Teamwork feats in Review

[SangoProduction]

Preamble: This was inspired by the repeated features and sphere effects that grant allies your teamwork feats. And at this point, I am annoyed at only having a nebulous feeling that it’s a terrible idea.

Link (https://docs.google.com/document/d/18cLWagQ6VZ--_-UiIy6zkxx957UCW6BxDOy5XUUGm1U/edit?usp=sharing)

Post-Review Analysis
Damn it. I’m going to have to do this all over again for teamwork feats that you can simply share with allies. Well. I probably narrowed my list of potential candidates for that sub-review.
But yeah, as predicted a very large percentage are underwhelming at best. But there are peanuts in the log, so to speak. Bonded Mind in particular, I was not expecting.

[Jack_Simth]

I am surprised you gave Share Spells a low rating. Personal spells are some of the best, and that one lets you cast those on the meatshield and skillmonkey.

[SangoProduction]

I am surprised you gave Share Spells a low rating. Personal spells are some of the best, and that one lets you cast those on the meatshield and skillmonkey.

Could most probably be assumed that that's due to my aversion to vancian casting. I just don't know of any particular standouts. I could probably change that rating if given an example or 2.

[Kurald Galain]

Please use the rating system from other guides, and either rank everything one through five stars, or red-orange-green-blue. Your letter rankings are very confusing.

Anyway. The best teamwork feats are probably Paired Opportunists, Broken Wing Gambit, Precise Strike, Lastwall Phalanx, Escape Route, Improved SpellSharing, and Broken Wing Gambit. Did I mention Broken Wing Gambit already?

[Jack_Simth]

Could most probably be assumed that that's due to my aversion to vancian casting. I just don't know of any particular standouts. I could probably change that rating if given an example or 2.

A search for
site:d20pfsrd.com/magic/all-spells/ "Range Personal" will get you a nice list.

Setting that aside:

Consider first:
Shield spell on the fighter/rogue is a nice combat buff for them - +4 AC while using a 2-handed or dual weapon.
Comprehend Languages goes great on the party rogue - now the babbling of those goblins is understandable while scouting them out.

Consider higher levels:
Adjustible Polymorph on the party face. They can now change faces as appropriate without you needing to re-cast (for the duration, anyway).
Contingency(Teleport) can now be placed on everyone.
Transformation grants full BAB, and the party Rogue doesn't care about not being able to cast spells.
The form specific spells in Pathfinder are personal-only, and while the polymorph line can do lower level ones... Form of the Dragon II and III aren't available to any of them (other than Shapechange, which is also Personal...), nor is the Undead Anatomy line. Would you like to make your rogue incorporeal for a few rounds? Share Spells and Undead Anatomy IV can do that.

[Elder_Basilisk]

Rather than rating the feats in a vacuum, you should consider them in a few important contexts.

1. NPC vs PC. For PCs, there is a big opportunity cost and different PCs with different strengths pose severe limits to their application. For example in an archetypical fighter, rogue, cleric, wizard party, volley fire would usually only mean +1 or +2 to hit since there are only four characters and a couple of them probably won't be in a position to make ranged attacks or won't want to. On the other hand, for a group of ten hobgoblins, it's entirely possible that five or six of them could be getting the full +4 for several rounds. That's a lot more powerful, especially if they don't need to meet the prerequisites (see also sharing).

There are a lot of feats that are mediocre at best in a small group of characters with different combat roles but can work really well in a large group of NPCs who have similar combat roles.

2. Granting the ability. Again, it's one thing if all the characters using the feat need the prerequisites and have to take the feat. But it's entirely different if your group of hobgoblin warriors has a cavalier sergeant to give them volley fire or outflank or something similar. It is entirely possible that doing that could take the from mere arrow catchers to actual dangerous combatants.

3. Solo tactics. There are a number of feats that become a lot more appealing if your ally doesn't need to have the feat for it to function. For example, intercept charge is pretty restrictive for most characters, but drop it on an inquisitor and he can intercept charges against any of his allies, regardless of whether or not they have the feat. That's a whole lot more useful.

[SangoProduction]

Please use the rating system from other guides, and either rank everything one through five stars, or red-orange-green-blue. Your letter rankings are very confusing.

Anyway. The best teamwork feats are probably Paired Opportunists, Broken Wing Gambit, Precise Strike, Lastwall Phalanx, Escape Route, Improved SpellSharing, and Broken Wing Gambit. Did I mention Broken Wing Gambit already?

Eh. Fair enough. But it works for me, and that's ultimately who I'm making it for. Sharing it's just on the off chance that someone else finds it to be useful.
I doubt I'll change the entire system off of one comment.


Rather than rating the feats in a vacuum, you should consider them in a few important contexts.

1. NPC vs PC. For PCs, there is a big opportunity cost and different PCs with different strengths pose severe limits to their application. For example in an archetypical fighter, rogue, cleric, wizard party, volley fire would usually only mean +1 or +2 to hit since there are only four characters and a couple of them probably won't be in a position to make ranged attacks or won't want to. On the other hand, for a group of ten hobgoblins, it's entirely possible that five or six of them could be getting the full +4 for several rounds. That's a lot more powerful, especially if they don't need to meet the prerequisites (see also sharing).

There are a lot of feats that are mediocre at best in a small group of characters with different combat roles but can work really well in a large group of NPCs who have similar combat roles.

2. Granting the ability. Again, it's one thing if all the characters using the feat need the prerequisites and have to take the feat. But it's entirely different if your group of hobgoblin warriors has a cavalier sergeant to give them volley fire or outflank or something similar. It is entirely possible that doing that could take the from mere arrow catchers to actual dangerous combatants.

3. Solo tactics. There are a number of feats that become a lot more appealing if your ally doesn't need to have the feat for it to function. For example, intercept charge is pretty restrictive for most characters, but drop it on an inquisitor and he can intercept charges against any of his allies, regardless of whether or not they have the feat. That's a whole lot more useful.

1. Ultimately, NPCs can be given whatever stats are wanted. I wouldn't find giving them NPC ratings to be all too useful. Exception to the specifically NPC feats like Troll Rend or whatever because... otherwise I'm not reviewing them all.

2. Yup. Acknowledged I'll need to do a cut down list for specifically that purpose in the post-review analysis.

3. A very specific case. But the Shouldn't Be section is where I stuck most of the single-actor feats. One would probably need to do a very specific look at that ability's interaction on each feat. Probably won't be me.