Houseruling weak feats

[styker]

Hi everyone, in my campaign i choose to adapt somoe feats to give interesting powers to the pcs so they could have options, examples:

Sacred boost and profane boost (Complete Divine): swift action to use
Profane lifeleech (libris mortis): swift action (needing a playtest yet)
Monkey grip: augment reach, so a pc using a large weapon with this feat has a reach of 10feets.

And so on... anyone has already done something like this?

 

[DrunkonDuty]

I didn't think Monkey Grip was a weak feat. In fact I ban it from my games. Don't know the others so I can't comment specifically.

But in general: house ruling feats is one of the jobs of the GM, whichever way you decide to house rule it. I know I run a few feats differently from the RAW but can't off the top of my head think which ones.

Oh, this thought just in: I'm using some of the tactical feats and am house ruling them a bit. Downwards in power as they usually have 1 or 2 uses that strike me as fine and fun and the last usually being very broken. So I get rid off or modify this last use.

 

[Griffith Dragonlake]

And so on... anyone has already done something like this?

Weapon Specialisation: Available to anyone who has weapon focus and BAB +4, not just fighters.

Greater Weapon Specialisation: Available to anyone who has weapon focus, weapon specialisation, greater weapon focus, and BAB +12, not just fighters.

Weapon Finesse: Everyone has this feat for free because I believe that Dex should always modify the attack bonus of light melee weapons.

The following metamagic feats are granted to all spellcasters: Empower Spell, Enlarge Spell, Extend Spell, Heighten Spell, Maximise Spell, Quicken Spell, and Widen Spell. To the best of my knowledge, this was first housereuled by Sean K. Reynolds based on his argument that these feats already carry a cost in terms of higher level spell slots. Making a spellcaster spend feats to gain these means paying for them twice.

The following metamagic feats are banned: Silent Spell and Still Spell. Because I believe that all spellcasting should be loud with dramatic gestures.

Power Attack: The +2 damage bonus for large weapons only apply to large mass armes, e.g. Orc double axe, dire flail, heavy flail, glaive, guisarme, halberd, quarterstaff, scythe, and Dwarven war axe (if used 2-handed). All other two-handed weapons gain +1½ damage bonus. One-handed mass armes, e.g. axe, flail, hammer, mace, and club also gain +1½ damage bonus. This is because I believe that weapons with a high centre of gravity benefit from a power attack moreso than weapons with a lower centre of gravity.

Combat Expertise: is based on Dexterity rather than Intelligence. This is because I believe that rogues, swashbucklers, and other Dex-based combatants are better at defensive fighting than other combatants. I just can't visualize the highly intelligent combatant. Also, I allow fighters the option of swapping out heavy armour proficiency for combat expertise at 1st level — This is what Sean K. Reynolds did in The New Argonauts since heavy armour didn't exist in Mythic Greece.

Dodge: The AC bonus applies to all melee opponents, not just one.

Eschew Materials: Sorcerers gain this feat for free instead of summon familiar.

Leadership: This feat is available at 2nd level instead of 6th. In small games (3 players or less), I grant this feat to all characters for free.

Toughness: This feat grants +1 hp per level instead of a flat +3 hp. This is how it works in the CRPG Neverwinter Nights.

 

[llashismll]

I update all sorts of feats for my games

Weapon Focus: attack bonus is +1 when gained and increases by +1 every 8 levels (improved weapon focus doesn't exist...spend the feat somewhere better)

Weapon Specialization: prereqs of weapon focus with weapon and +4 BaB the bonus is +1 damage and increases by +1 every 4 BaB. (greater weapon specialization doesn't exist)

Skill Focus: Adds +3 to the skill and makes the skill a permanent class skill

Improved Crit: stacks with keen edge (spell and weapons)

Weapon Finesse: prereqs are now +1 BaB or 1D6 sneak attack

Dodge: grants +1 dodge bonus versus all opponents. BaB 9 increases the bonus to +2; BaB 18 increases the bonus to +3

Two Weapon Defense: Grants a +2 shield bonus to AC

Power Attack, Combat Expertise and Eschew Materials are all features not feats.

 

[Archimedes314]

I didn't think Monkey Grip was a weak feat. In fact I ban it from my games. Don't know the others so I can't comment specifically.

Monkey grip sucks pretty hard actually, in most cases you get +1-1.5 average damage in exchange for -2 attack. Power attack is literally 2 to 4 times better. Although, IMHO, allowing it to grant reach as well (like the OP does) would make it broken. I ban it also, though, but mostly because I find it too silly.

That said, yes, I have powered up some weak feats (toughness and dodge being prime examples). In general though, I think that there are enough attractive feat options out there in various splatbooks without powering up the weak ones, so I don't bother to power up too many.

 

[Angel Tarragon]

Eschew Materials: Sorcerers gain this feat for free instead of summon familiar.

Power Attack, Combat Expertise and Eschew Materials are all features not feats.

How Monte Cook handles Sorcerers:
Because sorcerers gain their spells from innate, inborn power, they have no need to worry about material components – they are, in essence, their own material components. Spells with costly material components require a little extra personal power on the sorcerer’s part. She does not need to obtain the material component, but she must instead pay a price in experience points for casting the spell. The sorcerer pays 1/25 of the gold-piece cost of the component in XP (minimum loss of 1 XP). Thus if a sorcerer casts stoneskin, which require 250 gp worth of diamond dust, the sorcerer instead pays 10 XP (250 ÷ 25 = 10). Spells that already require an expenditure of experience points are handled normally. Spell with a focus still require the focus.

 

[Destil]

My own improvements

From my houserules summary:
* Deflect Arrows and Stunning Fist can both be used with a shield in addition to an unarmed strike.
* Spell Focus improves caster level and save DC by +1
* Spell Mastery allows you to switch spells as you progress and gain more as your Int increases.
* Improved Precise Shot only functions with ranged weapons in the 1st range increment and the prerequisite Dex is lower (15).
* Weapon Finesse can be applied to various weapons depending on Str.
* The two weapon fighting feats have been overhauled: Two Weapon Fighting requires Dex 15, Improved Two Weapon Fighting requires 15 Dex and includes the benefits of Greater TWF if you have a high enough BAB.
* The caster level requirements have been lowered for forge ring (6th) and craft staff (10th).
* Still Spell, Silent Spell and Eschew Materials are a single feat: Eschew Components.
* Greater Weapon Focus does no require fighter levels.
* Summon Familiar is a feat rather than a class feature and includes the benefits of Improved Familiar.

 

[Angel Tarragon]

From my houserules summary:
* Still Spell, Silent Spell and Eschew Materials are a single feat: Eschew Components.

Would you mind posting the entirety of said feat? I'm interested in taking a look at it.

 

[Sylrae]

Monkey grip in our games doesn't give the -2. That's how we make it better. So youre usually going up one dice type without a penalty like in Powerattack, but youre still buying a feat, and powerattack is much bettr than monkeygrip otherwise (except in Neverwinter Nights, where powerattack is always +5 -5 making you always miss until level 10 or so)

 

[styker]

I update all sorts of feats for my games

Weapon Focus: attack bonus is +1 when gained and increases by +1 every 8 levels (improved weapon focus doesn't exist...spend the feat somewhere better)

Weapon Specialization: prereqs of weapon focus with weapon and +4 BaB the bonus is +1 damage and increases by +1 every 4 BaB. (greater weapon specialization doesn't exist)

Skill Focus: Adds +3 to the skill and makes the skill a permanent class skill

Improved Crit: stacks with keen edge (spell and weapons)

Weapon Finesse: prereqs are now +1 BaB or 1D6 sneak attack

Dodge: grants +1 dodge bonus versus all opponents. BaB 9 increases the bonus to +2; BaB 18 increases the bonus to +3

Two Weapon Defense: Grants a +2 shield bonus to AC

Power Attack, Combat Expertise and Eschew Materials are all features not feats.

What do you do with feats that expands the use od dodge, like the combat form feat that improves dodge?