Multiclassing question..

[Light Knight]

Lets say I take 6 levels of fighter.

Among those levels, I pick up Improved Unarmed Strike, role play reason, alot of bar fights..

Then I decide I like the unarmed style, and pick up some levels of monk.


I get Improved Unarmed Strike as a bonus feat..but I already have it..

Is this just a wash (ie lose benefit?)

 

[Xorial]

Lets say I take 6 levels of fighter.

Among those levels, I pick up Improved Unarmed Strike, role play reason, alot of bar fights..

Then I decide I like the unarmed style, and pick up some levels of monk.


I get Improved Unarmed Strike as a bonus feat..but I already have it..

Is this just a wash (ie lose benefit?)

In most cases, the rules say if you have a feat already, then you can choose a different feat. If I was GM, I would let you take any feat that was still part of the monk feats.

 

[SteelDraco]

In most cases, the rules say if you have a feat already, then you can choose a different feat. If I was GM, I would let you take any feat that was still part of the monk feats.

Interesting. I was under the impression that it was generally assumed to be a wasted benefit, since you already have the feat. I know I've seen instances where the reverse is explicitly called out - something along the lines of "if you already have this feat, select another feat". I was under the impression that was an exception, rather than a clarification of the intent.

Still, as long as the PC isn't abusing it, I'd probably agree with you that it would be fine on a case-by-case basis. Weapon and armor proficiencies wouldn't count, though.

 

[Light Knight]

In 3.5, I know you could use the PHB2 rules for retraining....soon as you level, retrain the feat to something else, pick up the class.....get the feat back.

 

[Xorial]

Interesting. I was under the impression that it was generally assumed to be a wasted benefit, since you already have the feat. I know I've seen instances where the reverse is explicitly called out - something along the lines of "if you already have this feat, select another feat". I was under the impression that was an exception, rather than a clarification of the intent.

Still, as long as the PC isn't abusing it, I'd probably agree with you that it would be fine on a case-by-case basis. Weapon and armor proficiencies wouldn't count, though.

In 3.5e, that was the normal case. In Pathfinder, it is a bit nebulous. I would need to get back home to look for the specific examples, but there are plenty of them where it states that if you already have a feat, then you are able to pick another. I will admit many of those examples are actually when the PC is taking all levels in one class, or entering a PrC. Nothing hard or fast written for all situations, but the precedent is there. Pathfinder is more about rewarding your roleplay choices, than screwing you over for them.

 

[StreamOfTheSky]

I would always allow free retraining in a situations like this. It's far more metagamy to hold off on a feat your concept is based around because you're going to get it in a few levels and if you take it now it's a wasted feat.

At the very least, RAW, a Fighter can retrain one of his bonus feats every 4th fighter level, so absolute worst case scenario, he has to deal with a useless benefit for 2 levels (assuming he immediately goes back to Fighter), or deals with a few levels of not having it (swap out at Fighter 4 in anticipation).

I prefer just letting people retrain whenever, though. Unlike the fighter ability, though, I require the character's replacement feat to be one he could have obtained at the time he got the feat to be replaced.