Post/Author/DateTime	Post
Lavis Knight 01-04-05, 08:14 PM	For a Healer/Melee Combatant are these two feats worth the cost they present in feat selection? (He is lightly armored) Thank you ^_^ -Lavis
Sang-Drax 01-04-05, 08:45 PM	Elusive Target is just the best defensive feat ever!
trapspringer 01-04-05, 08:49 PM	It is really powerful. The guy you dodge can't power attack you, who ever you dodge gets to automatically miss with their first attack, and you gain the ability to trip people with out risking your own neck. That is pretty sweet. It makes good sense for a healer, who needs to be up close to the party but may not be as capable in melee as the meat sheilds he is trying desperatly to hold together. But the best defensive feat ever, probobly not. I think probobly dodge or VoP would be the best defensive feat ever.
Lavis Knight 01-04-05, 08:52 PM	What about Spring Attack? ^_^
Platinumwarlock 01-04-05, 09:12 PM	I have both feats for my 18th level Gestalt Cleric/Monk and they've worked out really well. Generally, if I have time to buff, I'll cast spells like Righteous Might and Divine Power, then wade into combat and let the opponents flank me. That way, I can get them with the Diverting Strike (at least I think that's what it's called). For those situations where I can't buff, I simply peck them to death with my massive speed from the Monk class and Spring Attack. Not a bad combo, all told.
rilem 01-04-05, 10:22 PM	Spring Attack is also quite useful in that it keeps you out of harm's way. It's real effectiveness varies with the combat style, however. The feat is best for characters that have the firepower to hit hard, but lack the durability to withstand the full attack of a powerful foe. That makes it ideal for rogues, for example, as they are lightly armored and have relatively low Hit Points, but can pack a wallop if they spring attack into flanking position, sneak attack and then dart away. The feat also works best with a big weapon -- you're only getting in one hit this round, so better it be a Greatsword than a dagger. Finally, it requires a good movement to be really useful. If you've only got a 20 foot move (a heavily armored cleric or a gnome, for example), you probably won't be able to get far enough away from a monster with reach to avoid a full attack, even with spring attack. So: For a Barbarian1/RogueX with a greatsword, it's dynamite. For a club-wielding gnome cleric in fullplate, not so much. ADDENDUM: I forgot to mention. Some influential and savvy posters have argued that Spring Attack's biggest downside is that it makes combats last too long. Long combats mean more chances for something to go REALLY wrong. Not sure I agree, but figured I'd mention it.
Mommy was an Orc 01-05-05, 12:16 AM	That's not quite how it works... Power Attack, correct. Dodge - only when you've been flanked for a round and then designate a dodge target. That means two people attacking you and having attacked you for at least a round. Trip - this only occurs when you leave a threatened square and the guy misses on the AoO. It is really powerful. The guy you dodge can't power attack you, who ever you dodge gets to automatically miss with their first attack, and you gain the ability to trip people with out risking your own neck. That is pretty sweet.
Tempest Stormwind 01-05-05, 03:17 AM	Spring Attack is wonderful with many psionic characters as well, considering that it gets them out of harms way for long enough to regain focus. I've seen elocators with greatswords flaunting their Greater Psionic Weapon and/or Deep Impact feats when using Spring Attack; it's not pretty being on the recieving end of that one. Elusive Target is one of the best defensive feats of all time, particularily among the lightly-armored sorts or those who need to move a fair bit and don't want to get hit. Clerics fall in the latter category. I personally think Dodge is a bit underpowered, akin to Weapon Focus (as in respectable at low levels, worth it only as a prerequisite later). If I were to GM a session again (which is unlikely; I'm not creative enough on the fly, despite a good sense of the rules), I'd probably houserule it to be +1 dodge AC to everything, with an extra +1 on a target you choose, or something similar.
charlesatan 01-05-05, 03:30 AM	Elusive Target is great, although be sure to declare it on the right target (i.e. if you declare it on the first NPC that comes close to you, the second NPC might be the one doing the flanking and you lose out on the opportunit for his first attack to hit the other guy... but then again, the first NPC might be the one using Power Attack). Spring Attack: first off, just to warn you, it's not a feat you can benefit from while wearing heavy armor. Second, you have to be able to move at least 20 ft. per round (10 feet to get to the opponent, another 10 feet to get away). It's only really good if you're making hit-and-run attacks. As for attacks of opportunity, just plain Mobility might be handy since the +4 AC bonus applies to all attacks of opportunity; Spring Attack only prevents attacks of opportunity from the target you're attacking and no one else.
Snow Savant 01-05-05, 03:51 AM	For a Healer/Melee Combatant are these two feats worth the cost they present in feat selection? (He is lightly armored) Thank you ^_^ -LavisThat really depends on your build, Lavis. I wouldn't take any advice until you give us an idea as to the exact level and build setup you are playing at. Add in your teammates builds as well. SA/ET *can* be a good combo, but only under exacting conditions. It's not a good catch-all combat style, since it is often meant for specialized mobility combatants. That being said, ET is definitely one of the better martial feats in the game (along with its sisters Shock Trooper and Combat Brute). XO, Snow :cloud9:
Lavis Knight 01-05-05, 06:44 AM	Thank you for all the replies ^_^ as for my build it is going to look like this so far: Evangelist 7/Human Paragon 3/Lavis Hospitaler 10 Domains: Healing, War (Greatsword), Celerity (For an Extra 10ft) Custom PRC is here: http://boards1.wizards.com/showthread.php?t=321583 Feats i want to choose so far are here: Skill Focus (Heal) Weapon Focus (Any) Augmented Healing Dodge Elusive Target Mobility Improved Initiative Spring Attack Flaw:Material Devotion (Can only use wands or staffs that have spells in your domains, it's from a recent Dragon Magazine) Alternatively i was thinking of maybe taking 3 levels in Martial Monk for Evasion, Wis to AC, 2 Fighter Bonus feats and another 10ft speed boost. What do you think ^^? -Lavis
Fourshadow 01-05-05, 01:41 PM	Is the text for Elusive Target in CW or another book? I've not encountered it before....
Tempest Stormwind 01-05-05, 02:46 PM	Is the text for Elusive Target in CW or another book? I've not encountered it before.... Complete Warrior, and it's one of the three best tactical feats from there. (Tactical feats, introduced in CW, give you access to three advanced tactical maneuvers, but they require some setup on your part -- such as charging an opponent, then taking a -5 Power Attack on the next round). It's the one based entirely on taunting people who can't hit you. If you've played Soul Calibur and have seen Raphael's auto-evades, you have a pretty good idea already.
Lavis Knight 01-05-05, 06:03 PM	Any suggestions ^_^? Thank you for all the replies ^_^ as for my build it is going to look like this so far: Evangelist 7/Human Paragon 3/Lavis Hospitaler 10 Domains: Healing, War (Greatsword), Celerity (For an Extra 10ft) Custom PRC is here: http://boards1.wizards.com/showthread.php?t=321583 Feats i want to choose so far are here: Skill Focus (Heal) Weapon Focus (Any) Augmented Healing Dodge Elusive Target Mobility Improved Initiative Spring Attack Flaw:Material Devotion (Can only use wands or staffs that have spells in your domains, it's from a recent Dragon Magazine) Alternatively i was thinking of maybe taking 3 levels in Martial Monk for Evasion, Wis to AC, 2 Fighter Bonus feats and another 10ft speed boost.
trapspringer 01-05-05, 06:06 PM	Yea, I know, I just didn't want to type it out in detail. Sorry for making you post.