Class-saving feats

[malonkey1]

I was wondering...Are there any bad classes that are made awesome (or at least decent) on their own with a single feat?

[KorbeltheReader]

Well, off the top of my head Daring Outlaw redeems the first three levels of the otherwise very weak swashbuckler class by adding precision damage. Also, Travel Devotion (ideally with a level of cloistered cleric) vastly improves the damage potential of the scout.

EDIT: this should be qualified to say that you probably won't find any instances where a class jumps more than a tier, and I'm not sure these two even do that, but they make classes that are not worth considering at least playable with t3 characters.

[LentilNinja]

Not that it goes as far as saving the class, but Master Spellthief does improve the effectiveness of a spellthief.

[Zaq]

Battle Blessing makes Paladin spellcasting go from "wait, they have spells? I forgot" to actually being usable. Wouldn't go so far as to say that it singlehandedly saves them, though.

[mabriss lethe]

Martial Study/Stance and Master of Poisons can help salvage many lackluster mundane/semimundane classes. As can Hidden Talent. Craven is also a goldmine for any character with marginal sneak attack damage. (via spellthief, Assassin's stance, etc.)

In fact, I've actually built a playable soulknife using these options. (Snagging both mind's eye ACFs for the class will net you a reasonable number of useful bonus feats.)

[John Longarrow]

Superior Unarmed Strike (ToB)
Lets a Monk continue being marginally useful after they've switched to a much better class.

[Asrrin]

Does Tashalatora count? sure you technically only take 1 level of monk, but still...

[Slipperychicken]

Shock Trooper, for most of the T4-T5 full BAB classes. They have two jobs (take hits, deal damage), and this feat makes them really good at both :smallbiggrin:

[Prime32]

Swift Hunter for scout, and to a lesser extent for ranger.

Master Spellthief for spellthieves, especially but not exclusively multiclassed ones.

[illyahr]

Ki Blast gives a monk some decent ranged options. For 2 SF/use, move action to make a ki ball, standard to throw it, ranged touch, 3d6+Wis force damage.

[NoACWarrior]

Shock Trooper, for most of the T4-T5 full BAB classes. They have two jobs (take hits, deal damage), and this feat makes them really good at both :smallbiggrin:

Although I'll agree that melee types REALLY REALLY need to be able to dish out damage like chargers in order to be remotely helpful in combat situations (unless they play lockdown, but the wizard is much better at damage AND lockdown anyways) if you have a T4 melee class, ST will never put you into T3. There are so many cases where ST simply helps win the battle, but not enough to justify all melee types taking it.


Swift Hunter for scout, and to a lesser extent for ranger.
Master Spellthief for spellthieves, especially but not exclusively multiclassed ones.

For both of those, they are great when you start to multiclass so you can do more things. A scout going ranger isn't a bad thing because you get spells as a ranger, and suddenly have the same skirmish as a scout of your combined character levels. IMHO, if you have the extra feat (going generalist perhaps) you SHOULD take swift hunter and get into ranger as soon as possible.

As for spellthief, master spellthief means you can go a full casting class, using the cool features of spellthieves to be even more useful (borrowing spells from your other casting buddy can and will often end encounters in one turn). The only downside is you lose 1 caster level. Play as a kobold sorcerer and then don't care about that loss in caster level (via greater draconic ritual). Heck, go ultimate magus and have a VERY VERY good caster level (albeit with a lot less spells and lower high level spells), although you wouldn't be T1 or maybe even T2, you'd have the super flexibility of T3 that spellthieves just don't have.

[Prime32]

Ki Blast gives a monk some decent ranged options. For 2 SF/use, move action to make a ki ball, standard to throw it, ranged touch, 3d6+Wis force damage.Taking an entire round to make one attack is terrible, especially when you can't apply anything that boosts your unarmed strikes to it. Compare a level 3 warmage casting a ray spell (3d6+Int ranged touch with no extra action for charging, usable more times per day and probably with better range), and note that monks can't get Ki Blast until level 6 or 8.

[LTwerewolf]

Obligatory natural spell plug.

[Coidzor]

Obligatory natural spell plug.

Well, not exactly class saving. Obligatory if you're wanting to do it "properly," yes, but a Druid's just fine without it, though they do really, really want it.

[LTwerewolf]

Well, not exactly class saving. Obligatory if you're wanting to do it "properly," yes, but a Druid's just fine without it, though they do really, really want it.

The difference between a druid with and without is immense.

[atemu1234]

I second superior unarmed strike. I like monks with both that and Vow of Poverty. It has its shortcomings, however. A LOT of them.

[Coidzor]

The difference between a druid with and without is immense.

Yes, but a druid without it isn't exactly *bad.* Even nerfing druids with the ACFs that make them objectively weaker can't really get them into "bad" territory.

[CockroachTeaParty]

The difference between a druid with and without is immense.

You know, it really isn't if you know what you're doing. Typically, when I play a druid, I cast most of my buffs before I get in a scrap; rarely do I bother casting a spell while wild-shaped.

I suppose if you were going for a more caster-y druid, it's helpful for casting offensive spells while staying out of reach as a bird, etc., but for a melee druid it's hardly essential.

[eggynack]

You know, it really isn't if you know what you're doing. Typically, when I play a druid, I cast most of my buffs before I get in a scrap; rarely do I bother casting a spell while wild-shaped.

I suppose if you were going for a more caster-y druid, it's helpful for casting offensive spells while staying out of reach as a bird, etc., but for a melee druid it's hardly essential.
I actually see it the exact opposite way, but agree with the ultimate conclusion. A druid without natural spell is best off ignoring wild shape completely in most situations, only becoming an animal when you're running low on spell resources, or when you require specific wild shape utility, like a movement mode. Magic is the best thing in the game, and a druid gets a hell of a lot of magic. There is no druid for whom natural spell isn't great, but there is also no druid for whom natural spell is necessary, because there is no one build object necessary for a druid to be great.

[illyahr]

Taking an entire round to make one attack is terrible, especially when you can't apply anything that boosts your unarmed strikes to it. Compare a level 3 warmage casting a ray spell (3d6+Int ranged touch with no extra action for charging, usable more times per day and probably with better range), and note that monks can't get Ki Blast until level 6 or 8.

By that logic, how about a Wizard? A Wizard can do almost anything a Warmage can do with the right specs, correct? :smallamused:

We weren't discussing a Warmage, now were we? We were discussing bad classes and a feat that makes them a lot better. The only one single feat that I can think of for a monk is ki blast. What happens if the target flies? The best a monk can do without ki blast is shurikens or a sling, or hope their massive speed lets them jump high enough to hit with a SF and hope it works.

[WhamBamSam]

Entangling Exhalation is a pretty big deal for Dragonfire Adepts.

[Snowbluff]

Does Tashalatora count? sure you technically only take 1 level of monk, but still...

Technically, you can do it with 0 monk levels. :smalltongue:

I like Domain Feats on Paladin.

While Factotum is good without it, Font of Inspiration lets them really shine.

[Techwarrior]

Stone Power and Extra Granted Maneuver are generally pretty much a necessity for most Crusaders, although not nearly so much as some other classes and their shiny toys.

I mean, really I got Vanguard Strike and Leading the Attack again in the first combat round? Ugh.

[The Glyphstone]

Adaptive Style is basically mandatory for Swordsages, since they effectively cannot recover maneuvers in combat without it.

[Ansem]

Archivist with Academic Priest for me, wouldn't play them without it.

[Warlocknthewind]

Sapphire Smite on a Soulborn almost makes them just sucky :D

Enduring Ki makes the CV Ninja's invisibility much, much more useful, allowing more than just "invis, move, hit once", adding "full attack them to bits"

Imperious Command is a must have for the Samurai

Extra invocation on a Warlock gives them much more of the versatility they need, I use at least three feats on it each 'Lock I build (also, not many others terribly useful for the class)

:smallbiggrin:

[Doc_Maynot]

Archivist with Academic Priest for me, wouldn't play them without it.

Why? Archivists are already all INT based.

[Mizr]

Death blow. Death blow makes everything better.

[Pluto!]

Darkstalker is a pretty big deal for classes that are supposed to roll hide checks.

Serenity is huge for Paladins. It doesn't necessarily save them on its own, but it can contribute pretty hard in the builds that put the class to work.

Imperious Command for classes built around Intimidate, but again, it may be too little for what might be called a fix.

I want to say Surprising Riposte for a Invisible Blades. Then I remember their prerequisites. Doesn't hurt Scarlet Corsairs or Assassins, though.

Linked Power with psigishes.

Practiced Spellcaster with Ultimate Magus and Unseen Seer.

Font of Inspiration or Quickrazor proficiency on a Factotum.

Mark of the Dauntless or Quick Recovery on a Wilder.

[malonkey1]

Why? Archivists are already all INT based.

Not entirely. Levels and Save DCs are Int-based, but Wisdom determines bonus spells.