Favorite Feats?

[SangoProduction]

What are your favorite feats? Both the ones that are build-viable, and the ones with good "concepts", even if it fails in fulfilling the concept.

[citabogue]

As a level 5 rogue, my DM just granted me the ''Craven'' feat as a bonus feat.

Craven : Champions of Ruin p17

Like most sly rogues, you are a dangerous coward. However, your sneak attacks deal more damage than normal.
Prerequisite
cannot be immune to fear, Sneak attack class feature,
Benefit
You take a -2 penalty on saving throws against fear effects. However, when making a sneak attack, you deal an extra 1 point of damage per character level.

He allowed me this feat because my character is neutral evil and most of the time acts very cowardly. I spent 2 weeks of training with an NPC rogue who taught me to channel my fear into strength.

[Deeds]

Improved Intiative - this is the most prevelent feat at the table. +4 initiative is useful on any build. It's the ultimate "I don't know what feat to pick" feat.

Power Attack - doesn't really need an introduction to anyone who's played a melee character

Knowledge Devotion + Travel Devotion - These feats are pure win. Dip cleric, trade knowledge domain and travel domain for their respective feats, and build a melee character.

Craft Wondrous Item - sadly, this is a feat that sounds great on paper but is terrible IRL. My DMs rarely use experience, reward gold, and/or allow downtime.

[Chris in Duluth]

My DMs rarely use experience, reward gold, and/or allow downtime.

Say what? Are you playing D&d?

[Vizzerdrix]

Oh dang, so many!

From dragon their is monsterous companion, troll blooded, anything familiar related and Cerebrosis.

From the books their is any Aberant feats, the dragonmarks, spellfire wielder, mother cyst, magical training, anything familiar related, and a few more that Im most likely forgetting atm.

[Hunter Noventa]

Say what? Are you playing D&d?

Plenty of DMs just say you level every so many encounters or sessions, rather than handing out numbers. Similarly, many of them just hand out magic items as loot and don't have a magic-mart.

As for feats, Improved Initiative is way up there as a great feat.

In Pathfinder one of my favorite feats for melee characters is Big Game Hunter. +1 Attack and +2 Damage against anything large size or larger, regardless of your own size. Unless you're campaign focuses on fighting other humanoid NPCs a lot, you're going to encounter an absolute ton of large creatures.

[ben-zayb]

Able Learner takes the cake, because I'm such a sucker for skillmonkeying and it really simplifies skill point distribution/calculation. Also fond of Obtain Familiar for the same reason, whenever I'm running an arcane caster without default summon familiar features.

On Low-Op games, I just love versatile feats like Shape Soulmeld, Martial Study, and Bind Vestige.

[SangoProduction]

Say what? Are you playing D&d?

He's basically saying: "In my games: You level up at check points, loot is rarely in the form of loot, and things happen back to back."

[Ruethgar]

Sculpt self Is hands down my favorite. It can make any thematic come to pass with ease using the custom creation method.

Second is Magical Affinity, easily. Followed closely, in order by Magical Training, Hidden Talent, Magically Adept, Redhead, and Minor Divine Spellcasting.

Next are the companion feats, Wild Cohort, Extra Familiar and Obtain Familiar.


Sculpt Self lets you basically pay the item creation XP cost to make yourself into a custom magic item. Can make a lot of interesting characters, but chances are won't be allowed in a game unless you know and have played with the DM before.

Magical Affinity is unique in that it gives you access to actual spells but more than that, they aren't limited by list which lets you modify them to the nine hells and back. Magical Training and Hidden Talent are really tied for their ability to open up build shenanigans and work around a theme. Magically Adept and Redhead are always nice for more specialized spells. Minor Divine Spellcasting would be higher if not for the prerequisites, if I can retrain or shuffle all my feats I like using it in a lot of builds.

I always like having a pet and the companion feats give me a half way decent one each. Familiars can be abused a whole lot more, but I tend to use cohort more often, especially if I'm going for a pack sort of character.

[martixy]

Deepspawn.

Cuz who doesn't like extra tentacles (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t0URLGsf1e0)!

Linked power is a powerful favourite of mine.
Keen intellect is a mainstay given the amount of high-int characters I play.
Dragon cohort... because.
Robilar's Gambit subverts the normal flow of the game in a unique way(which means it allows many shenanigans).

Combat panache and elusive target play off each other nicely, basically making you into Jackie Chan. :D

[CartmanTuttle]

3.5? Hands down, Jack of all Trades from Complete Adventurer. Can make any skill check untrained. Incredibly useful.
Pathfinder? Target of Opportunity, a Combat/Teamwork Feat from Ultimate Combat. Turns a group of low-level enemies into a death squad.

[BoutsofInsanity]

Breath Weapon feats from Dragonnomicon. I really enjoy the modifications and think they are cool.

[Quertus]

Hmmm... Feats I've taken more than once, not just as a prereq? Off hand, I'd say... Sculpt Self, Improved Initiative, Troll Blooded, Persist Spell, Extra Granted Maneuver, Corpse Crafting, Eschew Materials, Combat Reflexes, plus various archery and crafting feats. EDIT: forgot Leadership, Able Learner, Expert Tactician, and a few less interesting choices.

Assume Supernatural Ability is one I'd love more if you could, say, grant breath weapons to the fighter when you polymorph him into a cryohydra.


Craft Wondrous Item - sadly, this is a feat that sounds great on paper but is terrible IRL. My DMs rarely use experience, reward gold, and/or allow downtime.

The XP, at least, can be gotten around via XP components. And, if you really want to craft, but don't have time, start with a tuning fork to a fast time plane courtesy of whoever trained you. The lack of an economy, however, is one I'm not sure how to get around. I think there's some merchant feats perhaps?

[Xethik]

I've never played with it, but Uncanny Forethought always seems like a fun to use ability. And incredibly strong.

[Stealth Marmot]

I recently fell in love with the 3.5 version of Improved Trip.

It was an okay feat in my mind but limited, usually only good when facing other humanoids and similarly bipedal creatures that don't fly, but useful getting that +4 and removed the attack of opportunity.

Then I found out if you successfully tripped you get a free attack on the person you tripped. Notably the person you tripped is prone now so you get a +4. So in addition to effectively immobilizing an attacker, giving it a penalty to attack with melee, and making it much easier for melee to attack it, you get a free attack on it when it falls AND if it tries to get up (AoO) at +4 both times. Even more fun if you use that AoO to trip them again. It's like chain sweeping in old Mortal Kombat.

[MesiDoomstalker]

I recently fell in love with the 3.5 version of Improved Trip.

It was an okay feat in my mind but limited, usually only good when facing other humanoids and similarly bipedal creatures that don't fly, but useful getting that +4 and removed the attack of opportunity.

Then I found out if you successfully tripped you get a free attack on the person you tripped. Notably the person you tripped is prone now so you get a +4. So in addition to effectively immobilizing an attacker, giving it a penalty to attack with melee, and making it much easier for melee to attack it, you get a free attack on it when it falls AND if it tries to get up (AoO) at +4 both times. Even more fun if you use that AoO to trip them again. It's like chain sweeping in old Mortal Kombat.
You can trip flying targets. Cause them to auto-stall.

[AnachroNinja]

I recently fell in love with the 3.5 version of Improved Trip.

It was an okay feat in my mind but limited, usually only good when facing other humanoids and similarly bipedal creatures that don't fly, but useful getting that +4 and removed the attack of opportunity.

Then I found out if you successfully tripped you get a free attack on the person you tripped. Notably the person you tripped is prone now so you get a +4. So in addition to effectively immobilizing an attacker, giving it a penalty to attack with melee, and making it much easier for melee to attack it, you get a free attack on it when it falls AND if it tries to get up (AoO) at +4 both times. Even more fun if you use that AoO to trip them again. It's like chain sweeping in old Mortal Kombat.

You can't actually trip them with the AoO. They are still prone at the time, that's why you get the +4, can't trip someone who is prone.

[Particle_Man]

Many good ones have been listed but Shape Soulmeld to get a Blink Shirt is nice for short range teleportation.

From the DM pov I sometimes like repeated uses of Toughness because it lets me save time making the monster if I can just say "screw it, it just has some extra hit points". :smallbiggrin:

[Vizzerdrix]

Ooh, I remembered one. The feat that lets you snag a soulspark familiar. Whatsit called again?

[Bakkan]

Shape Soulmeld again. It's one of my favorites as well.

[Greecy]

Some Favorites

PHB 2
Acrobatic Strike
Vexing Flanker->Adaptable Flanker

Complete Arcane
Collegiate Wizard
Explosive Spell
Mage Slayer
Repeat Spell
Split Spell
Twin Spell

Complete Divine
Divine Metamagic

Complete Mage
Residual Magic (Very useful if you have/make lots of spells and wands)

Complete Warrior
Close-Quarters Fighting
Improved Buckler Defense (Underrated IMO, 1 feat for up to +6 AC[+5 Buckler] so long as you dont get stripped of your buckler, and you can also put shield enchants on it)
Zen Archery