Useless but fun feats? [Archive] - Wizards Community

Useless but fun feats? [Archive] - Wizards Community

Post/Author/DateTime Post
Netjack
12-07-07, 03:06 AM Know any?

I ask because I thought it would be fun to give people in my campaign some feats base on the back story they give me. However, I don't want to give them anything that could actually help them critically, or might help them at the start , but would be completely useless after a few levels.

For example, "I think I might be burned for this one" if one of my mage type class players tells me he was constantly hurting him self as a child, I would give him the toughness feat. +3 health would help him greatly at the start, but will seem useless later on.

or giving a barbarian the spell hand. "A rogue could actually make that useful" He would probably waste it on something silly, but it wouldn't really effect the rest of the game.

Any ideas?
draco1119
12-07-07, 03:50 AM Versatile Performer
Brachiation
Dash
The_Shaman
12-07-07, 04:04 AM I'd say most feats that give +2 to 2 skills are not that useful, but may tie with the character persona. Also, the Ranged X feats from CWarrior, while they can come in handy at times, are more for show.
eagleye
12-07-07, 04:19 AM Endureance. It's benefits are rarely used by DMs but the flavor of a strong-willed never-tiring Paladin with endurance is priceless. It's also a good step-up for Die Hard, which might also not be 100% useful but agian, the flavor!
Fireclave
12-07-07, 04:25 AM Skill Focus (some Craft or Profession skill).

Due to the nature of D&D, Craft and Profession skills rarely get any significant use by PCs, but they are great if you have a few points to spend and want to flesh out your character, define what their careers before pursuing the adventurer's path, and make a few coins when a few coins still means something.

Likewise, the skill bonus feats like Self-Sufficient, Investigator, and Nimble Fingers might be worth giving out. These feats aren't normally worth the slot unless you're planning on tricking out a particular skill to the max. And while a +2 bonus is very significant at lower levels, at higher level, it's normally just icing on the cake compared to the bonuses that players can get from spells, items, special abilities, skill synergy, etc.

A free weapon martial proficiency might be another choice to a much lesser extent. Martial classes are typically already proficient with all such weapons, and the softer spellcasters would only enjoy the full benefits of their new weapon until their AC, HP, and BaB starts to lag behind and the weapon quickly becomes a conversation piece. Medium Bab class, arguably, could potentially benefit greatly from an extra weapon proficiency since they they have the Bab to make use of them for their whole careers while at the same time often lack some of the more powerful weapon options. Though the difference in power between simple and martial weapons normally isn't too great.

If you try this, you might want to limit the weapons proficiencies available, and perhaps make bonus weapon options class specific.
Bloodsoul
12-07-07, 04:37 AM Persuasive fit one of my characters like a glove, flavor-wise, and I think the same could be said for Dark Speech...
jaelis
12-07-07, 10:04 AM Monkey grip
AtsuiShoto
12-07-07, 11:00 AM Communicator, Insightful, Necropolis Born, Night Haunt, Soul of the North, and (as mentioned before) Spell Hand.

These offer some useful enough spell-like abilities 1/day (mostly cantrips), but not so useful as to be worth a feat. I take 1 of these feats as a Barbarian/Fighter/Dragon Disciple, sometimes, just to qualify for the DD.
AstralFireIX
12-07-07, 11:17 AM http://www.d20srd.org/srd/variant/buildingCharacters/spelltouchedFeats.htm#spelltouchedFeatDe scriptions

Many of these.
icuall
12-07-07, 03:26 PM Competition Eating.... that is a useless feat.
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Just kidding.
ToastedAmphibian
12-07-07, 07:26 PM Communicator, Insightful, Necropolis Born, Night Haunt, Soul of the North, and (as mentioned before) Spell Hand.

These offer some useful enough spell-like abilities 1/day (mostly cantrips), but not so useful as to be worth a feat. I take 1 of these feats as a Barbarian/Fighter/Dragon Disciple, sometimes, just to qualify for the DD.

Hmm, a little off topic but....... I dont belive thoes would qualify you for dragon disciple. Dragon Disciple requiers you to be able to CAST arcane spells, not have spell-like abilites that mimic arcane spells. A level of assassin gets you there, but often isnt inline with a prospective dragon disciples character.

Your best bet is probably to just start of with Bard 1, then go into fighter/barbarian from there. you get more skill points and a much needed boost to reflex and will saves, and an exotic weapon that you will probably never use but could if you wanted to.

Or just take a level of sorcere, and take your spells as Shield and Enlarge. They wont last very long, but youll be able to use them alot in a day, and they both help you maximize your strength by letting you TWF and keep a shieldbonus and give you reach and a strenght boost.
runestar
12-07-07, 07:42 PM Skill focus: speak language.;)
AtsuiShoto
12-07-07, 07:45 PM The Dragon Disciple is so anti-caster that the prerequisite casting ability is pretty much flavor only, anyway. Also, going the feat route loses out on the bonus feat progression (not like you're losing much, but still) and eats a valuable feat slot. Maybe it isn't exactly following RAW, but it's in the spirit of the rules, I think. You only need the briefest touch of casting ability, really.
runestar
12-07-07, 10:02 PM The Dragon Disciple is so anti-caster that the prerequisite casting ability is pretty much flavor only,

Not quite, it just means that your character will be a primarily melee combatant who uses just a dash of magic to augment his combat prowess.

Say for a barb4/sorc1/DDX, he can cast only 1st lv spells, but he has a lot of them. True strike, for example, can be useful. Wraithstrike is good if you are willing to take the bab hit and go sorc4 instead.

There is a regional feat in PGTF which gives you the ability to cast cantrips, that would qualify you for DD though.:)
DragoneyeIIVX
12-07-07, 10:29 PM I'm backing up the 'Brachiation' ... personally I think that feat is dipped in pure awesome (although I think it skipped the optimization basin). Complete adventurer has some very cool stuff in it for things like this.
Huxleyboy
12-08-07, 08:10 AM Ok, I feel dumb, what is Brachiation?
The_Shaman
12-08-07, 03:03 PM I think it was in CAdv; it lets you travel through the trees, Tarzan-style.
Fireclave
12-08-07, 03:10 PM Or Naruto-ninja style, if you prefer.
Grizzled Gryphon
12-08-07, 09:17 PM I proffer Fling Ally.
Frozen Yakman
12-09-07, 11:20 AM Monkey grip

Seconded.
Legdiwena
12-09-07, 03:06 PM Exotic Weapon Proficiency: Gnome
key
12-10-07, 01:55 AM There's some in the back of the AEG Feats book.
Netjack
12-10-07, 03:13 AM These are nice, also, I am not limited to just D&D, if you can think of any in D20 or star wars "but none like weapon prof pistols since I still want to be in the past" those would also work.
draco1119
12-10-07, 09:08 AM Skill Focus: Perform (Kazoo)
The_Shaman
12-10-07, 11:28 AM How about improved unarmed strike? On its own it does little - it certainly can't compare with weapons - but is a great way to get an edge in bar fights or other nonconventional situations.
RobbyPants
12-10-07, 01:24 PM Brachiation
Seconded. This one is a lot of fun in the right circumstances with the right character. It's hard to do anything super powerful, but it's fun to swing through the trees.
UAMDB
12-10-07, 03:43 PM Not quite, it just means that your character will be a primarily melee combatant who uses just a dash of magic to augment his combat prowess.

Say for a barb4/sorc1/DDX, he can cast only 1st lv spells, but he has a lot of them. True strike, for example, can be useful. Wraithstrike is good if you are willing to take the bab hit and go sorc4 instead.

There is a regional feat in PGTF which gives you the ability to cast cantrips, that would qualify you for DD though.:)

Duskblade goes nicely into Dragon Disciple. The only thing you give up I think is the full round casting ability.

Also Unarmed Strike would not be wise to give for free.
It is a prereq for several feats, and PrC's. Also the fact that you are never unarmed for AoO's is a little powerful for free.
Crash169
12-11-07, 12:39 AM PhbII has a few fun feats like Einhander and Combat Panache.

Complete scoundrel has skill tricks, which are also very much fun to use.
Darien_Ashoka
12-11-07, 12:49 AM Seconded.
Thirded

Post/Author/DateTime	Post
Netjack 12-07-07, 03:06 AM	Know any? I ask because I thought it would be fun to give people in my campaign some feats base on the back story they give me. However, I don't want to give them anything that could actually help them critically, or might help them at the start , but would be completely useless after a few levels. For example, "I think I might be burned for this one" if one of my mage type class players tells me he was constantly hurting him self as a child, I would give him the toughness feat. +3 health would help him greatly at the start, but will seem useless later on. or giving a barbarian the spell hand. "A rogue could actually make that useful" He would probably waste it on something silly, but it wouldn't really effect the rest of the game. Any ideas?
draco1119 12-07-07, 03:50 AM	Versatile Performer Brachiation Dash
The_Shaman 12-07-07, 04:04 AM	I'd say most feats that give +2 to 2 skills are not that useful, but may tie with the character persona. Also, the Ranged X feats from CWarrior, while they can come in handy at times, are more for show.
eagleye 12-07-07, 04:19 AM	Endureance. It's benefits are rarely used by DMs but the flavor of a strong-willed never-tiring Paladin with endurance is priceless. It's also a good step-up for Die Hard, which might also not be 100% useful but agian, the flavor!
Fireclave 12-07-07, 04:25 AM	Skill Focus (some Craft or Profession skill). Due to the nature of D&D, Craft and Profession skills rarely get any significant use by PCs, but they are great if you have a few points to spend and want to flesh out your character, define what their careers before pursuing the adventurer's path, and make a few coins when a few coins still means something. Likewise, the skill bonus feats like Self-Sufficient, Investigator, and Nimble Fingers might be worth giving out. These feats aren't normally worth the slot unless you're planning on tricking out a particular skill to the max. And while a +2 bonus is very significant at lower levels, at higher level, it's normally just icing on the cake compared to the bonuses that players can get from spells, items, special abilities, skill synergy, etc. A free weapon martial proficiency might be another choice to a much lesser extent. Martial classes are typically already proficient with all such weapons, and the softer spellcasters would only enjoy the full benefits of their new weapon until their AC, HP, and BaB starts to lag behind and the weapon quickly becomes a conversation piece. Medium Bab class, arguably, could potentially benefit greatly from an extra weapon proficiency since they they have the Bab to make use of them for their whole careers while at the same time often lack some of the more powerful weapon options. Though the difference in power between simple and martial weapons normally isn't too great. If you try this, you might want to limit the weapons proficiencies available, and perhaps make bonus weapon options class specific.
Bloodsoul 12-07-07, 04:37 AM	Persuasive fit one of my characters like a glove, flavor-wise, and I think the same could be said for Dark Speech...
jaelis 12-07-07, 10:04 AM	Monkey grip
AtsuiShoto 12-07-07, 11:00 AM	Communicator, Insightful, Necropolis Born, Night Haunt, Soul of the North, and (as mentioned before) Spell Hand. These offer some useful enough spell-like abilities 1/day (mostly cantrips), but not so useful as to be worth a feat. I take 1 of these feats as a Barbarian/Fighter/Dragon Disciple, sometimes, just to qualify for the DD.
AstralFireIX 12-07-07, 11:17 AM	http://www.d20srd.org/srd/variant/buildingCharacters/spelltouchedFeats.htm#spelltouchedFeatDe scriptions Many of these.
icuall 12-07-07, 03:26 PM	Competition Eating.... that is a useless feat. . . . . . . . . Just kidding.
ToastedAmphibian 12-07-07, 07:26 PM	Communicator, Insightful, Necropolis Born, Night Haunt, Soul of the North, and (as mentioned before) Spell Hand. These offer some useful enough spell-like abilities 1/day (mostly cantrips), but not so useful as to be worth a feat. I take 1 of these feats as a Barbarian/Fighter/Dragon Disciple, sometimes, just to qualify for the DD. Hmm, a little off topic but....... I dont belive thoes would qualify you for dragon disciple. Dragon Disciple requiers you to be able to CAST arcane spells, not have spell-like abilites that mimic arcane spells. A level of assassin gets you there, but often isnt inline with a prospective dragon disciples character. Your best bet is probably to just start of with Bard 1, then go into fighter/barbarian from there. you get more skill points and a much needed boost to reflex and will saves, and an exotic weapon that you will probably never use but could if you wanted to. Or just take a level of sorcere, and take your spells as Shield and Enlarge. They wont last very long, but youll be able to use them alot in a day, and they both help you maximize your strength by letting you TWF and keep a shieldbonus and give you reach and a strenght boost.
runestar 12-07-07, 07:42 PM	Skill focus: speak language.;)
AtsuiShoto 12-07-07, 07:45 PM	The Dragon Disciple is so anti-caster that the prerequisite casting ability is pretty much flavor only, anyway. Also, going the feat route loses out on the bonus feat progression (not like you're losing much, but still) and eats a valuable feat slot. Maybe it isn't exactly following RAW, but it's in the spirit of the rules, I think. You only need the briefest touch of casting ability, really.
runestar 12-07-07, 10:02 PM	The Dragon Disciple is so anti-caster that the prerequisite casting ability is pretty much flavor only, Not quite, it just means that your character will be a primarily melee combatant who uses just a dash of magic to augment his combat prowess. Say for a barb4/sorc1/DDX, he can cast only 1st lv spells, but he has a lot of them. True strike, for example, can be useful. Wraithstrike is good if you are willing to take the bab hit and go sorc4 instead. There is a regional feat in PGTF which gives you the ability to cast cantrips, that would qualify you for DD though.:)
DragoneyeIIVX 12-07-07, 10:29 PM	I'm backing up the 'Brachiation' ... personally I think that feat is dipped in pure awesome (although I think it skipped the optimization basin). Complete adventurer has some very cool stuff in it for things like this.
Huxleyboy 12-08-07, 08:10 AM	Ok, I feel dumb, what is Brachiation?
The_Shaman 12-08-07, 03:03 PM	I think it was in CAdv; it lets you travel through the trees, Tarzan-style.
Fireclave 12-08-07, 03:10 PM	Or Naruto-ninja style, if you prefer.
Grizzled Gryphon 12-08-07, 09:17 PM	I proffer Fling Ally.
Frozen Yakman 12-09-07, 11:20 AM	Monkey grip Seconded.
Legdiwena 12-09-07, 03:06 PM	Exotic Weapon Proficiency: Gnome
key 12-10-07, 01:55 AM	There's some in the back of the AEG Feats book.
Netjack 12-10-07, 03:13 AM	These are nice, also, I am not limited to just D&D, if you can think of any in D20 or star wars "but none like weapon prof pistols since I still want to be in the past" those would also work.
draco1119 12-10-07, 09:08 AM	Skill Focus: Perform (Kazoo)
The_Shaman 12-10-07, 11:28 AM	How about improved unarmed strike? On its own it does little - it certainly can't compare with weapons - but is a great way to get an edge in bar fights or other nonconventional situations.
RobbyPants 12-10-07, 01:24 PM	Brachiation Seconded. This one is a lot of fun in the right circumstances with the right character. It's hard to do anything super powerful, but it's fun to swing through the trees.
UAMDB 12-10-07, 03:43 PM	Not quite, it just means that your character will be a primarily melee combatant who uses just a dash of magic to augment his combat prowess. Say for a barb4/sorc1/DDX, he can cast only 1st lv spells, but he has a lot of them. True strike, for example, can be useful. Wraithstrike is good if you are willing to take the bab hit and go sorc4 instead. There is a regional feat in PGTF which gives you the ability to cast cantrips, that would qualify you for DD though.:) Duskblade goes nicely into Dragon Disciple. The only thing you give up I think is the full round casting ability. Also Unarmed Strike would not be wise to give for free. It is a prereq for several feats, and PrC's. Also the fact that you are never unarmed for AoO's is a little powerful for free.
Crash169 12-11-07, 12:39 AM	PhbII has a few fun feats like Einhander and Combat Panache. Complete scoundrel has skill tricks, which are also very much fun to use.
Darien_Ashoka 12-11-07, 12:49 AM	Seconded. Thirded