D&D 4E Most useless 4e Feat?

[Saeviomagy]

In general, a DM doesn't want his campaign to come to a grinding halt because the party doesn't know what to do. Given that, he can't really place crucial information only in a foreign tongue.

Now, that doesn't make it totally useless: there's plenty of situations where information that isn't crucial and is merely helpful may be overheard in a foreign tongue. Knowing that the two orcs in the next room are arguing over when lunchtime is might help you avoid an encounter, but it's the sort of thing that you don't need to know, so the DM can feel free to have you not know it.

Which puts linguist firmly above barreling charge, which has absolutely no use whatsoever nowadays.

Even power attack is a positive feat, because if it's going to be bad for you, you can simply not use it. You might not use it a lot, but if you get the numbers right, it will make a positive difference overall.

 

[Zaran]

Linguist has a use if you're in a campaign with a lot of cross-cultural roleplay, and where languages actually matter.

Most useless one would be Focused Expertise.

I agree with you to a point. The feat is still weak. It should let the pc know every language. Or give a skill bonus to diplomacy If you know the native language. Although I would do this anyway

One of my players picked it. I told him if he can make a knowledge skill check on the unknown language and if he made the dc he would know the language

 

[Zaran]

Power Attack from PhB1.

Note: there are corner cases in which Power Attack might be useful, but for 95%+ of characters and situations, its a self de-buff.

It decreases your hitting chance by 10% to increase your damage by frequently well less than 10%. Plus you miss on the benefits from your "hit" like dazing or prone or whatever.

Basically it makes the pc a brute.

 

[renau1g]

Which puts linguist firmly above barreling charge, which has absolutely no use whatsoever nowadays.

Do I win the internet now?

 

[Camelot]

I have a houserule written in my book next to Linguist: You gain a +2 bonus to skill checks made when conversing with creatures in their native tongue if you have this feat. No longer useless! Not that anyone still takes it.

Mounted Combat is not even considered by me or my players. It just never happens. Not until they update those darn mounted combat rules (I need the RC...)!

 

[Mad Hamish]

Mounted Combat can be great given the right mount.
Get on a Nightmare with a Nightmare's Saddle and you've got at will teleport 10...

Most of my party goes mounted and it's convenient.
(2 nightmares, 1 wyvern, 1 celestial charger iirc)

 

[DracoSuave]

Power Attack from PhB1.

Note: there are corner cases in which Power Attack might be useful, but for 95%+ of characters and situations, its a self de-buff.

It decreases your hitting chance by 10% to increase your damage by frequently well less than 10%. Plus you miss on the benefits from your "hit" like dazing or prone or whatever.

The math on Power Attack is not that simple.

 

[Neonchameleon]

I was making a character and looking at some of the feats. Some of them really make my eyes roll and I'd like to see what folks considered the most useless of all.

My personal favorite is "Wintertouched" which gives CA against creatures with vulnerability to Cold. Frankly, I can't even think of a creature off the top of my head that has a vulnerability to cold. I'm sure there is some other feat that ties in with this, but probably not in a great way. Please let me know what your nominee is.....

Wintertouched is weak on its own. But add in Lasting Frost - which inflicts vulnerability 5 to cold when you hit with a cold attack. And then Power of Winter on Hand of Radiance - Hand of Radiance is an at will attack that targets three foes and does d4 + stat modifier damage. Power of Winter makes this do 2 points of extra damage and makes all the damage cold.

The first turn you are doing d4 + stat + 2 + statics to three targets - not bad. And then you inflict 5 points of vulnerability to cold damage. So the second turn you get combat advantage and do d4 + stat + 7 damage to each of the targets. This gets scary.

And then work on a Frostcheese party at paragon. Everyone having cold based at wills (normally through frost weapons). And wintertouched and lasting frost. Everyone in the party is inflicting cold damage and therefore inflicting 5 points of cold vulnerability. And then all gaining combat advantage if any of them have hit the foe recently.

 

[Kerranin]

I have a houserule written in my book next to Linguist: You gain a +2 bonus to skill checks made when conversing with creatures in their native tongue if you have this feat. No longer useless! Not that anyone still takes it.

Mounted Combat is not even considered by me or my players. It just never happens. Not until they update those darn mounted combat rules (I need the RC...)!

My Bard has linguist, but you are right in saying it will depend on the type of game.

 

[Zaran]

My fighter uses Power Attack almost all the time. Two-handed you get +3 extra damage. She uses a bastard sword and is a Two-Hand specialist so the Proficiency and Fighter bonus cancels out the -2. The only time she stops power attacking is when doing a WotC module and having to fight monsters 4 levels higher.