Skill Focus, Dodge, Toughness: Weak... ?

[Gargoyle]

...
I cannot copy how WotC has treated Skill Focus in subsequent products. WotC wants all d20 publishers to pretend that they don't exist, and we must comply.

WotC doesn't want us to derive material from anything other than the SRD. Can't blame them, I wouldn't want them to derive anything from my Product Identity material either.

My suggestion to other d20 publishers is this: Don't rewrite the core rules. Add to them. Make an Improved Toughness or Improved Dodge, don't rewrite Dodge. It's not necessary, no matter how special your campaign setting is.

Good luck with Dusk!

Edit: I checked Dusk out briefly, and it looks pretty interesting. It's not something I would use, but I liked the production values and the "completeness" of it. I'd encourage anyone looking for a different campaign world to at least check it out.

 

[Happiest_Sadist]

I think toughness should be changed to be a cumulative feat. It gives you 3 hp the first time you take it, then 4, then 5 and so on. Hence after 4 toughnesses you have a total of 18 extra hp.

 

[smetzger]

Dodge doesn't need to be changed. Its a pretty good feat in and of itself. But its real strength comes from it being a prereq for Spring Attack.

 

[Cloudgatherer]

I too use the house rule for Skill Focus being a +3 bonus. If a character wants to make a cross class skill a class skill, then he can take Cosmopolitan from FRCS, which does the same thing.

I've changed Toughness to +1 HP/level and it can only be taken once.

Dodge I haven't changed. Changing it to apply to all opponents is an option, but I have yet to do so. For now, it's working just fine the way it is.

 

[BryonD]

I agree with the comments above to the effect of restraint.

A weak feat never messed up a game.

Also, remember that you can throw off some balance issues regarding prerequisites for PClasses and/or other feats if you make a sub-average prerequiste and make into a good choice by itself.

 

[el-remmen]

This belongs in the house rules forum.

I'll move it there for you.

 

[CRGreathouse]

I like the feats as is: they're neccisary for prestige classes. That's their purpose, in addition to feat chains (Dodge, especially).

 

[Tylias]

You can always use weak prerequisite feats as excuses for making your home-grown PrC's stronger

 

[S'mon]

I agree with the comments above to the effect of restraint.

A weak feat never messed up a game.

Also, remember that you can throw off some balance issues regarding prerequisites for PClasses and/or other feats if you make a sub-average prerequiste and make into a good choice by itself.

I agree. BTW plenty of PCs in my games have taken the 3 feats mentioned - toughness is great for 1st level d4 hit dice classes, human wizards & sorcerors especially. Dodge's +1 AC vs 1 opponent is perfectly respectable.

My own approach to skill focus: like Alertness, let it apply to a family of related skills - so Skill Focus: Knowledge, or Craft, or Performance, not Religious Knowledge, Craft Armour, or Singing.
I came up with this _after_ I saw several players had the skill on their sheets and I felt sorry for them....

 

[Cloudgatherer]

I like the feats as is: they're neccisary for prestige classes. That's their purpose, in addition to feat chains (Dodge, especially).

Personally, I can understand leaving dodge the way it is. It opens up one of the more popular feat chains for fighters. However, do you feel the same way about Skill Focus given the myriad of +2 to two skills feats? And as for toughness, it only provides +3 hp, regardless of level or dice rolled. A powergamer in my group once remarked he would make a fighter, and constantly take toughness and be a "damage sponge." I think making it +1 hp/level and only allowing it once provides the same benefit to characters regardless of number of feats or hit dice.