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Akisa
2008-11-10, 12:00 AM
Name of the mage (http://realmshelps.dandello.net/cgi-bin/feats.pl?Name_of_the_Mage,all)
So basically it's a feat that causes your name to become a fear effect. My problem with the feat is that people with HD equal or near your HD you should have some sort of immunity or different type of save.

I may understand fighters being afraid of that lvl 21 Wizard, but a 21 druid, wizard or cleric shouldn't be afraid. Not to mention any fight involving someone with arcane caster levels and the feat (yes even if the enemy is a bard) he could just use free actions to speak to say his name.

And third what if the arcane caster named 'Bob' takes the feat, does every Bob in the world has to change their name now?

Edit because people can't seem to understand I'm not saying this feat is overpowered, just that it makes no sense.

Ponce
2008-11-10, 12:06 AM
It is from Dragon magazine, and is poorly worded and not very well implemented. The feat was almost certainly inspired by Sauron/Moloch, so in that sense its a pretty good idea.

Characters level 20+ are probably immune to fear anyway.

Ellisthion
2008-11-10, 12:28 AM
Voldemort-ish, too.

It's not exactly overpowered or anything because:

Your other party members risk being affected
If you're a level 20 Wizard, you can already manipulate the cosmos

Akisa
2008-11-10, 12:34 AM
Yes but a level 20 druid also has as much power as a druid and could challenge the wizard. Also is a level 20 Bard just as scary as a level 20 wizard? Then again he'll just probably just make you his friend anyway.

Chaltab
2008-11-10, 12:43 AM
Honestly, the whole concept of Feats vs Attributes makes me scratch my head (at least in BESM d20, not played DnD in a long time)... I mean, why not just have them all be attributes and make the ones labeled Feats just Attributes that cost two character points?

Rockphed
2008-11-10, 12:46 AM
Honestly, the whole concept of Feats vs Attributes makes me scratch my head (at least in BESM d20, not played DnD in a long time)... I mean, why not just have them all be attributes and make the ones labeled Feats just Attributes that cost two character points?

Having looked over the BESM D20 and the Regular BESM, I would rather use the regular BESM. It was much better put together, and once I realised I could play a feegle, I refused to play anything else.

Magnor Criol
2008-11-10, 12:51 AM
Honestly, the whole concept of Feats vs Attributes makes me scratch my head (at least in BESM d20, not played DnD in a long time)... I mean, why not just have them all be attributes and make the ones labeled Feats just Attributes that cost two character points?

Because DnD doesn't work that way. There may be better-implemented systems out there, but DnD is its own system, and there's no "character points" or "attributes" anywhere in the DnD mechanics.

To make all feats 'attributes that cost character points', you'll have to change some of the most basic mechanics of DnD - i.e., what governs a character. At which point, you really are either homebrewing an entirely new system all your own, or you should probably go look at another system, if you're that dissatisfied.

golentan
2008-11-10, 12:51 AM
What you do is at character creation, you ask your DM what the single most common first name is in the world. Name your character that *and only that* (or a common household object, like "bed") Become epic. Take this feat. Watch as pandemonium reigns in the world for at least a good week.

Tengu_temp
2008-11-10, 01:00 AM
Having looked over the BESM D20 and the Regular BESM, I would rather use the regular BESM. It was much better put together, and once I realised I could play a feegle, I refused to play anything else.

This is true for all games that have been converted to D20, frankly. Mutants and Masterminds is a possible exception - possible, if you consider it a conversion of some other superhero/universal game to D20 mechanics.

Weiser_Cain
2008-11-10, 01:01 AM
Proficiency feats.

Ascension
2008-11-10, 01:12 AM
All your party has to do is call you "He Who Shall Not Be Named" or similar, while you gain an area attack that carries as far as your voice. Even better, all you really need is your party's epic bard countersinging to protect them and then and you can go around shouting your fearsome name at your opponents with impunity.

chilepepper
2008-11-10, 02:02 AM
A. It's Dragon Magazine, I have yet to find a DM that allows Dragon content carte blanche. There's a good reason for that. Alot of Dragon stuff is poorly balanced.

B. It's prereq is 20th level Arcane CL. By the time you hit level 18, the cheese hits the fan anyway. This is hardly above par of most things at epic level.

C. It clearly says "Anyone other than you who speaks your name..." It continues the same sentence with "all who hear it..." That means "All who hear [anyone other than you speak your name]..." When you say your name, nothing happens.

BobVosh
2008-11-10, 02:47 AM
C. It clearly says "Anyone other than you who speaks your name..." It continues the same sentence with "all who hear it..." That means "All who hear [anyone other than you speak your name]..." When you say your name, nothing happens.

So you no longer can ask your loved one/"friend" in bed "whats my name, b-?"

Anyway domination/suggestion: Say my name.

Oooo, hirer a level 1 Commoner to say. Or better yet, make your Raven cry it out over a battlefield.

Heliomance
2008-11-10, 05:38 AM
3.0 Feats That Make Me Go Huh

Ambidexterity [general]

You are neither right handed nor left handed, using either hand equally well.

Prerequisites: Dex 15+

Benefit: You ignore all penalties for using an off-hand. You are neither right handed nor left handed.



Assassin's Strike [general]

You can kill a man with a single blow.

Prerequisites: Dex 17+, Agonising Strike, Back Alley Brawler, Crippling Strike, Painful Strike, Wicked Strike, Wounding Strike, base attack bonus +12 or higher, ability to sneak attack.

Benefit: When you damage an opponent with a sneak attack, he dies instantly.

Hal
2008-11-10, 07:50 AM
This is clearly something that you would give the BBEG, not let a party member take.

Swok
2008-11-10, 08:05 AM
Feats that make you go huh?


...Lichloved, though that's more "what?"

Tempest Fennac
2008-11-10, 08:09 AM
Lichloved is just disturbing. What's wrong with Ambidexterity? I can see why Assassin's Strike is ridiculous, but Ambidexterity doesn't look too bad if you're using a TWF build.

EDIT: Actually, won't that make TWF too powerful?

Tsotha-lanti
2008-11-10, 08:10 AM
Name of the mage (http://realmshelps.dandello.net/cgi-bin/feats.pl?Name_of_the_Mage,all)

Shouldn't this also have the prerequisite "absolutely unique name that no one else in the world has" ? Otherwise, Jack taking this feat results in people all over the world inexplicably running around in fear whenever someone mentions the name Jack.


What's wrong with Ambidexterity? I can see why Assassin's Strike is ridiculous, but Ambidexterity doesn't look too bad if you're using a TWF build.

EDIT: Actually, won't that make TWF too powerful?

How would it make TWF more powerful? In 3.5, it's rolled up into TWF, and the penalties for fighting with two weapons with the TWF feat are the same as in 3.0 with TWF and Ambidexterity.

I'm pretty sure 3.0 had no mention of handedness anywhere, ever, other than TWF. So the feat is pretty silly otherwise. It's not like you can actually lose a hand, according to the rules, anyway.

Drascin
2008-11-10, 08:19 AM
This is true for all games that have been converted to D20, frankly. Mutants and Masterminds is a possible exception - possible, if you consider it a conversion of some other superhero/universal game to D20 mechanics.

Nah, it was made with the explicit objective of being a d20 superhero game, and it shows - most conversions are kind of... patchy at times, which it isn't.

But then, the conversion of most anything to anything generally has problems, unless the two games have similar underlying philosophy.

valadil
2008-11-10, 08:23 AM
It is from Dragon magazine, and is poorly worded and not very well implemented. The feat was almost certainly inspired by Sauron/Moloch, so in that sense its a pretty good idea.

Characters level 20+ are probably immune to fear anyway.

It doesn't seem like a bad flavor feat for a BBEG.

Tsotha-lanti
2008-11-10, 08:28 AM
Nah, it was made with the explicit objective of being a d20 superhero game, and it shows - most conversions are kind of... patchy at times, which it isn't.

Heck yes. Compare, say, Conan d20 (an original d20 game) to, say, Fading Suns d20. Oh god, it still burns my brain to remember that book. They basically copied the FS manual and slapped d20 mechanics over the existing mechanics. You'd think they'd at least have the decency to actually write up a new book or something, maybe with their own interior art and layout... no, it's page for page the same, except the d20 rules bits.

Tempest Fennac
2008-11-10, 08:36 AM
I thought that when it said about removing penalties that it meant it got rid of the -2 penalty which off-hand attacks still recieved if you had TWF (I'm not that familiar with how TWF worked in the 3.0 version).

The Glyphstone
2008-11-10, 08:56 AM
And at Level 20, a -2 penalty for being shaken isn't exactly earthshaking...

hewhosaysfish
2008-11-10, 09:11 AM
It's especially fin given that speaking is a free action.
The achwizard Bob can just go:
"Bob.... Bob. Bob. Bob, Bob, Bob, Bob, Bob. Bobobobobobobobobobobob"
until everyone fails their saves.
It means that allowing a save is kinda pointless. All it acheives is forcing the Bob to sound stupid while he terrifies everyone.

Even stupider, if you go for a literal reading of what the text says, then you can be frightened by the sound of your own name. The bit exempting you from the effects only applies to saying your terrifying name not to [i]hearing[i] it.

Andy the Fighter: Hello, Bob! AAAAAAAAAAAAAAARRGH!
Bob the Wizard: AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAARGH!

:smallsmile:

RebelRogue
2008-11-10, 11:10 AM
Even stupider, if you go for a literal reading of what the text says, then you can be frightened by the sound of your own name.
Well, actually it says "other than you", so that's not true.

Weiser_Cain
2008-11-10, 11:15 AM
What if you made a simulacrum and got stuck in a loop of fear?

Bayar
2008-11-10, 11:16 AM
Name of the mage (http://realmshelps.dandello.net/cgi-bin/feats.pl?Name_of_the_Mage,all)
So basically it's a feat that causes your name to become a fear effect. My problem with the feat is that people with HD equal or near your HD you should have some sort of immunity or different type of save.

I may understand fighters being afraid of that lvl 21 Wizard, but a 21 druid, wizard or cleric shouldn't be afraid. Not to mention any fight involving someone with arcane caster levels and the feat (yes even if the enemy is a bard) he could just use free actions to speak to say his name.

And third what if the arcane caster named 'Bob' takes the feat, does every Bob in the world has to change their name now?

http://www.wowtcgdb.com/images/medium/tim.jpg

Heliomance
2008-11-10, 01:52 PM
How would it make TWF more powerful? In 3.5, it's rolled up into TWF, and the penalties for fighting with two weapons with the TWF feat are the same as in 3.0 with TWF and Ambidexterity.

I'm pretty sure 3.0 had no mention of handedness anywhere, ever, other than TWF. So the feat is pretty silly otherwise. It's not like you can actually lose a hand, according to the rules, anyway.

As I read it, it completely negates the penalties for TWF.

Doug Lampert
2008-11-10, 01:59 PM
As I read it, it completely negates the penalties for TWF.The 3.0 PHB was VERY clear that this wasn't the case. The feats listed the penalties and there was a table giving the penalties.

Ambidexterous meant that if you attacked with ONLY one weapon it could be at full strength from either hand, but if you used two you still took the TWF penalties.

Akisa
2008-11-10, 02:07 PM
And at Level 20, a -2 penalty for being shaken isn't exactly earthshaking...

I'm not saying it's over powered but it just makes me go huh

Tsotha-lanti
2008-11-10, 02:13 PM
As I read it, it completely negates the penalties for TWF.

No, it negates the -4 penalty for using your off-hand for the other weapon. I don't see how you get that from it.


Ambidexterous meant that if you attacked with ONLY one weapon it could be at full strength from either hand, but if you used two you still took the TWF penalties.

I wasn't aware it did this, actually. I don't think that was actually stated anywhere. It was just supposed to negate the -4 to hit for using your off-hand (which means both hands have the same penalty to hit when TWFing; you'll notice that 3.5 TWF also reduces the penalty for the off-hand attack by 4, in addition to reducing both of the penalties by 2).

derfenrirwolv
2008-11-10, 02:14 PM
Benefit: You ignore all penalties for using an off-hand. You are neither right handed nor left handed.


This negates the penalties for using an off hand... not for using something else in the other hand. What this meant is that if you were swinging two short swords the right hand was at -2 for being dual weilded and the left was at -4 for being dual weilded AND -2 for being in the off hand for a total of -6. This feat negated the -2 for being offhanded (to attack at -2 -4) and two weapon fighting made it -2 -2 .


in 2.0, two weapon fighting was god. It was THE way to go for a warrior. You almost doubled the amount of damage a two handed fighter could do. So in 3.0 they made a few changes to nerf it, and required two feats to get it. (ambidexterity and 2 weapon fighting). But along with two handers doing 1.5 times damage, and needing to take a full attack to use two weapon fighting (which is completely campaign dependant how often you get to do that)

ChaosDefender24
2008-11-10, 03:17 PM
Skill Focus (Speak Language)

Hur hur hur

Vinotaur
2008-11-10, 04:11 PM
But here's the question, do you get full str bonus on both attacks with ambi? Because if you do, it's actually worth TWFing, and based on the wording presented here, it seems like that would be the case.

holywhippet
2008-11-10, 06:09 PM
There was a 3.0 feat in the song and silence splatbook that allowed made your bard song able to affect plants. Seriously, what? I mean there are monsters that are plant type, but would you really spend an entire feat just to be able to sing to a shambling mound?

monty
2008-11-10, 06:11 PM
There was a 3.0 feat in the song and silence splatbook that allowed made your bard song able to affect plants. Seriously, what? I mean there are monsters that are plant type, but would you really spend an entire feat just to be able to sing to a shambling mound?

Very campaign-specific, maybe.

On that note, I remember seeing a feat somewhere that let you use the gaze attack of a monster if you cut its head off and carry it around. Now that's just weird.

Heliomance
2008-11-10, 06:14 PM
I still think Assassin's Strike wins. You will note that there is no save mentioned.

Alleine
2008-11-10, 06:57 PM
Most of the Dragon Magazine feats make me go 'huh?' Either that or 'oooh, mwahahaha!' And then there's the flaws in dragon mag. They are either completely ridiculous like chicken infested, or nullify the key abilities of specific classes.

Yukitsu
2008-11-10, 07:05 PM
invisible spell.

Mephit
2008-11-10, 07:11 PM
invisible spell.

That's an incredibly useful spell. Your enemy doesn't see what you are casting, and when combined with a summon monster spell...:smallbiggrin:
I'll let you figure that out.

monty
2008-11-10, 07:16 PM
That's an incredibly useful spell. Your enemy doesn't see what you are casting, and when combined with a summon monster spell...:smallbiggrin:
I'll let you figure that out.

I think that's what he means. Used properly, it's just ridiculous.

KKL
2008-11-10, 07:27 PM
All the +2 skill feats in the PHB make me go "huh."

monty
2008-11-10, 07:36 PM
All the +2 skill feats in the PHB make me go "huh."

Some of them have their place. Negotiator and Skill Focus (Diplomacy) - every bit helps when it comes to Diplomacheese. Same for UMD.

Fax Celestis
2008-11-10, 07:38 PM
Some of them have their place. Negotiator and Skill Focus (Diplomacy) - every bit helps when it comes to Diplomacheese. Same for UMD.

You...do realize you're quoting the two most broken and/or abusable abilities in the game?

Yukitsu
2008-11-10, 07:40 PM
That's an incredibly useful spell. Your enemy doesn't see what you are casting, and when combined with a summon monster spell...:smallbiggrin:
I'll let you figure that out.

I prefer putting it on things that are really inane, like figments. Shadow conjured walls are fun too.

monty
2008-11-10, 07:41 PM
You...do realize you're quoting the two most broken and/or abusable abilities in the game?

Yes. Just saying, those feats aren't completely useless.

Flickerdart
2008-11-10, 08:32 PM
I don't care how useless that feat it. My next character will be Seize Them the Bard, that has so far escaped from every throne room untouched.

hewhosaysfish
2008-11-11, 11:26 AM
Well, actually it says "other than you", so that's not true.

D'oh! Missed the second occurence of "other than you". (I blame the parentsparentheses).

Roderick_BR
2008-11-11, 02:19 PM
There was a 3.0 feat in the song and silence splatbook that allowed made your bard song able to affect plants. Seriously, what? I mean there are monsters that are plant type, but would you really spend an entire feat just to be able to sing to a shambling mound?
Yes :) And one for zombies, and one for constructs, maybe more. And I'm pretty sure they've been updated to 3.5
And if you call the bard's abilities sjust "sing", well...


Very campaign-specific, maybe.
As much as the normal Bard songs. If you fight only plants, zombies, elementals, and constructs (which can easily happen), you'll be useless, like a rogue that can't Sneak Attack (and there are feats for a rogue to use his SA against these creatures).

On that note, I remember seeing a feat somewhere that let you use the gaze attack of a monster if you cut its head off and carry it around. Now that's just weird.
Like in the God of War game?:smallbiggrin: You use a beheaded Medusa's head to petrify enemies.


All the +2 skill feats in the PHB make me go "huh."
The World's Shortest Adventure (A.K.A. The Orc and the Pie), have a feat called something like "Another generic feat that gives a +2 bonus in two skills."

Inyssius Tor
2008-11-11, 02:55 PM
Drow Heretic (4e).

+2 to damage versus spiders.

Spiders!

derfenrirwolv
2008-11-11, 11:59 PM
On that note, I remember seeing a feat somewhere that let you use the gaze attack of a monster if you cut its head off and carry it around. Now that's just weird.

Like in the God of War game? You use a beheaded Medusa's head to petrify enemies.



*sigh* This one is both older than you think

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Clash_Of_The_Titans


AND older than dirt.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Perseus

(caution: Not safe for those who don't like greek statues)

Weiser_Cain
2008-11-12, 12:04 AM
I always felt sorry for Medusa.

monty
2008-11-12, 12:43 AM
*sigh* This one is both older than you think

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Clash_Of_The_Titans


AND older than dirt.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Perseus

(caution: Not safe for those who don't like greek statues)

Yeah, but you need a FEAT for it. To carry a head around and show it at people!

Tsotha-lanti
2008-11-12, 12:55 AM
Yeah, but you need a FEAT for it. To carry a head around and show it at people!

That's because the head itself isn't the source of the gaze attack, the feat is. Go figure what the logic there is, but a dead D&D medusa has no petrifying gaze - a dead D&D medusa's head wielded with that feat does.