Feat: Armored mobility

[pontus]

Armored Mobility (Special)
Prerequisites: Fighter level 4th+, Endurance, Str 13+, Con 13+
Benefit: If wearing medium armor, the character may move at unencumbered speed provided he is carrying a light load or less. If wearing heavy armor, the character may run at x4 speed provided he is carrying a medium load or less.

Overpowered? Underpowered? Been done before (probably)?

Edit: Added Con 13+ to requirements, but kept Str 13+.
Edit 2: Added Endurance to requirements.

 

[Crothian]

I'd get rid of the fighter levels for a prerequiste and replace str 13+ with con 13+

 

[Ravellion]

Yes, get rid of the fighter levels. I'd probably add some feats instead, this is quite a shoo-in otherwise (I'd blindly take it for all my armoured blokes). I'd say Dodge, Run & Mobility. The feats don't really matter, Run and Dodge are "step up" feats, and Mobility slows it down to a level where other characters might also take extra movement through magical means or perhaps the dash feat (and you'll notice BTW, that In comparison to Dash, this feat is incredibly powerful). I'd also not put it on the fighter bonus feat list.

That's if would allow it: I wouldn't allow people to take this feat at all, it takes away a large part of the flavour of Heavy Armour. It takes a away something from other classes that normally can only be taken away by Magic (and then also can be regained by using the same magic... but this feat is useless for those classes).

Rav

PS: It's actually a lot worse (balance wise) for characters in Medium Armour than in Heavy armour. It makes them charge 60ft etc. Anyway, I'd feel pretty pissed as a monk or Rogue in your campaign if this feat would come to pass without some heavy penalties. Perhaps even add a 4 rank requirement in tumble or some such feat.

 

[Marshall]

Rav : Has anyone in your campaign actually used med armor? And if they have did you or another player smack them silly?
At best, +1 AC for -10' move is not a good trade. Lets not talk about wasting time and resouces on heavy armor.

Pontus : repost from earlier thread

Armored Mobility
Your armor is less a hindrance to your movement

Prereq: BAB 4+, STR 13+, proficient with armor type.

Benefit: Choose an armor type(ie Leather, Scale, Full Plate). When wearing this type of armor treat it as one category lighter for purposes of movement(Light armor is still light).

Special: This feat may be taken mutiple times. Each time it applies to a different armor.


Armored Dexterity
You have mastered quickness in your armor

Prereq: BAB 1+, DEX 13+, proficient with armor type.

Benefit: Choose an armor type(ie Leather, Scale, Full Plate). When wearing this armor its Max DEX bonus is increased by 2 and it Armor Check penalty is decreased by 1.

Special: This feat may be taken mutiple times. Each time it applies to a different armor.


Arcane Armor Assimilation (General)(Wizard)
You have adapted armors restrictions into your somatic components.

Prereq: BAB 3+, Ability to cast second level arcane spells.

Benefit: Choose an armor type(ie Leather, Scale, Full Plate). When wearing this armor reduce the Arcane Spell Failure by 10%.

Special: This feat may be taken mutiple times. Each time it applies to a different armor.

 

[Ravellion]

I am getting really bored with these threads. Heavy Armour is the best in value of protection. If your players don't use it, don't give out feats that let them use it because you like to see them in full plate. I don't see a lot of Heavy crossbows used, but you won't see me making a feat tht makes it a free action to reload it multiple times in one round.

All my balance arguments stand. I'll gladly take a total of +9 to my AC over +5 if my dex is 12. (full plate vs. chain shirt). I do. Three other player groups I know do. That is a total of 19 players.

Heavy armour is used. Medium armour seldomly (it's only most efficient with 16 dex. If people have a high dex, it's usually more than 16), I'll admit.

If my players want to get anywhere fast, they use a horse. If it's in a dungeon, why do you need to be anywhere fast. Just ready to receive charge. If opponents just stand away 50 feet and shoot bows, the mage will kill them in a heartbeat. If the opponent is an exact copy, but one fighter wears light armour, the other heavy, I'll gladly put my money on the heavily armoured one. He probably has a higher CON (or are all scores high IYC?) since he didn't have to focus on dex, and he has a better AC too.

In short: If your players don't use Heavy Armour, don't be kind on them and let them have "free" heavy armour, witout all the downsides. If you want to do that, there is a great game for it. It's called "AD&D 2nd edition". You can even tumble without penalty in your heavy armour IIRC.

Lets not talk about wasting time and resouces on heavy armor.

This is just so silly, I don't even know how to respond. You'd probably say "Lets not talk about wasting time and resouces on a sufficient watersupply" when embarking on a two week journey. Through the desert.

Rav

 

[Marshall]

If my players want to get anywhere fast, they use a horse. If it's in a dungeon, why do you need to be anywhere fast. Just ready to receive charge. If opponents just stand away 50 feet and shoot bows, the mage will kill them in a heartbeat. If the opponent is an exact copy, but one fighter wears light armour, the other heavy, I'll gladly put my money on the heavily armoured one. He probably has a higher CON (or are all scores high IYC?) since he didn't have to focus on dex, and he has a better AC too.

In short: If your players don't use Heavy Armour, don't be kind on them and let them have "free" heavy armour, witout all the downsides. If you want to do that, there is a great game for it. It's called "AD&D 2nd edition". You can even tumble without penalty in your heavy armour IIRC.

Youve never had to retreat, have you?

Its not free, Feats arent cheap.
If I can specialize to get better with my Longsword, Why cant I get better with my armor?
Doesn't it make sense that a 10th level FTR could better deal with and overcome the restrictions his armor places on him?

 

[Crothian]

I don't see these feats as encouraging people to use the armors. I see these feats as a fighter, or other PC type, that specializes in defense. There are many, many feats for your weapons but so few that take advantage of armor and shield.

In the next campaign I hope to play a dwarf that become a dwarven defender. I'm going to go heavy on the defensive feats, because that's the character. He's not going to be about the fast kill. He's going to slowly wear down th e opponent, while the opponet gets frustrated trying to pentrate through the full plate and the large shield.

 

[Ravellion]

If I can specialize to get better with my Longsword, Why cant I get better with my armor?
Doesn't it make sense that a 10th level FTR could better deal with and overcome the restrictions his armor places on him?

Armor isn't something you can become better at. You don't use it, it's just there. Combat boots don't change into Nike Running Shoes when you are a seasoned veteran either.

Retreat: Sure. Once every ten or fifteen combats or so. Go full defense, and full plate, and large shield, and your AC will be so high that a 20 ft. per round fall back is usually good enough. They usually don't follow, because the artillery (mage & archer) are shooting the pursuants after they have gained enough distance. The mage or Bard or whatever can usually help out the fighter by making him invisible, casting fly on him, casting expeditious retreat on him, teleport him out, cast a web in front of him, slowing the opponents or hasting the fighter. The fighter himself can always take the run feat, getting 20 ft extra movement each round. The fighter can stock up on a 175 gp potion of invisibility, or, for the same price, a potion of extended expeditious retreat.

When I DM, my players certainly have to retreat every now and then. I roll random wilderness encounters, and my 1st level characters often lose a man on the first journey bacause of it. There are giants in the mountains... period.

Carrying light armour so that you can retreat... kind of a self fulfilling prophecy in a way... You'll get hit more often, so of course, you'll have to retreat more often.

And when I play a fighter and have less than 13 int, I don't know what the heck I'm to do with my feats after 8th level.

Rav

 

[Mustrum_Ridcully]

And when I play a fighter and have less than 13 int, I don't know what the heck I'm to do with my feats after 8th level.

Hmm. I know the problem. I solved it by playing only Fighters with INT 13 (or 14) and Dex 13 (or 14), so I can get all those Feat Chains.
Or by playing another class.
(The Problem did become smaller when all those Class Books appeared, though many feats are still worthless without the Int/Dex . )

Pure Fighters are best using Heavy Armor (Full Plate, obviously).
Okay, it doesn`t help against Touch Attacks (though the Ghost Touch Ability can compensate some of those threats), but when you will never suffer Problems when someone tries to get you flatfooted (don`t you hate all these "recalculations" because your Dex Mod just dropped ).
Rangers and Barbarians multiclassing in Fighter should probably stay with Light or perhaps Medium Armor, but they do also have skills who suffer from Heavy Armor. Fighters don`t.

Boots of Striding and Springing are probably good investations if you want to speed up a Fighter...

 

[Crothian]

Rangers and Barbarians multiclassing in Fighter should probably stay with Light or perhaps Medium Armor, but they do also have skills who suffer from Heavy Armor. Fighters don`t.

Fighters have six class skills. Two are effected by armor check peanlties and one is effective by sheer wieght. So, Fighters still do have skills the are hindered by heavy armor. Especially since they get so few skill points to help keep these skills high. The Barbarian and Ranger can atleast do that.