The Ten Best Feats

[Hannibal Barca]

I'm curious as to what are considered the top ten feats for a non-spellcasting character. An informal survey of people's opinions would be enlightening. S&F, T&B, S&S, etc included as well as Forgotten Realms.

An example (in no particular order) below.

1) Improved Initiative
2) Expert Tactician
3) Iron Will
4) Luck of Heroes
5) Improved Trip
6) Extra Rage
7) Close Quarter Fighting
8) Exotic Weapon: Spiked Chain
9) Knockdown
10) Rapid Shot

 

[Crothian]

To many feats are situation to really judge this

Improved initiative
Persistant Spell
Enhanced spell
Expertise
Weapons Specilazation
Weapon Focus
Rabid Shot
Craft Wondrous Items
Quicken Spell
Extend spell

Magic is power

 

[Jeremy]

Many shot (ELH--- non epic)
Spirited Charge (PHB)
Two Handed Power Strike (Quintessential Fighter)
Empower Spell (PHB)
Power Attack (PHB)
Greater Multiweapon Fighting (ELH--- non epic)
Large and In Charge (Sword & Fist)
Greater Spell Focus (Tome & Blood)
Reactive Counter Spell (Magic of Faerun)
Improved Critical (PHB)

 

[Celebrim]

Didn't we just have this thread?

 

[Chun-tzu]

These aren't necessarily the most powerful feats, but they're 10 of the most fun WotC feats in my book:

Two-Weapon Fighting (I don't think this ability was in 1E, and it's addition is just way cool)
Energy Admixture (how can you not love a fire/lightning ball, or a cone of cold/sound?)
Blind-Fighting (totally cinematic)
Cosmopolitan (almost a necessity for some PrC combos)
Flying Kick (this needs no explanation)
Leadership (one word: cohorts)
Mental Leap (one of few feats that I'd want to take over and over again, to stack)
Snatch Arrow (this is so cool for an archer; when fighting other archers, you can grab their own arrows out of the air and fire them back)
Spell Thematics (themed spellcasters have style)
Trigger Power (there's nothing like a free Burning Ray or Lesser Body Adjustment)

 

[orbitalfreak]

(1) Ambidexterity
(2) Two-weapon fighting
(3) Improved Two-weapon fighting
(4) Weapon Focus
(5) Weapon Specialization
(6) Improved Critical
(7) Twin Sword Style (FRCS)
(8) Greater TWF (MotW? as ITWF, but third attack @ -15)
(9) Weapon Finesse
(10) Combat Reflexes

This just makes my day as far as the dextrous dual-wielding fighter is concerned.

 

[Zerovoid]

In no particular order:

Spellcasting Prodigy
Spell Focus
Greater Spell Focus
Rapid Shot
Spring Attack
Iron Will
Improved Critical
Weapon Focus
Weapon Specialization
Improved Iniative

 

[Kai Lord]

1. Manyshot
2. Manyshot
3. Manyshot
4. Manyshot
5. Manyshot
6. Manyshot
7. Manyshot
8. Manyshot
9. Manyshot
10. Clever Wrestling (those aren't pillows!)

 

[Hypersmurf]

Two-Weapon Fighting (I don't think this ability was in 1E, and it's addition is just way cool)

It existed in 1E, but not quite in the same form (DMG p70).

Your off-hand weapon could only be a dagger or a handaxe, and the penalties were Dex-based, not feat-based:

-2/-4 for Primary/Secondary weapon, with increased penalties for Dex below 6, or reduced penalties for Dex above 15 (to 0/-1 at 18).

Drow, introduced in Unearthed Arcana, could use two weapons without penalty in place of the traditional elven bonuses with sword and bow (provided both weapons could be easily wielded in one hand).

The dagger/handaxe seemed a touch restrictive, so our house rule was that anyone could use two weapons with the p70 penalties, as long as a/ the combination wasn't too outrageous, and b/ the sum of the weapon speeds didn't exceed 8. This allowed for longsword/shortsword, or scimitar/scimitar, or jo stick/jo stick, but disqualified, say, bastard sword/shortsword. We also allowed 19+ Dex to drop the penalties to 0/0.

-Hyp.

 

[Pax]

With a strong slant towards spellcasters, especially Sorcerors, and in no particular order:

1. Spellcasting Prodigy FRCS
2. Empower Spell
3. Elemental Substitution (specifically, all five for one PC!) T*B
4. Sculpt Spell T&B
5. Chain Spell (interpreted in spirit, not literally) T&B
6. Subdual Substitution (especially useful for undead spellcasters) T&B
7. Spell Thematics (it's all about style, style, style -- and being harder to counterspell, heh) MoF
8. Energy Admixture T&B, any or all of them
9. Spell Penetration
10. Greater Spell Penetration T&B

You just have to love, for example, the ability to toss a "Chain Melf's Stunningly Cold Arrow" (Melf's Acid Arrow, Substituted for both subdual and cold damage, then Chained; 5th level slot net), at a whim. Heh.