Essential Feats?

[Trepelano]

I like having improved initiative for a low-level wizard because, with his low hp, its nice to be able to get the heck out the way of melee as quick as possible and before drawing all those nasty AoO's.

And..as has been pointed out, at higher levels its even more useful.

I have never thought of stacking Combat Casting and Skill Focus (Concentration) before. This seems like a good set of feats for Rangers, Paladins, or multiclassed fighter/caster characters that need to cast even while in melee combat. (Clerics who go a lot of front-line fighting would also benefit).

 

[Elephant]

I play a meele cleric 11th cleric and casting a quickend divine favor and then charging convererting the attack bonus to more PA damage since we are using the nerfed RM its my fav 5th lvl

Um, you can only convert BAB to PA damage. Other bonuses to your attack roll do not apply.

 

[Lord Pendragon]

Druids: Natural Spell

Archers: Point-Blank Shot, Precise Shot

Fighters: Iron Will

Wizards: Craft Wondrous Item

Sorcerers: Energy Substitution (Sonic)

Clerics: Augmented Healing

Bards: Words of Creation

Barbarians: Power Attack

Paladins: Power Attack, Divine Might

 

[Speed-Stick]

I think the +2 to saves line of feats are very very good for those weak saves. Lightning Reflexes and Iron Will have saved my fighter quite a few times.

 

[Ankh-Morpork Guard]

I'm of the opinion that there is no such thing as an 'essential' feat, even for each class. There are just too many possibilities among the classes.

Druids: Natural Spell

You'd be amazed at how many Druids I've seen(and played) that don't focus on Wild Shape enough to have any use for that.

Archers: Point-Blank Shot, Precise Shot

Archer isn't even a Core Class! But obviously, Point Blank Shot is pretty much a needed feat for an archer

Fighters: Iron Will

Interesting choice, though I doubt many people actually would take this as a Fighter. Its a great thing to boost that low Will save, but there are 'better' choices for Fighters out there.

Wizards: Craft Wondrous Item

If there's enough time to stop and craft something in the campaign, sure. Most campaigns I've been involved in, people just plain don't want to take the time. Spell Penetration seems like it would be much more useful.

Sorcerers: Energy Substitution (Sonic)

I don't think this is possible anymore. I seem to remember that Energy Sub in CA doesn't allow Sonic now...

Clerics: Augmented Healing

Not all Clerics have to be healers and shouldn't be forced into that role either. Clerics have about as many insane amount of options to go as Fighters do, and its just as hard to pick an 'essential' feat for them.

Bards: Words of Creation

Now that's a Good one[/pun]...if the characters are Good and Exalted stuff is allowed in the game. But then again, why not something to get more uses out of Bard Songs?

Barbarians: Power Attack

Barbarians usually do insane damage WITHOUT Power Attack...though of course, adding to that is always nice.

Paladins: Power Attack, Divine Might

Paladins getting two is no fair. They're already stuck with MAD, now they have two essential feats?!

If there's one feat out that that MIGHT have use for every single class/build out there...it'd be Dodge. But even then, its not essential.

 

[Sammael]

Sorcerers: Energy Substitution (Sonic)

Thank the powers that be that this no longer exists.

 

[tigycho]

It may just be because I've seen too many feats ala Ultimate Feats by Mongoose and Feats by AEG, but I don't know of any must-haves.

What's other peoples take on it?

As a player playing a mage, BLOOD CASTING is the one feat I think ought to be core, but isn't.

I found it in Mongoose's Ultimate Feats. I think it might originate in L&L Spells & Spellcraft.

Summary:
Prereq - able to cast 3rd level spells or better
Benefit - You are able to cast one additional spell of any level you normally can, but you take 1d4 temporary constitution damage as a result. You may do this as many times as you dare.

I LOVE this feat. It lets me 'push' the envelope when necessary, just like the wizard types do in some of my favorite fantasy fiction... The over-extend themselves, to save the day, and risk death to do it.

 

[Sammael]

That feat becomes broken as soon as the party's cleric can afford a wand of lesser restoration.

 

[Darkness]

Um, you can only convert BAB to PA damage. Other bonuses to your attack roll do not apply.

True. Maybe he meant a higher attack bonus enables him to convert more BAB to PA damage and still hit his targets...

If there's one feat out that that MIGHT have use for every single class/build out there...it'd be Dodge. But even then, its not essential.

It's also a weak feat.

 

[Ankh-Morpork Guard]

It's also a weak feat.

Actually, in my experience, its been a lifesaver. So many times, AC gets beaten by just one. Having that nice Dodge bonus to save you is worth it and every character class can benefit from it.

Of course...it helps to house rule that the dodge bonus always applied instead of having to remember to actiate it and remember who its active against.