anon said:
I don't think anyone suggested that one could simply say 'I reserve my choice until it's convenient', but rather, that the specific feat choice could be made in advance of it being qualified for.
Actually, that is what the thread is about, not the hijacking of the thread to picking feats before you qualify for them.
KenM said:
I know when you level, you must spend all your skill points. A friend of mine says that if you get a new feat when you level, you don't have to take it right away, but save it until later? Is this true? His DM just had the characters go from level 10 to level 20 in one session. So he wants to take a few epic level feats. I'm not sure if you can do this.
anon said:
As for the much repeated PrC abuse issue, I have yet to see one specific example of this, much less a series of examples that might lead me to agree that this 'house rule' is broken.
I hate doing other peoples homework for them.
The PrC abuse is not just that someone could gain a level of PrC a level early.
For example:
6th level Ranger takes Stunning Fist, even though his wisdom is a point shy. At 8th level, he takes the Red Avenger PrC, even though he normally would have to wait for 9th level.
There is also the ability to get the feats you want without having to take feats you do not want.
For example:
Non-good, non-evil Wizard gets to 5th level and becomes a Guild Wizard of Waterdeep at 6th level. He has Scribe Scroll and a metamagic feat at this point (deciding to put his other feats in non-metamagic / non-item creation feats).
As a 3rd level Guild Wizard, he decides to take Craft Rods. He is only 8th level, but he uses up the Item Creation feat from Guild Wizard because he only wants two item creation feats total (Scribe Scroll and Craft Rods).
At 9th level, he decides to switch over to Red Wizard or some other PrC that has 3 item creation and/or metamagic feat requirements.
This character can take this new PrC at level 9 WITHOUT having to take an unwanted item creation feat at level 8 and Craft Rod at level 9. Instead, he can take some other feat at level 9. The character gets the extra feat for staying in the Guild Wizard PrC and at the same time, effectively gets to take a non-item creation feat in place of that feat because his 9th level feat pick is a non-item creation one. In reality, he should have had to take a different item creation feat at 8th level and if he still wanted Craft Rod at 9th level, he would have not gotten that other feat at 9th level.
anon said:
On the other side you fail completely to acknowledge the level, or more, of absolutely no benefit from choosing a feat that one can't even use. IMO, if a player is willing to sacrifice a feat's benefit for a level or two they ought not be stopped, but encouraged for their planning.
There are plenty of feats that are taken at given levels and cannot yet be used. Hence, this "counter balancing" aspect of this house rule is not that big of a deal.
For example, if a character takes an item creation feat, there are often situations where he cannot actually use it because he is not in town or does not have enough money or whatever.
Even a feat like Great Cleave may go for several levels without being used.
This concept that "giving up a level or two for a feat in order to gain exactly what you want" is still power gaming, more so than the normal game. IMO.