[House Rule] Free utility feat?

[Professor Phobos]

Some feats I'd like to take for roleplaying purposes, but they're sub-optimal for ass-kicking purposes. I was thinking of allowing characters to take a free feat from the following list, and I was wondering if I'd break the game or something if I did so.

The list includes:

Jack of All Trades
Linguist
Skill Focus
Skill Training
Sure Climber
Long Jumper
Expert Ritualist
Bardic Knowledge
Light Step
(Probably a few others I'm forgetting)

It doesn't seem like these have tremendous value for combat and I can't see them getting taken very often, which seems to be a shame.

Call it a "Background" feat or something. Thoughts?

 

[keterys]

Depending on how common skill challenges are in your game, feats like jack of all trades and bardic knowledge are actually pretty good... but, yeah, go nuts.

 

[AbdulAlhazred]

Yeah, I tend to fall into the camp that says skill enhancing feats SHOULD be just as valuable as pure combat oriented feats. If they aren't then it is more an indication of a bias in the emphasis of the campaign than any fundamental imbalance between the two types of feat.

Of course if your game doesn't like role playing much, then go for it. I'd just try to work more skill challenges and stunting into things and make some of those challenges really matter. No reason why the endpoint of an adventure can't be a really cool skill challenge instead of "beat the boss monster to death" which is more typical. I think ending one or two adventures that way will get players taking those feats mighty quick!

 

[Pickles JG]

Those feats are about the level of the FR or scales of war background options so it's already pretty much sanctioned. A tiny bit better than the PHB2 options.

 

[Garthanos]

Some feats I'd like to take for roleplaying purposes, but they're sub-optimal for ass-kicking purposes. I was thinking of allowing characters to take a free feat from the following list, and I was wondering if I'd break the game or something if I did so.

The list includes:

Jack of All Trades
Linguist
Skill Focus
Skill Training
Sure Climber
Long Jumper
Expert Ritualist
Bardic Knowledge
Light Step
(Probably a few others I'm forgetting)

It doesn't seem like these have tremendous value for combat and I can't see them getting taken very often, which seems to be a shame.

Call it a "Background" feat or something. Thoughts?

I rather want backgrounds to be even more ballsy than the base rules imply so consider this stolen.

 

[Stalker0]

I think its a fine idea, though I'll agree that Jack of all Trades is actually a damn good feat, pretty much everyone player in my group that has the int takes it...frankly its the only reason I consider taking int if I'm not playing an int based character.

 

[Quickleaf]

Yep, I think it's a fine idea and something our DM did in our current 3.5 campaign. I think it's a bit harder to do in 4e given the combat focus of feats...actually, I have a couple of these written up.

Don't want to threadjack, I'll just throw them in an slbock...
[sblock=Background Feats]
Acumen
Prerequisite: Trained in Insight
Benefit: Anytime you succeed an Insight check by 5 or more than the target number, you also learn what lies underneath or causes the motive, outside influence, or illusion. For example, you could learn a rebel’s wrath at the duke is driven by the death of a loved one, or that the king is under his vizier’s charm, or that the illusion conceals a pit trap.
You also gain a +2 feat bonus to Insight checks.

Child of Prophecy
You were raised to fulfill a prophecy. Once per game session, when you spend an action point, you get a full turn (minor, move, standard actions) instead of just one action.

Lore
Prerequisite: Intelligence 13+
Gain a +2 bonus on knowledge checks and to Intelligence checks to gain puzzle clues.

Monster Hunter
You are considered trained for the purposes of making monster knowledge checks.

Raised by Another Race
If a human, you were raised among one of the old races, and vice versa. Swap one racial feature for that of another race. You may take feats having that race as a prerequisite.
[/sblock]

 

[CapnZapp]

Call it a "Background" feat or something. Thoughts?

I'd too say it's fine - I've used the idea myself (including Ritual Caster among the selections; to encourage my Cleric- and Wizard-less party to have at least one PC with rituals without any "shortest straw must take the RC feat" discussion)

 

[Garthanos]

I'd too say it's fine - I've used the idea myself (including Ritual Caster among the selections; to encourage my Cleric- and Wizard-less party to have at least one PC with rituals without any "shortest straw must take the RC feat" discussion)

One idea I had which relates to that was to allow one free ritual which relates to your background you could use it even without the ritual caster feat. One thing it does is give people a taste.