Acting as another race: is it worth a feat?

[msherman]

As part of a story reward, I'd like to grant a boon to PCs in my game that they can treat themselves as members of another race (dwarves) for purposes of feat qualification, item abilities, etc (much like how a half-elf treats themselves as either elf or human).

My gut feel is to balance that as a group-specific feat, with prereqs "initiated into the group, and 13 wis or 13 con". So the story reward would be initiation into the group, and then the PCs could choose to take the feat whenever they want after that. Does that seem balanced? Is it either too good or too lame for a feat with those prereqs?

 

[Irda Ranger]

If you're giving it to the whole group, just give it to the whole group. No need to make them take a feat for it. Feats exist to keep PCs balanced against other members of the group. If everyone has it, then it's already balanced.

 

[msherman]

I don't expect the whole group to actually care enough to take the feat -- it's specifically designed for one party member (a hammer-wielding warlord/warlock who is going to find a pacthammer along with the clues that lead them to getting this reward).

 

[keterys]

Is there any harm in just giving the benefit out to the entire party, though? Spose it might lead to a rash of Dwarven Training at heroic and Dwarven Durability at paragon.

At any rate, if it costs a feat I'd suggest that it also give some small actual tangible benefit as well, of some kind. +1 feat bonus to endurance and dungeoneering kinda thing.

 

[MadLordOfMilk]

At any rate, if it costs a feat I'd suggest that it also give some small actual tangible benefit as well, of some kind. +1 feat bonus to endurance and dungeoneering kinda thing.

This. A feat that's a straight prereq and nothing else is about as much fun as picking up weapon proficiency on the offchance you'll come across a weapon. Sure you'd certainly qualify for other feats and whatnot, but you only get one of those every other level... so it'd be something like another 20 encounters before there's a direct benefit, which is really just unlocking more options, which they might not use.

*aherm* anyway, rambling a bit, but you get the idea.

 

[msherman]

Thanks, I'll add in the skill bonuses, that's a good idea. That seems like it's well balanced against Light Step.

The reason I'm wary of just granting it outright to the whole party is balance -- in the current party makeup, it really only benefits one member, the hammer using warlord/warlock who will be carrying a locked-up pacthammer (though the fighter would probably retrain to take it when he hits paragon for dwarven durability). Giving everyone something that's clearly designed for half the party at most seems like a slap in the face to the other two.

I plan on having membership in the group provide other benefits as well -- it's an established military/religious order, and they'll provide access to higher-level enchanters for the other party members to get gear made etc.

 

[keterys]

Sounds good then.

 

[fissionessence]

The reason I'm wary of just granting it outright to the whole party is balance -- in the current party makeup, it really only benefits one member, the hammer using warlord/warlock who will be carrying a locked-up pacthammer (though the fighter would probably retrain to take it when he hits paragon for dwarven durability). Giving everyone something that's clearly designed for half the party at most seems like a slap in the face to the other two.

Yeah, make sure to point out to the other players all of the potential dwarf options that have been made available to them. Also, if a player does choose the feat, but isn't gaining much from it, try to give them a reward that wouldn't have been helpful if they weren't a 'dwarf'. Of course, if they hadn't chosen the feat, they'd never have gotten it . . .

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