Dervish Question

[Bloodhawk]

Sorry if this has been asked but i have not seen it if it has...

Was just wondering...

Trying to figure out how to explain this... but here it goes.

I'm making a high level NPC to mess with my group. (they are all high level)

But my NPC has 10 levels in Dervish.

At 10th level the Dervish has A Thousand Cuts.
If you use A Thousand Cuts with Dervish Dance you get both Cleave and Great Cleave feats.
(but only while using Derv Dance and A Thousand Cuts does the NPC have these feats)


If the NPC is using A Thousand Cuts with Dervish Dance, the NPC then meets all the prequirements for Overwhelming Critical.
If the NPC has that feat he then meets the prequisites for Devastating Critical.

But then of course if the NPC is not using A Thousand Cuts with Dervish Dance he then would lose both Overwhelming and Devastating Critical.
(or until he used A Thousand Cuts with Dervish Dance again)

So my question... can the NPC take Overwhelming and Devastating if he only meets the Prequirements while using A Thousand Cuts with Dervish Dance?

Or is the NPC not able to take these feats unless he takes Cleave and Great Cleave Feats?

So break Down...

NPC has Str 25, Improved Critical, Power Attack, Weapon Focus.
NPC needs Cleave, Great Cleave to meet the Prequirments for Overwhelming Critical.

NPC if using A Thousand Cuts and Dervish Dance at same time has both Cleave and Great Cleave feats.

Can NPC take Overwhelming Critical?

If yes, NPC then would meet Prequirments for Devastating Critical as well.

If no, Well i guess the NPC will take Cleave and Great Cleave feats.

Hope that makes sence...

Thanks,
Blood Hawk

 

[heliopolix]

strictly speaking, you cant take a feat unless you meet the pre-reqs for it. There are "vitrual feats" like the Rangers TWF, and feats you get from classes in certain situations, like Cleave while in Dervish Dance. If you lose the pre-reqs to a feat (ie a fighter w/ a 15 str takes PowerAttack, then gets ray of enfeeblemented down to 10 str) you cant use the feat until you meet the pre-reqs again. In the end, it all comes down to how much time the NPC is going to spend "on screen", and how much of that "on screen" time he'll be in Dervish Dance and use Thousand Cuts. From your loadout of feats, it looks like hes Foc, ImpCrit in Falchion, by the lack of TWF feats to suggest dual scimitars (very cool style ). As thousand Cuts is only a one-round-per-day ability, he'll be slightly more powerfull than he would be normally. If he would has Devastating + Overwhelming Crit, and of the 8or 9 attacks he would get (difference depends on if hasted / has wpn of speed), 25% (15-20 crit on Falchion) or 2 attacks would threat, depending on rolls.

If you allow him to take the feats w/o having Cleave /GCleave, then he has 2 feats that will only get used on 2 attacks per day (per above odds). On the other hand, If you just go ahead and give him Cleave and Great Cleave, then some class abilities become useless (Cleave while in DD is useless b/c u can cleave anyway, same for GCleave in ThsndCuts), but Dev + Ovr Crit will get used on ~25% of ALL you attacks. IMHO go ahead and give him Cleave and Great Cleave. You've probably got some fighter levels in there to meet the pre-req, so feats should be cheap. If not, consider adding some.

Later,
Jeff