Reserve Feats are Wonderful!!

[Stormborn]

Sure -- I'm more referring to the fact that I'm low on feat slots as it is. Non-human sorcerer. I always find I run low on feats when I play a sorcerer, mostly because I love slapping a metamagic feat or two on my character.

Ah, I had a feeling you couldn't have missed that (I like Dragon Magic BTW, from the borrowed copy I have read, is on my Wish List). Yeah, I undestand that and can sympathize, I would think that a 6th or 9th level Reserve feat is a MUST have for any Sorcerer.

 

[frankthedm]

I would think that a 6th or 9th level Reserve feat is a MUST have for any Sorcerer.

That depends on the style of game. If there are always lots of low cr foes in a game with reduced XP gain, the reserve feats will shine as you will fight hordes of mooks for a long time. But usuallly a sorcerer has enough slots to get to the time cleric runs out of healing. PLUS you have to have your best spell be tied to that feat at every level to get the most use out of it.

They are better for the game where the wizard would otherwise burn through wands and the cost effective staves of fire.

 

[Victim]

I dislike of these feats because i worry about my poor dungeon walls and players trying to use these for blowtorches and other shenannigans. But overall these feats sound reasonanble if the warlock is also allowed.

Eh? Elemental damage (excepting sonic and acid) is the weakest way to destroy objects, since damage is halved before hardness. Power Attack is usually the best way to go through walls anyway.

 

[frankthedm]

Eh? Elemental damage (excepting sonic and acid) is the weakest way to destroy objects, since damage is halved before hardness. Power Attack is usually the best way to go through walls anyway.

Vulnerability to Certain Attacks
Certain attacks are especially successful against some objects. In such cases, attacks deal double their normal damage and may ignore the object’s hardness.

IMG, being swung at a wall is definity something most weapons are vulnerable to.

 

[WarlockLord]

They aren't unbalanced, as I stated above, maybe aren;t even a must have. But it sure is fun to lay waste to armies and armies of mooks without wasting a single spell slot or magic item charge.

 

[Slife]

Vulnerability to Certain Attacks
Certain attacks are especially successful against some objects. In such cases, attacks deal double their normal damage and may ignore the object’s hardness.

IMG, being swung at a wall is definity something most weapons are vulnerable to.

So... swords are more vulnerable to damage from hitting a wall than from hitting another weapon? Do you apply this to stone golems as well?

 

[Zaruthustran]

Vulnerability to Certain Attacks
Certain attacks are especially successful against some objects. In such cases, attacks deal double their normal damage and may ignore the object’s hardness.

IMG, being swung at a wall is definity something most weapons are vulnerable to.

Good point. Hitting a wall with a sword is, after all, also hitting a sword with a wall.

 

[Li Shenron]

If I understood right, then Reserve Feats are definitely not my cup of tea.

In fact, I already dislike the Warlock idea, and Reserve Feats seem about the same. Unlimited spells are not for me. Unlimited destructive spells are even worst.

(BTW I dislike Swift/Immediate actions as well, not all innovations are good IMHO)

 

[Ranes]

I dislike the Warlock, too. There was one in a recent game I played and the presence among the PCs of a warlock made me almost glad when the game ended. I've since bought C Arc and read the class; nothing about it endears me to it.

However, I picked up C Mage yesterday and carefully read the section on reserve feats and some of the feats themselves. I think I'd be able to live with these. The only thing about them I disliked from the first paragraph, was this piece of slippery justification:

"Reserve feats draw upon the magic inherent in the caster's body and soul..." p36

Er, I thought wizards didn't possess inherent magic per se but learned everything from books. I know. It's a niggle, nothing more. As it happens, I want to play a wizard in an upcoming game. I'll give some thought to a reserve feat, if he makes it to third level.

 

[malchus]

So, I played a wizard using one of the reserve feats last night, and I'm still undecided as to whether the feat is too powerful or not.

I don't have Complete Mage with me at the moment - feel free to correct me if I've mis-remembered the mechanics.

The feat in question was Invisible Needle, which requires a (minimum) 3rd level spell with the Force descriptor available to cast. It allows the character to create a force effect as a supernatural ability. The damage is 1d4 per level of the spell held in reserve, the range is 5ft per level of the spell*, and it requires a ranged attack roll (not ranged touch). It also adds +1 caster level to force spells.

My feeling on this at the moment is that as a generic power for a character, it's not too powerful, but it seems a bit much of an ability for a single feat.

In this case, I guess the thing to compare it to is a missile weapon. My character could have been lugging around a light crossbow, with 1d8 damage and a much longer range. Instead, I was doing more damage (3d4 - I had a 3rd level spell "powering" the feat) and could move around as well.

Even if I'd spent the feat on Rapid Reload instead, the reserve feat has an impressive list of side benefits. It's (Su), which I'm pretty sure means there is no verbal or somatic component, and doesn't provoke an attack of opportunity. It doesn't run out as long as I keep an appropriate spell memorised, and the damage effectively scales as I go up in level (assuming I pick the right spell). And +1 caster level for force spells.

That's a lot for a single feat.

The more I think about it, the more I wonder if it should have some other feat as a prerequisite. Spell Focus (Evocation), maybe. And similarly for the other reserve feats - as 'second tier' feats, the benefits seem a little more reasonable.

How have others found them in play?

* This may have been 5ft + 5ft perl level.