saving feats when you level???

[MerakSpielman]

Ranks represent training in the skills. If you have ranks, you are trained. If you don't have ranks, you are untrained. The simple act of putting a rank in a skill IS training it.

 

[Dimwhit]

Ranks represent training in the skills. If you have ranks, you are trained. If you don't have ranks, you are untrained. The simple act of putting a rank in a skill IS training it.

Exactly. The implication is that every day as you adventure, you are using your skills and honing them. In effect, training in them. When you level, you just final reach a threshhold where your skill noticeably improves. The trained/untrained aspects of the skills simply means that some skill are more complicated and can't be used by just "everybody," but only those who have spent previous time training for them. Other skills, like spot and listen, can be used by anyone, even if they've never trained and put a rank in them.

As to the saving of feats, I, like others, have never read anywhere in the books that allow for doing that, or even that imply that allowance. If a DM wants to houserule it, that's fine. But I don't think I would allow it as a DM. There is a reason some PrCs require certain feats that can't be reached until a certain level. It's the horrible "B" word (aka Balance). I don't always agree with it, but thems the rules...and always subject to overrule with a house rule.

 

[dcollins]

And this goes with the tradition of earlier versions, where training was required for some things, and where getting new spells for a mage required going to a library, which might not happen until another level if you were out in the wilderness.

You misunderstand that rule. In previous rulesets where it was required, you could not gain a level until you received proper training. It was not "for some things", it was an all-or-nothing affair. See AD&D 1st Ed. DMG p. 86: "UPWARD PROGRESS IS NEVER AUTOMATIC". (Sorry for yelling, it's emphasized exactly like that in the text.)

 

[just__al]

Chiming in late here but...

Weapon finesse is the perfect example why I don't allow this when I game and would put to eliminate the house rule if I were playing in someone elses game.

Weapon finesse has a +1 BAB. I see two possible reasons for this.

1) Being able to use a weapon with finesse requires a modicom of skill hence the +1 BAB prereq.

2) The +1 BAB was put in to specifically force singleclassed characters that don't start with a +1 BAB like rogues, wizards, bards to wait until they get another feat at 3rd level or to multiclass in fighter to have the bonus feat at 2nd character level to take it then.

Looking around at various and sundry feats and their prereqs I am tending towards #2. The game designers set the prereq so that certain types of characters get a given feat before other types. I'm cool with that and I don't see a need to change it.

 

[anon]

Not only would the better fighters (fighter, ranger, etc.). still get the feet a level earlier, but the rogue would have lost out on any benefit from the feat for a level.

But I am repeating myself.

 

[just__al]

Not only would the better fighters (fighter, ranger, etc.). still get the feet a level earlier, but the rogue would have lost out on any benefit from the feat for a level.

But I am repeating myself.

I see the +1 BAB set to specifically prevent single classed non-warrior types from being able to use weapon finesse before 3rd level. Taking it at 1st level and not being able to use it until second level circumvents this.

 

[Scion]

That right there seems like reason enough to get rid of the +1 requirement to begin with. But that is a tale for another thread

 

[Voadam]

I believe the rule is you can not save them.

In our campaign we allow characters to save them but limit it to feats that were options when you gained the feat slot. So if you are not sure you can wander around a bit until you decide, only losing out on not gaining the benefits of the feat before you choose. We have also allowed some feat swapping, particularly if a feat has not been used yet, for instance when we went from 3e to 3.5 I gave up my newly acquired spell focus for a combat feat and he turned into an eldritch knight instead of a loremaster.

Feats gained later in our campaign must always be in between games or during downtime, not in the middle of an adventure.

However, I don't think house ruling to save feats to use at later levels will be a big balance issue, even given the examples presented before. I wouldn't worry about a character gaining craft rods a level or two early in general.

The biggest issue however will be if you are creating an epic 21st level character from scratch, if you can make a lot of your feats epic, that can be the biggest balance issue I'd see.