A couple of new feats (and a reworked one) - 3.PF

[heavyfuel]

Hey, so I have a couple of feats I wanted to make sure they wouldn't break anything (especially the first one)

Average Spell (Metamagic)

All variable, numeric effects of an averaged spell are one-half their maximum. For example, an averaged magic missile deals 3 damage, since the half the maximum roll is 2 and you add 1. Saving throws and opposed rolls (such as the one you make when you cast dispel magic) are not affected, nor are spells without random variables.

Since averaged spells no longer have variables, you cannot use this feat in conjuction with spells that also empowered or maximized.

An averaged spell uses up a spell slot of the same level as the spell's actual level.

Precise Blow (Combat)

Prereq: Sneak Attack, Sudden Strike, or Skirmish ability

Before making an attack, you can choose not to roll your precision damage dice but, instead, deal damage equal to one-half its maximum amount. You still need to meet the criteria to trigger the extra damage (such as the enemy being denied their Dex bonus to AC in case of a Sneak Attack) and enemies immune to precision damage are still immune to this extra damage.

This feat allows you to multiply your precision damage in case of a critical hit.

For example, a 3rd level Rogue using this feat would deal an additional 6 damage on a successful sneak attack (half the possible maximum of 12)

Einhander (Combat)

Prereq: Dex 13

When you make an attack with a one-handed weapon held in one hand and while keeping your other hand empty, you can add your Dex bonus to the damage in addition to your Str bonus. If the weapon you're using is one that can be used in conjunction with the Weapon Finesse feat, then you add one and one-half times your Dex bonus to the damage instead.

This feat cannot be used with other abilities that allow you to add your Dex bonus to your damage roll or with two weapon fighting.

Additionally, you adopt a narrow profile while fighting and gain a +1 dodge bonus to AC

[heavyfuel]

Nearly 3k views and no comment? :smallfrown:

Bump

[NigelWalmsley]

Spending a feat on something that is actually a slight downgrade to expected damage seems like a bad deal. Average Magic Missile deals 3 damage, but on average regular Magic Missile deals 3.5 damage.

[DeTess]

Average spell just isn't worth a feat pick unless you're using it for metamagic reduction shenanigans, so its either almost worthless or part of a broken combo.

Precise blow likewise is a bit doubtful, but it has some niche uses. Its useable effect is allowing you to crit with sneak attack, which can be good for crit-fishers, but the averaging is once again not worth the asking price of a feat.

Einhander is fine. A dodge bonus to armor, and making a normally lesser viable fighting style viable is just fine.

[Miss Disaster]

Precise Blow sorta reminded me of Opportunities Aplenty. Which is a PF1e 3PP variant of sneak attack. Granted yours is certainly different .... but comparing the two might be worthwhile to you.

And to note, there's a Paizo Forums thread where the designer and a lot of playtesters talked a lot about said class ability. Worth a search. I would do it, but I'm running late right now!

https://www.d20pfsrd.com/classes/core-classes/rogue/archetypes/rite-publishing-rogue-archetypes/vicious-opportunist#TOC-Opportunities-Aplenty-Ex-

[Herbert_W]

Average Spell (Metamagic) . . . Since averaged spells no longer have variables, you cannot use this feat in conjuction with spells that also empowered or maximized.


I'm being nitpicky here, but actually, I think you can - unless you want to specifically prohibit this combination. By convention, when multiple metamagic effects are applied to a spell, those effects are applied in a given order where effects that are applied first can alter the eligibility of the spell for later effects. For an extreme example of this principle being abused, look up the Locate City bomb. It's questionable whether this combination of metamagic effects is legal by RAW and equally questionable for RAI, but it illustrates the point that the order in which metamagic effects are applied matters.

In this case, your feat would cause a spell to loose the ability to benefit from empowerment or maximization, but would work perfectly well when applied to a spell that is empowered first. It wouldn't have any effect on a maximized spell. Empowerment and maximization interact in a special way: an empowered maximized spell deals the maximum original damage plus one-half of the (random) base damage and could therefore be affected by this feat.

Also note that, by a literal reading of the phrasing of your feat, it can be applied to spells without variables. It just won't do anything when applied. You've chosen to specifically prohibit combination with empowerment of maximisation but there's nothing stopping someone from casting an average charm person.

Now, for less nitpicky feedback:


Average Spell (Metamagic)


This will, on average, make spells slightly worse. As others have already pointed out, it's useless for anything except shenanigans. In order to make this a useful feat, you'd need to change it such that it also makes spells slightly better in some way to compensate.

However, I like the flavor. It has a lawful-aligned, exactly-according-to-plan sort of vibe. So, I'd suggest leaning in to this flavor while making these spells slightly better. Perhaps you could also have this spell affects saves - say, targets roll 1d10+5 in place of 1d20 when making saves. That'd make targets who are likely to fail even more likely to fail, but also make targets who are likely to succeed even more likely to succeed. Maybe that's too good in the hands of a clever player who chooses their spells and boosts their save DCs well, necessitating a one-spell-level increase.


Precise Blow (Combat)


This could be used to great effect by a critfishing sneak attack build. Otherwise, it just makes sneak attack slightly worse.

What are you trying to accomplish with this feat? There might be a better way to do it.


Einhander (Combat)


I believe there's already a feat for einhander-style fighting somewhere in 3rd edition . . .

Edit: Found it! There's a feat called Einhander in the PHB2. It's nowhere near as powerful as yours and might not be a useful basis for comparison given the relatively higher power of Pathfinder.

Your feat seems OK to me.

[heavyfuel]

Spending a feat on something that is actually a slight downgrade to expected damage seems like a bad deal. Average Magic Missile deals 3 damage, but on average regular Magic Missile deals 3.5 damage.

Average spell just isn't worth a feat pick unless you're using it for metamagic reduction shenanigans, so its either almost worthless or part of a broken combo.

This will, on average, make spells slightly worse. As others have already pointed out, it's useless for anything except shenanigans. In order to make this a useful feat, you'd need to change it such that it also makes spells slightly better in some way to compensate.

The idea behind the feat is that it allows for a better plan. It allows you precise information, which is an important tool.

Say you're fighting a bunch of mooks and that they have around 15 HP. You can fireball them for 5d6 (average 17.5), but there's like a 25% chance that you will deal less than 15 damage. This chance drops to zero with the feat.

The idea came to me when the party's Fighter needed a Cure Mod Wounds ASAP, but I need at least a 6 on the 2d8. I thankfully roleld well enough, but I've rolled worse before.

Too niche? Perhaps. But I've had players play casters because they hate rolling anything. This allows them to truly not roll anything almost ever.


Precise Blow sorta reminded me of Opportunities Aplenty. Which is a PF1e 3PP variant of sneak attack. Granted yours is certainly different .... but comparing the two might be worthwhile to you.

And to note, there's a Paizo Forums thread where the designer and a lot of playtesters talked a lot about said class ability. Worth a search. I would do it, but I'm running late right now!

https://www.d20pfsrd.com/classes/core-classes/rogue/archetypes/rite-publishing-rogue-archetypes/vicious-opportunist#TOC-Opportunities-Aplenty-Ex-

Will check it out. Thanks!

[Miss Disaster]

Since you're using a 3.PF hybrid system, you may wanna explore the value of the Average Spell metamagic feat .... as a trait instead. That makes it a "1/2 a feat".

I can see that working to some degree. If it seems stronger than a trait, you could always put a limitation on it. Like maximum uses-per-day or something like that.

[heavyfuel]

Since you're using a 3.PF hybrid system, you may wanna explore the value of the Average Spell metamagic feat .... as a trait instead. That makes it a "1/2 a feat".

I can see that working to some degree. If it seems stronger than a trait, you could always put a limitation on it. Like maximum uses-per-day or something like that.

That's actually a pretty great idea! Thanks!

[PoeticallyPsyco]

Correct me if I'm wrong, but wouldn't Average Spell benefit crit-fishers using unarmed strikes (or similar) to deliver touch spells?

[heavyfuel]

Spell damage is already multiplied, even in dice form