Netbook of Feats

[Rystil Arden]

Wasn't it clarified somewhere that the extra hit dice of animal companions are not supposed to increase the companion's size?

Maybe--if so, the bear is still obscene, but less so. I usually let it affect the companion's size because even if you do, the companion you stick with from level 1 with the chart bonuses is incredibly weak compared to getting the betetr companion.

 

[Rystil Arden]

The effective level should be calculated before substracting the animal penalty, that way, it would help any multi-class character, and also Rangers.

I think it is nice to give single-classed Druids a little bit too--just as long as you dont' let the feat be taken multiple times, that example is what happens when the Druid with the feat hits level 20, not level 13 (and believe me, it is a big difference--at level 20 that isn't so bad!)

 

[IcyCool]

Wasn't it clarified somewhere that the extra hit dice of animal companions are not supposed to increase the companion's size?

I could swear this is in the description in the PHB, but I'm away from my books at the moment.

 

[LiquidBlue]

The effective level should be calculated before substracting the animal penalty, that way, it would help any multi-class character, and also Rangers.

As the feat is currently written, it is mostly like Practiced Spellcaster and really helps the multi-classed druid or ranger. The +3 to effective druid level can not bring it above the character's HD. The difference comes from the line that says that this increase is applied after adjusting the effective druid level as required for higher CR animal companions.

In the extreme example a Druid 16 who has taken the Animal Companionship feat 5 times could have a Dire Tiger with 10 bonus HD, +10 Natural Armor, +5 STR/DEX, and 6 bonus tricks. Letting that Druid have a animal companion with a CR ~15.

Thus, a Druid who spends nearly all of their feats on animal companionship can gain an animal companion that stays near the party's power level, not falling behind like that of a regular animal companion. Or in other words. A Druid that devotes themselves to this feat will maintain an animal companion that is as effective in latter levels as it was from the begining.

 

[Rystil Arden]

As the feat is currently written, it is mostly like Practiced Spellcaster and really helps the multi-classed druid or ranger. The +3 to effective druid level can not bring it above the character's HD. The difference comes from the line that says that this increase is applied after adjusting the effective druid level as required for higher CR animal companions.

In the extreme example a Druid 16 who has taken the Animal Companionship feat 5 times could have a Dire Tiger with 10 bonus HD, +10 Natural Armor, +5 STR/DEX, and 6 bonus tricks. Letting that Druid have a animal companion with a CR ~15.

Thus, a Druid who spends nearly all of their feats on animal companionship can gain an animal companion that stays near the party's power level, not falling behind like that of a regular animal companion. Or in other words. A Druid that devotes themselves to this feat will maintain an animal companion that is as effective in latter levels as it was from the begining.

The important distinction is that the CR 1 Wolf has 2 Hit Dice. The CR ~15 Dire Tiger has 26. This means many of its qualities are going to be way too extreme for a PC ally. To put it another way--this is a CR versus ECL issue. Saying that the druid should be able to have a CR 15 pet at level 16 is equivalent to saying that my level 20 Wizard with Leadership can have a CR 18 Mature Adult Silver Dragon as a cohort.

 

[LiquidBlue]

The important distinction is that the CR 1 Wolf has 2 Hit Dice. The CR ~15 Dire Tiger has 26. This means many of its qualities are going to be way too extreme for a PC ally. To put it another way--this is a CR versus ECL issue. Saying that the druid should be able to have a CR 15 pet at level 16 is equivalent to saying that my level 20 Wizard with Leadership can have a CR 18 Mature Adult Silver Dragon as a cohort.

I am not sure how to reply. I think it is useful to let the feat be taken multiple time sand have the effects stack. It seems to be the only real way to let the Ranger have a useful Animal companion. But if letting the feat offset the advanced animal companion penalty is unbalancing when applied to the straight druid, then I am not sure how to reconcile feat stacking with allowing a benefit for the pure druid.

 

[Velmont]

As I told earlier, i think teh best would be that this feat could be taken multiple time, but it cannot raise your effective level higher than your character level, and that before you apply the penalty of a stronger animal. That way, you wouldn't have a Dire Toger with 10 bonus HD around the druid, but the Ranger could have an animal as strong as the one of a druid as long as he spend enough feat. Anyway, the animal companion of the druid is great mainly because the druid can boost it easily with his spells. the ranger doesn't haev that option.

 

[Rystil Arden]

I am not sure how to reply. I think it is useful to let the feat be taken multiple time sand have the effects stack. It seems to be the only real way to let the Ranger have a useful Animal companion. But if letting the feat offset the advanced animal companion penalty is unbalancing when applied to the straight druid, then I am not sure how to reconcile feat stacking with allowing a benefit for the pure druid.

Allowing it to apply once is not really a problem at all--the slight boost to the companion is worth the cost of a feat. Allowing it to apply multiple times does cause a problem. This is true for decently many feats, actually.

Ability Focus is a great example. It gives a monster or character +2 to DCs on a single special ability, it is definitely not overpowered for the cost of 1 feat--my Warlock can gain +2 DC on Eldritch Blast, but Warlocks are always low on feats because there are so many for them. But imagine if I could take it without limit. Now my Warlock has +16 to DC on his Eldritch Blast. Suddenly, you can't save against it without a 20 unless you were pretty much guaranteed to save without the feats. This is dangerous, though, as any monster that can make the Warlock's save will be basically immune to every other saving throw from all other casters (unless it rolls a 1), and any monster that the other casters can affect will always lose to the Warlock.

In general, being able to improve the same thing again and again is very powerful in D&D so long as that thing scales (which is to say--if it isn't Toughness). To see what I mean, take a Tarrasque with his standard feats and put him in a one-on-one against a Tarrasque with Power Attack and 16 Improved Natural Armour feats (you are allowed to take that feats multiple times). Be sure to use Power Attack appropriately for each Tarrasque. Teh one with the 16 Natural Armour feats will destroy the other one--51 AC is so much more than 35 AC that it isn't funny. The 51 AC Tarrasque goes from a challenge for high-level PCs to hit to being nigh-unhittable without True Strike or some cheap way to do a touch attack.

 

[LiquidBlue]

Well maybe two different feats are needed. A stackable feat that allows a multi-classed druid or ranger make up some their lost effective druid levels, and a feat that can be taken only once that makes up part of the penalty of using a more advanced animal companion.

 

[LiquidBlue]

Some minor changes

I have gone ahead and changed the proposed Psychic Sense to explicitly restrict the protection from flat-footedness to flat-footedness caused by not yet acting in combat.

I have not yet changed animal companionship as there seems to a split on the best way to adjust it.



I would like to hear comments on the Summoning Concetration feat, as of all the feats I proposed it seemed to me to be the most radical. It quickly loses its power as a character goes up in caster-levels, but for the low level caster it seems to be a powerful addition.



I have thought a bit about the Inspire Cooperation Feat. I like the idea of giving the Bard more options for its bardic music ability, but a flat +2 bonus to charisma checks seems to lose it usefulness. I wonder if we could treat this feat like the tactical feats and it give it a number of benefits.

Specificly, I am thinking that it could give additional abilities at higher bard and perfrom levels.

Consider:

Option 1: Let the bonus scale as Inspire Courage. IE, +4 at bard level 8, +6 at blvl 14, +8 at blvl 20.

Option 2: Add additional abilities

Inspire Cooperation as written at blvl 1.
Inspire Teamwork at blvl 6.
Inspire Friendship at blvl 9.

Inspire Teamwork
A bard of 6th level or higher with 9 or more ranks in a Perform skill can use his music or poetics to help his allies work more effectively together. All allies within 30 feet and able to see and hear the bard are affected. The bard must also be able to see the allies to be affected.

His allies gain a +1 insight bonus to the attack bonus provided by flanking and to the bonus provided by an aid another action for as long as they continue to hear the bard’s music. The effect lasts as long as the bard concentrates, up to a maximum of 2 minutes. Inspire Teamwork is a mind-affecting ability.
[sblock=explanation]I made it an insight bonus as I seems that the bonus is derived from greater insight into the actions and motivations of fellow teammates. Alternatively, it could be a moral bonus.[/sblock]

Inspire Friendship
A bard of 12th level or higher with 15 or more ranks in a Perform skill can use his music or poetics to cause a creature to become more friendly towards him and his allies. The creature must be aware the bard, and be able to see him. The bard must also be able to see the creature. The distraction of a nearby combat or other dangers prevents the ability from working. For every three levels a bard attains beyond 12th, he can target one additional creature with a single use of this ability.

To use the ability, a bard makes a Perform check. His check result is the DC for each affected creature’s Will save against the effect. If a creature’s saving throw succeeds, the bard cannot attempt to influence that creature again for 24 hours. If its saving throw fails, the creature charges its attitude towards the bard and his visible allies according the the diplomacy table but based off the bard's perfom check. This improved attitude lasts for as long as the bard continues to play and concentrate (up to a maximum of 1 round per bard level). The creature reverts to its former attitude upon the expiration of this effect and remembers everything that occured.

Any potential threat requires the bard to make another Perform check and allows the creature a new saving throw against a DC equal to the new Perform check result. Adjust the creature's attitude based on this new check. This adjustment may result in a more hostile attitude, but never a friendlier one.

Any obvious threat, such as someone drawing a weapon, casting a spell, or aiming a ranged weapon at the target, automatically breaks the effect. Inspire Friendship is an enchantment (compulsion), mind-affecting ability.