Opinions on E6 Prestige Feats

Veven1290

First Post
Does anybody have any experience with any of these "prestige feats" for E6 floating around the web? I am about to start running an E6 game and i really want to be able to offer more character customization. I am not that great at determining weather or not things are balanced so I come to the playground to ask what you guys think of them/ which ones do you like/ what would you recommend? Etc, Etc. Thanks for the help!
 

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I think it really depends what kind of campaign you intend to run. So, what style of game will you be running? Most of the prestige feat options I've seen strike me as rather powerful, so they're probably more suitable to 'lean-up' style game. (There may be less powerful ones, though; I haven't look for a while!)

How do you plan on using the prestige feats? I've seen a couple basic methods:
(1) a character takes a PrC class (typically as his 6th level), then fleshes out that class with prestige feats (usually 1 to 3 feats); or
(2) a character takes 6 levels in base classes, then takes a "prestige training feat" that usually grants some class skills, and allows the PC to take further associated prestige feats (usually a selection of from 3 to 6 feats).

Either way, ime these feats tend to be built into feat "chains" or "trees". Personally, I'd avoid feats that mimic prestige class features more than two or three levels into the PrC as officially written; and would probably cap the total number of such feats a character can take for a give PrC, as that likely leads to power creep. But, again, that really depends on your playstyle.

Another option, of course, is to just design the feats as they come up, capped at (for ex) three prestige feats for a given PrC. That allows for hyper-customization for your players' characters and your setting, and lends a lot of color. I personally like this option, because E6 PCs are often very unique in their respective worlds, anyway, so customized feats make a certain sort of sense.
 

Yeah, thats the impression that i got looking at most of them..really powerful. I wouldn't want it to become something that a character would need to do to keep up with other epic characters, just another way to be even more unique. The main reason i want some way to integrate prcs into E6 is because there are just so many cool abilities that i would love to see used. I had the idea of introducing prcs as Affiliations (comp champ, PHB II) but to do that lots of the abilities would have to be removed or toned down quite a bit. I haven't put much work into this idea though, it's just a though at the moment, anything i've seen online that involves prcs in E6 tends to leave a sour taste in my mouth though. There has got to be some solution to make them viable in an e6 game without a huge boost in power or any of the other problems that could come up.
 

Using Affiliations as a foundation for feats is a neat idea. Iirc (I haven't looked at that stuff in ages), the lower "levels" might be appropriate as feats. If you go that route, I'd be curious to hear what comes of it.

As for the existing E6 PrCs, even if you don't use them as is, at least they provide a good starting point. You can always power them down, in any of several ways: by actually reducing granted powers/bonuses/etc; splitting a powerful feat into a couple feats; upping a feat's prereqs to include other (non prestige) feats to slow down accumulation; etc. Honestly, I think the important thing is just to resist the urge to incorporate more and more kewl powerz from the PrC's higher levels; that tends to be what throws them off base, imho.
 

Agreed, I'll probably leave a lot of the PRC's out but ones with a sort of signature ability i would like to be available. Like the shadow dancer's shadow jaunt or whatever it's called, Tempest for reduced 2WF penalties, Assassin for a death attack/poison use (although you can already get those in e6...heck, if you want shadow jaunt you should just be a swordsage anyway but you know what i mean). The PRC's with a bucketload of amazing abilities, none of which really define it, would probably just be left out.
 

I didn't like a lot of the ones in the official E6 thread, found them either under or over-powered, or just plain messy (like the skill ones). I was making my own list of E6 capstone feats for whenever i run a game of it in the future. This is what I had when last I worked on it:

[sblock]
Ability Training [General]
You spend time honing one of your Abilities: Strength, Dexterity, Constitution, Intelligence, Wisdom, or Charisma.
Benefit: Choose one Ability; treat that Ability as having a +2 bonus to that Ability Score whenever you are making an Ability Check. This bonus does not count when making a skill check or for any other use of that ability.
Special: You can gain this feat multiple times, its effects do not stack. Each time you take this feat it applies to another ability.

Ability Advancement [General]
Your training pays off, and one of your Abilities increases.
Prerequisite: Ability Training in the same ability.
Benefit: Choose one Ability. You gain a permanent +2 bonus to that ability. This bonus does not stack with the benefit from Ability Training.
Special: You can gain this feat multiple times, its effects do not stack. Each time you take this feat it applies to another ability.

Advanced Training [General]
Prerequisite: Level 6, any +2/+2 skill feat (such as Alertness)
Benefit: Choose a pair of skills you have maximum ranks in (9 for a class skill, 4.5 for cross class) and for which you have taken the appropriate +2/+2 feat (such as Alertness for Spot/Listen). You gain +2 ranks in each skill.
Special: You may select this feat multiple times. Each time, select a different pair of skills.

Barbaric Resilience [General]
Prerequisite: Barbarian 6
Benefit: You gain DR 1/--

Bardic Inspiration [General]
Prerequisite: Bard level 6
Benefit: The bonus granted by your inspire courage ability increases to +2.

Bardic Greatness [General]
Prerequisite: Bard level 6, Perform 12 ranks
Benefit: You gain the ability to Inpsire Greatness in a single ally with your bardic music.
Special: Inspire Greatness requires 12 perform ranks to use, so you must first obtain Skill Beyond Your Years in a perform skill.

Caster Training (General)
You become a more accomplished spellcaster.
Requirements: Character level 6, at least 2 spellcasting classes
Benefit: Your caster level increases by 3 in two of your spellcasting classes, to a maximum of 6. Note this only affects Caster Level (i.e., more dice on your damage, no new spells or slots).

Disciplined Essence [General]
Prerequisite: Monk 6
Benefit: You gain Ki Strike (lawful) and Wholeness of Body. You can use Wholeness of Body as an immediate action.

Excelling Flurry [General]
Prereq: Monk 6
Benefit: You use Flurry of Blows with no penalty to your attack bonus. In addition, you qualify for feats that a Monk may take as 6th level bonus feats.

Expanded Knowledge [General]
Prerequisite: Character Level 6th
Benefit: Choose a spellcasting class in which you have levels. You gain an additional spell known at any level you can cast from that class's spell list.

Expanded Casting [General]
Prerequisite: Character Level 6th
Benefit: Choose a spellcasting class in which you have levels. You gain an additional spell slot at any level you can already cast.

Expanded Wild Shape [General]
Prerequisite: Druid level 6
Choose 1 Large animal and 1 Tiny animal. You can wildshape into these animals.
Special: You may select this feat multiple times, choosing a new pair of animals to add to your wild shape selections each time.

Extra Aura [General]
Prerequisite: Marshal or Dragon Shaman level 6
Benefit: When you select this feat, choose a Draconic aura or Marshal aura. Add this aura to your list of auras known. In addition, choose one Major or Draconic aura you know (you may choose the aura learned with this feat.) The bonus granted by that aura increases by +1.

Extra Domain Access [General]
Prerequisities: Wis 18 +, Cleric level 6, Knowledge (religion) 9 ranks, Extra Domain Power, Skill Focus: Knowledge (religion)
Benefit: You gain access to the domain spell list of one additional domain assciated with your deity. This domain must be the same one as that chosen for the Extra Domain Power feat. You may only take this feat once.

Extra Domain Power [General]
Prerequisites: Wis 18 +, Cleric level 6, Knowledge (religion) 9 ranks, Skill Focus: Knowledge (religon)
Benefit: You gain the domain power of one additional domain associated with your deity. You may only take this feat once.

Holy Strikes [General]
Prerequisite: Paladin 6
Benefit: Your melee attacks are considered good for the purpose of overcoming damage reduction. You gain an additional Smite Evil attempt per day.

Improved Bond [General]
Prerequisite: Familiar
Benefit: Your effective level increases by 2 for the purposes of your familiar's benefits. You no longer lose xp if your familar dies, though you must still summon a new one.

Improved Companion [General]
Prerequisite: Animal Companion
Benefit: Your effective Druid level increases by 2 for the purposes of your animal companion's benefits. You cannot use this feat to gain a higher level companion than you could already get.

Improved Uncanny Dodge [General]
Prerequisite: Uncanny Dodge, Character level 6
Benefit: You gain Improved Uncanny Dodge, and are considered a level 6 Rogue for the purposes of being flanked and flanking others.

Martial Veteran [General]
Prerequisites: Fighter level 6th.
Benefit: You may select feats with a requirement of up to fighter level 8, and with a Base Attack Bonus requirement of up to +8.
Special: A fighter may select Martial Veteran as one of his bonus feats.

Restoration [General]
Prerequisites: 6th level, ability to cast 3rd-level divine spells, Wisdom 18, Healing 9 Ranks
Benefit: You can use Restoration, as the spell (paying the material component), with a casting time of 1 hour.

Roguish Ability [General]
Prerequisite: Rogue 6
Benefit: You learn one rogue special ability.
Special: This feat may be taken only once.

Skill Beyond Your Years [General]
Prerequisite: Level 6, Skill Focus
Benefit: Choose a skill you have maximum ranks in (9 for a class skill, 4.5 for cross class) and for which you have taken Skill Focus. You gain +3 ranks in the chosen skill.
Special: You may select this feat multiple times. Each time, select a different skill.

Sovereign Strikes [General]
Prerequisite: Paladin 6
Benefit: Your melee attacks are considered lawful for the purpose of overcoming damage reduction. You also gain an extra use per week of Remove Disease.

Step of the Wild lands [General]
Prereq: Ranger 6
Benefit: You gain the Woodland Stride and Swift Tracking class abilities.

Stone to Flesh (General)
Prerequisites: 6th level, ability to cast 3rd-level arcane spells, Intelligence 18, Craft (Alchemy) 9 Ranks
Benefit: You can use stone to flesh, as the spell, with an expensive and secret magical ingredient with a market value of 1000 gp and a casting time of 1 day.

Swift Metamagic [Metamagic]
Prerequisite: Metamagic feats (see below), Caster Level 6
Benefit: When you take this feat, select a metamagic feat. As a swift action once per day, you may apply this metamagic feat to a spell you cast with no adjustment to the level of the spell cast.
Special: You must have a number of Swift metamagic feats equal to the level increase of your chosen metamagic, minus one, to take this feat. For example, Empower Spell, which boosts the level of a spell by 2, has a prerequisite of 1 Swift feat. Silent Spell, which has an increase of 1, would have no prerequisites. This feat may be taken multiple times.

Tireless Rage [General]
Prerequisites: Barbarian 6
Benefit: You are no longer fatigued at the end of your rage. You may still only rage once in any encounter.

Wondrous Rings [General]
Prerequisites: 6th level, Craft Wondrous Item
Benefit: You treat rings as wondrous items for the purpose of meeting item creation prerequisites. You must still meet caster level requirements for any ring you create[/sblock]
 
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I didn't like a lot of the ones in the official E6 thread, found them either under or over-powered, or just plain messy (like the skill ones). I was making my own list of E6 capstone feats for whenever i run a game of it in the future. This is what I had when last I worked on it:

I dig these, the caster stamina feats in the E6 pdf always felt a little janky to me. Just to be clear, with your advanced training feat that additional +2 counts as ranks (similar to skill beyond your years) so you could qualify for feats or skill tricks (w/ open minded) that require 11 ranks?

Just out of curiosity, how do/would you handle prestige classes in your E6 games (if at all)?
 

Yes, they give you actual ranks, so if you took a skill trick feat or Open Minded (to gain 5 skill points) afterwards, you could acquire higher level skill tricks.

I haven't actually run an E6 game yet, but for prestige classes I figured I could use some sort of capstone feat chain to simulate some of the lower level abilities of a given prestige class, and limit a character to only one such tree of feats.
 

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