Feat Freebies [Archive] - Wizards Community

Feat Freebies [Archive] - Wizards Community

Post/Author/DateTime Post
Kaleanae en'i Mori
10-13-04, 07:20 PM Could you in theory grant a feat outside the normal rules? Example PC writes a very good bio says stating how the character was adopted into a house thru via a noble member who adopted them after bringing them up, trainig them etc etc. The character would have House contacts, particualrly their benefactor and his associate/henchmen. Would you say it is practical to allow the pc to take "favoured by House" feat at no charge?

I think it possibel but perhaps within reason and one does not go overboard on the concept.
GMSteve
10-13-04, 08:11 PM Well one of the things that I often do in a campaign is give every character a background feat.

Based on their backgrounds - I allow them choices of about 10 to 12 feats, and more if they want it. Usually take things like education, favored in house, etc. And then make up some of my own. This keeps it fair to everbody.

Similar to the idea of regional feats - (which would really work in EB IMHO - since this game seems a lot more tied to where you are from rather than what race you are.)

Just some ideas - besides the FR regional feats, there were a few good articles in dragon a while ago for GH regional feats. Pick a few and and use them in your campaign, add education and favored in house to a few of them, and away you go....
Solarious
10-13-04, 08:15 PM If you really want to give players certain feats, feel free to do so. Some feats, such as the skill-related ones, are not very pratical. In your case, Favored in House doesn't impact a character in any way except the plot, which you control. Don't let them use it to go around major obstacles, but you can let them use the feat to get information on someone, or maybe get a little assistance if they're having trouble with getting on with step two.

Don't let them take the feat for granted however: Favoured in House means the character has strong ties with that house, and you can use it to drag them into house politics wheter they like it or not. Really, how abusable a feat is depends greatly on how much you let them abuse it, especially one that is related to the plot and NPCs.
Edymnion
10-13-04, 09:38 PM Yeah, you could, but I'd advise you to limit the selection of what they can have, and not let them take anything that can be used as a prereq for something else.

For example, lets say a hypothetical Fighter PrC requires Toughness to get into it. Now, part of the balancing factor for this PrC is that the player has to essentially waste a feat to get into it. If you just gave him the Toughness feat for free, you've basically removed a prereq from the PrC.

Also depends heavily on what the PC is, what the feat they want is, and the player. For example, I have a Sorceress in Faerun. DM really liked the amount of work I put into her background and description, and where I wanted to take her. Thing is, I saw her as being very skilled in using a spear, which I took as her main weapon. I wanted to do flavorful twirls and strikes with her spear when the magic gave out, and the DM essentially gave me TWF and made the spear a double weapon (one head is a spear, other head is a quarterstaff). Now, the character has an 11 for strength, and a terrible BAB, and if she has to resort to actually USING her spear in a major combat, she's dead anyway, so its not a gamebreaker (and he knew I wouldn't intentionally abuse it).

Now, if that had been a rogue, that was dual weilding shortswords, he would have been crazy to give me TWF for free.

So bottom line, look each character over, where they are now and where they want to go, look at the player and see if they're someone you could trust not to abuse a more powerful feat, and look at the feats themselves to see if they could potentially break something later on.
pookha
10-13-04, 11:17 PM In the campaign I've been running for a while (pre-Eberron) I am going to give out action points and one of the action point feats to each character for finishing out a major story line. Each of my characters receives one minor feat based on background at campaign start (rogue got dash, cleric got weapon focus: rapier, ranger got toughness, wizard got extra starting spells). They are going to have to free a Balor from its Kyton Artificer forged chains to receive the action points and action point feat.
Save-vs-DM
10-14-04, 12:14 AM I've done this all the time. The key is choosing what feats to give them. Generally I tend to do things like:
Education
Research
Investigate
Favored in House
Any of the +2/+2 skill feats
A few regional feats found in dragon.

Generally the advice above is good, but I've done it and it hasn't been a game breaker.

Cheers,
Save vs DM
Just another user
10-14-04, 03:53 AM A DM can do everything he want, but it is really necessary?

Why don't you just make the adoption a background element without using particolar rules for it. The character have a contact in one of the Dragonmarked houses, this mean advantages (he can get help and information) but even disadvantages (his father could ask for his help, for free, of course, would you make pay your father? (he could pay the other party members eventually), he could get in troubles, kidnapped, etc and you must save him, and because he is willing to help you, it doesn't mean the other members of the house would, you could even have personal enmities inside it (rivals of your father, his true son, the ex-wife that would be the heir of his fortune is something happens to you, etc).
Just make him pay it with something else than a feat slot.

Post/Author/DateTime	Post
Kaleanae en'i Mori 10-13-04, 07:20 PM	Could you in theory grant a feat outside the normal rules? Example PC writes a very good bio says stating how the character was adopted into a house thru via a noble member who adopted them after bringing them up, trainig them etc etc. The character would have House contacts, particualrly their benefactor and his associate/henchmen. Would you say it is practical to allow the pc to take "favoured by House" feat at no charge? I think it possibel but perhaps within reason and one does not go overboard on the concept.
GMSteve 10-13-04, 08:11 PM	Well one of the things that I often do in a campaign is give every character a background feat. Based on their backgrounds - I allow them choices of about 10 to 12 feats, and more if they want it. Usually take things like education, favored in house, etc. And then make up some of my own. This keeps it fair to everbody. Similar to the idea of regional feats - (which would really work in EB IMHO - since this game seems a lot more tied to where you are from rather than what race you are.) Just some ideas - besides the FR regional feats, there were a few good articles in dragon a while ago for GH regional feats. Pick a few and and use them in your campaign, add education and favored in house to a few of them, and away you go....
Solarious 10-13-04, 08:15 PM	If you really want to give players certain feats, feel free to do so. Some feats, such as the skill-related ones, are not very pratical. In your case, Favored in House doesn't impact a character in any way except the plot, which you control. Don't let them use it to go around major obstacles, but you can let them use the feat to get information on someone, or maybe get a little assistance if they're having trouble with getting on with step two. Don't let them take the feat for granted however: Favoured in House means the character has strong ties with that house, and you can use it to drag them into house politics wheter they like it or not. Really, how abusable a feat is depends greatly on how much you let them abuse it, especially one that is related to the plot and NPCs.
Edymnion 10-13-04, 09:38 PM	Yeah, you could, but I'd advise you to limit the selection of what they can have, and not let them take anything that can be used as a prereq for something else. For example, lets say a hypothetical Fighter PrC requires Toughness to get into it. Now, part of the balancing factor for this PrC is that the player has to essentially waste a feat to get into it. If you just gave him the Toughness feat for free, you've basically removed a prereq from the PrC. Also depends heavily on what the PC is, what the feat they want is, and the player. For example, I have a Sorceress in Faerun. DM really liked the amount of work I put into her background and description, and where I wanted to take her. Thing is, I saw her as being very skilled in using a spear, which I took as her main weapon. I wanted to do flavorful twirls and strikes with her spear when the magic gave out, and the DM essentially gave me TWF and made the spear a double weapon (one head is a spear, other head is a quarterstaff). Now, the character has an 11 for strength, and a terrible BAB, and if she has to resort to actually USING her spear in a major combat, she's dead anyway, so its not a gamebreaker (and he knew I wouldn't intentionally abuse it). Now, if that had been a rogue, that was dual weilding shortswords, he would have been crazy to give me TWF for free. So bottom line, look each character over, where they are now and where they want to go, look at the player and see if they're someone you could trust not to abuse a more powerful feat, and look at the feats themselves to see if they could potentially break something later on.
pookha 10-13-04, 11:17 PM	In the campaign I've been running for a while (pre-Eberron) I am going to give out action points and one of the action point feats to each character for finishing out a major story line. Each of my characters receives one minor feat based on background at campaign start (rogue got dash, cleric got weapon focus: rapier, ranger got toughness, wizard got extra starting spells). They are going to have to free a Balor from its Kyton Artificer forged chains to receive the action points and action point feat.
Save-vs-DM 10-14-04, 12:14 AM	I've done this all the time. The key is choosing what feats to give them. Generally I tend to do things like: Education Research Investigate Favored in House Any of the +2/+2 skill feats A few regional feats found in dragon. Generally the advice above is good, but I've done it and it hasn't been a game breaker. Cheers, Save vs DM
Just another user 10-14-04, 03:53 AM	A DM can do everything he want, but it is really necessary? Why don't you just make the adoption a background element without using particolar rules for it. The character have a contact in one of the Dragonmarked houses, this mean advantages (he can get help and information) but even disadvantages (his father could ask for his help, for free, of course, would you make pay your father? (he could pay the other party members eventually), he could get in troubles, kidnapped, etc and you must save him, and because he is willing to help you, it doesn't mean the other members of the house would, you could even have personal enmities inside it (rivals of your father, his true son, the ex-wife that would be the heir of his fortune is something happens to you, etc). Just make him pay it with something else than a feat slot.