(3.5) The Featmonger

[ranagrande]

I was bored, so I decided to try to see how many feats I could fit into a level 20 build. This character is ridiculous and definitely not optimal, but I think it would actually be fun to play. Here's what I have so far:

Cleric 1/Divine Mind 1/Dragonfire Adept 1/Fighter 2/Marshall 1/Monk 2/Psion 1/Psychic Warrior 2/Ranger 2/Rogue(using the Fighter bonus feat variant) 2/Sorcerer(using the Dragonblood substitution level) 1/Samurai 1/Swashbuckler 1/Wizard 1/Wu Jen 1

Things are listed alphabetically for the most part. Rogue should be taken at first level of course.

It has Alertness (granted by the Wizard familiar), Draconic Heritage, Dragontouched, Exotic Weapon Proficiency(bastard sword), Improved Unarmed Strike, Skill Focus(diplomacy), Scribe Scroll, Track, Weapon Finesse, and Wild Talent.

It also has your choice of Combat Reflexes or Deflect Arrows, your choice of Improved Grapple or Stunning Fist, and your choice of Rapid Shot or Two-Weapon Fighting.

For the Cleric domains, pick any two of the Darkness, Drow, Dwarf, Elf, Metal, Planning, Time, Undeath, and/or War domains to get free Blind-Fight, Lightning Reflexes, Great Fortitude, Point Blank Shot, Weapon Focus(light hammer or warhammer), Extend Spell, Improved Initiative, Extra Turning and/or Weapon Focus(your deity's favored weapon), respectively.

It also gets four Fighter bonus feats, two bonus fighter or psionic feats, one bonus metamagic feat, and one bonus psionic or metapsionic or psionic item creation feat.

With two flaws and the Human bonus, it also gets 10 additional feats.

A Kobold can have the same number of feats as a Human thanks to the Kobold Fighter 1 substitution level. Kobolds are generally more fun, but it does lose a little versatility that way. A Kobold would exchange the Human bonus feat and one Fighter bonus feat for Dodge and Weapon Focus(any spear).

So that's a total of 33 feats, not counting non-exotic proficiencies. That's not too bad, but I think there's room for improvement. I know Pun-Pun can have every feat that ever existed anywhere, but I'm looking for something a little more playable.

If you were going to play this character, what kind of strategy would you use? If someone else brought this character to a game that you were running or playing, what would your reaction be?

[Frosty]

Depends. What is the final BAB of this build?

[ranagrande]

Depends. What is the final BAB of this build?

+9

[Boci]

+9

What about using fragmented BAB progression?

Aklso I believe the feat variant rogue only grants bonus feats when it gets SA, not when the fighter gets them.

[jiriku]

That is a monstrosity. I would laugh until I fell out of my chair. Nicely done!

Replacing the second level of rogue with Swordsage 1 will get you weapon focus as a bonus feat, preserving your total of 33 feats.

Also, take cloistered cleric instead of regular cleric. You'll gain Knowledge as a bonus domain, which you can trade in for the Knowledge Devotion, for a total of 34 feats.

[Pyredup]

If you spend your lvl 1 feat on Sacred Vow and your human bonus feat on Vow of Poverty you'll be granted 11 additional bonus Exalted feats by the time you're level 20. (1 at first level then another at every even level beyond 1st).

[Frosty]

You know, you can then Chaos Shuffle away any useless feats...hmm...

[ranagrande]

Fractional BAB brings it up to a respectable +15.

Unearthed Arcana just says that the variant Rogue loses sneak attack and gains bonus feats "as fighter" so I still think it could work. Just in case that did end up being a DM call though, we can certainly go with something else instead.

The Swordsage will do nicely. Also, great catch on the Cloistered Cleric!

And yes, I agree. This character definitely needs Vow of Poverty. Unfortunately, that will probably come at the cost of Alertness, as I don't think a VoP character can have a familiar. It also makes the Wizard and Wu Jen levels pretty much useless.

So I would replace one of them with Ranger 3. After that, I think we have exhausted all of the base classes and must move on the prestige classes. There are lots of them to choose from, but for now I will go with the Reaping Mauler for a 2-for-1 deal.

So the changes from the first post: It loses Alertness, Scribe Scroll, the choice of first level Monk bonus feats, two general feats at level one, two Fighter bonus feats, and one metamagic bonus feat.

It gains Clever Wrestling, Endurance, Improved Grapple, Knowledge Devotion, Mobility, Sacred Vow, Stunning Fist, Vow of Poverty, and 11 bonus Exalted Feats.

For a grand total of 45 feats!

What else can we add?

[ranagrande]

Heh, Chaos Shuffle... that would be hilarious!

[Hadrian_Emrys]

Chaos shuffle?

[Boci]

Chaos shuffle?

Replace one feat for an abyssal heritor feat, then replace that for a normal feat. Turn the exalted feats into any feat you want. Uses two spells from Fienish Codex 1.

Unfortunately, that will probably come at the cost of Alertness, as I don't think a VoP character can have a familiar. It also makes the Wizard and Wu Jen levels pretty much useless.

You can have a familiar. Its a spell book you cannot have.

[Lamech]

Umm... I know elf has a bunch of weapon prof feats.

Also there is one location that gets free iron will. Touchstone feats can get you another (not all that useful) feat. (Chaos shuffle breaks it.) You can sell your soul for some. (Remember to kill whomever it was sold too.)

[ranagrande]

You can have a familiar. Its a spell book you cannot have.

Hrm... I wouldn't allow it because summoning a familiar costs 100 gold. I suppose they could always use the XP cost variant though.

[Signmaker]

extreme multiclassing for feats

For MOAR FEATS FTW, magical locations. Quite a few grant feats.

[Kylarra]

You can have a familiar. Its a spell book you cannot have.

Just trade that and scribe scroll out for Eidetic Spellcaster.

[Boci]

Hrm... I wouldn't allow it because summoning a familiar costs 100 gold. I suppose they could always use the XP cost variant though.

Or swap familiar for a feat.

[Curmudgeon]

Worship an Elder Evil (from the book) and get 5 more (Vile) feats by level 20.

[golentan]

Worship an Elder Evil (from the book) and get 5 more (Vile) feats by level 20.

Then you can't mash in VoP, which gives 11. And I think that alignment based feats need to be dialed up to 11.

[DragoonWraith]

Swordsage does not give just Weapon Focus. It gives Weapon Focus for each of the weapons of a chosen discipline. For Tiger Claw or Shadow Hand, that's six Weapon Foci.

[Milskidasith]

Then you can't mash in VoP, which gives 11. And I think that alignment based feats need to be dialed up to 11.

You can be a very poor follower of an evil lord. If you mean the feats are useless, so is everything else in this build; you still get the feats, just no benefit. And while we're worshipping evils, we can chaos shuffle away all the feats, woo! (if you mean that you can't be evil/good and get the feats, chaos shuffle + atonement. A small cost to pay to have 16 feats and keep your alignment).

[BobVosh]

So currently a 46?

Also why has no one mentioned the locations that grant feats? If we use 20 WBL we can easily buy the various ones. I don't know the actual feats that you can get with it.

[Godskook]

Does the OP care about the difference between real feats and 'virtual' feats? I.e., Swordsage's weapon focus isn't a true feat, far as I know, and is thus not a valid target for a chaos shuffle.

[toddex]

What about using fragmented BAB progression?

Aklso I believe the feat variant rogue only grants bonus feats when it gets SA, not when the fighter gets them.

Rogue

The rogue who favors martial training over stealth and cunning can profit if she chooses her fights carefully.
Gain

Bonus feats (as fighter).

What you suggested would be so effing terrible...

[Milskidasith]

What you suggested would be so effing terrible...

A rogue gains sneak attack every two levels. That's literally one less feat than a fighter 20, and it still works as a (one, not two) level dip build. Either way, it's bad, since fighter bonus feats are just bad in general.

[elliott20]

dear god... it's too beautiful

[DragoonWraith]

Does the OP care about the difference between real feats and 'virtual' feats? I.e., Swordsage's weapon focus isn't a true feat, far as I know, and is thus not a valid target for a chaos shuffle.

Ah, I suppose that is true, I just reread it and it says "you gain the benefit of the Weapon Focus feat..." rather than just gaining the feat. Seems like the almost were ready for the Dark Chaos Shuffle!

[Coidzor]

I just wonder if anyone has ever choreographed it...

[Haberdashery]

You need a legacy item. That's three more feats right there. Least, Lesser, and Greater Legacy.

[Kobold-Bard]

This is the greatest thing I've seen here in a long time. I may steal i and make it a BBEG of some sort. Thank you.

[Boci]

What you suggested would be so effing terrible...

I'm not suggesting it, I was just under the impression thats how it works. I'm all for that rogue variant gaining 11 bonus feats instead of 10.