Idea - Restrict or Remove Feats

[Siberys]

DESIGN GOALS
- Eliminate the huge list of feats to slog through, especially considering most feats do pretty much the same things.

- Make feats a flavor thing as opposed to an optimization deal, if possible.

- Reduce feat gain

REASONS
In prepping my house rules for a possible game this summer, I decided to try and fill out the 'feat grid' for races - make sure each race has at least one feat for each class. Sometimes, it's fun - like for my homebrew Tengu race. Other times, it's a PITA. Besides, there's already over 3000 official feats available - adding more doesn't really seem necessary. Also, I've been playing a lot of Gamma World, and the lack of feats (except at higher levels from an expansion) is a bit refreshing.

MECHANICS
2) Do not add Enhancement bonuses to defenses, damage, or attack rolls. Instead, add your level.

These are to make sure a player's numerical benefits keep pace as they are supposed to.

3) Remove almost all feats. Feats should have primarily RP or non-combat applications as a general rule.

These feats from the PH1 would make the cut, frex;

Alertness, Armor Proficiency, Divinity Feats, Durable, Escape Artist, Improved Initiative, Jack of All Trades, Long Jumper, Mounted Combat, Quick Draw, Ritual Caster, Shield Proficiency, Skill Focus, Skill Training, Sure Climber, Toughness, Weapon Proficiency; Agile Athlete, Danger Sense, Fleet-Footed, Improved Second Wind, Mettle, Secret Stride, Sieze the Moment, Uncanny Dodge; Blind-Fight, Epic Resurgence, Flanking Maneuver, Unfettered Stride; Multiclass Feats

Combat feats are heavily restricted. Expertise would be disallowed; Otherwise, attack bonuses would get out-of-hand.

4) Add feats for certain necessary combat or roleplaying effects.

Dragonmarked feats, for example, fit here. The feats as they currently exist are too strong and are mostly combat-focused. Removing all but a minor combat ability and the ritual-caster bit would make them work under this setup.

It may also be worth creating a few general combat feats to cover simple niches left by the vacuum of class or race specific feats; bonuses to forced movement or opportunity attacks, for example.

5) Restrict feat gain; specifically, halve the number of times feats are gained. This is necessary because most of the feats are not tied up in optimization, and having so few (relatively) to choose from means that choosing feats would get harder and harder as time passed.

Feats are gained at the following levels; 1, 4, 8, 11, 14, 18, 21, 24, 28

Thoughts?

 

[eriktheguy]

Literally interpretting what you have written seems to say 'add level to damage'. Is this accidental, or do you maybe want to expand on the balance/grind implications?
Would you be interested in using CB loader to edit which feats are available and how they are gained with level (If we aren't allowed to mention that on these forums I will remove this.)

 

[Siberys]

Yes, I do intend for level to be added to damage. GW does this, and pretty much every feat that adds to damage has been disallowed. It should balance out, and I don't mind giving a little more damage than normal to high-level PCs. Is it still too much? Would half level be better?

As for CBLoader, well, maybe I would, but TBH I don't use the CB. I use too much homebrew stuff for it to be useful.

 

[eriktheguy]

I think adding level to damage is a great way of eliminating grind, although it won't 'balance out' if that's what you're going for. Characters normally accrue about +4 from feats and +6 from enhancement to all damage over 30 levels, unless I am missing something. If they are lucky, they might also boast a +4-6 item bonus by the end of epic tier. That's still much less than +level to damage.

I'm not discouraging it, just making sure you were aware of it.

 

[Siberys]

So it is closer to +1/2 level to damage. Ah well, my players won't mind the bonus damage.

 

[eriktheguy]

I'm sure they won't. I like your idea overall. I've been personally toying with the idea of using CB loader to remove tons of feats from my players' lists of options, mostly the suboptimal or ridiculously niche feats. I already remove the most obvious tax feats (defenses and expertise) and might move up to other feats that seem tax-like for many builds while failing to add any flavor (weapon focus, toughness etc).

 

[Mentat55]

Keep in mind that Gamma World has no ability score increases, while standard 4e does. So if you go with adding character level, the PCs will eventually outpace equal level monsters in terms of attacks and defenses because they ability scores improve.

But I like the simplicity of adding your level to everything. And getting rid of feats is not too bad of an idea -- in many ways, character customization in 4e could almost exclusively be built into the powers.

 

[Siberys]

Good point on the ability score increases. I may have to remove those... though that screws with feat prereqs...

I DO want to keep feats, just reduce how many there are and remove the combat focus that they have.

 

[eriktheguy]

With what you're doing, you might remove feat prereqs almost entirely.

 

[ren1999]

Don't you think that Skills, Feats, Martial Exploits, Traits all have similar if not often duplicated bonuses?

I too would like to dump all the feats and consolidate them into skills for rogues and fighters.

Here is the beginning of my efforts.
Can you take a look at a few of these and show me how to "Gamma World"-ize them?

http://kira3696.tripod.com/warriorwizards.htm