Feat critique please

[RIPnogarD]

ANIMAL INSTINCT
Prerequisites: Unarmed combat, Alertness, 3 ranks Survival, 3 ranks Hide
Description: One of two things happens when an animal is afraid, Fight or Flight. If they are afraid for the welfare of a friend, loved one or if they are cornered, they will fight. If they are afraid for their own life they will flee. They will use every instinct they have available to survive. This does not make them cowards it makes them survivalists, (He who fights, then runs away, lives to fight another day)…
Effects:
1) Fight: This ability grants one extra attack per melee with a –2 to all attacks (as flurry of blows), a +2 to AC and a +2 to initiative. (This ability is gained if fighting unarmed only.)
2) Flee & Elude: This ability grants a +10' to base movement rate and a +4 to hide.
Special: Cornering a fleeing character with animal instincts will invoke the fight instinct.
If the save failed, fear spells and fear effects will automatically invoke the flight instinct.
This feat does NOT stack with flurry of blows, fighting defensively or run.

I need the abilities granted by this feat for a PrC I'm creating... So please, if you all could help me balance the prereqs and/or the cause of activation for this feat I would appreciate it.
Thanx,

 

[Hypersmurf]

Moved to House Rules.

-Hyp.
(Moderator)

 

[Nifft]

Well, the obvious: a bonus to initiative which depends on what you're holding is wonky. If you want initiative to be in there, make Improved Initiative a pre-req.

As to the rest, why make a Feat that can make you better than a Monk at 1st level? The speed bonus, the AC bonus, the unarmed attack -- it's really stealing the Monk's thunder.

-- N

 

[RIPnogarD]

Well, the obvious: a bonus to initiative which depends on what you're holding is wonky.

Whens the last time you seen an animal use a weapon? You obviously nerver tried to hang onto a cat or dog that didn't want to be held.

As to the rest, why make a Feat that can make you better than a Monk at 1st level?
-- N

Not everybody has to have gone to a dojo/sensai to be able to fight unarmed. Who you going to bet on, the 16 year old zulu or the 16 year old white belt <(1st level monk)?
How is it better than a monk at first level? There are prereqs to obtain this feat that a monk gets free of charge. Only a human fighter would be able to get this feat at first level, (you would need three feats to get it at 1st) and based on the prereqs in skills he better have a Int of 12 or better to get the ranks, because he will need at least 12 skill points for the cross skills.

(Still looking for help)

 

[Joker]

The thing is is that you're giving a lot of things for one feat. It really looks a like a tactical feat but without the (usually) hefty pre-reqs.

-The movement bonus is unnamed so I assume it stacks with everything

-What save are you talking about that can be failed?

-The initiative seems a little off aswel.

I don't really understand the feat to be honest, I know that's not what you wanted to hear and what the hell is that smell?

I dropped an orange behind my computer a few weeks ago and I suspect it's beginning to mutate. It will kill me soon.

Sorry.

I have the attention span of a horny chipmunk on PCP.

 

[RIPnogarD]

If the save failed, fear spells and fear effects will automatically invoke the flight instinct.
This feat does NOT stack with flurry of blows, fighting defensively or run.

A failed save vs a fear effect would be a BAD thing! The rest of the party may never see this guy again...

 

[MatthewJHanson]

Whens the last time you seen an animal use a weapon? You obviously nerver tried to hang onto a cat or dog that didn't want to be held.

I think he ment it was wonky from a mechanics point of view rather than a description point of view.

Speciffically, what if you start combat either armed or unarmed, and then switch? Do you move up or down in the iniative order. If you don't, then what's to keep the character from starting every combat unarmed, and drawing a weapon on the first round of combat.

Overall, the first think I think you need to do is clarify the feat. I'm not entirely sure what it does. Are these bonuses always in effect? Do you have to choose which one you are using? Are there certain conditions that have to be true in order for each set of bonuses to apply?