’s no room here for expanding on the element by allowing masteries to make it affect a different subset, and whilst some have existing bonuses, and others allow room for them. In pretty much all cases they wouldn’t be bonuses you’d want to spend a mastery on in the first place. The feat might be worth it for the initial binary affect, but a bonus to the relevant allowance would be too low value to justify the expenditure of a mastery unless the bonus provided where raised to such a level it would risk breaking elements of the system. Others are virtually impossible to cover with any kind of bonus whatsoever.


Brew Potion
Craft Magic Arms and Armour
Craft Rod
Craft Staff
Craft Wand
Craft Wondrous Item
Forge Ring
Scribe Scroll

Crafting Feats are similar to the rest, but suffer in addition because unlike the prior examples I’ve no real idea of where to go with them.

Carl
2013-08-09, 09:50 AM
Ok, bump, anyone got any thoughts or something?

erikun
2013-08-09, 10:44 AM
Simple Weapon Proficiency gives you proficiency with all simple weapons already. Mastery does not provide any benefit. (This one, I would honestly just recommend not allowing mastery.)

Cleave masteries have questionable use with the Great Cleave feat.

Eschew Materials allowing you to ignore more expensive material components could end up causing issues with enough masteries.

Spring Attack feat does nothing, as characters can already make a 5ft step when attacking, melee or ranged. In fact, you can make one during a full attack.

Crafting feats can provide discounts in cost. Not sure what would be appropriate.

Carl
2013-08-09, 10:56 AM
Simple Weapon Proficiency gives you proficiency with all simple weapons already. Mastery does not provide any benefit. (This one, I would honestly just recommend not allowing mastery.)

Cleave masteries have questionable use with the Great Cleave feat.

Eschew Materials allowing you to ignore more expensive material components could end up causing issues with enough masteries.

Spring Attack feat does nothing, as characters can already make a 5ft step when attacking, melee or ranged. In fact, you can make one during a full attack.

Crafting feats can provide discounts in cost. Not sure what would be appropriate.

In order:

1. Ok i didn't bother to carefully read the simple weapons entry, my bad i assumed it worked like the other's, see what you want to see i guess.

2. You'll notice great cleave isn't listed anywhere there. It's gone and no longer exists, just like all the skill boosting feats, (to name the big examples).

3. Bear in mind even if a human fighter only selected a single actual feat at character creation and expended 20 levels worth of, bonus masteries, and maxed the non-bonus masteries via feat conversion and normally granted ones, he could still only raise any single feat to 17 masteries. Sure that's capable of some serious things, but given how under masteried that leaves everything else, i'd say it balanced out.

4. That's what comes from having the SRD and a serious interest in game design, but not playing the actual game. Easy enough to re-word though.

5. Hmm, my main worry would be making it relevant to all types of item, as well as how that could impact XP costs for some items, as many xp costs scale off the cost of the item.

Thanks for fedback btw.

Valanarch
2013-08-09, 05:57 PM
I have a problem with your current metamagic system. With the normal one, a 20th level Elf Sorcerer could cast a quickened 5th level spell and a maximized 5th level spell in the same turn. With your system, it is nearly impossible for classes other than wizards, and even then only at high levels, to use multiple metamagic feats. Also, the fact that a quickened Magic Missile and an enlarged Magic Missile cost the same is unfair, Quicken Spell is 3 spell levels ahead of Enlarge Spell for a reason. It is also unfair that a wizard would be able to use a Maximized Energy Drain/Meteor Swarm at as low as 17th level or that a 15th level human wizard with an intelligence score of 22 could cast Maximized Quickened Disintegrate 4 times each day.

Carl
2013-08-09, 06:07 PM
errr what?

A maxamised energy drain/meteor swarm would still be a 12th level spell, un-castable outside epics. What gave you the idea otherwise.

Likewise low level casters can use metamagic freely, in fact they'll see the least change. Now true high level pure casters might have issues getting the majority of their metamagic feats to apply to spells of more then 2nd to 4th level, (depending on how many feats they've taken), but they're quite capable of boosting a couple of feats high enough to be used with nearly any spell they have.


Seems we have some miscommunication going on here...

eggynack
2013-08-09, 06:14 PM
I have a problem with your current metamagic system. With the normal one, a 20th level Elf Sorcerer could cast a quickened 5th level spell and a maximized 5th level spell in the same turn.
Sorcerers can't use quicken, because of the way their metamagic system works.


errr what?

A maxamised energy drain/meteor swarm would still be a 12th level spell, un-castable outside epics. What gave you the idea otherwise.

Well, unless you use standard cost reduction methods. Either way, it seems a bit on the pointless side to talk about using metamagic on highly mediocre spells when actually good spells are right there.

Valanarch
2013-08-09, 06:49 PM
errr what?

A maxamised energy drain/meteor swarm would still be a 12th level spell, un-castable outside epics. What gave you the idea otherwise.

Likewise low level casters can use metamagic freely, in fact they'll see the least change. Now true high level pure casters might have issues getting the majority of their metamagic feats to apply to spells of more then 2nd to 4th level, (depending on how many feats they've taken), but they're quite capable of boosting a couple of feats high enough to be used with nearly any spell they have.


Seems we have some miscommunication going on here...

All you said was that the base effect was the same. I assumed that meant that you replaced the increase in spell level for metamagic with the mastery system. If this is not the case and you not only have to invest masteries but you also have to use it in a higher level spell slot then you are nerfing metamagic way too much.

eggynack
2013-08-09, 06:59 PM
I actually agree that the nerf to metamagic is a bit on the harsh side. Perhaps you can make each mastery grant you a three level range. You start out able to metamagic things up to third level spells, then you're able to metamagic things up to sixth, and then up to ninth. It's worth note, however, that this system may unnecessarily punish low level metamagics, while leaving high level metamagics roughly the same. Without reduction, you're only able to apply persist to third level spells at the maximum, so you only every need to get the persist mastery three times. By contrast, you're able to apply energy substitution to every spell you have, so you need to pick up mastery eight times. I don't think that's necessarily a good dynamic to create.

Carl
2013-08-10, 01:54 AM
@Valanarch: Nope, like it says base effect unchanged. The level addition et all is still there. All that happens is that initially the effects can only be applied t spells of a base level of 1st or lower. Each mastery increases the maximum level you can use it on by 1.

@Eggy: Bear in mind i'm sticking to pure core here, you'll notice for example that between combat expertise and precise attack that storm troopers biggest draw just got thrown in the dustbin, and that's because i wasn't trying to accommodate every non-core feat, going over D&D Tools and converting every feat would have been way too much work for a first draft. Like i said back in the first post, if it isn't listed in any of the lists assume it no longer exists for now. Also along the way i was aiming to put some holes in some of the more over used and/or generally agreed to be overpowered aspects.

Hence the sharp metamagic charges, that however was aimed more at quicken/maxamise/natural/empower and i'd agree some of the weaker stuff could certainly benefit from a faster progression. I am however trying along the way to deliberately cut into a spellcasters ability to take several metamagics and use them all on the highest levels spells they can affect, the spellcaster has to choose which ones he/she values the most.