Humans gaining feats sooner then normal

[FlimFlam]

I'm not a big fan on house rules myself, but curiousity got the best of me and I had an idea I wanted to share to see if it was a little overpowered or not. I don't plan on ever using this myself, but maybe someone else might.

I was thinking, why do humans start with an extra feat and 4 extra skill points (+1 skill point every character level over 1st)? The reasoning from what I remember is that humans are generally faster learners then the other races. Most other races have longer life spans, so they can take their time learning new things. That is the role-play reason anyway. The game mechanics reason is simply because all the other races get nifty bonuses to attributes, skills, etc.

If humans are such fast learners (as represented by their bonus skill points) then why do they only get 1 starting feat at level 1 and no "bonus" feats later? They are quick to learn skills, but not feats? Kinda didn't make too much sense to me, so I came up with this idea...

What if Humans got feats 1 character level earlier then normal? It would look like this: Level 1 - Normal Human starting feat. The next levels they would get feats are levels 2, 5, 8, 11, 14, 17, 20.

With this system, they would get their character level feats a little sooner (thus, showing they are quicker learners then the other races) and get 1 extra bonus feat, al beit at level 20.

Thoughts?

 

[thalmin]

This would really weaken the human. Just think of the current way as learning a new feat 3 levels earlier.

 

[Corwin]

Just think of the current way as learning a new feat 3 levels earlier.

Perception is everything.

 

[CCamfield]

This would really weaken the human. Just think of the current way as learning a new feat 3 levels earlier.

I think FlimFlam is suggesting that in addition to a free feat at level 1, humans gain their additional feats (every 3 levels) slightly sooner than everyone else, thus with a benefit of a second feat for being human, at level 20.

 

[MissingDividends]

ill try it

im starting a new campaign this summer....i still got a buch of map-making to do...but when i do start the campagin ill try it, ill post the results here

it sounds like it still keeps everything in balence...

 

[Corwin]

As thalmin pointed out, humans currently get their feats 3 levels earlier than everyone else.

If, under FlimFlam's proposal, they get their bonus feat at 1st-level and their other feats one level earlier, then they are simply getting their feats 3.3333 levels early.

Doesn't seem that big a boost. However...

The down side will become woefully apparent when human PCs start qualifying for choice feats and PrCs earlier than they should and then balance is going to go right out the proverbial window... baby, bathwater and all.

IMO. But you've been warned.

 

[EvilMountainDew]

no

I dont agree at all. The reason humans get the extra feat at first level is because of their ambition. Humans live short lives as compared to most everyone else. Elves generally look at things from a ' I can do it later ' point-of-view where as humans say, 'Dammit, im gunna die in 30 years!'