Feat - 'meet prerequisite'

[Saeviomagy]

It strikes me that there are an awful lot of feats which would suit a particular character concept, yet who's choosing is incompatible with other aspects of that character (specifically the stats of said character).

Example:
Knockdown (hit the guy hard and knock him off his feet) requires improved trip (hit the guy in the right way to knock him off his feet and injure him) and therefore expertise (fight in an intelligent manner) which requires int 13+

Which means that your average dumb fighter cannot hit someone hard enough to knock them off their feet.

This all comes down to that nasty attribute requirement.

So - how about a feat which alleviates that attribute requirement, either wholly or in part.

Feat - Special training
This feat allows you to meet an attribute prerequisite for a feat. You may treat any one attribute as 4 points higher for the purpose of acquiring a single feat.
Normal - you must meet the attribute prerequisite for a feat before being allowed to take that feat.

OR

Feat - Special training
This feat allows you to ignore the attribute prerequisite for the purposes of gaining a single feat.
Normal - you must meet the attribute prerequisite for a feat before being allowed to take that feat.

Additionally, either version could include the caveat that they also allow you to meet the same attribute requirement for any feat which has the original feat with the ignored requirement as a prerequisite - ie cleave requires strength 13 and power attack which also requires strength 13. Taking Meet prerequisite would allow you to pick up power attack with a lower strength, and it would also allow you to take cleave (ignoring the strength 13 requirement, because you already ignored it on power attack).

Below is a list of feats, and their prerequisite stat, arranged as feat trees (more or less).

Combat expertise 13
Improved disarm 13
Improved feint 13
Improved sunder 13
Improved trip 13

Dodge 13
Mobility 13
Spring attack 13

Whirlwind attack 13x2

Deflect arrows 13
Snatch arrows 15

Exotic weapon proficiency (bastard sword or dwarven war axe) 13

Two weapon fighting 15
Two weapon defense 15
Improved two weapon fighting 17
Greater Two weapon Fighting 19

Improved bull rush 13
Improved grapple 13
Improved overrun 13
Improved Precise shot 19

Natural spell 13*

Power attack 13
Cleave 13
Great cleave 13

Rapid shot 13
Manyshot 17

Shot on the run 13

Stunning fist 13x2

Anyone think this is an overpowering idea? See flaws with it? Recommend a better name?

 

[Norfleet]

Well, I've always noticed how surprisingly similar in concept that D&D "feats" are to Fallout (SPECIAL) "perks". One edition of Fallout, I forget exactly which, had perks "Bend the Rules" and "Break the Rules", which allowed characters to ignore stat and racial requirements for future perk purchases. Thus, characters could acquire perks they couldn't have normally acquired on account of insufficient stats. Perhaps you want a feat like that?

 

[Saeviomagy]

Well, I've always noticed how surprisingly similar in concept that D&D "feats" are to Fallout (SPECIAL) "perks". One edition of Fallout, I forget exactly which, had perks "Bend the Rules" and "Break the Rules", which allowed characters to ignore stat and racial requirements for future perk purchases. Thus, characters could acquire perks they couldn't have normally acquired on account of insufficient stats. Perhaps you want a feat like that?

I was trying to restrict it a bit - I'm not after something quite so broad-ranging, just something which allows you to create the character that you have in mind.

 

[Creamsteak]

I'd rather it be 'meet prereqs for 1 feat'. That way it wouldn't be like a dex 11 taking this feat and taking two weapon + the dodge chain + the bow chains.

 

[Norfleet]

I was trying to restrict it a bit - I'm not after something quite so broad-ranging, just something which allows you to create the character that you have in mind.

The feat for doing something would HAVE to be rather "broad ranging", so to speak, because otherwise, you'd have to have very specific feats for every potential combination of character that the person may have had in mind. Either the feat to allow such a thing would have to be rather "broad-ranging" and "general", so to speak, or you may as well be adjucating this on a case-by-case basis. That, or have a bucket of feats which do exactly the same thing, only for a very specific other feat or feat chain. That's just way too complicated.

I'd rather it be 'meet prereqs for 1 feat'. That way it wouldn't be like a dex 11 taking this feat and taking two weapon + the dodge chain + the bow chains.

Well, you could make it for ignoring requirements pertaining to one specific stat, although that won't really make a difference in your example.

In fact, it probably won't even be terribly unbalancing to simply make it ignore ALL stat-based requirements, as the Fallout version does. Some feats are such that you simply NEED to meet the stat requirement if you expect it to even be USEFUL, and other feats are such that they wouldn't be horribly unbalancing even if you DID take them without the adequate stats, especially if you burn a feat for the right to do so: Feats with stat requirements are basically simply locking some people out of potentially entire feat chains that they could have potentially had, had they simply been luckier with the dice at character generation. In effect, the character may be permanently crippled due to factors which may have been entirely beyond his control, simply because he can't possibly, ever, meet the stat requirements for some feat.

Of course, many times, the fact that he can't meet the stat requirement was by design of the player who arranged his stats anyway, in which case he probably doesn't WANT that feat in the first place. You can easily curb the potential abuse of this by making this feat apply only to feats taken for a Clvl feat, not to bonus feats gained due to class or race, and/or making this feat require some minimum character level to select (as in Fallout).

Really, however, I don't see any really hugely glaring abuse potential here. Any character could potentially have taken any combination of feats which are only stat-based in requirement, had they only been luckier at character generation. Why kick a guy while he's down?

Besides, if it didn't throw the balance on a Fallout game where the purpose was to intentionally create point-buy characters for the express purpose of killing each other in an arena combat, multiplayerwise, it sure as hell isn't going to do that here, where character generation certainly can be no more an exercise in controlled anarchy than that.