Discuss the Combat Form feats (from PH II)

[domino]

Now I imagine two characters with Combat Vigor knocked down to a scant handful of feats in a girly slapfight to heal back up.

 

[Greg K]

Obviously, other DMs may have a differing opinion and find that combat awareness is just perfectly fine. However, I'll personally never allow combat awareness (as written) and neither would any GM with whom I have ever gamed. If a player wants a visual description and/or general impression, I'll give that to them, but I'll never tell the opponent's remaining hit points.

 

[Mort]

Obviously, other DMs may have a differing opinion and find that combat awareness is just perfectly fine. However, I'll personally never allow combat awareness (as written) and neither would any GM with whom I have ever gamed. If a player wants a visual description and/or general impression, I'll give that to them, but I'll never tell the opponent's remaining hit points.

It's just another example of metagaming creeping into the mechanics (like the knight's challenge), I think it could be done better.
Frankly, though I don't have that much of a problem with it, other than the fact that the abilty is not that usefull. The second ability (blindsense 5' radius) is huge however, arguably much better than combat strike.

My biggest problem with these feats is still that it takes "the first successful attack in an encounter" to initiate them. I wish the writers had taken their cue from psionics. There you gain focus by succeeding on a DC 20 concentration check - a simple elegant mechanic. Now it's unrealistic to expect a fighter to use concentration but how about something like a BAB check except with a *(DC 15 or so)?

 

[Lord Pendragon]

Now I imagine two characters with Combat Vigor knocked down to a scant handful of feats in a girly slapfight to heal back up.

As a DM, I wouldn't allow combat focus to kick in unless you were actually engaging in true combat. But that's just me, I suppose.