Optimize this feat #11:Supremely Confident from Dragon #335 p.88

[daremetoidareyo]

I Love Feats. They are little alterations to the rules and they interface with class features in some really fun and strange ways. Sometimes their utility is circumspect and sometimes they just stink. I'm looking at you Battle Dance. However, there is just something really satisfying about the interplay of feats and rules to produce illogical and unintended effects. Also, as a team, we can collectively push the limits of our apparent intelligence. (https://www.singularityweblog.com/human-swarming-and-the-future-of-collective-intelligence/)

What is this?
So this is the "Optimize this feat" discussion, wherein we work together to plumb the clever and amazing uses for feats in ways the designers could have only dreamt of. Arbitrary credit seems to be important to sway people's incentives, so I have devised the following system to award credit to people who help explore the possibilities of how to use a feat. I'm developing this pseudo-contest on the fly, so rules are subject to change.


All participants in the optimization endeavor post directly into the thread. They may post as many times as they want, just like any thread where you volunteer your ideas. After a week or so, the thread will be evaluated and participants will be assigned a score. That score represents how helpful or novel the poster was in their analysis of a feat's uses, abuses, interactions, and limitations. The rubric by which points are assigned to posters is developed below. The poster's who are most helpful will be announced after a week, and have their name highlighted in bold and in a font color other than black! The guest judge will try to remain interactive in the process, because the contest element to me is secondary to extracting the maximum amount of versatility and power out of the feat resource.

Because I have little use for dragon mag optimization in my own life, I am running optimize this feat #11 a little differently. A guest judge will arise from the masses to judge this according to the rubric. They may or may not show up, no one expressed interest in judging. So I'm just running this with the hope that we get the hero we deserve. When the contest is over, I'll make one last plea for a guest judge and then move onto #12.


Point Allocation Rubric
The following list is not exhaustive of how points will be allocated, as I imagine that there will be weird end cases.

Suggestion of a non-overtly obvious class feature, spell, feat, skill trick, psi-power, magic/psionic item, or monster that interplays with the feat to produce an exaggerated result.

Overt Obviousness will be judged by the guest judge, but I will generally allocate points generously, What I am trying to avoid is people suggesting feat interplays that are non-exceptional and thus cluttering the thread with lame and uninteresting things. 1 point.

If the suggestion is particularly powerful or clever, an additional point may be allocated to reward the optimizerly thinking. This decision is mine, although I will be swayed by what seems like genuine "co-signing," where other posters in the thread really glom onto the idea and develop it further.

A small build stub, between 5-12 levels, that includes a small write up of how the feat interplays with a few class features, racial features, spells, powers and feats to produce an effect that is far beyond the scope of what the feat of the week is capable of providing on its own. 5 points. +/- 1 point.

A rather undeveloped stub may only receive 4 points if it is a slightly modified rehash of a previous stub. A rather ingenious stub can earn an extra point. In some cases, you may actually do both! All of these are judgement calls as adjudicated by myself.

A fully functional optimization of the feat that ramps it up to its maximum power level where there is no way to possibly make it more amazing, including a 20 level build that follows the same format as iron chef dishes, but with minimal write up, is worthy of 10-12 points.

As the Chair, I will remain interactive throughout the thread, even suggesting a few builds. Commenting on these is fine and all of the rubric points apply to those as well. This means that the thread is not a totally objective competition.

A display of relevant rules expertise that shapes the discussion is worthy of 0 or 1 point. This is the "squishiest" criteria, and will only be allocated when it corrects part of the conversation that is going too far off the rails. Particularly nasty interchanges about RAW may lead to abdication of this point. Being incorrect isn't an immoral offense, so I want an atmosphere where suggestions are flying but staying generally within the real bounds of dnd play. RAW discussions tend to get a little too personal, and hopefully this arbitrary point system can circumvent that. Plus, seeing as how extensive the rules system is, it is easy for me to get excited about how to make an idea work and get lost about the details.

BIAS
Our guest judge will not necessarily even show up, let alone be unbiased.

Thanks to a suggestion by Troacctid, this week's Feat is from Dragon Magazine #335 p.88: Supremely Confident

This endeavor concludes at 11:59PM Eastern Standard Time on AUGUST 12th

Optimize this Feat 1:Wanderer's Diplomacy (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?472308-Optimize-This-Feat-1-Wanderer-s-Diplomacy): VAZ
Optimize this Feat 2: Conductivity (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?473047-Optimize-this-Feat-2-Conductivity-from-Unearthed-Arcana&highlight=Conductivity): ben-zayb
Optimize this Feat 3: Swim-by Attack (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?474225-Optimize-this-feat-3-Swim-by-attack-from-Stormwrack): WhamBamSam
Optimize this Feat 4: Contagious Paralysis (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?476019-Optimize-this-Feat-4-Contagious-Paralysis-from-Libris-Mortis) WhamBamSam
Optimize this Feat 5: Hammer and Piton (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?477681-Optimize-this-Feat-5-Hammer-and-Piton-From-Dungeonscape) Zetapup
Optimize this Feat 6: Residual Rebound (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?479041-Optimize-this-Feat-6-Residual-Rebound-from-Unearthed-Arcana&p=20493024#post20493024) ben-zayb
Optimize this Feat 7: Mark of Phlegethos (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?480323-Optimize-this-Feat-7-Mark-of-Phlegethos-from-Fiendish-Codex-2-Tot9H): Darrin
Optimize this Feat 8: Seelie Court Noble Kelir (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?492298-Optimize-this-Feat-8-Seelie-Court-Noble-Kelir-(web)): Jowgen
Optimize this Feat 9: Animal Friends (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?493792-Optimize-this-Feat-9-Races-of-Faerun-s-Animal-friends-p-161): Troacctid
Optimize this Feat 10A: Primary Contact (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?495860-Optimize-this-feat-10-Primary-Contact-plus-Einhander-lightning-round&p=21075488#post21075488): Jormengand & WhamBamSam
Optimize this Feat 10B lightning round: Einhander from PHB2 (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?495860-Optimize-this-feat-10-Primary-Contact-plus-Einhander-lightning-round): Zaq

Upcoming Schedule:

Don't post your ideas for these on the wrong competition. Save em. Unleash your brilliance on us.
Optimize this feat #12: Spirit Sense from Heroes of Horror, p. 124
Optimize this feat #13: Cards over Swords from Three-Dragon Ante web supplement
Optimize this feat #14: Dual Plane summons from Dragon #313 with guest judge _________????
Optimize this feat #15 Formation expert from complete warrior p.110
Optimize this feat #16 TBD
Optimize this feat #17: Betrayal of the spirit linked from Dragon #336 with guest judge _____????

[daremetoidareyo]

The feat does the following:


SUPREMELY CONFIDENT [General][Fighter Bonus Feat]
With a sneer, a scornfull laugh, and a raised eyebrow you send the message that you are merely toying with your opponents.

Prerequisite: Perform (act) 7 ranks.

Benefit: You may, as a standard action, make a Perform (act) check in place of an Intimidate check made to demoralize an opponent in combat (see page 76 of the Player’s Handbook). In addition, whenever you make a successful critical hit you can immediately attempt to demoralize your target as a free action.

Special: A fighter may select Supremely Confident as one of his fighter bonus feats.

[Troacctid]

This feat seems decent on a fear-stacking bard. Use Inspire Awe (Dragon Magic) and/or Haunting Melody (Heroes of Horror) to get them to shaken, then use this feat to demoralize them and escalate the condition to frightened—which will then last for the entire duration of your performance instead of just 1 round, due to the way fear stacks. The reason you care about using Perform instead of Intimidate (besides saving skill points) is because, of course, Intimidate is not a class skill for bards.

If you're also a melee-based bard, you could also get good mileage out of the rider on critical hits. Memory Smith (Dragon #311), for example, is a full BAB bard prestige class that, among other things, gives you keen edge as a free known spell, so that's a bit of synergy there. Bard/Warblade with Song of the White Raven, Tiger Claw maneuvers, and dual kukris could do some good work as a crit-fisher.

As a fighter bonus feat, Supremely Confident can also be granted by the heroics spell (Spell Compendium), or by the Inspired Fight ability of a Heartfire Fanner (Dragon #314). However, heroics isn't a bard spell, and Heartfire Fanners can't grant bonus feats to themselves, so these would both be a little awkward.

Another thing that's awkward: Supremely Confident is a fighter bonus feat, but fighters don't have Perform (act) as a class skill. You can get Perform (dance) as a class skill fairly easy through Darksong Knight substitution levels (Champions of Valor), but that won't count. Of course, if you're using the variant rogue (http://www.d20srd.org/srd/variant/classes/variantCharacterClasses.htm#rogue) for your bonus feats, this is not a problem.

Also, if you're demoralizing people, you probably want to take Imperious Command (Drow of the Underdark), but it requires Intimidate ranks, which reduces the value of replacing your Intimidate check with a Perform check. Hrmph.

[daremetoidareyo]

Another thing that's awkward: Supremely Confident is a fighter bonus feat, but fighters don't have Perform (act) as a class skill. You can get Perform (dance) as a class skill fairly easy through Darksong Knight substitution levels (Champions of Valor), but that won't count. Of course, if you're using the variant rogue (http://www.d20srd.org/srd/variant/classes/variantCharacterClasses.htm#rogue) for your bonus feats, this is not a problem.


Also, versatile performer can get your perform dance to count as perform (act)

[WhamBamSam]

There are a few ways to ensure crits. Hunter's Mercy on an archer, or Surge of Fortune+Murderous Intent. My personal favorite is Surge of Fortune+Murderous Intent+Great Flyby Attack to get a bunch of auto-crits.

I'm sure perform can be jacked up pretty high. Of course, Intimidate can already be jacked up just fine. I haven't been able to find anything that triggers off of making a Perform check, which would have been nice.

[daremetoidareyo]

twisted lord from shattered gates of the longname module has this:

Improved Demoralize: When you reach 6th level, your misshapen features are particularly unnerving to your enemies. You can attempt to demoralize an opponent (see Intimidate, PH 76) as a move action rather than a standard action.

It doesn't specify that the skill you use has to be intimidate.

Hunter's mercy plus ranged attack sniping + imperious command + battle trickster allows you to crit a dude three times over 6 rounds.

[Troacctid]

Also, versatile performer can get your perform dance to count as perform (act)
Unfortunately, you still need 7 actual ranks in Perform (act) in order to qualify for the feat, which is probably not going to fly if it's cross-class.

[Jormengand]

Weirdly, you can't use the substitution and the critical thing at the same time. Oh well.

Intimidating rage lets you make another intimidate as a free action once during your rage, but also all intimidations last for the duration of the rage. The Never Outnumbered skill trick also allows you to intimidate each creature within 10 feet when you do either of these free intimidates; 5 levels of Dread Pirate or Scarlet Corsair extend this to 30 and the fear lasts for CHA rounds, minimum 1, and at 9th level the scarlet corsair can sacrifice 2d6 SA damage to render a foe shaken forever, which stacks with all of these other fear effects. Imperious command, as mentioned by Troacctid, is also useful for this. Zhentarim Soldier allows you to do it again as a swift and the fearsome enchantment as a move action, for those counting up the number of attempts we can get at this.

Orc paragon 2/zhentarim soldier 9/scarlet corsair 9 is a nice build for this, which also lets you stack on the menacing demeanor feat. However, zhentarim soldier can be swapped out for a single feat, bloodsoaked intimidate, which still gives swift action intimidates (albeit only if you take a free action to do something else). Dreadful wrath is a nice feat to use with Supremely Confident, because they both do scary things (which stack) when you make lots of attacks with a big threat range.

Weirdly, champion of gwynharwyf, an exalted prestige class, and scarlet corsair, a pirate, have compatable alignments, and if you take both of them, this feat, supremely confident, and dreadful wrath, and intimidating rage, and instantaneous rage (which lets you rage as a free action, even when it's not your turn), you get to intimidate people when you fly into a rage, twice, when you make a full attack, once plus once per critical hit, and as a swift action, and as a move action, and as a standard action if you really want, all of which affects each creature within 30 feet for the duration of your rage or for your charisma modifier, whichever is longer. Oh, and you have sneak attack, so take terrifying strike to turn all those sneak attacks into attacks that shake your opponent twice, not once.

I think we're probably going something like orc paragon 2/whatever 4/Champion of Gwyn 4/Dread Corsair 10.

[Troacctid]

I like the rage idea, but I think I prefer pairing it with Battle Howler (Dragon #311) for more Perform synergy. Something like Bard 4/Warblade 1/Battle Howler 5/Sublime Chord whatever. That sounds pretty good.

[daremetoidareyo]

Versatile performer doesn't have to be keyed to perform act. It can be keyed to perform dance, which fighters can get

[zyggythorn]

Sadly, the feat is not compatible with Rage, as rage precludes any mental skill except Intimidate (and possibly spot/listen)

The feat's wording suggests a Perform: Act check, so even with Versatile performer, nothing comes of it

[Jormengand]

There are two parts of the feat, one that substitutes your intimidate into a perform and one that doesn't. I'm using the one that doesn't, so you can use it in a rage.

[Troacctid]

Versatile performer doesn't have to be keyed to perform act. It can be keyed to perform dance, which fighters can get
I know, but you still need 7 ranks in Perform (act) as a prerequisite for Supremely Confident. How are you getting those? You can't reasonably buy them cross-class with only 2 + Int skill points per level.


Sadly, the feat is not compatible with Rage, as rage precludes any mental skill except Intimidate (and possibly spot/listen)

The feat's wording suggests a Perform: Act check, so even with Versatile performer, nothing comes of it
Another point in favor of Battle Howler: they can perform while raging. Although I'm AFB... it may only be for bardic music.

[daremetoidareyo]

This optimize this feat competition is over. If anyone would like to tally this up and derive a winner, you are welcome to post the winner here. I am moving on to optimize this feat 12. (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?498138-Optimize-this-feat-12-Spirit-Sense-from-Heroes-of-Horror-p-124&p=21126511#post21126511)

I just found this as well in splendors of waterdeep page 29: New ollam standard scholastic build.
Favored in Guild Fringe Benefit: You can substitute a Perform check in place of a Diplomacy check or Gather Information check by offering your service for free. In addition, you gain twice the normal income when you use Perform checks to earn money.