Fairly Odd Mechanics: Feats, Spells, abilites that do rare/unique things

[Jowgen]

There are dozens of feats that boost Skills Checks, AC, Saves, Caster Level and so forth. Similarly, there are hundreds of spells that just straight up deal damage, bebuff, summon monsters and all that jazz. Even unqiue class/monster abilities often just different ways to accomplish these kinds of common variety effects. Among these, there are some that are just better than the rest in some way, making them staple choices for appropriate builds.

But then there are a select few feats/spells/abilities that are not like the others. I am talking about stuff that adds something unique or at least rare in terms of effect or functionality. Any given one of these might not be good, or requires unreasonable investment to be even somewhat useful, but they are rare nonetheless. This thread is about listing/discussing these kinds of special snowflakes.

I'll start off with some feats:

- Live My Nightmare (spelltouched feat): Provides a constant divination detector and somewhat useful deterrent.
- Fell Conspiracy (ritual feat): A feat that, amongst other things, provides a telepathic "party chat"
- Magical Training: Needs no introduction
- Arcane Manipulation: Lets you split up higher level spells into lower ones (e.g. 9 1st levels for a 9th level)
- Dreamtelling: Turns Knowledge (the Planes) into a daily divination spell of variable strength
- Steadfast Determination: the only straight up nat 1 save failure counter in game

So yeah, these are the ones that come to mind for me; all contributions welcome, the more unique the better :smallsmile:

[DrMartin]

here's a few:

- Hidden talent: since you listed Magical Training...
- Mental juggernaut: use your psionic focus to shake off a dazed or stun effect
- Up the walls: what the name says
- Earth Sense: gives a form of limited tremorsense
- Mindsight:
- Illithid Grapple: gives you a tentacle that you can grow out of your mouth
- Shape Soulmeld: a feat with whole guides dedicated to it
- Bind Vestige: while we list all such feats...
- Dark Speech: create hive minds, weaken objects, suffer ability damage

would you consider it a thread derail, if we added PF-only feats to the list?

[Jowgen]

would you consider it a thread derail, if we added PF-only feats to the list?

Nah, go right ahead (do mark them as pathfinder though) :smallsmile:

[Troacctid]

Ray of Resurgence removes a Strength penalty from the target as an instantaneous effect. Playing a halfling, gnome, kobold, etc? Why not permanently ditch that racial penalty for the low cost of a single casting of a 2nd level spell?

[Rangô]

Hey there giants!
I really like Master Manipulator (PH2), it allows you to perform 2 maneuvers with Diplomacy skill, that could resolve many tabern situation or passive-aggressive interrogations:
- distract the foes while you talk to, penalizing them with -4 to spot, listen and sense motive on a failed will save.
- and the real funny and useful one, if someone fails his bluff check trying to lie you, you can make a verbal tramp with diplomacy to reveal his reason to do it.

[ATHATH]

A lot of [Tactical] feats give you some unique stuff.

[Gildedragon]

Silver Tongue (Ancestor): use diplomacy to make people literally fall in love with you; attack or boost someone's reputation (which really ought be part of the bluff skill) with diplomacy

[KillingAScarab]

If you contract lycanthropy, you suddenly have to make checks with an entirely new skill (control shape). This was the kind of thing I fled from World of Darkness splat books, but it is within the core rules in D&D, yet seperate from every other skill. It could have just been a new use for the concentration skill.

[ShurikVch]

Since Magical Training was mentioned:
Minor Divine Spellcaster
Martial Study/Martial Stance
(Minor) Utterance of the... feat line
Wild Cohort

Article "Adding Injury To Insults" (Dragon #294) introduced Reputation subsystem, with Reputation score and Reputation damage; usually Rep. damage damaged only Rep. score, but Scathing Wit feat add to successful Rep. damage equal amount of nonlethal hp damage (it's fluffed as "the target breaks out in hive of boils")

[martixy]

Fling ally/enemy is kind of awesome.
http://i.imgur.com/V40Wi3e.jpg

There is a version of Tireless that makes you immune to exhaustion.
Shorten Grip is unique in that it eliminates one very specific limitation.
Robilar's Gambit allows you to do novel things in combat.
Darkstalker.
Hardened criminal gives you the ability to take 10 on one skill.
Lifesense, mindsight's undead buddy.
Detach - lets you tear of a piece of yourself to use as a thrown weapon.
The Dextrous Will and Dextrous Fortitude feats. They're epic and ridiculous, but amusing.
Initiate of Mystra.
Precocious Apprentice is a classic.
Combat awareness - it lets your character have actual metagame information ingame.
Weapon Supremacy - only take 10 on an attack roll I am aware of.
Spell Thematics is a not terribly good, but very flavourful feat.
Strafing breath (https://youtu.be/ojFGcjJSfcE?t=2m28s) is a unique effect-shaping feat.
The mosquito bite skill trick.

There's others probably, but of the top of my head, this is what you get for now.

[Inevitability]

The Feign Weakness feat is quite interesting in that it can immediately force an opponent to attack you and works with a surprising amount of weapons. In a Jack B. Quick-esque build, it could double the number of attacks you get each round.


Ray of Resurgence removes a Strength penalty from the target as an instantaneous effect. Playing a halfling, gnome, kobold, etc? Why not permanently ditch that racial penalty for the low cost of a single casting of a 2nd level spell?

This is absolutely brilliant. Also, don't forget the possibilities on a Tibbit. Why dip soulborn if you can dip cleric?

[Jowgen]

Ray of Resurgence removes a Strength penalty from the target as an instantaneous effect. Playing a halfling, gnome, kobold, etc? Why not permanently ditch that racial penalty for the low cost of a single casting of a 2nd level spell?

That is indeed one messed up spell. Doing this clearly spits in the face of RAI, but even if purely racial strenght penalties are excluded; I find it hard to find a rule-wise argument against it negating size penalties. I mean, if someone shrink person's you; how can you argue that Ray of Resurgence doesn't work to counter the penalty to Str?

Which reminds me: the Resurgence spell. A first level cleric spell that, as written, allows you another save against any effect you're under that you failed a save against. Suddenly, Heal, Lesser Wish and so forth are no longer on the top of the "remove nasties" list; specific clauses be damned.

[Troacctid]

This is absolutely brilliant. Also, don't forget the possibilities on a Tibbit. Why dip soulborn if you can dip cleric?

Well, you'd have to cast the spell every time you transform, since the penalty would be re-applied.

[unseenmage]

In my sig there's a list of 'feats any creature can take' my attempt o collect the best prerequisiteless feats for use on leadership gained minions, constructs, and the like.

When I tried to do a similar list for PF I found that there just aren't as many (almost none) feats in PF that just straight up give you superpowers.

Also, Leadership was the most mentioned and has, in my experience, been the most powerful feat ever printed. Though Thrallherd and its minions who replace themselves no matter what does trump it.

[NichG]

I think 'Blessed of Tem'et'nu' deserves special mention as probably the only feat in the game where being granted it for free could be considered an attack. If you have the feat and cease to be a faithful believer of Tem'et'nu, you are spontaneously bitten by an interdimensional hippo.

[rrwoods]

I think 'Blessed of Tem'et'nu' deserves special mention as probably the only feat in the game where being granted it for free could be considered an attack. If you have the feat and cease to be a faithful believer of Tem'et'nu, you are spontaneously bitten by an interdimensional hippo.

How would one manage to forcibly grant another character a feat?

[Thurbane]

The three Binding feats that allows non-Binders to enjoy some vestige abilities deserve a mention here.

I'm very fond of a feat that gives me a permanent Raven spy who's eyes I can look through...

[Inevitability]

How would one manage to forcibly grant another character a feat?

Faustian Pact, perhaps? It's not 100% certain whether the feat is picked by pactmaker, pactee, or both.

[Coidzor]

I believe there's some feat like Spellfire Wielder that lets you be a warlock lite.

[mabriss lethe]

Insane Defiance: take wis damage to redirect a mind affecting spell or sla to another target.

[Flickerdart]

Insane Defiance: take wis damage to redirect a mind affecting spell or sla to another target.
Speaking of messing with spells: Divine Denial literally gives you a save against spells that allow no save.