Good [Vile] Feats? (...not literally)

[Nifft]

What are the best [Vile] feats?
- For a caster?
- For a non-caster?

Blessing of the Godless [Ceremony, Vile] seems pretty good. A pool of extra HP shared among the party can function as cheap healing, and can even work pretty well as in-combat healing since Immediate actions don't have much competition at lower levels.

Insane Defiance seems fantastic, though as a level 6 feat it competes against some other fantastic options. It's particularly good for someone with enough Spellcraft ranks to identify the incoming spell.

Chosen of Evil might be good if you have free ability healing (e.g. Binder 1) and you have a sufficient quantity of other [Vile] feats that the bonus is significant.


What else is great?

[Inevitability]

Deformity (Madness) is pretty good on anything that's not dependent on wisdom, even though it requires a bad feat to get.

[flare'90]

What are the best [Vile] feats?
- For a caster?
- For a non-caster?

Blessing of the Godless [Ceremony, Vile] seems pretty good. A pool of extra HP shared among the party can function as cheap healing, and can even work pretty well as in-combat healing since Immediate actions don't have much competition at lower levels.

Insane Defiance seems fantastic, though as a level 6 feat it competes against some other fantastic options. It's particularly good for someone with enough Spellcraft ranks to identify the incoming spell.

Chosen of Evil might be good if you have free ability healing (e.g. Binder 1) and you have a sufficient quantity of other [Vile] feats that the bonus is significant.


What else is great?

Deformity (Tall) on a non-caster gives you reach.
Deformity (Tongue) gives you 30ft. blindsense, not much but might be useful for a non-caster.
Deformity (Theeth) grants an 1d4 bite attack usable as secondary after weapon attacks, while Deformity (Clawed Hands) grants 1d6 claws, but it's written weirdly. You can do a natural attack build, but it's easier to get a race with claws/bite or use spells.
Lichloved makes unintelligent undead ignore you, quite useful for a necromancer.

The problem is that those feats require Willing Deformity and Evil Breand (for Lichloved), which are pure feat taxes.

[ShurikVch]

Note: Willing Deformity is a nice Intimidation bonus; also, may be acquired as a bonus feat via backstory (see the Book of Vile Darkness, Lingering Effects of Evil variant rules, Darkness like the World Has Never Seen Before)

[Nifft]

Deformity (Madness) is pretty good on anything that's not dependent on wisdom, even though it requires a bad feat to get. Yeah, that's a pretty great effect.


Deformity (Tall) on a non-caster gives you reach.
Deformity (Tongue) gives you 30ft. blindsense, not much but might be useful for a non-caster.
Deformity (Theeth) grants an 1d4 bite attack usable as secondary after weapon attacks, while Deformity (Clawed Hands) grants 1d6 claws, but it's written weirdly. You can do a natural attack build, but it's easier to get a race with claws/bite or use spells.
Lichloved makes unintelligent undead ignore you, quite useful for a necromancer.

The problem is that those feats require Willing Deformity and Evil Breand (for Lichloved), which are pure feat taxes. It looks to me like Deformity (tall) also increases Reach for the purpose of Touch spells. So it's viable for casters, too.

Deformity (tongue) is great for a Dragonfire Adept, in addition to melee dudes... but the melee dudes are pretty great. A spiked chain trip controller build would get 15 ft. reach. Some kind of Whirling Frenzy Wolf Totem Barbarian, maybe a human for EWP(spiked chain) and Deformity(tall) at 1st level, then Improved Trip at level 2. Flaws could get you Combat Reflexes and Extra Rage at level 1. Level 3 gets you Knock-Down (http://www.d20srd.org/srd/divine/divineAbilitiesFeats.htm#knockDown), and then Power Attack at level 6.


Note: Willing Deformity is a nice Intimidation bonus; also, may be acquired as a bonus feat via backstory (see the Book of Vile Darkness, Lingering Effects of Evil variant rules, Darkness like the World Has Never Seen Before)

Nice find! Thank you.

Ooo, and the line above gives Evil Brand as an involuntary bonus feat.

Finally, I can turn my angstful edgelord backstory into concrete mechanical benefits and useful bonus feats!

[flare'90]

Deformity (tongue) is great for a Dragonfire Adept, in addition to melee dudes... but the melee dudes are pretty great. A spiked chain trip controller build would get 15 ft. reach. Some kind of Whirling Frenzy Wolf Totem Barbarian, maybe a human for EWP(spiked chain) and Deformity(tall) at 1st level, then Improved Trip at level 2. Flaws could get you Combat Reflexes and Extra Rage at level 1. Level 3 gets you Knock-Down (http://www.d20srd.org/srd/divine/divineAbilitiesFeats.htm#knockDown), and then Power Attack at level 6.

You're short one feat, Deformity (Tall) has Willing Deformity as prerequisite. Just swap Extra Rage for it and you're fine. Or, pledge yourslef to an Elder Evil and get it as a bonus feat at 1st, it's a [Vile] feat. You can swing PA at 3rd, just go Barbarian 2/Fighter 1.
If you want even more reach there's Inhuman Reach from Lords of Madness for additional 5' reach, but you need another 2 feats (Aberration Blood and Inhuman Reach) and you take a -1 to-hit.

[Nifft]

You're short one feat, Deformity (Tall) has Willing Deformity as prerequisite. Nope!

Backstory optimization can grant Willing Deformity for free, as described in the post by ShurikVch directly below your own. :smallsmile:


If you want even more reach there's Inhuman Reach from Lords of Madness for additional 5' reach, but you need another 2 feats (Aberration Blood and Inhuman Reach) and you take a -1 to-hit. I wonder if the Deformity feats ought to be [Aberrant]... well, they're not, so let's ignore them for now.

[flare'90]

Nope!

Backstory optimization can grant Willing Deformity for free, as described in the post by ShurikVch directly below your own. :smallsmile:

I wonder if the Deformity feats ought to be [Aberrant]... well, they're not, so let's ignore them for now.

I'm a bit iffy on that since it calls out a list of possible effect, so either it's random or it's a DM call. Elder Evils just work, it's not different that following a god and you can still spin an edgy backstory out of it. Or combine the two if you're the DM and making an NPC.