Really great underrated feats

[darkbard]

Aside from the universally recognized CharOp standards (Expertise, Improved Defenses, Superior Will, Improved Initiative, etc.), what do you find to be really great but often overlooked feats--ones that don't necessarily add to combat optimization but rather overall character utility/fun?

Duelist's Panache is the sort of thing I have in mind: on a DEX/CHA Rogue, it allows said character to have a viable Athletics score, plus boosts Acrobatics through the roof.

What feats, then, beyond the taxes and obvious sky blue ratings have you found tremendously effective for your character, even if they are not the absolutely most optimized choices?

 

[MwaO]

Be trained in Arcana+Acrobatics+get Bard of All Trades. Kind of semi-trained in all skills - Arcana+Acrobatics are the only two skills that have 'trained only' options.

Like massively multi classing for different options - I'm going to have a Paladin who goes Traveler's Harlequin. I don't think the PC is going to have any typical Paladin feats until Epic. I'm going to MC into Monk and pick up Fluid Motion - so when I hit 11th level, Paladin is going to have a speed of 7 in Plate. And because the Paladin has Cipher+Quicksilver Motion? Potentially move 21 squares in 1st round of combat without using up a Standard or Minor.

Arcane Familiar - this is of course kind of an optimized feat, but I like picking it up and then only taking options from one group of choices - say weapons or implements and ignoring legal choices outside of it.

 

[nexalis]

Redacted because I completely missed that you were asking about 4e feats.

 

[darkbard]

Like massively multi classing for different options - I'm going to have a Paladin who goes Traveler's Harlequin. I don't think the PC is going to have any typical Paladin feats until Epic.

Sounds like a fascinating concept! Have you actually built this character out, or is this just an idea floating around in your head? Would said character's primary role be leader?

 

[MwaO]

More blaster defender. By 11th, typically doesn't do weapon attacks unless that's the only option. Here's what the build possibly looks like at 14th and there's a feat that needs editing because I have two damage feats that don't stack with each other. This is in a campaign that typically only has 2 combats per session - so the PC has 3 uses of Ardent Vow per combat at 14th-20th. And the campaign hands out a free feat at 1st/11th for feat bonuses to attack/defenses.

At 8th, here's what Astral Thunder does as an example with a wrath of the gods+ardent vow: 2d8+23. Average of 32 damage. Add +1d6 if target is marked. So does some big boom 5/day at 8th.


====== Created Using Wizards of the Coast D&D Character Builder ======
Mirrakkah, level 14
Deva, Paladin, Traveler's Harlequin
Binding Initiate Option: Binding Initiate (Fey Pact)
Auspicious Birth (Auspicious Birth Benefit)
Theme: Cipher

FINAL ABILITY SCORES
STR 13, CON 9, DEX 13, INT 11, WIS 22, CHA 22

STARTING ABILITY SCORES
STR 12, CON 8, DEX 12, INT 10, WIS 16, CHA 16


AC: 32 Fort: 22 Ref: 24 Will: 30
HP: 115 Surges: 9 Surge Value: 28

TRAINED SKILLS
Bluff +18, Diplomacy +18, Dungeoneering +18, Insight +18, Intimidate +18, Perception +18, Religion +14

UNTRAINED SKILLS
Acrobatics +6, Arcana +7, Athletics +6, Endurance +2, Heal +13, History +9, Nature +13, Stealth +4, Streetwise +13, Thievery +4

POWERS
Basic Attack: Melee Basic Attack
Basic Attack: Ranged Basic Attack
Deva Racial Power: Memory of a Thousand Lifetimes
Paladin Feature: Divine Mettle
Paladin Feature: Divine Strength
Paladin Feature: Divine Challenge
Paladin Feature: Ardent Vow
Bard Feature: Majestic Word
Monk Feature: Centered Flurry of Blows
Warlock Attack: Fascinating Shadows
Warlock Utility: Cloud Sight
Paladin Attack 1: Virtuous Strike
Paladin Attack 1: Ardent Strike
Paladin Attack 1: Frost of Letherna
Paladin Utility 2: Call of Challenge
Bard Attack 3: Ballad of the Zombie King
Paladin Attack 5: Hallowed Circle
Paladin Utility 6: Wrath of the Gods
Monk Utility 6: Quicksilver Motion
Paladin Attack 7: Astral Thunder
Paladin Attack 9: One Stands Alone
Traveler's Harlequin Attack 11: Traveler's Mummery
Traveler's Harlequin Utility 12: Shape of the Traveler
Paladin Attack 13: Letherna's Hounds

FEATS
Level 1: Devout Protector Expertise
Level 1: Battle Intuition
Level 2: Bardic Dilettante
Level 4: Novice Power
Level 6: Implement Focus (Holy Symbol)
Level 8: Superior Implement Training (Accurate symbol)
Level 10: Acolyte Power
Level 11: Fluid Motion
Level 11: Monastic Disciple
Level 12: Binding Initiate
Level 13: Superior Will
Level 14: Fiery Blood

ITEMS
Heavy Shield x1
Iron Armbands of Power (heroic tier) x1
Siberys Shard of Radiance (heroic tier)
Vanguard Longsword +1 x1
Burning Gauntlets (heroic tier) x1
Javelin
Ring of the Dragonborn Emperor x1
Accurate symbol of Fire and Fury +3 x1
Magic Plate Armor +3 x1
Amulet of Protection +3 x1
Circlet of Arkhosia (paragon tier)
====== End ======

 

[darkbard]

'Twill take me a bit to put the time in to digest this, looking at the pieces individually and how they come together. But one immediate thought: WIS/CHA?!? Sure, I see the early initiative patch, but, geez, that puts the other defenses at some serious disadvantage! But, then again, I suppose this is posted to a thread soliciting observations and feedback that are not necessarily of an optimized nature! ;^)

 

[MwaO]

Dead things don't strike back...

 

[darkbard]

That's a pretty damned nifty build! Certainly, the extra feats and the limited combat encounters/day help, but, still, looks quite fun (despite my reservations about the FORT/REF defenses)!

 

[Joshua Randall]

Eladrin Swordmage Advance -- *can* be optimized but just a fun feat that lets you take a whack whenever you use fey step.

Ubiquitous Step -- now you can recharge fey step when you drop to 0 Power Points. So you need to be the rare (?) eladrin psionic class, or you need some kind of wacky hybrid or multiclass psionic swordmage build (which I've done, and is a lot of fun). As a bonus, pick up some psionic items so you have a place to dump Power Points to get them down to 0 on demand.

Renewed By Blood -- as above but you recharge fey step when you drop something under Warlock's Curse. More fey steps per encounter = more fun! Try to combine all three of these feats into a single build for maximum shenanigans.

Wrath of the Crimson Legion -- why are tieflings the only paladins who can take this? Anyway, it lets you sub Cha for Str on MBAs and make a giant (CB 5 !) divine sanction. OK, those are both pretty optimal, but also fun.

Lend Health -- you know who has a high healing surge (HS) value? Dragonborn Paladins, that's who! You should use this in place of the wizard's and rogue's HS value when you lay on hands them. (I don't consider this 'optimal' because optimizing lay on hands is kind of a fool's errand, but it's a good feat and the flavor for it is nice.)

Pious Champion - one lay on hands use and one HS spent but you target two people. Double your fun! (not optimal because there are a ton of better Epic feats to take first)

Goliath feats - tons of fun feats to reflect the goliath's love of competition and the fact that he's, y'know, a GOLIATH.

Deva feats - a lot of these are objectively worse than other feats, making them not optimal, but it's fun to use memory of a thousand lifetimes to do various things.