Sense Weakness

[ChaosStar]

So, is Sense Weakness good?

Requires: 13 Int, Combat Expertise, and Weapon Focus.
Whenever you attack with a weapon with which you have selected the Weapon Focus feat, you may ignore up to 5 points of the target’s damage reduction (regardless of the material or enhancement bonus of your weapon) or hardness. This benefit can’t reduce the effective damage reduction or hardness of a target to less than 0.
Draconomicon pg. 106.

[Thurbane]

I would put it in the OK, but not great category.

It is situational, and has quite a few reqs.

But in the right conditions, it can effectively be +5 damage...

[ViperMagnum357]

Like most feats that can be adequately replicated by a permanent magic item quality/readily accessible combat buff, its usefulness is inversely proportional to your available wealth. In most cases it is not worth it: the majority of HP depleting builds are going to focus on one really good weapon and maybe some extras. Having to invest Weapon Focus then a second feat for one weapon to get an inferior version of the Shadow Striking quality is usually a poor trade, made worse as you increase in level. Most natural attackers will have enough diverse weapons to preclude Weapon Focus with all of them, making it a bad choice.

About the only use I have found is a MWF build, specifically one that uses a huge number of the same type of weapon (8+ arms); since even into mid-epic that gets utterly ridiculous in cost to bypass the DR that is a much more consistent roadblock to MWF.

[Darrin]

It would be a good feat... if you didn't have to take two terrible feat taxes to get it.

It's a great feat for archery or TWF, as they tend to get more hosed by DR, but both those fighting styles require a buttload of crappy feats already, without having to take three more.

[gooddragon1]

It would be a good feat... if you didn't have to take two terrible feat taxes to get it.

It's a great feat for archery or TWF, as they tend to get more hosed by DR, but both those fighting styles require a buttload of crappy feats already, without having to take three more.

Weapon focus may not be too bad though.

[DrMotives]

Weapon focus may not be too bad though.

It's handed out as a bonus feat for War Domain, or to Favored Souls. So some builds will find this less of a feat tax than others.

[animewatcha]

Seeing as it doesn't specify melee or ranged weapon. I can see this in place of 'collision' a bit ( depends upon availability) when it comes to ranged attacks with crossbows or bows.

[MultitudeMan]

What if you were already paying the feat tax anyway? A human cleric of Hextor tripper build would need Combat Expertise for Improved Trip anyway, a Heavy Flail is a tripping weapon (and Hextor's favoured weapon, so get Weapon Focus through War domain), then take Sense Weakness when DR is becoming more common for a sweet effective damage boost in those otherwise tricky fights.
It's a little MAD, as you kinda need high STR, decent CON, INT of 13+, and all the WIS you can manage, so probably only for low-op, high point-buy games.
Enlarge Person can give you reach, but if anyone knows a 3.5 deity with War domain and a reach weapon that trips as favoured, like guisarme or the infamous spiked chain, that'd work even better!

[DrMotives]

What if you were already paying the feat tax anyway? A human cleric of Hextor tripper build would need Combat Expertise for Improved Trip anyway, a Heavy Flail is a tripping weapon (and Hextor's favoured weapon, so get Weapon Focus through War domain), then take Sense Weakness when DR is becoming more common for a sweet effective damage boost in those otherwise tricky fights.
It's a little MAD, as you kinda need high STR, decent CON, INT of 13+, and all the WIS you can manage, so probably only for low-op, high point-buy games.
Enlarge Person can give you reach, but if anyone knows a 3.5 deity with War domain and a reach weapon that trips as favoured, like guisarme or the infamous spiked chain, that'd work even better!

If you pick a deity who offers Gluttony as a domain, you get Enlarge Person as a SLA. Not too sure how else a cleric gets that spell, I think it's only arcane normally.

[DEMON]

If you pick a deity who offers Gluttony as a domain, you get Enlarge Person as a SLA. Not too sure how else a cleric gets that spell, I think it's only arcane normally.

Strength Domain

[MultitudeMan]

If you pick a deity who offers Gluttony as a domain, you get Enlarge Person as a SLA. Not too sure how else a cleric gets that spell, I think it's only arcane normally.

Oops. OK, Gruumsh isn't a good choice, despite having War and Strength, as his favoured weapon, the spear, doesn't trip. Erythnul has Gluttony and War, but morningstar doesn't trip either. Wastri has War and guisarme, but can't be taken by PCs! It looks like the designers of 3.5 have carefully locked out this route to ultimate tripping power :( .

[Darrin]

Oops. OK, Gruumsh isn't a good choice, despite having War and Strength, as his favoured weapon, the spear, doesn't trip. Erythnul has Gluttony and War, but morningstar doesn't trip either. Wastri has War and guisarme, but can't be taken by PCs! It looks like the designers of 3.5 have carefully locked out this route to ultimate tripping power :( .

If you want Strength and War domains with a tripping weapon... worship the entire Pharoanic Pantheon (Deities & Demigods p. 137). You can pick your two domains from a list, which includes both Strength and War. You can also choose a favored weapon from a list which includes the flail and khopesh, which are both tripping weapons.

[weckar]

It looks like it may be very effective at low levels when you roll 1d6+2 or so for damage, as it reduces the number of times you'd be hitting 0s, even against high DR creatures.

[MultitudeMan]

If you want Strength and War domains with a tripping weapon... worship the entire Pharoanic Pantheon (Deities & Demigods p. 137). You can pick your two domains from a list, which includes both Strength and War. You can also choose a favored weapon from a list which includes the flail and khopesh, which are both tripping weapons.

Thanks! I'd go for flail, I think, as the khopesh is exotic, and it's not entirely RAW that clerics can get proficiency and Weapon Focus for exotic weapons through the War domain. It gets house ruled, but I'd prefer to stay RAW.