Most powerful feat ever?

[MarauderX]

Not broken, but in the best feat ever catagory:

Improved Initiative.

Nah, you end up missing out on all the party buffs when you're surprised. I'd vote this one as the most overrated.

 

[MarauderX]

Also, I don't really think Leadership should be included in this discussion, it is simply too good. Typically in these kind of theoretical discussions you need to assume a highly permissive DM (any semi-competent DM without serious self-confidence issues is going to ban-hammer a lot of the things in this thread, thus effectively rendering their power moot), and with a highly permissive DM, Leadership, and a high diplomacy modifier I once literally took over a campaign world. 'Nuff said I think.

PCs die; so do retainers that are lower level. Think about the BBEGs and their army of minions and close crew of higher-level guys... now think of an evil party out to ruin the PC's day while they are too wrapped up in other tasks... and the bad guys get to level up on the hundreds of retainers too... making them evenly matched after decimating those under the Leadership feat.
To me the Leadership feat is an opportunity, a vast open door in which spies, do-gooders, PC-wanna-bes and all sorts of riffraff attach themselves to the PC's good reputation... and drag it down like an anchor if not maintained. Don't get me wrong, the feat is great for a PC - followers can take care of all sorts of small tasks such as eradicating goblins or dire rats, but when it comes to the big tasks the PC's have to get it done themselves.

 

[Archimedes314]

PCs die; so do retainers that are lower level. Think about the BBEGs and their army of minions and close crew of higher-level guys... now think of an evil party out to ruin the PC's day while they are too wrapped up in other tasks... and the bad guys get to level up on the hundreds of retainers too... making them evenly matched after decimating those under the Leadership feat.
To me the Leadership feat is an opportunity, a vast open door in which spies, do-gooders, PC-wanna-bes and all sorts of riffraff attach themselves to the PC's good reputation... and drag it down like an anchor if not maintained. Don't get me wrong, the feat is great for a PC - followers can take care of all sorts of small tasks such as eradicating goblins or dire rats, but when it comes to the big tasks the PC's have to get it done themselves.

Not trying to be insulting or anything, but this doesn't have anything to do with what I posted. You are talking about how you (an actual DM) limit leadership in play. My whole point was that when you are talking about the "most powerful feat ever" it is necessarily a theoretical discussion, and in such a discussion you can't make assumptions about how the DM is going to limit whatever that feat is. No two DMs are alike and they very likely will rule different ways. So you assume a sort of tabula rasa DM who doesn't put restrictions (beyond those explicitly spelled out in the rules) on your character, and with such a DM Leadership is just absurdly powerful (and no I'm not talking about a DM who lets you design your cohort down to the skill points, though that is very powerful in its own right).

 

[Muaythaidaddy]

Natural Spell, Improved Initiative, Leadership, Greenbound Summoning, Divine Metamagic, Power Attack......... all of these are very good to take.

 

[Elemmakil]

One greenbound huge air elemental vs two of whatever elementals you get out of a monster summoning however many levels lower the spell would have to be to be "twinnable" into the same slot - very different.

IIRC Greenbound Summoning cannot be applied to elementals because the "Greenbound" template doesn't apply to elementals. I would place Rashemi Elemental Summoning higher after level 11, perhaps level 13. By level 17, it is way ahead.

However, neither of those two feats should exist.

 

[Kat']

Three feats I've come to really adore are those making underpowered base classes worth playing again:
- Swift Hunter: makes it worth playing a nearly straight ranger or nearly straight scout (Sco4/Rgr16 or Rgr4/Sco16)
- Daring Outlaw: makes it worth playing a nearly straight Swashbuckler (Rog4/Swb16)
- Battle Blessing: makes it OMGYESYESGIVEMEMOREBABY worth playing a straight Paladin.

Other stuff I like:
- Drakkensted Mount / Draconic Aura / Double Draconic Aura: yeah, Special Mounts have Int > 3, so they do gain feats when their HD increase. Drakkensted are Dragonblood animals, thus allowing them to take draconic feats. Groovy !
- Chain Spell. Worth creating whole builds around it. I mean... Chain AT Destruction? Chain Dispel Magic? Chain Phantasmal Killer? Chain Charm Monster, which is thousand times better than Mass Charm Monster because it is not limited by HD (and BTW, it's one level lower)? Also to be used in combination with the Archmage's Arcane Reach for instant party-buffing.
- Aligned Attack: definitely worth it for a Psychic Warrior
- Knockback: Funny combination with Combat Brute, the reason why I like Goliath Fighters
- Melee Weapon Mastery: +2 unnamed to attack and damage with every melee weapon with a given damage type? Oh yes
- Pierce Magical Concealment: excellent mage-killer
- Shield Ward, an excellent choice for sword-and-board types

 

[Thanee]

The unerrataed 3.0 Quicker than the Eye (from Song and Silence)...

Expert Tactician, from Sword and Fist.

Bye
Thanee

 

[Inconsequenti-AL]

Saw a 3rd party book with Ranged Power Attack for archers - that was potentially unceccesarily silly. (Mongoose, I think?)

 

[Squire James]

I remember reading a feat from "Quintessential Elf" (I think) that allowed someone to threaten all within 0 to 20 feet with a bow. Prerequisites? Elf and Point Blank Shot. A level 1 elf fighter can get it. A little weaker than some feats I've seen here, but none of those are fully usable at level 1...

 

[Virtue]

In your opinion, what is the strongest, most overpowered, broken feat out there?

Or just the best feat ever. Or feat combos.

I think Greenbound Summoning takes the cake. Just on the fact that your summoned creatures can cast wall of thorns. PLUS all the sick bonuses they get?

I don't know how it got published...

As for a more traditional great feat, I like the simple power attack with a two handed weapon. 2 for 1? Awesome! The damage can get ugly.

What book is Greenbound Summoning in?