Concerning Feats

[Edena_of_Neith]

On the General RPG Discussion board, check out the thread "What Is GURPS"--this describes the GURPS system and one of the systems it surely is based on (considering both game designers have lived here in Austin since at least the 70s it would be too much a coincidence otherwise), David Nalle's Ysgarth (Wikipedia has articles on em both). Both are essentially "point buy" systems--for feats and skills and the like. I'm starting to think that a system like that might be more to your liking? In any case, if you want to stick to D&D otherwise, you'll probably have to house rule it. As a DM, the whole idea seems like a whole lot of work for very little payback--in fact, one of the problems I've had with the game in recent years is all the alternate new feats everywhere, many of them kind of dopey, published by WoTC and elsewhere, just seems like so much hoopla over nothing frankly. But you can change it for your own needs, and that is one of the nice things about 3rd edition.

For me, the payback from DMing is the fun my players are having. I feel it empathetically. I share in it vicariously.
This makes it crucial to discuss with the players *beforehand* what kind of game they are expecting (such as, a particularly hard or lethal scenario) and what manner of roleplaying they like. Because unhappy players mean a miserable experience, and miserable memories.

Otherwise, you are quite right. DMing is work, a lot of work, and small reward (and sometimes, small appreciation.)
But hey, if the players are enjoying it, it's worth it.

(winces)

With a module like S1, the Tomb of Horrors, the DM and the players have to come to many special understandings before said scenario begins ...

 

[Edena_of_Neith]

(curious)

Ignore the standard rules for a moment, and consider the Legolas of Peter Jackson's films.

I've said he has a feat: Bloodline of Kings. That's because he's Thranduil's son, and Thranduil is the elven king of the elves of Mirkwood.
I also said he had bow feats. That's because he was shooting two arrows at once, and otherwise using the bow real well.

If you had to give the Legolas of the film feats, what feats would he have? Disregard the limit on the number of feats for this purpose: give Legolas whatever feats you think he might have.

Let's assume Legolas is 20th level for this purpose.

What feats does Peter Jackson's Legolas have?

 

[DrunkonDuty]

Last year I started running a game where I gave everyone a bonus feat at 1st and then another bonus feat for every level thereafter. But I limited the number of feats available to those that fit with the style of the game I was running (there was still well over a hundred feats.) The idea was to enable players to access some more background variation and non-combat feats as well as allow for characters to develop fighting styles (ie: martial arts). Game got cancelled on account of real life but it was going OK as far as it went.

Basically I think feats are cool. The best point of 3E if you ask me. And they're a good way give character advancement in and of themselves. (which is what I wanted in my game, I wanted to keep HP low to keep the game feeling lethal.)

 

[Edena_of_Neith]

I guess we could take all the options presented so far and categorize them.

Feats Category 1: The RAW
Feats Category 2: Many of the feat house rules presented on this thread, Unearthed Arcana drawback feats
Feats Category 3: 1 free feat/level instead of 1 feat at 3rd, 6th, 9th, etc., the feat rich house rules presented in this thread
Feats Category 4: The Feats Galore Option, the really feat rich house rules presented in this thread
Feats Category 5: The Extreme Feat Option

Category 2 allows anywhere from 1 to 3 times as many feats as per the RAW.
Category 3 allows roughly 3 times as many feats as per the RAW.
Category 4 allows roughly 6 times as many feats as per the RAW.
Category 5 allows roughly 12 times as many feats as per the RAW.

 

[Kristian Serrano]

I honestly think the Action Point idea if the way to go. It really emulates those one-shot tricks Legolas pulls in the LotR movies. He doesn't need the feats per se, just to emulate the feats using an Action Point.

 

[Edena_of_Neith]

(curious)

How do Action Points work? How many do you obtain in the RAW? How many Actions Points are needed to simulate a feat?
Can you give a brief description?

 

[Kristian Serrano]

(curious)

How do Action Points work? How many do you obtain in the RAW? How many Actions Points are needed to simulate a feat?
Can you give a brief description?

I linked to them in my earlier post.

PS - They are also available in the Rules Compendium Web Enhancement.

On second thought, I might as well spell it out.

PCs get a number of action points equal to 1/2 character level + 5. These points replenish after leveling and do not accumulate. You can spend one point per round. You can spend 1 action point either to add 1d6 to a single d20 roll, to take a special action, or to improve the use of a feat (see full write up for more details).

 

[Edena_of_Neith]

(has read the enhancement, wants to thank you for putting the link up)

I would allow Action Points in addition to Feats, treating the two as separate things.

Action Points would come in very handy when a TPK was imminent, and you failed your save against that dragon breath by 1 point.
Since Action Points are so few - just a handful in each level - players would have to carefully consider whether to use them. It would be an agonizing decision at times.
Because unlike Feats, once they're gone, they're gone. And if they're gone, and you failed that save by 1 point, and it would have made the difference between survival and a TPK, well ... thus is fate decreed.

 

[Kristian Serrano]

(has read the enhancement, wants to thank you for putting the link up)

I would allow Action Points in addition to Feats, treating the two as separate things.

Action Points would come in very handy when a TPK was imminent, and you failed your save against that dragon breath by 1 point.
Since Action Points are so few - just a handful in each level - players would have to carefully consider whether to use them. It would be an agonizing decision at times.
Because unlike Feats, once they're gone, they're gone. And if they're gone, and you failed that save by 1 point, and it would have made the difference between survival and a TPK, well ... thus is fate decreed.

The great thing about action points is that a DM can and is encouraged to use them as a reward mechanism for daring acts and amazing successes.

 

[Edena_of_Neith]

They sound neat. I would allow Action Points. I could see where they'd create a lot of fun for the players.

I do think of them as one shot affairs. I guess that is what they are. Feats, of course, are at-will affairs.

I would ask again, if anyone would give their opinions on the kinds of feats the LOTR characters had (assuming no limit on the number of feats they could have - just give them all the feats you think match the character.)