A question to those that give the expertise feat for free

[Piratecat]

Much easier to do it in CB once and then never have to ever worry about it again.

Nah, not for us. Alchemical items, "do something cool" improvised attacks, different weapons, different implements... all these would require their own expertise feats to be comprehensively covered, and that's both sloppy and a pain in the butt. I find it much easier just to knock one point off the monster's defense. I'll either do this in the monster builder or note it once I print the monster out.

 

[lukelightning]

I never thought about the "reduce defenses" option... I think I will replace my current "free expertise" with that — I want to foster improvised attacks and stunts and stuff like that.

 

[Tarrl]

Thanks for all the awesome replies. Very cool to get such quick, helpful repsonses.
Much, much appreciated.

 

[Tarrl]

I never thought about the "reduce defenses" option... I think I will replace my current "free expertise" with that — I want to foster improvised attacks and stunts and stuff like that.

So at 15th level, you would take -2 off all defenses and -3 at 25th level???

 

[babinro]

I've given my PC's a +1 Feat Bonus to all attack rolls at level 5, increasing to +2 at 15 and +3 at 25. This way the bonus applies to all weapons/implements/racial attack powers and so on.

However, the concept of adjusting the monsters defenses seems to be a much better idea in the future, as players can easily mess up such a house rule when they use a character builder program. Too bad its extra work on the DM, such is life.

 

[Piratecat]

So at 15th level, you would take -2 off all defenses and -3 at 25th level???

Right. It's easier and faster for me to do this than it is for my players to have to keep straight which of their attacks have it included and which don't.

 

[Mengu]

We add the expertise feats, as many as needed in CB, for all our games.

For improvised attacks and the like, I usually have the player use an actual attack power they have anyway, at-will, encounter, daily, whatever. Rogue asks me, if he can use Sand in the Eyes with his mug of ale, instead of quick drawing his dagger and attacking with it, I'm not gonna say no. We use the same stats as his dagger attack. So he does 25 points of damage including sneak attack and blinds the target with ale in the face. Works for me. I'm fine with a wizard using cloud of daggers with silverware from a table (using stats for his staff), and a fighter picking up said table and using it for tide of iron (using stats for his longsword).

As far as I'm concerned enhancement bonuses from a weapon/implement of choice, expertise, focus, etc, are all inherent, and show a character's "fighting ability". The rest is all skinning.

Side note, I would have no problem if a DM went with the lower monster defenses method.

 

[Fifth Element]

It also has the disadvantage of having yet one more modifier that has to be remembered and handled every round. It's possible that PC prints out the monster sheets after modifying them, but Compendium images and books are typically images, not sheets that can be modified.

Much easier to do it in CB once and then never have to ever worry about it again.

I don't find modifiers that always apply to be any trouble to remember. It's those various and sundry +1s that last until the end of your next turn or the start of his next turn etc, or that apply to this type of attack but not to that, that cause trouble.

 

[kaomera]

In Piratecat's game, he simply reduces all monster defenses by one. At least he tells us that's what he's doing.

This. I find it easiest to simply disallow the Expertise feats and tell the players that I am fixing it on my side. No hassles with the character builder, no having to remember what does and doesn't get a bonus.

 

[Ulorian - Agent of Chaos]

Right. It's easier and faster for me to do this than it is for my players to have to keep straight which of their attacks have it included and which don't.

I do this as well and for the same reason.