Player Created Feats - Please help *Found a snag - See last post*

I have a player in my game who wants to create feats. He is 8th level and has just taken the Devoted Defender PrC from Sword and Fist. The Devoted Defender gains the Harms Way ability, which allows them to pick a person to defend as a free action at the start of a round. Basically, if the person the DD is defending is within 5 feet of the DD and they are about to get hit the DD can swap places with the defendee.

The player came up with some feats to enhance the DD. I've never had a player create feats so I'm not sure how to handle them. I'm not comfortable with the idea but I want to give others a chance to look at them and let me know if they are balanced and if they would allow something like this in their game. Thanks for any input!


Dynamic Defender:
Prerequisites: Harms Way ability
Benefit: You may use a move action to choose a different charge for your harms way ability in place of the original.
Normal: As a free action you choose your charge when you roll initiative. This cannot change during a combat.

Long Armed Defender:
Prerequisites: Harms Way ability
Benefit: You may use your harms way ability to switch places with your charge so long as the charge is within your reach. This feat also applies if you have taken the Universal Defender feat.
Normal: You only use harms way within five feet of your charge.

Universal Defender:
Prerequisites: Harms Way, Dynamic Defender
Benefit: You no longer need to pick one ally as your charge. You may use your harms way ability with any ally within five feet of you.
Normal: You only have one charge.

Long Arm Defender I would make natural reach, not weapon reach. Other then that it seems pretty good.

If you build it yourself (or modify it), it goes in House Rules. Moved.

I think Universal Defender would get to be a bit of a problem. Imagine a line of 6 characters, all standing shoulder to shoulder, each within 5' of the characters on either side of him. Since I don't see a limit to the number of times Harms way seems to be useable in a round, if the DD can use Harms Way on any number of charges, he can move up and down the line without spending a move action, as long as each one in the line is attacked in order.
It may be kind of a silly situation to bring up, but that's what you could end up with if limits aren't considered. As it is, that DD with even one charge can switch places with his charge any number of times in a single round, steping back and forth with his charge in quite a little twirling dance.
When a player of mine considered running a DD, I put a limit on Harm's Way. Only 1 place switch could happen during the round. Period.

Dynamic Defender seems out of character to me. Universal Defender is the same, and it seems a bit too powerful.

Long Armed Defender, though, is money. I'd make Crothian's change -- you're not going to hook your charge with a guisarme and pull them out of the way -- but it is very much in the spirit of the class.

I like Dynamic Defender, myself. Seems like a logical extension of the ability.

Since it takes a move action, you could theoretically swap up to three times in a single round.

1) original charge attacked. Swap.
2) my initiative, switch to another charge and ready an action to switch again if second charge attacked.
3) second charge attacked. Swap.
4) using readied action, switch to a third charge
5) third charge attacked. Swap.

Now granted it's pretty unlikely you'd be in a position to do this, but it is possible. Having said all that, I'd still allow it since it's not likely to come up in actual play and I'd encourage the player taking so much interest in the character.

Dynamic Defender:
Prerequisites: Harms Way ability
Benefit: You may use a move action to choose a different charge for your harms way ability in place of the original.
Normal: As a free action you choose your charge when you roll initiative. This cannot change during a combat.

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First, under Normal: I think you can change it once combat starts, as a free action at begining of round (could be wrong). Second to spend a "move" action to change it is balancing I think, but can only be done once per round.

Long Armed Defender:
Prerequisites: Harms Way ability
Benefit: You may use your harms way ability to switch places with your charge so long as the charge is within your reach. This feat also applies if you have taken the Universal Defender feat.
Normal: You only use harms way within five feet of your charge.

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Seems fine, as stated assuming reach is natural reach.

Universal Defender:
Prerequisites: Harms Way, Dynamic Defender
Benefit: You no longer need to pick one ally as your charge. You may use your harms way ability with any ally within five feet of you.
Normal: You only have one charge.

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Rather than allowing them to change a charge, it may be more balanced to create something similar to the following:

Improved Defender:
Prerequisites: Dynamic Defender
Benefit: You may select one additional charge per round. You do not gain any additional uses of abilities per round, but may use your abilities on either one of your charges.
Normal: You only have one charge.

billd91 said:

I think Universal Defender would get to be a bit of a problem. Imagine a line of 6 characters, all standing shoulder to shoulder, each within 5' of the characters on either side of him. Since I don't see a limit to the number of times Harms way seems to be useable in a round, if the DD can use Harms Way on any number of charges, he can move up and down the line without spending a move action, as long as each one in the line is attacked in order.
It may be kind of a silly situation to bring up, but that's what you could end up with if limits aren't considered. As it is, that DD with even one charge can switch places with his charge any number of times in a single round, steping back and forth with his charge in quite a little twirling dance.
When a player of mine considered running a DD, I put a limit on Harm's Way. Only 1 place switch could happen during the round. Period.

Click to expand...

7 characters in a cluster is just begging for a fireball (or other area spell of your choice). So yeah, let him take a feat that encourages rather stupid tactics.

Michael Morris said:

7 characters in a cluster is just begging for a fireball (or other area spell of your choice). So yeah, let him take a feat that encourages rather stupid tactics.

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Yeah, we call that the 'Fireball Us formation'.

As an experianced DM I think It's a great idea to allow your players to create feats, mostly because truly epic heroes will have a certain uniqueness about them. I always encourage my players to come up with new ideas and feats are no exception. the examples you gave look pretty good, just keep in mind the value of numericle limitations.