New Feat Type (Beast): Feats designated as (Beast) feats interact with the Beastmastery Ranger class feature featured in Martial Power and grant the animal companion of the Ranger who takes them new abilities. Beast Feats may only be retrained if the Ranger gains a new animal companion. If a Ranger gains a new companion that is of a different type than the one previous and this prevents him from qualifying for (Beast) feats that require a specific type of companion then he may immediately retrain those feats, regardless of if he has already retrained a feat, skill, power etc in the span of the same level. (Beast) feats that grant powers to the Ranger's companion still require the Ranger to use the required action (standard, move, or minor) in order for the companion to use the power.
Goblin Viciousness (Heroic)
Prequisites: Goblin
Benefits:Whenever you deal damage with a melee weapon attack to an opponent that you have combat advantage against, the creature struck suffers a -1 penalty to all attack rolls and skill checks until the beginning of your next turn. The penalties from multiple uses of this feat do not stack
Aquatic Elven Heritage (Heroic)
Prequisites:Elf
Benefits:You gain the ability to breathe water as easily as you can breathe air and gain a +2 bonus to Athletics checks for the purpose of swimming.
Devoted Guardian(Heroic)
Benefits:When you select this feat, select one creature. While you are within 5 squares of, and have line of sight to this creature you gain a +1 bonus to saving throws against charm and fear effects. The creature selected may not be changed except through retraining this feat to the same Feat and selecting a different creature. Additionally, when you use the aid another action to assist this creature you grant them a +3 bonus to their next attack roll or skill check rather than a +2 bonus.
Wave Warrior (Paragon)
Prequisites:Strength or Dexterity 13, Aquatic Elven Heritage
Benefits: While underwater, you gain a +1 feat bonus to attack rolls against foes without the Aquatic ability who are also underwater.
Sweeping Staff (Paragon)
Prequisites:Strength 15, Wisdom 13
Benefits: Once per round, when you inflict a critical hit with a melee attack upon a foe one size category larger than you or smaller with a staff weapon you render that foe prone.
Goblin Maneuvering (Heroic)
PrequisitesGoblin
Benefits:When you shift using your Goblin Tactics racial power you may ignore difficult terrain.
Tomb-Touched Soul (Heroic)
Prequisites:Living Creature
Benefits:You gain necrotic resistance and radiant vulnerability 5. The amount of both your necrotic resistance and radiant vulnerability increase to 10 at 11th level and to 15 at 21st level.
Venomous Companion (Heroic) (Beast)
Prequisites: Ranger, Beastmastery Class Feature, Lizard, Spider, or Serpent companion.
Benefits: Your companion gains the Venomous Strike encounter power.
Venomous Strike
Your companion's fangs pump venom into the foe that it bit
Encounter
Immediate Reaction, Melee (Beast)
Target: The creature damaged by the companion's melee attack
Trigger:When your companion deals damage with a melee attack
Attack:None
Hit: Ongoing 2 poison damage (save ends). This increases to ongoing 3 poison damage (save ends) at 11th level, and ongoing 5 poison damage (save ends) at 21st level.
Raven's Mimicry (Heroic) (Beast)
Prequisites:Ranger, Beastmastery Class Feature, Raptor animal companion.
Benefits:Your companion may use the Ghost Sound wizard cantrip at will to mimic voices and sounds that it has heard. It gains a +2 feat bonus to bluff checks to mimic specific individuals.
Web Spin
Prequisites:Ranger, Beastmastery Class Feature, Spider animal companion.
Benefits: Your companion gains the Spin Web encounter power.
Spin Web
Your companion quickly lays down a layer of sticky web
Encounter
Standard Action, Close Burst 1 (Beast)
Effect:The area effected becomes difficult terrain for all non-spider creatures for the rest of the encounter. Each square of web has 5 hit points per tier, and may be attacked. Destruction of the web in a given square returns the terrain to whatever type of terrain it was before the web was placed there. Fire damage automatically destroys the entire web and causes those squares to be filled with fire for 1 round. Any creature in those squares takes 3 points of fire damage upon entering the area of the burning web.
Alternatively, your companion may spin this web between two sturdy objects such as two parallel walls or two trees, creating a wall 2 squares high and 2 squares long between them. This blocks line of sight and effect. At the end of the encounter, or 5 minutes the web degrades to the point where it no longer blocks line of sight or effect.
Extraordinary Senses (Heroic) (Beast)
Prequisites:Ranger, Beastmastery Class Feature.
Benefits: Your animal companion gains one of the following:
Low Light Vision
A +5 feat bonus to perception checks to track, and a +5 feat bonus to insight checks to see through illusions.
Reduce the penalties for perceiving at a distance from -1 for every 2 squares to -1 for every 10 squares.
Constrictor's Grasp (Heroic) (Beast)
Prequisites:Ranger, Beastmastery Class Feature, Serpent or Bear animal companion
Benefits:While your companion holds a creature in a grapple, it deals a number of damage equal to it's strength modifier to the grabbed creature at the beginning of your turn.
Gigantic Companion (Heroic) (Beast)
Prequisites:Ranger, Beastmastery Class Feature
Benefits:Your companion increases in size to large. This doubles it's carrying capacity, increases the amount of space it takes up to 4 squares, and grants it reach 1.
Savage Sweep (Heroic) (Beast)
Prequisites:Ranger, Beastmastery Class Feature, Bear animal companion
Benefits:Your companion gains the Wild Sweep encounter power.
Wild Sweep
With a mighty roar, your companion lashes out with a paw and knocks back the creatures that surround it
Encounter
Standard Action, Close Burst 1 (Close Burst 2 if companion is large) (Beast)
Target:Each creature in burst
Attack:Beast's Strength vs. AC
Hit: 1(B)+(B) strength modifier damage and the creature damaged is pushed 1 square.
Adept Wardmage (Paragon)
Prequisites: Arcane power source
Benefits: Any walls you create with spells gain resistance 5. If a wall you create cannot be damaged, then it does not gain the corresponding benefit. At 21st level, all walls you create with spells gain resistance 10. Additionally, you gain a +2 Feat bonus to skill checks made to complete Warding rituals.
Tell me what you think about each feat and why and I'll give you a
.I'm currently working on a multiclass feat along the lines of spell-scarred for characters who have been strogly influenced by the constellation that was in the sky at the time of their birth. I'm drawing some inspiration from the Elder Scrolls, some from real-world astrology, and some is just stuff that I make up as I go along.
Goblin Viciousness (Heroic)
Prequisites: Goblin
Benefits:Whenever you deal damage with a melee weapon attack to an opponent that you have combat advantage against, you may choose to have the creature struck suffer a -1 feat penalty to all attack rolls and skill checks until the beginning of your next turn.
Unless you type your penalties you can drop 'feat' from the penalty. Penalties stack without limit per the PHB. Otherwise seems ok, possibly abusable somehow, but I would have to think long on it, which means not terribly so.
Aquatic Elven Heritage (Heroic)
Prequisites:Elf
Benefits:You gain the ability to breathe water as easily as you can breathe air and gain a +2 bonus to Athletics checks for the purpose of swimming.
I approve. I like aqua thingies. Though maybe just drop the 'elven' part and elf preqs that way we can have aqua-gnomes.
Blood Brothers (Heroic)
Benefits:When you select this feat, select one creature. While you are within 3 squares of, and have line of sight to this creature you gain a +1 bonus to saving throws. The creature selected may not be changed except through retraining this feat to the same Feat and selecting a different creature.
So humans can get +2 to saving throws. Given that few (as in almost none) enemies will have penalties to saving throws this changes a 55% save to a 65%, and coupled with whats-its-name from MP you have a 90% against Imobilization, Restrained, Slowed conditions.
Maybe change it to +1 bonus to saving throws against charm affects? Though I am not sure what your intent with this is.
Wave Warrior (Paragon)
Prequisites:Strength or Dexterity 13, Aquatic Elven Heritage
Benefits: While underwater, you gain a +2 feat bonus to attack rolls against foes without the Aquatic ability who are also underwater.
This is either a have to have or useless. If a campaign takes place mostly in watery conditions there is little reason NOT to have it, if it doesn't this feat is useless. Maybe bundle it into the Aquatic Elven Heritage feat.
Sweeping Staff (Paragon)
Prequisites:Strength 15, Wisdom 13
Benefits: Once per round, when you inflict a critical hit upon a foe one size category larger than you or smaller with a staff weapon you may render that foe prone.
Please add in 'a critical hit upon a foe from a melee attack' as rending people prone from casting of scorching blast is insane.
Goblin Maneuvering (Paragon)
PrequisitesGoblin
Benefits:When you use your Goblin Tactics racial power you may shift 2 squares rather than one.
Overpowered. Maybe put 'you may ignore diffcult terrain' shifting 2 squares on a miss means that they can easily set up flanking for the person next to them or get farther away from combat.
Tomb-Touched Soul (Heroic)
Prequisites:Living Creature
Benefits:You gain necrotic resistance and radiant vulnerability 5. The amount of both your necrotic resistance and radiant vulnerability increase to 10 at 11th level and to 15 at 21st level.
while nice for NPCs, this is overpowered on PCs. There is no reason to not have this feat as few monsters deal radiant damage, but lots deal necrotic. Maybe change this to 'you gain con modifer temp hp off necrotic damage you inflict' or something similar.
Venomous Companion (Heroic) (Beast)
Prequisites: Ranger, Beastmastery Class Feature, Lizard or Spider companion.
Benefits: Your companion gains the Venomous Strike encounter power.
Venomous Strike
Your companion's fangs pump venom into the foe that it bit
Encounter
Immediate Reaction, Melee (Beast)
Trigger:When your companion deals damage with a melee attack
Attack:Beast's Attack vs. Fortitude
Hit: Ongoing 2 poison damage (save ends). This increases to ongoing 3 poison damage (save ends) at 11th level, and ongoing 5 poison damage (save ends) at 21st level.
Seems ok. I kinda like actually.
Raven's Mimicry (Heroic) (Beast)
Prequisites:Ranger, Beastmastery Class Feature, Raptor animal companion.
Benefits:Your companion may use the Ghost Sound wizard cantrip at will to mimic voices and sounds that it has heard. It gains a +2 feat bonus to bluff checks to mimic specific individuals.
Nice. I approve this feat!
Web Spin
Prequisites:Ranger, Beastmastery Class Feature, Spider animal companion.
Benefits: Your companion gains the Spin Web encounter power.
Spin Web
Your companion quickly lays down a layer of sticky web
Encounter
Standard Action, Close Burst 1 (Beast)
Effect:The area effected becomes difficult terrain for all non-spider creatures for the rest of the encounter. Each square of web has 5 hit points per tier, and may be attacked. Destruction of the web in a given square returns the terrain to whatever type of terrain it was before the web was placed there. Fire damage automatically destroys the entire web and causes those squares to be filled with fire for 1 round. Any creature in those squares takes 3 points of fire damage upon entering the area of the burning web.
I like this. most people would try and make the web immobilizes which is far too powerful. This is a nice ability that is semi-controly without being strictly better than web from a wizard (As it can be cast 1/encounter).
Alternatively, your companion may spin this web between two sturdy objects such as two parallel walls or two trees, creating a wall 2 squares high and 2 squares long between them. This blocks line of sight and effect. At the end of the encounter, or 5 minutes the web degrades to the point where it no longer blocks line of sight or effect.
Tell me what you think about each feat and why and I'll give you a
Now where is my Cookie!!!!
. For goblin viciousness I'll put in the proviso that multiple uses of this feat don't stack, which should keep a party of all goblin rogues from completely shutting down solos.
I'll change the bonus for blood brother to only apply against charm effects. The feat's purpose is to help capture the flavor of a "devoted guardian". So long as you are close to the one you are devoted to, you are bolstered by your bond.
For wave warrior, I'll reduce the bonus to +1. It still has some use in a non-aquatic campaign (although you were right that it was a must-have in aquatic ones) mostly because in 4th, with the increased importance of terrain your far more likely to have pools and similar things in dungeons that would encourage an individual with this feat to push a foe into the water in order to gain it's benefit.
For sweeping staff- I didn't think of that loophole-thanks.
Goblin maneuvering-I'll change it to ignoring difficult terrain when you use goblin tactics.
Tomb Touched Soul-My thinking was that this feat, while extremely useful against a number of monsters, is pretty average power wise. This is because while few out of the book monsters use radiant energy, there are a couple of rather common exceptions, namely creatures with the paladin, cleric, and warlock templates. The PHB 2 will give us one more that will likely utilize a lot of radiant energy damage (avenger) which can easily be turned into a template using the other templates as a model. Furthermore, Manual of the Planes is upcoming, which will likely add more radiant-damage using creatures to the mix.
I'm glad you like Venomous Companion, Web Spin, and Raven's Mimicry.
Goblin Viciousness (Heroic)
Prequisites: Goblin
Benefits:Whenever you deal damage with a melee weapon attack to an opponent that you have combat advantage against, you may choose to have the creature struck suffer a -1 penalty to all attack rolls and skill checks until the beginning of your next turn. The penalties from multiple uses of this feat do not stack
The "you may choose" part is dead weight. Why wouldn't you want your enemy to have an attack penalty? If you want to be friends instead don't hit people with sharp objects in the first place... Also, combat advantage is granted by the opponent, and penalties usually last until the end of your next turn.
Benefits:When you hit an opponent that grants you combat advantage with a melee attack, that opponent suffers a -1 penalty to all attack rolls and skill checks until the end of your next turn. Penalties from multiple uses of this feat do not stack.
Aquatic Elven Heritage (Heroic)
I agree with Aluman. I want aquatic gnomes!
Blood Brothers (Heroic)
Benefits:When you select this feat, select one creature. While you are within 5 squares of, and have line of sight to this creature you gain a +1 bonus to saving throws against charm effects. The creature selected may not be changed except through retraining this feat to the same Feat and selecting a different creature.
The current form is nerfed to uselessness. What about some true blood-brother ability, such as granting the other your healing surges or getting a higher bonus from Aid another.
Wave Warrior (Paragon)
Better balanced now with +1, but still the usefulness is highly dependend on the campaign.
Sweeping Staff (Paragon)
Prequisites:Strength 15, Wisdom 13
Benefits: Once per round, when you inflict a critical hit with a melee attack upon a foe one size category larger than you or smaller with a staff weapon you may render that foe prone.
Again, no need for "you may". Just state that the enemy is knocked prone. If you don't want your enemy to bite the dust, don't hit him with your staff in the first place.
Goblin Maneuvering (Paragon)
PrequisitesGoblin
Benefits:When you shift using your Goblin Tactics racial power you may ignore difficult terrain.
Now that it has been nerfed, the feat may as well be heroic tier. Note that elves always ignore difficult terrain with all movement as a racial feature.
Tomb-Touched Soul (Heroic)
Prequisites:Living Creature
Benefits:You gain necrotic resistance and radiant vulnerability 5. The amount of both your necrotic resistance and radiant vulnerability increase to 10 at 11th level and to 15 at 21st level.
Unless you play in Ravenloft, where everyone, their mother and Scruffy the neighbor's cat deal necrotic damage to you, this is a balanced feat.
I'd prefer 5 + half level as per Tiefling though, but that's personal preference.
Venomous Strike
Your companion's fangs pump venom into the foe that it bit
Encounter
Immediate Reaction, Melee (Beast)
Target: The creature damaged by the companion's melee attack
Trigger:When your companion deals damage with a melee attack
Attack:Beast's Attack vs. Fortitude
Hit: Ongoing 2 poison damage (save ends). This increases to ongoing 3 poison damage (save ends) at 11th level, and ongoing 5 poison damage (save ends) at 21st level.
Weak. That's +2 / +3 / +5 damage with one attack per encounter. (Ongoing damage deals roughly two times the per round value on average, but you need to hit with an attack, which roughly has a 50% to hit chance).
5 / 10 / 15 ongoing seems more reasonable.
To reduce extra rolling and bookkeeping, you could just remove the attack and the ongoing part and make it an automatic 1d8 / 2d8 / 3d8 extra poison damage.
So much for my 2p
I edited Blood Brothers so that the save bonus applies to both fear and charm effects and so that you grant the designated creature an additional +1 bonus when you use aid another on them.
Changed Venomous Companion to not require an secondary attack roll, which is a nice middle ground between my version and mkills, which I'm concerned might be too powerful (effectively giving out a free dose of level-equivalent poison once per encounter). This way it's guaranteed to deal some damage and is comparable to a riskier version of weapon focus.
I changed Goblin Maneuvering to a heroic feat, although I'm considering creating an epic feat that does what I originally had Goblin Maneuvering do (increasing the shift distance from goblin tactics to 2 squares). Sound balanced?
Thank you so much for your input mkill-I had the suspicion that Blood Brothers was a bit too weak, but didn't want to beef it up without some differing opinions. Here's your cookie
. Anyone have any other comments or perhaps ideas for new feats (particularly those that interact with animal companions)? Your feedback is appreciated!
Adept Wardmage (Paragon)
Prequisites: Arcane power source
Benefits: Any walls you create with spells gain resistance 5. If a wall you create cannot be damaged, then it does not gain the corresponding benefit. At 21st level, all walls you create with spells gain resistance 10. Additionally, you gain a +2 Feat bonus to skill checks made to complete Warding rituals.
The only feat that looked interesting to me as a player. The other ones looked pretty "meh" whereas this sounds pretty cool.
Goblin manuvering looked interesting as well, but im not 100% sold on it being powerful enough. Seems weak.
Also, I'm glad you like Adept Wardmage-I loved the initiate of the sevenfold veil from 3.5 and I think this feat goes a little ways towards establishing some of that warding flavor.
Goblin Viciousness (Heroic)
Prequisites: Goblin
Benefits:Whenever you deal damage with a melee weapon attack to an opponent that you have combat advantage against, the creature struck suffers a -1 penalty to all attack rolls and skill checks until the beginning of your next turn. The penalties from multiple uses of this feat do not stack
Doesn't seem to add anything really. Just seems like it is not enough bang, for the buck of remembering to deal with it. Also, does not seem "goblinie" to me.
Aquatic Elven Heritage (Heroic)
Prequisites:Elf
Benefits:You gain the ability to breathe water as easily as you can breathe air and gain a +2 bonus to Athletics checks for the purpose of swimming.
Don't like aquatic elves. I see no need for aquatic heratige feat. Doesn't seem too or not powerful enough, but doesn't hit me as cool.
Blood Brothers (Heroic)
Benefits:When you select this feat, select one creature. While you are within 5 squares of, and have line of sight to this creature you gain a +1 bonus to saving throws against charm and fear effects. The creature selected may not be changed except through retraining this feat to the same Feat and selecting a different creature. Additionally, when you use the aid another action to assist this creature you grant them a +3 bonus to their next attack roll or skill check rather than a +2 bonus.
I would make this a bigger bonus, but require both characters to take the feat. As is, you can have a devoted follower of Bill, but Bill cares nothing for the other guy. Hardly bloodbrothers.
Wave Warrior (Paragon)
Prequisites:Strength or Dexterity 13, Aquatic Elven Heritage
Benefits: While underwater, you gain a +1 feat bonus to attack rolls against foes without the Aquatic ability who are also underwater.
Seems way too specific for anyone to ever take, unless playing an aquatic/pirate campaign. And even then, its just meh. As is, it will rarely if ever come up, why make room in your build for it.
Sweeping Staff (Paragon)
Prequisites:Strength 15, Wisdom 13
Benefits: Once per round, when you inflict a critical hit with a melee attack upon a foe one size category larger than you or smaller with a staff weapon you render that foe prone.
This actually did seem cool, don't know why I didn't mention it.
Tomb-Touched Soul (Heroic)
Prequisites:Living Creature
Benefits:You gain necrotic resistance and radiant vulnerability 5. The amount of both your necrotic resistance and radiant vulnerability increase to 10 at 11th level and to 15 at 21st level.
I would personally drop the radiant vulnerability. Keep in mind evil clerics use radiant energy for their spells as well. (maybe this will change in splatbooks, but for now) Otherwise it seems like a wasted feat to me. You come out in the end breaking even, and a feat should grant a small benefit to the character.
Venomous Companion (Heroic) (Beast)
Prequisites: Ranger, Beastmastery Class Feature, Lizard, Spider, or Serpent companion.
Benefits: Your companion gains the Venomous Strike encounter power.
Venomous Strike
Your companion's fangs pump venom into the foe that it bit
Encounter
Immediate Reaction, Melee (Beast)
Target: The creature damaged by the companion's melee attack
Trigger:When your companion deals damage with a melee attack
Attack:None
Hit: Ongoing 2 poison damage (save ends). This increases to ongoing 3 poison damage (save ends) at 11th level, and ongoing 5 poison damage (save ends) at 21st level.
I would say "you gain" not your companion gains, for this power. After that, its ok, but I don't see myself taking it.
Raven's Mimicry (Heroic) (Beast)
Prequisites:Ranger, Beastmastery Class Feature, Raptor animal companion.
Benefits:Your companion may use the Ghost Sound wizard cantrip at will to mimic voices and sounds that it has heard. It gains a +2 feat bonus to bluff checks to mimic specific individuals.
Thats kind of flavorful, I can see it being taken by a heavy non combat group.
Web Spin
Prequisites:Ranger, Beastmastery Class Feature, Spider animal companion.
Benefits: Your companion gains the Spin Web encounter power.
Spin Web
Your companion quickly lays down a layer of sticky web
Encounter
Standard Action, Close Burst 1 (Beast)
Effect:The area effected becomes difficult terrain for all non-spider creatures for the rest of the encounter. Each square of web has 5 hit points per tier, and may be attacked. Destruction of the web in a given square returns the terrain to whatever type of terrain it was before the web was placed there. Fire damage automatically destroys the entire web and causes those squares to be filled with fire for 1 round. Any creature in those squares takes 3 points of fire damage upon entering the area of the burning web.
Alternatively, your companion may spin this web between two sturdy objects such as two parallel walls or two trees, creating a wall 2 squares high and 2 squares long between them. This blocks line of sight and effect. At the end of the encounter, or 5 minutes the web degrades to the point where it no longer blocks line of sight or effect.
The power is probably too powerful, if you limit it to just the "alternatively" bit it is probably still a good feat.
Extraordinary Senses (Heroic) (Beast)
Prequisites:Ranger, Beastmastery Class Feature.
Benefits: Your animal companion gains one of the following:
Low Light Vision
A +5 feat bonus to perception checks to track, and a +5 feat bonus to insight checks to see through illusions.
Reduce the penalties for perceiving at a distance from -1 for every 2 squares to -1 for every 10 squares.
I don't see people bothering to take this over other feats. Maybe I'm wrong.
Constrictor's Grasp (Heroic) (Beast)
Prequisites:Ranger, Beastmastery Class Feature, Serpent or Bear animal companion
Benefits:While your companion holds a creature in a grapple, it deals a number of damage equal to it's strength modifier to the grabbed creature at the beginning of your turn.
How often does this come up? Is it worth spending a feat for when it does? I don't think so, maybe it does. I have only read martial power, my friend owns it. So maybe its more common than I thought.
Gigantic Companion (Heroic) (Beast)
Prequisites:Ranger, Beastmastery Class Feature
Benefits:Your companion increases in size to large. This doubles it's carrying capacity, increases the amount of space it takes up to 4 squares, and grants it reach 1.
This seems too powerful. But it is also pretty cool. Don't know what to do.
Savage Sweep (Heroic) (Beast)
Prequisites:Ranger, Beastmastery Class Feature, Bear animal companion
Benefits:Your companion gains the Wild Sweep encounter power.
Wild Sweep
With a mighty roar, your companion lashes out with a paw and knocks back the creatures that surround(ed) it(dont need the ed, gramatically)
Encounter
Standard Action, Close Burst 1 (Close Burst 2 if companion is large) (Beast)
Target:Each creature in burst
Attack:Beast's Strength vs. AC
Hit: 1(B)+(B) strength modifier damage and the creature damaged is pushed 1 square away from the beast.
Same range regardless of beast size. And creatures hit are pushed one square.
Seems like this should just be a power available to the class at level X, not a feat based power.
Goblin Viciousness: In 4e to hit penalties are a lot more powerful, given that +'s to hit are harder to come by. Goblins are usually portrayed in D&D as being malicious little buggers that like causing pain and the purpose of this feat is really to simulate that.
Aquatic Elven Heritage: It's alright that you don't like aquatic elves, not everyone likes aquatic races (I myself am sort of meh about them) but a guy who's going to be playing in my campaign asked for the option and I'm all about accommodating my players.
Blood Brothers: I should probably change the name of it to something like "Devoted Guardian". That way, you can have a red-wizard of thay style set up where the bodyguard is devoted to his master but the master doesn't give a crap, or two people can both take the feat and use it to represent a close bond.
Wave Warrior: Another thing for that guy-he likes aquatic stuff and I figured that will 4th edition's increased emphasis on terrain that it would come up more (many dungeons, especially older ones have flooding).
Tomb Touched Soul: I should of specified that at least in my campaign clerics of certain deities use necrotic energy rather than radiant energy for damaging powers. The Raven Queen, Orcus, and Nerull all give their clerics negative energy powers-it just seems fitting for deities of undeath or death.
Sweeping Staff: Glad you like it! It's my personal opinion that the staff should get more love.
Venomous Companion: Glad you think it's balanced
Raven's Mimicry: Glad you like it-I think there are a lot of RP and even combat applications for this (especially since animal companions have an intelligence of 6).
Web Spin: It's a weaker version of icy terrain that can be used by your companion. I was wondering if you could explain why you think it's OP?
Exceptional Senses: For a character who want's to optimize his or her awareness I think this feat is worth it.
Constrictor's Grasp: Holding someone down while the other members of the party pound on it seems like a decent strategy to me.
Gigantic Companion: Since it doesn't grant threatening reach or increase the damage that the companion's attacks do and makes the animal companion far easier to flank I think this is relatively balanced. Glad you think it's cool
Savage Sweep: The problem with granting it as a class power is that it doesn't involve the ranger at all. Also I was under the impression that a close burst originates from your square, so a large companion (ie one with a Ranger who took the previously mentioned feat) wouldn't hit anything with it.
Goblin Viciousness: In 4e to hit penalties are a lot more powerful, given that +'s to hit are harder to come by. Goblins are usually portrayed in D&D as being malicious little buggers that like causing pain and the purpose of this feat is really to simulate that.
+'s to hit are really important in 4e, but I guess my biggest beef with this one is that it feels like those new powers in martial power that do this. I don't really like them either. It just seems like one more thing that is going on every turn to keep track of.
Aquatic Elven Heritage: It's alright that you don't like aquatic elves, not everyone likes aquatic races (I myself am sort of meh about them) but a guy who's going to be playing in my campaign asked for the option and I'm all about accommodating my players.
Way to accomidate players, no harm in this. In this case it sounds fine.
Blood Brothers: I should probably change the name of it to something like "Devoted Guardian". That way, you can have a red-wizard of thay style set up where the bodyguard is devoted to his master but the master doesn't give a crap, or two people can both take the feat and use it to represent a close bond.
Doing that would probably change my opinion of the feat.
Wave Warrior: Another thing for that guy-he likes aquatic stuff and I figured that will 4th edition's increased emphasis on terrain that it would come up more (many dungeons, especially older ones have flooding).
I would change it to foes that cannot breath or swim underwater vs the aquatic ability. Technically your water elven heratige doesn't grant this, and he would get the bonus against other aquatic elves.
Tomb Touched Soul: I should of specified that at least in my campaign clerics of certain deities use necrotic energy rather than radiant energy for damaging powers. The Raven Queen, Orcus, and Nerull all give their clerics negative energy powers-it just seems fitting for deities of undeath or death.
Good thing to specify. This still holds true though, Y\you come out in the end breaking even, and a feat should grant a small benefit to the character.
Web Spin: It's a weaker version of icy terrain that can be used by your companion. I was wondering if you could explain why you think it's OP?
It is a weaker icy terrain power, AND a really handy wall making power. I think its abilites to make walls alone is worth a feat and would be one i efinatly consider taking.
Constrictor's Grasp: Holding someone down while the other members of the party pound on it seems like a decent strategy to me.
It is, but its also decently hard for non specified people to do. Bought martial power and read, i didnt see many powers that grant free grab or grapple. If those existed then I would say this is worth it.
Savage Sweep: The problem with granting it as a class power is that it doesn't involve the ranger at all. Also I was under the impression that a close burst originates from your square, so a large companion (ie one with a Ranger who took the previously mentioned feat) wouldn't hit anything with it.
I was under the impression close burst 1 on a large creature was simply each square one away from his base. If your way, which of his four squares is considered the center?
Raven's Mimicry (Heroic) (Beast)
Prequisites:Ranger, Beastmastery Class Feature, Raptor animal companion.
Benefits:Your companion may use the Ghost Sound wizard cantrip at will to mimic voices and sounds that it has heard. It gains a +2 feat bonus to bluff checks to mimic specific individuals.
I 'd drop the last sentence for your Beastermaster's animal companion, as I can't picture a raven to pull that off, even in a magical world. (and mechanically a raptor companion has a very low Cha score...) On the other hand, having a speaking raven/parrot companion alone makes this feat a good choice nonetheless and placing the ghost sound cantrip at your ranger's disposal is the very icing of the cake.
Web Spin
Prequisites:Ranger, Beastmastery Class Feature, Spider animal companion.
Benefits: Your companion gains the Spin Web encounter power.
Spin Web
Your companion quickly lays down a layer of sticky web
Encounter
Standard Action, Close Burst 1 (Beast)
Effect:The area effected becomes difficult terrain for all non-spider creatures for the rest of the encounter. Each square of web has 5 hit points per tier, and may be attacked. Destruction of the web in a given square returns the terrain to whatever type of terrain it was before the web was placed there. Fire damage automatically destroys the entire web and causes those squares to be filled with fire for 1 round. Any creature in those squares takes 3 points of fire damage upon entering the area of the burning web.
Alternatively, your companion may spin this web between two sturdy objects such as two parallel walls or two trees, creating a wall 2 squares high and 2 squares long between them. This blocks line of sight and effect. At the end of the encounter, or 5 minutes the web degrades to the point where it no longer blocks line of sight or effect.
Good idea, but the last paragraph is a bit too much. Blocking line of sight and effect makes this quite a strong power in my book, but a canny DM would simply apply the damaging objects rules and destroy it = little gain for both sides. Granting creatures behind concealment seems better to me.
Extraordinary Senses (Heroic) (Beast)
Prequisites:Ranger, Beastmastery Class Feature.
Benefits: Your animal companion gains one of the following:
Low Light Vision
A +5 feat bonus to perception checks to track, and a +5 feat bonus to insight checks to see through illusions.
Reduce the penalties for perceiving at a distance from -1 for every 2 squares to -1 for every 10 squares.
Beasts already have lowlight vision, otherwise fine.
Gigantic Companion (Heroic) (Beast)
Prequisites:Ranger, Beastmastery Class Feature
Benefits:Your companion increases in size to large. This doubles it's carrying capacity, increases the amount of space it takes up to 4 squares, and grants it reach 1.
No good, not at heroic. reach 1 = a very good bonus with lots of flexibility, but loosing access to the beast in tight places = no good either. Squeezing beasts in combat = dead beastie. All in all, a paragon feat.
Savage Sweep (Heroic) (Beast)
Prequisites:Ranger, Beastmastery Class Feature, Bear animal companion
Benefits:Your companion gains the Wild Sweep encounter power.
Wild Sweep
With a mighty roar, your companion lashes out with a paw and knocks back the creatures that surround it
Encounter
Standard Action, Close Burst 1 (Close Burst 2 if companion is large) (Beast)
Target:Each creature in burst
Attack:Beast's Strength vs. AC
Hit: 1(B)+(B) strength modifier damage and the creature damaged is pushed 1 square.
I have a problem with close burst 2 and large, too much zone control, otherwise fine.
All in all: If you can think of more encounter powers for beast companions so that each type of companion gets one it can use (else players might go for the ones getting extra encounter powers). A very important addition'd be: Allow only one extra Beast attack power per tier, else a beast 'd be too good, as rangers could stock up on beast encounter powers with ease.