Default/Favorite Feats

[jdizzlean]

What are some of your default or favorite feats to apply to any given build?

Not necessarily the known cheese like pouncebarian, or DMM for clerics.

I know for me, most of the time, feats are a little hard to figure out unless i'm going for a long chain where it's a given what you're doing along the way.

[Zombulian]

Craven (been using a lot of sneak attack characters recently)
Precocious Apprentice (mostly if I'm theurging, which I also do frequently)
Shoot just realized the "any given build"
Wedded to History
Education
Improved Initiative
Planar Touchstone
Wild Cohort
Hidden Talent
Shape Soulmeld
Knowledge Devotion

maybe a few others but this is what I could think of

[heavyfuel]

I honestly wouldn't go DMM Cleric unless your DM allows nightstick stacking. It's RAW, but it's also frequently banned and DMM just isn't very good without it.

My staple feat for Clerics (especially lv5+ NPC Clerics) is Divine Defiance from Fiendish Codex II.

Counterspell once per round as an immediate action 3+Cha times per day as long as you don't cast your prepared Dispel Magic. Hope you enjoy not casting spells this combat.

Even for PCs it's amazing even if less so, since you usually have many encounters per day.


Edit: If you're looking for feats good for all build:

I'd say Shape Soulmeld is an absolutely amazing feat. So many things you can get with it they even made a whole handbook about this single feat. (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?321557-The-World-in-One-Feat-A-Shape-Soulmeld-Handbook)

Improved Initiative is an excellent filler feat. You can never go wrong with going first, especially since you can always delay or ready actions if needed. Also, if you read the rules about readied actions and see that you can take a 5ft step during them, they become very powerful vs melee characters. Ready to just after they start the attack, do your thing, 5ft step back, they no longer can reach you, but their standard action is wasted.

And... That's it, I guess. There are very few feats that would work on all builds. Maybe Improved Toughness for NPCs if you have no better idea

[Falontani]

Craven
Precocious Apprentice
Wedded to History
Education
Improved Initiative
Planar Touchstone
Wild Cohort
Hidden Talent
Shape Soulmeld
Knowledge Devotion
Craft Wondrous Item
Obtain Familiar
Improved Familiar

[Kelb_Panthera]

Top two for "most likely to appear" in my builds are shape soulmeld and planar touchstone. They both have a -huge- variety of effects and abilities to grab and neither is super onerous on the requirements. SS just edges out PT for first place because incarnum is just freakin' cool.

[Zaq]

Fell Conspiracy, from Exemplars of Evil. The party-wide benefits are ridiculous.

[Troacctid]

Nymph's Kiss is always solid on a good-aligned character. Very strong skill feat.

Celestial Familiar is also a personal favorite. The celestials you can get are sooo good.

[Zombulian]

Fell Conspiracy, from Exemplars of Evil. The party-wide benefits are ridiculous.

HAHA WHAT?? Man that book really has some gems.

[BowStreetRunner]

Knowledge Devotion is a go-to for a lot of my builds. With a handful of skill points I can guarantee a minimum +1 attack and damage vs any opponent, and a chance for an even higher bonus. In many of my builds it comes out being strictly better than Weapon Focus + Weapon Specialization. In some builds it is even strictly better than WF + WS + Greater WF + Greater WS.

I play skill monkey quite a bit, and Nymph's Kiss is a temptation I can rarely pass up. In fact, I have gotten in the habit of always choosing Sylvan as one of my languages just to go with the backstory! The extra skill point each level AND bonus to all Charisma based skill rolls is just too solid for a skillful character to easily pass on. The save bonus is nothing but an afterthought in most instances.

I've never played a stealthy character who didn't have Darkstalker. If you want to be truly stealthy, you almost HAVE to take this.

[Kelb_Panthera]

Fell Conspiracy, from Exemplars of Evil. The party-wide benefits are ridiculous.

:smalleek: Why is this the first I'm hearing of this little gem? That is nice.

[Kobold Esq]

Able Learner.

I play a lot of multi-classed humans, and I love me some skill points. Many of my warriors have a level of ranger or rogue thrown in. Heck even in wizard or cleric builds, once you get into odder PrCs, it diversifies your skill list a lot.

[Nifft]

:smile:

Dragonwrought.

[Kelb_Panthera]

:smile:

Dragonwrought.

:smallsigh: Knew this one was coming. We're all familiar with the debate. I'm not putting in my 2cp on the debate, either for or against, but can we just... ya know... not? It just happens every fraggin' time. Please?

[Elkad]

Obtain Familiar
Improved Familiar

Flavor, RP, and super useful, all in one package.

[Celestia]

I love Troll-Blooded, especially on warforged. It's one of my favorite combinations, and it works for every character, except for the feat-intensive ones.

Mindsight is another of my favorites, and I try to fit it into every caster build.

Steadfast Determination is really nice, but I tend not to have the room for it, especially since I'd rather go for Troll-Blooded if I have the room.

I like Darkstalker, but I tend not to make too many stealth builds. However, every single one I do make definitely has it.

There are some other feats that I find nifty, but none I feel are worth mentioning. I tend to like races and templates more than feats.

[Zombulian]

:smallsigh: Knew this one was coming. We're all familiar with the debate. I'm not putting in my 2cp on the debate, either for or against, but can we just... ya know... not? It just happens every fraggin' time. Please?

We don't have to debate. True Dragon cheese or no, the Dragon type is pretty nice.


I love Troll-Blooded, especially on warforged. It's one of my favorite combinations, and it works for every character, except for the feat-intensive ones.

Mindsight is another of my favorites, and I try to fit it into every caster build.

Steadfast Determination is really nice, but I tend not to have the room for it, especially since I'd rather go for Troll-Blooded if I have the room.

I like Darkstalker, but I tend not to make too many stealth builds. However, every single one I do make definitely has it.

There are some other feats that I find nifty, but none I feel are worth mentioning. I tend to like races and templates more than feats.

I considered listing Mindsight as well but it seemed too conditional to be listed as a feat for any given build.
I never really understood how Troll Blooded Warforged was such a meme when it doesn't seem legal.

[Telonius]

Able Learner. I'm always scrambling for skill points, and usually play human or demi-human multiclasses.

True Believer. All about the flavor, and the relics are usually nice.

[Zombulian]

Able Learner. I'm always scrambling for skill points, and usually play human or demi-human multiclasses.

True Believer. All about the flavor, and the relics are usually nice.

Oh yeah I always forget about that feat unless I want some Raptor Arrows.

[tterreb]

Most of my favorite feats have been mentioned already: darkstalker, able learner, craven, etc. I've always been fond of jack of all trades (or elf dilettante if I'm an elf), and deft strike can be fun.

[gorfnab]

Magic in the Blood (PGtF) for characters whose race provides them with lots of spell-like-abilities.

[Celestia]

I considered listing Mindsight as well but it seemed too conditional to be listed as a feat for any given build.
I never really understood how Troll Blooded Warforged was such a meme when it doesn't seem legal.
It is perfectly legal. There is nothing in the feat's description or prerequisites that forbids certain races or creature types. Implicitly, creatures without constitution scores cannot benefit from it, but that does not exclude warforged. If you're getting hung up on the name and fluff, just remember that warforged are magically constructed. Thus, quite literally, "a wizard did it."

Besides, technically, half-dragon warforged is also completely rules legal.

[Zombulian]

It is perfectly legal. There is nothing in the feat's description or prerequisites that forbids certain races or creature types. Implicitly, creatures without constitution scores cannot benefit from it, but that does not exclude warforged. If you're getting hung up on the name and fluff, just remember that warforged are magically constructed. Thus, quite literally, "a wizard did it."

Besides, technically, half-dragon warforged is also completely rules legal.

My memory was telling me that it required the Humanoid type, but after looking at it, the only issue is it requires being from a region on Oerth while Warforged are from Eberron. But that's not too egregious I guess.

[Celestia]

My memory was telling me that it required the Humanoid type, but after looking at it, the only issue is it requires being from a region on Oerth while Warforged are from Eberron. But that's not too egregious I guess.
Yeah. Admittedly, I did forget about that. I tend to ignore regional requirements because I think they're dumb.

[BowStreetRunner]

Yeah. Admittedly, I did forget about that. I tend to ignore regional requirements because I think they're dumb.
When using feats in a campaign world other than the one in which they originated, I treat regional requirements as mutually exclusive and that's it. So you cannot combine feats that could not be combined in the world where they belong. I figure that retains whatever balance was intended.

[Celestia]

When using feats in a campaign world other than the one in which they originated, I treat regional requirements as mutually exclusive and that's it. So you cannot combine feats that could not be combined in the world where they belong. I figure that retains whatever balance was intended.
That seems like a logical interpretation to use. Though, aren't most regional feats first level only, anyways?

[BowStreetRunner]

Though, aren't most regional feats first level only, anyways?
Sure. But a first level human fighter with two flaws gets five feats.

[jdizzlean]

I've never understood the dependency on flaws to make a character. Sure it's a nice bonus, but most people pick flaws that don't really affect them so much anyways..

[Ramza00]

Linked Power for Psionics

Uncanny Forethought for Wizard (and thus also Spell Mastery as a pre-requsite)

True Believer to gain Tome of Ancient Lore for Wizards (also a save bonus as well)

Craft Wondrous Item and Ancestral Relic are always great.

Edit: I made a mistake and said Blessed Book by accident when I meant to say Tome of Ancient Lore and thus the edit here.

[Nifft]

I've never understood the dependency on flaws to make a character. Sure it's a nice bonus, but most people pick flaws that don't really affect them so much anyways..

I tend see that behavior mostly in white-room forum optimization, not my real games.

Of course, I also mostly see the presumption of Flaw availability in white-room forum optimization posts, rather than in real games...

[Zombulian]

Linked Power for Psionics

Uncanny Forethought for Wizard (and thus also Spell Mastery as a pre-requsite)

True Believer to gain Blessed Book for Wizards (also a save bonus as well)

Craft Wondrous Item and Ancestral Relic are always great.

What does True Believer have to do with Blessed Book?

[ExLibrisMortis]

Linked Power, Psicrystal Affinity, Psionic Meditation, Metapower (I like psionics). Practiced Spellcaster/Practiced Manifester. Shape Soulmeld.

[Ramza00]

What does True Believer have to do with Blessed Book?

My bad I mean Boccob's Tome of Ancient Lore (which you need divine spellcasting or True Believer to use its full power), and not Boccob's Blessed Book. Sorry my memory recall short circuited.

There is a complete divine verison of this Tome of Ancient Lore and a MIC version. They effectively work mostly the same but minor changes between these two magic items.