Toughness: Neverwinter Nights version help

[Iron_Chef]

In Neverwinter Nights, Toughness grants +1 hp per character level, making it more useful at higher levels. I'm going to adopt this version as an official replacement for the PHB version.

My question is, should you be able to gain this feat multiple times, stacking its bonus hp?

 

[Viktyr Gehrig]

Yeah, I think so. It's still a painfully weak feat.

 

[Technik4]

Would you think a feat that permanently raised the hd of any class you take by 1 "painfully weak"?

technik

 

[Crothian]

I wouldn't let it stack, that's 20 extra HP at 20th level, which is equal to epic toughness and better then all the other toughness feats. I think this makes it a pretty powerful feat.

 

[Viktyr Gehrig]

20 extra hit points at 20th level. Yes, that's weak.

Maybe letting it stack would make it too powerful... but extra hit points is not only weak compared to new, shiny offensive powers, it's boring.

 

[Crothian]

Well, if one thinks extra HP are boring there's really no way to spice this up without a total rewrite and new definition. But 20 HP is not weak. It's about a 30% increase for most Wizards at that level.

 

[Sixchan]

My first exposure to D&D 3e was through NWN. I was pretty surpised at how bad Toughness was in the core rules.

I'd let it stack, make it less each time. If you'd have an extra 20HP at 20th level, make it 30 for taking it twice (essentially meaning a 1/2 HP every level).

 

[Iron_Chef]

It's really the equivalent of raising your CON by 2 points without having to spend ability increases on doing so. Of course, it doesn't help your Fort saves, so it's not quite as good.

Another Alt.Toughness option:

1. Your HD is always one better regardless of class or multiclassing, up to a maximum HD of 1d12. 1d4=1d6, 1d6=1d8, 1d8=1d10, 1d10=1d12. Barbarians are already the toughest dudes out there HP-wise, so this feat only benefits other classes.

 

[Spatzimaus]

1/level is too much, especially if you can take it multiple times. Classes with lots of Feats (Fighters, Psychic Warriors) would get huge boosts. A Fighter would become a Barbarian, a Psychic Warrior would have the defense of a Fighter. Hit dice wouldn't be a balancing factor any more for these classes.

Now, what you COULD do is the amount of HP given as (2 + level/2). In other words, the same bonus you get for having a good save in a single class; 2 at level 1, up to 12 at level 20. Still useful for mages, too.

Or, you could just simplify the whole thing at let Toughness give DR 1/-.

 

[Elder-Basilisk]

My favorite toughness fix is to leave it the way it is. . . but allow it to extend your death threshold each time you take it. A character with one toughness feat gets the hit points and doesn't die until he reaches -13. With two toughness feats, that's six hp and you don't die until -16. Etc.

However, the NWN version probably won't break anything either--as long as you don't allow it to stack. The cautions others have given about unbalancing classes with large numbers of bonus feats are worth heeding. A single classed fighter could probably afford to use at least 6 of his normal feats on toughness for a total of 120 extra hit points at 20th level. . . .