FR: Players Guide to Faerun is out what do you think?

[reiella]

The "amped up" feats are an overpowering +2 to 3 skills or equivilent. Nothing to get worried over.

+1 to AC + All Saving Throws
Immune to Fear
Numerous Immune to 'shaken' state + Other Stuff Feats
Type change to native outsider (all the benefits of a type change, without the downside of being an outsider, including 60 ft darkvision).
20' ft Frightful Prseence ability (Charge/Full Attack/Cast a spell that targets an enemy or includes an enemy in the area of effect)
Gaining Favored Enemy [This one is arguable, as I'm not too sure how it'd work, as it doesn't list any bonus or progression rate ]
Fire Resistance 5
Ability to move up to your normal speed while using the Hide or Move Silently skill at no penalty [admittantly, just an effective +5 to two skills under specific circumstance]
Spell Focus + Spell Penetration [one school]
Exhaustion Reliancy (Downgraded to Fatigued, Fatigued downgraded to No Effect)

Lot more than just the Skill Feats +1 and the Save Feats +1...

 

[Alzrius]

+1 to AC + All Saving Throws
Immune to Fear
Numerous Immune to 'shaken' state + Other Stuff Feats
Type change to native outsider (all the benefits of a type change, without the downside of being an outsider, including 60 ft darkvision).
20' ft Frightful Prseence ability (Charge/Full Attack/Cast a spell that targets an enemy or includes an enemy in the area of effect)
Gaining Favored Enemy [This one is arguable, as I'm not too sure how it'd work, as it doesn't list any bonus or progression rate ]
Fire Resistance 5
Ability to move up to your normal speed while using the Hide or Move Silently skill at no penalty [admittantly, just an effective +5 to two skills under specific circumstance]
Spell Focus + Spell Penetration [one school]
Exhaustion Reliancy (Downgraded to Fatigued, Fatigued downgraded to No Effect)

Lot more than just the Skill Feats +1 and the Save Feats +1...

...and still nothing better than a +4 to all initiative rolls.

 

[reiella]

...and still nothing better than a +4 to all initiative rolls.

Difference of opinion there, but one I'm not so much inclined to argue over .

I am more willing to argue that those feats are significantly more than "+2 to three skills", however .

[ Edit / Add ]
Which was mostly my intent in that last seeing as how it was stated that the amped up regional feats were nothing more than "+2 to 3 skills".

 

[Pants]

Not really. Cause if that were so, Orcus would have killed Kiaranselee before the damn cow got uppity. Not to mention he'd have turn most of the Bloodstone lands into his personal playground. As it should be.

Too true

 

[Nightfall]

Thank you Pants.

 

[Vocenoctum]

...and still nothing better than a +4 to all initiative rolls.

While a +4 to init is nice, I really think the advantages has been blown out of proportion, simply because D&D's roll once per combat. Sure it gives you the advantage in that first round, but after that, you're just going in order, it doesn't really matter WHEN you go at that point.

Also, I rarely see people take Improved Init, so I dont think it's as good as a +1 to AC and such.

Compare +1 to AC +1 to saves to Dodge, which is +1 to AC vs one opponent.

 

[Alzrius]

While a +4 to init is nice, I really think the advantages has been blown out of proportion, simply because D&D's roll once per combat. Sure it gives you the advantage in that first round, but after that, you're just going in order, it doesn't really matter WHEN you go at that point.

I disagree. It matters very much WHEN you go at that point. It can be vital to go first in a round, especially if you want to hold actions to do things such as counterspell, or otherwise determine what your enemies are doing. And, if worse comes to worst, you can spend a round to have your initiative rerolled.

I think a flat +4 to initiative is comparably powerful to any regional feat because it'll always be applied in every single battle. Other feats, such as immunity to fear, won't always be applicable. You won't need that when you're facing down an orc horde, or battling a drow scouting party. But initiative is always useful...add to that that its a +4 unnamed bonus, and it seems to be equal at the very least to any regional feat.

 

[reiella]

While a +4 to init is nice, I really think the advantages has been blown out of proportion, simply because D&D's roll once per combat. Sure it gives you the advantage in that first round, but after that, you're just going in order, it doesn't really matter WHEN you go at that point.

Also, I rarely see people take Improved Init, so I dont think it's as good as a +1 to AC and such.

Compare +1 to AC +1 to saves to Dodge, which is +1 to AC vs one opponent.

Well, that's not a good comparison either, as Dodge is an 'entry' feat, and generally regarded as 'Ok for being underpowered' because it leads into more powerful feat chains/Prestige Classes later on. Much in the same tone that the 'Save' Feats are often glossed over as Prestige Class Requirement bait.

Not that I necessarily agree with that perception, but it is one I understand . I personally perfer to see all Prestige Classes balanced against a core class or core class progression.

+4 to Initiative is a nice 20% boost for Rogue/sneak fighters combat ability and just great for tactical supremacy. It is a pretty good feat, but also one that I'm "passing up" with my monk, simply as +8 instead of +4, especially as I personally perfer to come in later with flanking support as the Flurry of Misses really benefits from that +2 .

Oh, and Alzrius, a couple of those feats would be used EVERY battle as well. Including Luck of the Heroes, and gaining the Frightful Presence ability will practically always come up in combat. But by the same argument, +1 to AC will come up every combat, and most certainly more often than a +4 to Initiative would as well.

Will just concede that we have different experiences in regards to "types of feats people like taking". As a sidenote, if the +4 Init is so nice, I'd expect almost all Humans to be taking Improved Initiative and Blooded for their two first level feats , fear the +6 Initiative, might get nixed in 3.6 due to being too stackable and abusable .

 

[Faraer]

I still wonder which bright game designer thought we needed stats for the deities rather than details about their worship and power sites. Fighting deities was something I did when I was really young, so I didn't really want or need their stats.

Erik Mona and Sean Reynolds have both said they were against including those stats, and I'd be surprised if Eric Boyd wasn't too. It was demanded based on the Krunch über alles dogma either by Richard Baker or managers above him.

 

[reiella]

Erik Mona and Sean Reynolds have both said they were against including those stats, and I'd be surprised if Eric Boyd wasn't too. It was demanded based on the Krunch über alles dogma either by Richard Baker or managers above him.

In the FR product line (and sorta in D&D in general), there's a distinct policy against reprinting significant fluff that's Not Essential and has already been printed (even in 2e).

I suspect the great religon books FR had in 2e are the cause for Faithes and Pantheons being more of a 'stat and quick glance' rather than the in depth view.

Can't say it's something I personally like either but I can understand it.