Pathfinder 1E Feats vs. Attribute Increases

[Lord Mhoram]

I tend to treat +1 ability score as two feats - as a house rule we have been using that if someone doesn't take the ability increase they take 2 feats.
It's seemed to work ok.

 

[Starfox]

Voted #2.

Possibly take up a thread form the human sorcerer's favored class bonus - just as a sorcerer cannot learn a spell of their highest available level, a feat cannot increase your highest attribute? If you have two attributes tied for being the highest, you are free to increase either of them. This prevents some of the joys of overspecialization and caster-focus and benefits the multi-attribute-disorder classes like rogue.

 

[Kinak]

I tend to treat +1 ability score as two feats - as a house rule we have been using that if someone doesn't take the ability increase they take 2 feats.
It's seemed to work ok.

Two feats, really? I'd be hard-pressed to not take the feats until I ran out of useful ones to take.

Possibly take up a thread form the human sorcerer's favored class bonus - just as a sorcerer cannot learn a spell of their highest available level, a feat cannot increase your highest attribute? If you have two attributes tied for being the highest, you are free to increase either of them. This prevents some of the joys of overspecialization and caster-focus and benefits the multi-attribute-disorder classes like rogue.

This is probably my favorite idea yet, thanks!

I need to sleep on it, but I'll probably run with this. I'd XP you, but must spread, etc.

Cheers!
Kinak

 

[Ahnehnois]

I need to sleep on it, but I'll probably run with this. I'd XP you, but must spread, etc

Covered that. I also thought the "can't improve your highest score" was a simple and effective way of capping things.

Though it does seem that if you carried it to its logical extreme, characters would have to have the same value in every ability score. You're not giving away that many points though, I don't think.

 

[Kinak]

Though it does seem that if you carried it to its logical extreme, characters would have to have the same value in every ability score. You're not giving away that many points though, I don't think.

Yeah, I agree. I doubt that'll be a problem, especially with the normal (every 4 levels) boosts still in there bumping up people's prime attributes.

Cheers!
Kinak

 

[Lord Mhoram]

Two feats, really? I'd be hard-pressed to not take the feats until I ran out of useful ones to take.

Yeah - it's a little overpowered, but Dodge is worth less than half an ability score, for example. I really think an attibute increase is worth about a feat and a half, and I thought about 1 then 2 then 1 if you do it multiple times, but decided on simplicity. Also I tend to run games with 3 people, so the extra feats really help trying to cover more than just your specialty. Helps multiclassing or "blended classes" like the Magus.

 

[Lord Mhoram]

Voted #2.

Possibly take up a thread form the human sorcerer's favored class bonus - just as a sorcerer cannot learn a spell of their highest available level, a feat cannot increase your highest attribute? If you have two attributes tied for being the highest, you are free to increase either of them. This prevents some of the joys of overspecialization and caster-focus and benefits the multi-attribute-disorder classes like rogue.

I like this. I may implement it. And have some XP.

 

[Kinak]

Yeah - it's a little overpowered, but Dodge is worth less than half an ability score, for example. I really think an attibute increase is worth about a feat and a half, and I thought about 1 then 2 then 1 if you do it multiple times, but decided on simplicity. Also I tend to run games with 3 people, so the extra feats really help trying to cover more than just your specialty. Helps multiclassing or "blended classes" like the Magus.

Sounds like a good plan. I like giving three person parties a bump, especially in pre-written modules, so I don't have to change anything.

Cheers!
Kinak

 

[Starfox]

Yeah - it's a little overpowered, but Dodge is worth less than half an ability score, for example..

Not sure I agree. Dexterity does many things, but Dodge is in some ways better, as it is not restricted by armor like Dex bonuses to AC are. And you get +1 AC, while adding 1 to Dex only gives you +1/2 AC.

I do agree with the rest of your post, tough.

 

[N'raac]

Not sure I agree. Dexterity does many things, but Dodge is in some ways better, as it is not restricted by armor like Dex bonuses to AC are. And you get +1 AC, while adding 1 to Dex only gives you +1/2 AC.

Dodge: +1AC

+2 DEX: +1 to AC (restricted by armor), +1 to hit at range, +1 to reflex saves, +1 to all DEX-based skills, +1 Initiative.

Not seeing Dodge equalling half of +2 DEX. Dodge is also, of course, a "gateway feat".