Non-combat, non-magic feats: Why are there no good ones?

[ColonelHardisson]

If you look at the long lists of Feats out there, most of them are obviously worked up starting with the mechanics and then given a descriptive name. The more mechanics there are -- and there are lots of combat mechanics -- the more exceptions we can work into Feats.

Yes, that's all true. How does it relate, exactly, to what I posted? Not being combative; I'm just not sure of the point you're making. Are you saying there should be more roleplaying mechanics? What about looking at how skills are used more closely - along the lines of the article on the Profession skill in Asgard 6? Then work from there. Maybe take a look at how Skill Focus could be used to apply to certain aspects of a skill. I know it may not be very sexy to some, but it's good, solid start on existing mechanics.

 

[hong]

As it stands, most Feats are combat oriented because the Fighter gets his Special Abilities primarily as Feats.

Most feats are combat oriented because D&D is fundamentally about going into dungeons, killing monsters and taking their treasure. That means combat. The fighter gets more feat slots because their niche revolves around combat more than most.

If Barbarians, Druids, Rangers, Rogues, etc. all got their Special Abilities as Bonus Feats, more Feats would fit their needs.

This is true. And the only way to world peace is for everyone to love one another. That's true too.


There's nothing you can roll that can't be rolled
Nothing you can kill that can't be killed
Nothing you can cast but you can learn how to play the game
It's easy

Nothing you can fight that can't be fought
Nothing you can save that can't be saved
Nothing you can do but you can learn how to be in time
It's easy

All you need is feats
All you need is feats
All you need is feats, feats, feats are all you need

(repeat)

 

[mmadsen]

Are you saying there should be more roleplaying mechanics?

I was simply helping to explain why there are more combat Feats. Once you've established so many rules for combat, it's much, much easier to embellish them with Feats that offer up exceptions to each of the many rules. That is, even if the Feat creators aren't biases in favor of combat, it's hard to fight the precedent set by the original game designers, because they provide so many "hooks" for combat Feats and so few for non-combat Feats -- well, with the exception of "pick any two skills, give them a +2 bonus, and think up a catchy name for the combo" Feats.

 

[ColonelHardisson]

OK, but I wasn't having difficulty with that. I was simply trying to explain why I thought skills were more properly the mechanic for roleplaying. Much as you say, feats - besides skill focus - seem to lend themselves to combat more easily. This seems to be because combat has more discrete elements that are more easily modified/added to than roleplaying interactions, which by their nature are more nebulous. This is why I was emphasizing skills for rp purposes.

 

[Plane Sailing]

RangerW,

Another fruitful vein that you might want to consider was introduced by Wheel of Time d20.

They have feats for rare, special abilities where the character has to first take a "latent ability" feat first, to ensure that the actual ability is still rare and costly.

IIRC these include things like "Old Blood" - which can give you hints and abilities or snatches of relevant memories from ancestors; "Dreamwalking" which lets you enter the land of dreams - and gain additional feats for doing things more or better there; "Sniffer" which lets you sense thieves and murderers, and track them by a supernatural sense; "Treesinging" which enables you to use song to craft wooden items out of living wood.

These are non-combat special powers, and the idea of having to take a latent ability first, before getting the actual power (i.e. you have to expend 2 feats over time to get the ability) means that they can be more powerful than you would allow a standard feat to be.

I would recommend checking it up for ideas, and considering how you could introduce some appropriate kinds of thing for your own game.

Cheers