Ability Focus, what to do? [Archive] - Wizards Community

Ability Focus, what to do? [Archive] - Wizards Community

Post/Author/DateTime Post
Helmo
07-02-04, 05:53 AM One of my players wants to take the Monster Manual Ability Focus feat to improve his monk stunning attack DC. I don´t know if I should let him take it, as it is a MM feat. Do you think the MM feats are just for monsters, animal companions... or can PCs and NPCs take them?. Shouldn´t the feats be stated in the PH in order to take them?. I know in the DMG there are some feats (Leadership, Improved Familiar) that can be taken if the DM allows it, but the DMG is made to help running a game and give new options for the DM and the players while the MM looks like focused just on monsters. What do you think?.
Soel Griffin
07-02-04, 06:13 AM It doesn't seem too uneasonable to allow. There is a third party book for 3.0, Mythic Races , that allows a couple of the races to take MM feats. If you do allow it, you should consider the other players wanting it for their special offensive ablilities too. If it seems too steep to you, maybe let the pc use 2 feat slots for it, or otherwise exchange one of their other abilities for it.
Wayne
07-02-04, 07:52 AM Sure, PCs can take any [General] feat they can qualify for, regardless of the book it's published in. If you're familiar with Savage Species, it does have a slew of [Monstrous] feats (a tag given to feats that a creature has to be a "monster" in order to take, such as "Prehensile Tail"... you have to use a usable tail for that :D); so does the Draconomicon. But for the most part, you can take any feat you qualify for, regardless of its source.

Now... Ability Focus is an interesting one, since most classes don't offer "special attacks" (or if they do, such as a Barbarian's Rage, they don't always offer saves). For example, Stunning Fist is technically a feat (example monstrous Monks, such as the elite Vampire, do not have Stunning Fist as a "special attack" but rather a feat). Quivering Palm would be a "special attack," though; it's a supernatural attack that isn't a feat.

Having said all that, whether you'd allow Ability Focus to work with Stunning Fists is up to you. A Stunning Fist is a "special attack" in the literal sense, even if monsters don't list it as such. Burning a feat to gain a +2 to the save DC against it doesn't seem particularly imbalanced. I'd allow it, personally.

Post/Author/DateTime	Post
Helmo 07-02-04, 05:53 AM	One of my players wants to take the Monster Manual Ability Focus feat to improve his monk stunning attack DC. I don´t know if I should let him take it, as it is a MM feat. Do you think the MM feats are just for monsters, animal companions... or can PCs and NPCs take them?. Shouldn´t the feats be stated in the PH in order to take them?. I know in the DMG there are some feats (Leadership, Improved Familiar) that can be taken if the DM allows it, but the DMG is made to help running a game and give new options for the DM and the players while the MM looks like focused just on monsters. What do you think?.
Soel Griffin 07-02-04, 06:13 AM	It doesn't seem too uneasonable to allow. There is a third party book for 3.0, Mythic Races , that allows a couple of the races to take MM feats. If you do allow it, you should consider the other players wanting it for their special offensive ablilities too. If it seems too steep to you, maybe let the pc use 2 feat slots for it, or otherwise exchange one of their other abilities for it.
Wayne 07-02-04, 07:52 AM	Sure, PCs can take any [General] feat they can qualify for, regardless of the book it's published in. If you're familiar with Savage Species, it does have a slew of [Monstrous] feats (a tag given to feats that a creature has to be a "monster" in order to take, such as "Prehensile Tail"... you have to use a usable tail for that :D); so does the Draconomicon. But for the most part, you can take any feat you qualify for, regardless of its source. Now... Ability Focus is an interesting one, since most classes don't offer "special attacks" (or if they do, such as a Barbarian's Rage, they don't always offer saves). For example, Stunning Fist is technically a feat (example monstrous Monks, such as the elite Vampire, do not have Stunning Fist as a "special attack" but rather a feat). Quivering Palm would be a "special attack," though; it's a supernatural attack that isn't a feat. Having said all that, whether you'd allow Ability Focus to work with Stunning Fists is up to you. A Stunning Fist is a "special attack" in the literal sense, even if monsters don't list it as such. Burning a feat to gain a +2 to the save DC against it doesn't seem particularly imbalanced. I'd allow it, personally.