2 "New" Feats

[Crothian]

Re: Perhaps....

I must've missed that general rule.

See the Dragon magazine that talks about designing feats. I think it's 278. It is one of the early third edition Dragons.

I thought about that, but don't think it is necessary. The two feats together still make the character a poor substitute for a rogue in all other roguey areas. A sensible player would just take a level or two in rogue rather than burn two precious feats.

Two feats are a price, but the with the prerequites you have it's really easy to get this feat. I really suggest at least a few skill points in each skill just to show that the character has placed some ability into them. A character choosing these feats is going to be placing skill points in these skills anyway, so I doubt you'll be hindering to mnay PCs with that.

Not really. It can be quite useful, but it is an ability (like favored enemy) that only comes into play when and where I want it to. Half-way through their third adventure in my new campaign, they've not bumped into a single trap yet.

That is completely true. However, it seems the traps are more common thoughout modules then say orcs, or any other favoered enemy. Also, the favored enemy just gives a few small bonuses, these feats allow a character to do something he would never be able to otherwise.

 

[da chicken]

What do you mean by "Prerequisites: Disable Device skill, Search skill' and "Prerequisites: Knowledge (arcana) skill?" You don't list ranks, which is the standard method of tying a feat to a skill.

These should be (at least) Disable Device 5+ ranks, Search 5+ ranks, and Knowledge (arcana) 5+ ranks.

Still, these feats are not that good of an idea. Since the rogue gets the traps ability at level 1, it makes more sense to multiclass the character than to make a new feat.

"But what about XP penalties," you say.

Evenly multiclass, play an apropriate race, or eat the penalty.

There are existing ways to get this ability, so it isn't necessary. Plus, it is a class exclusive and class defining ability. It's like making Rage a feat, or Weapon Specialization an open feat, or Favored Enemy a feat.