Theorizing about Divine feats

[Felix]

Personally, I think Divine Feats are a great idea. It is an untapped resource with both role-playing and power-gaming potential. Many of the complaints I have read about them dislike the fact that it takes one standard action to activate the feat; this I think makes sense for RP reasons. It takes a st. action to channel the energy from your deity wether you want to turn undead, or empower your shield, or whatever.

So we now have this new power for divine spellcasters, at least, those who can turn/rebuke undead. What I am aiming for are some cool ideas for feats. I very much don't want the overpowered feat that every cleric will take, but want feats that PC's will take for their RP value as much for it's coolness factor, and flesh him out, as well as flesh out his personal relationship with his god.

What can channeled energy do for a cleric or a paladin? To be unoriginal is human, so let's begin by stealing from DotF:
* Add to attack rolls, like Divine Might adds to damage.
* Add CHA bonus +1 to armor worn, similar to Empower Shield adding to attack and defense of the shield.
* Provide +5% Success on Divination spells for each T/R attempt expended.
* Add a +1 or +2 divine bonus to skill checks made for each T/R attempt expended.
* Provide enhancements to spells similar to metamagic feats.
* Perhaps each individual god has a side effect from using their channeled energy in these manners.

What are some neat things that a Divine Feat could provide a cleric or paladin? I'd like this to be a brainstorming type thread, and we could move on to balance issues later.

Creative Juices of the boards: Flow!

 

[Sagan Darkside]

Hmm- I think it would be interesting to see a feat that allowed one to use the channelled energy to counter arcane spells.

Or it could add the Good/Evil/etc descriptor to a spell to make the Good/Evil/etc domains a bit more useful (still not much, though).

Perhaps one that allowed a bonus to overcoming spell resistance.

SD

 

[Anabstercorian]

Why not go further?

Why not take away standard clerical 'turning' and replace it with 'channeling' and give them bonus divine feats 1st level and every even level? Miracle workers, not spellcasters...

 

[Michael Morris]

Problem

The problem with divine feats from my perspective is that they aren't in the SRD. Until they do, as far as I am concerned they do not exist. To use them is a violation of the d20 system license.

 

[Felix]

Sagan Darkside - Yeah, the idea of a Spell Resistance overcoming feat, or of a DC increasing feat was rolling around in my head - I'm glad one of us articulated it! Perhaps you could only use T/R attempts when you pick your spells to juice up your caster level check to beat SR - that way you might not need them, you might run out of T/R attempts to power other divine feats (or God forbid, to turn Undead! ), but you could buff up your caster level check by more than just the +2 from Spell Penetration.

Anabstercorian - As well as remove their spells? If you did not, you'd create a class unrivaled. If you did, the current reason for them being miracle workers, ie, cast Miracle and Cure spells, would be gone.

Also I'd like to have these feats come at a cost for the PC - Clerics and Paladins don't get too many feats; with a bonus divine feat every other level we would have to make as many divine feats as there are [General] feats. A daunting task. And if we failed at that, all these new style clerics and paladins would be cookie cutters, all with the same feats. I like the idea that these feats are rare and show the dedication the PC has to his god (and the god to the PC!)

Although a spellcastingless divine-feat powered class would be interesting, it's not quite what I'm going for. Channeling to enhance the cleric's and paladin's current abilities is my thought - although at a cost. The amount of time it takes to channel might prohibit their use in battle, but make them very effective outside of battle.

Michael_Morris - The absurd thing is that you're saying this in the House Rules forum. You're kidding, right?

 

[Michael Morris]

Michael_Morris - The absurd thing is that you're saying this in the House Rules forum. You're kidding, right?

Did I not say "As far as I am concerned" Felix? The campaign materials I keep on my website must follow the d20 license. I did not say that no one here can discuss the concept of divine feats - I was just expressing a little disgruntlement. Even if I did come up with some divine feats, I can't move them onto my site.

I do maintain some setting remarks for the WotC splatbooks - but until such time as WotC includes them in the SRD I can't put them online.

My reasoning is sound. I apply a different set of standards to the materials I create because I hope that at sometime in the future I will be able to publish them. When that time comes I don't want to have to go back and remove a half dozen items that lie in violation of the d20 license. I would rather just not create them in the first place. There is nothing absurd about that. It's being realistic about what can and cannot be done with the d20 license. If you have no intention of publishing these feats on a website or the like, go right ahead and enjoy.

That said, I am interested in the outcome of this discussion, and may be able to use some of the materials in my private games.

 

[Felix]

posted by Michael_Morris
...I apply a different set of standards to the materials I create because I hope that at sometime in the future I will be able to publish them...

Evidently I was as ignorant of your desire to publish (I usually hang out on the Story Hour and Rules forums) as you were of my non-desire to do so. No worries, mate.

Regardless, as one who evidently spends a bunch of time writing spells for Dusk, what do you think that divine energy should be capable of doing?

* Perhaps a group of divine casters could combine their channeled power to great effect? (Thinking the Do'Urden attack on DeVir)
* A way to reflect the difference between channeled power of different gods would be to tie it into the domain powers. How to do that, I've no idea. Any ideas?

 

[Michael Morris]

Well...

Well, for channellers of positive energy, this is one possibility... Looks like White magic is going to win the race to be the next month's theme...

Holy Power
Evocation
Level: White 1
Components: V, S, Turning
Casting Time: 1 action
Range: Personal
Duration: 1 round / level
Saving Throw: None
Spell Resistance: No

You charge the weapon you hold with positive energy. It deals an extra 1d6 damage to undead.

Turning Component: This spell expends a turn undead use in addition to a spell slot.

That's my idea...

 

[Elder-Basilisk]

Re: Well...

One round/level is a bit weak--especially for characters who are clvl 1. I'd give it 1 minute/level and make the weapon count as blessed as well.

Well, for channellers of positive energy, this is one possibility... Looks like White magic is going to win the race to be the next month's theme...

Holy Power
Evocation
Level: White 1
Components: V, S, Turning
Casting Time: 1 action
Range: Personal
Duration: 1 round / level
Saving Throw: None
Spell Resistance: No

You charge the weapon you hold with positive energy. It deals an extra 1d6 damage to undead.

Turning Component: This spell expends a turn undead use in addition to a spell slot.

That's my idea...

 

[Iron_Chef]

There are divine feats in Ultimate Feats from Mongoose (not called divine feats, but that use the same idea of swapping turning attempts for a different power), and in Kingdoms of Kalamar Player's Guide. I think there were some in FFG's Path of Faith as well.

I think you can create your own feats that are similar in concept without violating the SRD; you just can't call them divine feats or reprint WoTC's divine feats. Other publishers are doing it and better than WoTC. The Kalamar "channelled energy" feats in particular are awesome and add a lot of flavor.