Feat to Avoid friendly fire.

[Happiest_Sadist]

How does this feat sound?

Avoidance.
When fighting in melee you know how to give your comrades with ranged weapons openings.
Reqs: Dodge.
Benifit: When all charachters engaged in melee with an opponent have this feat their comrades do not suffer the -4 penalty for firing into melee.

 

[twjensen]

seems reasonable

Since the archers could avoid the penalty with a feat, it seems that having an equivalent feat for the melee combatants would be balanced.

 

[Steven McRownt]

Well the first adjective that comes in my mind is... unreal, the second one inpraticable....

How do you think a feat like that could work?

(and about game mechanics i think it is even too powerful, 'cause it gives the same effects of a feat -that also have another feat as prerequisites- that shoul be taken by others...)

Steven McRownt

 

[twjensen]

Explain?

How is a feat that gives the same bennies as another feat but from a different angle unbalanced?

Dodge is a reasonable pre-req to balance against point-blank shot, given that *all* archers take point blank vs *most* melee fighters getting dodge at some point.

If the pre-req for precise shot were, say, skill focus: profession: coin collecting then I'd say that the new feat is too easy to get because precise shot would be using a throw away feat as a pre-req.

[edit] coin collecting is probably more properly a profession rather than a craft

 

[Steven McRownt]

twjensen, Dodge works in a very different manner: you choose one opponent you're aware of, and you stand better for his attacks, in that round. It give a +1 Dodge bonus.

This feat allow you to have a +4 dodge bonus versus a number of ranged attacks coming from directions and from you're not aware of (what if the rouge moves to get some sneak attack? you'll never be able to know where he is having him on your back at the beginning of the round; and even the other characters in the group can move and choose better position where to fire) and coming from people you're not exactly aware of (they can spend rounds recharging, so you don't know if they fire or not that round).

This is my explanation on why this feat is almost unreal. It's a sort of extraordinary power; if you think to make a feat something so extraordinary you should add some very high prerequisites... but imho it is still unpracticable.

Just my two cents, of course

Steven McRownt

 

[Crothian]

I think if you make it take a move equvilent action, then it'll make more sense. The person with th feat is spending a little time to make sure he's not going to interfer with his friends shot.

You can also have a feat based off of this that reduces the cover bonus he might be granting the enemy.

 

[ninthcouncil]

I'm inclined to agree with Steven McRownt here: if you don't know where the attacks are coming from or when, this becomes akin to telepathy. It's not unbalanced, it just doesn't seem to make sense to me.

Anyway, auto-dodging friendly fire spoils all the fun

Especially when the weapon concerned is a giant harpoon gun fired by a character with no proficiency in it ....

 

[HellHound]

Too bad the Canadians in Afghanitan didn't have this...

 

[mirzabah]

I'm inclined to agree with Steven McRownt here: if you don't know where the attacks are coming from or when, this becomes akin to telepathy. It's not unbalanced, it just doesn't seem to make sense to me.

Me neither! Whether it's balanced or not is hardly relevant, it's just plain stupid. Feats that let your characters turn their heads through 360 degrees or grow hair on the palms of their hands might not be unbalanced but it doesn't mean you should have such things.

 

[Crothian]

Me neither! Whether it's balanced or not is hardly relevant, it's just plain stupid. Feats that let your characters turn their heads through 360 degrees or grow hair on the palms of their hands might not be unbalanced but it doesn't mean you should have such things.

That's why I suggested making the use of this feat a move equivelent action.