The "Improved" Feats

[drdevoid]

What do you think? Do they aid flavor/coolness? Do they make things unbalanced too easily? Are the mechanics too clunky to be done regularly? Do they make combat scenes drag on?

I wanted to gauge the opinions on the feats that typically make alternative combat abilities more attractive. I am referring to the feats that usually double the damage, allow the action to be done without provoking an attack of opportunity or grant a +2 to the check (as opposed to ones like Improved two-weapon fighting). I'm referring specifically to the core tactics in the combat section of the PHb.

Thanks in advance.

<edit- removed reference to nonexistent poll>

 

[Crothian]

Do you mean like Improve trip and disarm?

 

[drdevoid]

Yeah, specifically:

Improved Bull Rush
Improved Counterspell
Improved Disarm
Improved Grapple
Improved Shield Bash
Improved Sunder
Improved Trip
Improved Grapple

I was going to include a poll like the one for Rate the Races, but I accidentally unclicked the box. D'oh!

 

[hong]

The PHB ones are fine. Some of the splatbook ones can be a bit dumb, though. IMO Improved Sunder in particular is too powerful, but let's not get into the sunder wars again....

 

[the Jester]

I like the PHB ones. I don't really consider any of the splatbook feats to fall into the same category- they're all at least one up the chain (with the exception of improved overrun, I guess).

The tactical nature of combat in 3e is really cool, and that goes for spiffy combat actions as well as all that moving around.

 

[drdevoid]

While on the subject, does anyone know what book the Improved Coup de Grace feat comes from and what it does?

 

[the Jester]

What's improved counterspell do? I have a custom version imc...

 

[Geoff Watson]

While on the subject, does anyone know what book the Improved Coup de Grace feat comes from and what it does?

It's actually called Death Blow, from Sword and Fist. You can do a CdG as a standard action, rather than a full-round action.

Originally posted by the Jester
What's improved counterspell do? I have a custom version imc...

Can counter a spell with any spell of the same school of the same level or higher, rather than needing the exact same spell.

Geoff.

 

[drdevoid]

Thanks, Geoff. That one had been driving me nuts! I think I must have been looking past it because of the Improved Initiative prereq (not one of my favorite feats- good dexterity is it's own reward, people!)