Rate my Feats [Archive] - Wizards Community

Rate my Feats [Archive] - Wizards Community

Post/Author/DateTime Post
HellflameArcanite
02-23-07, 04:52 PM I have come up with some new feats for my newly developing homebrew world. They are for a group known as the Mages Iedel, a government-sanctioned group of wizards in the city of Mage. They include: Archivists (Knowledge people), Battlemages, Crafters (of Magic Items), Masters (as in Master-Apprentice), and Researchers (creators of new spells.) Feedback and possible additions are appreciated!

Variant Feats
Variant feats are feats that allow or help a character to become part of an organization. They modify a class instead of forcing a character to take a prestige class to become part of an organization, which mostly eliminates low-level members of an organization unless they do not have levels in that prestige class. They often remove some of the benefits of a class not needed by a member of that organization, to balance it out.

Archivist[Variant]
At the end of your apprenticeship to a master in the Mages Iedel, you have chosen to become an Archivist.
Prerequisites
1st Level Wizard, Intelligence 15, Apprenticeship in the Mages Iedel
Benefits
You gain a competence bonus equal to your wizard level on Knowledge(Arcana) checks, Knowledge(The Planes) checks, and one other type of Knowledge check (you cannot choose the above types to gain a double bonus). When using a library in the city of Mage, your circumstance bonus increases to +8 on related skill checks (see Rae’Iedel).
Special
This feat can only be taken as a 1st level Character. A Character with this feat does not gain bonus feats as a wizard.

Battlemage[Variant]
At the end of your apprenticeship to a master in the Mages Iedel, you have chosen to become a Battlemage.
Prerequisites
1st Level Wizard, Intelligence 15, specialization in the school of Evocation, Apprenticeship in the Mages Iedel.
Benefits
At every level of Wizard divisible by 5, you add 1 to the following things: Effective Caster Level for Evocation spells, DC for Evocation spells, and Caster Level Checks to overcome Spell Resistance with Evocation spells.
Special
This feat can only be taken as a 1st level Character. A Character with this feat does not gain bonus feats as a wizard.

Crafter[Variant]
At the end of your apprenticeship to a master in the Mages Iedel, you have chosen to become a Crafter.
Prerequisites
1st Level Wizard, Intelligence 15, Apprenticeship in the Mages Iedel.
Benefits
When crafting a magic item, subtract a percentage equal to your wizard level from the cost in money and XP needed to create a magic item. This does not reduce the amount of money or xp needed to cast any prerequisite spells – a scroll of Wish, for example, still requires the creator to pay 5,000 XP to cast wish. Likewise, any costly material components must still be purchased.
Special
This feat can only be taken as a 1st level Character. A Character with this feat does not gain bonus feats as a wizard.

Master[Variant]
At the end of your apprenticeship to a master in the Mages Iedel, you have decided to become a master yourself.
Prerequisites
1st Level Wizard, Intelligence 15, Apprenticeship in the Mages Iedel.
Benefits
You gain a competence bonus equal to your wizard level on Profession(Magical Teacher) checks (see Skills), Spellcraft checks, and Knowledge(Arcana) checks.
Special
This feat can only be taken as a 1st level Character. A Character with this feat does not gain bonus feats as a wizard.

Researcher[Variant]
At the end of your apprenticeship to a master in the Mages Iedel, you have decided to become a researcher.
Prerequisites
1st Level Wizard, Intelligence 15, Apprenticeship in the Mages Iedel.
Benefits
You gain a competence bonus equal to twice your wizard level on Spellcraft checks and equal to your wizard level on. Knowledge(Arcana) checks.
Special
This feat can only be taken as a 1st level Character. A Character with this feat does not gain bonus feats as a wizard.
HellflameArcanite
02-24-07, 09:26 AM Is anyone there to respond?
Thiez
02-24-07, 10:59 AM I'd say they are quite powerful, but the loss of bonus wizard feats will ensure nobody will EVER take these.

I'd really consider the Battle Mage feat, though. +4 CL, +8 CL for the purpose of doing SR, +4 DC... it might make evocation worth the trouble. It'd be nicer to take this feat as a sorcerer :(
Too bad you don't get any of those goodies at first level.
HellflameArcanite
02-24-07, 05:42 PM It may not be attractive to most PCs, but these were not intended to be feats mainly for the only wizard in a large group. These feats are primarily for NPCs, because the loss of bonus feats will not matter to a Battlemage of the Mages Iedel who has lots of crafters (who take item creation feats as feats gained normally as characters) at his or her disposal to create metamagic rods or various magic items for them. As noted above, these feats were created to augment certain roles in an NPC organization of hundreds, not nessecarily an adventuring party. However, they might be appealing to PCs who want to advance their specialization and have access to magic item markets or something like that.
Save-vs-DM
02-25-07, 03:13 PM The problem with these feats is that they are very much not worth the cost of 4 other bonus feats, especially reserve feats. The only exception to this is Battle Mage, which actually might be balanced with all the other bonus feat losses.

Your wording is also just a little bit awkward, or at least somewhat hard to understand in places.

Personally, I'd make these organization benefits with skill and other prerequisites.

Cheers,
Save vs DM
HellflameArcanite
02-25-07, 03:31 PM See, just giving them to any old member of the organization wasn't what I was going for. I was going for a highly specialized group that would ideally be balanced. However, Battlemages are the only ones that would be fighting often, and you have said that it's a good feat, so perhaps I will make the others Organization benefits. Battlemages is the only thing that would adjust CR anyway, so removing the Bonus feats would actually make the other members of the organization weaker in battle.

Post/Author/DateTime	Post
HellflameArcanite 02-23-07, 04:52 PM	I have come up with some new feats for my newly developing homebrew world. They are for a group known as the Mages Iedel, a government-sanctioned group of wizards in the city of Mage. They include: Archivists (Knowledge people), Battlemages, Crafters (of Magic Items), Masters (as in Master-Apprentice), and Researchers (creators of new spells.) Feedback and possible additions are appreciated! Variant Feats Variant feats are feats that allow or help a character to become part of an organization. They modify a class instead of forcing a character to take a prestige class to become part of an organization, which mostly eliminates low-level members of an organization unless they do not have levels in that prestige class. They often remove some of the benefits of a class not needed by a member of that organization, to balance it out. Archivist[Variant] At the end of your apprenticeship to a master in the Mages Iedel, you have chosen to become an Archivist. Prerequisites 1st Level Wizard, Intelligence 15, Apprenticeship in the Mages Iedel Benefits You gain a competence bonus equal to your wizard level on Knowledge(Arcana) checks, Knowledge(The Planes) checks, and one other type of Knowledge check (you cannot choose the above types to gain a double bonus). When using a library in the city of Mage, your circumstance bonus increases to +8 on related skill checks (see Rae’Iedel). Special This feat can only be taken as a 1st level Character. A Character with this feat does not gain bonus feats as a wizard. Battlemage[Variant] At the end of your apprenticeship to a master in the Mages Iedel, you have chosen to become a Battlemage. Prerequisites 1st Level Wizard, Intelligence 15, specialization in the school of Evocation, Apprenticeship in the Mages Iedel. Benefits At every level of Wizard divisible by 5, you add 1 to the following things: Effective Caster Level for Evocation spells, DC for Evocation spells, and Caster Level Checks to overcome Spell Resistance with Evocation spells. Special This feat can only be taken as a 1st level Character. A Character with this feat does not gain bonus feats as a wizard. Crafter[Variant] At the end of your apprenticeship to a master in the Mages Iedel, you have chosen to become a Crafter. Prerequisites 1st Level Wizard, Intelligence 15, Apprenticeship in the Mages Iedel. Benefits When crafting a magic item, subtract a percentage equal to your wizard level from the cost in money and XP needed to create a magic item. This does not reduce the amount of money or xp needed to cast any prerequisite spells – a scroll of Wish, for example, still requires the creator to pay 5,000 XP to cast wish. Likewise, any costly material components must still be purchased. Special This feat can only be taken as a 1st level Character. A Character with this feat does not gain bonus feats as a wizard. Master[Variant] At the end of your apprenticeship to a master in the Mages Iedel, you have decided to become a master yourself. Prerequisites 1st Level Wizard, Intelligence 15, Apprenticeship in the Mages Iedel. Benefits You gain a competence bonus equal to your wizard level on Profession(Magical Teacher) checks (see Skills), Spellcraft checks, and Knowledge(Arcana) checks. Special This feat can only be taken as a 1st level Character. A Character with this feat does not gain bonus feats as a wizard. Researcher[Variant] At the end of your apprenticeship to a master in the Mages Iedel, you have decided to become a researcher. Prerequisites 1st Level Wizard, Intelligence 15, Apprenticeship in the Mages Iedel. Benefits You gain a competence bonus equal to twice your wizard level on Spellcraft checks and equal to your wizard level on. Knowledge(Arcana) checks. Special This feat can only be taken as a 1st level Character. A Character with this feat does not gain bonus feats as a wizard.
HellflameArcanite 02-24-07, 09:26 AM	Is anyone there to respond?
Thiez 02-24-07, 10:59 AM	I'd say they are quite powerful, but the loss of bonus wizard feats will ensure nobody will EVER take these. I'd really consider the Battle Mage feat, though. +4 CL, +8 CL for the purpose of doing SR, +4 DC... it might make evocation worth the trouble. It'd be nicer to take this feat as a sorcerer :( Too bad you don't get any of those goodies at first level.
HellflameArcanite 02-24-07, 05:42 PM	It may not be attractive to most PCs, but these were not intended to be feats mainly for the only wizard in a large group. These feats are primarily for NPCs, because the loss of bonus feats will not matter to a Battlemage of the Mages Iedel who has lots of crafters (who take item creation feats as feats gained normally as characters) at his or her disposal to create metamagic rods or various magic items for them. As noted above, these feats were created to augment certain roles in an NPC organization of hundreds, not nessecarily an adventuring party. However, they might be appealing to PCs who want to advance their specialization and have access to magic item markets or something like that.
Save-vs-DM 02-25-07, 03:13 PM	The problem with these feats is that they are very much not worth the cost of 4 other bonus feats, especially reserve feats. The only exception to this is Battle Mage, which actually might be balanced with all the other bonus feat losses. Your wording is also just a little bit awkward, or at least somewhat hard to understand in places. Personally, I'd make these organization benefits with skill and other prerequisites. Cheers, Save vs DM
HellflameArcanite 02-25-07, 03:31 PM	See, just giving them to any old member of the organization wasn't what I was going for. I was going for a highly specialized group that would ideally be balanced. However, Battlemages are the only ones that would be fighting often, and you have said that it's a good feat, so perhaps I will make the others Organization benefits. Battlemages is the only thing that would adjust CR anyway, so removing the Bonus feats would actually make the other members of the organization weaker in battle.