Useless feats (re: Combat Casting)

[2WS-Steve]

It seems that most people (such as WotC in all their new books) think Skill Focus is too weak at +2 and should be pushed up to +3. If your combat casting Concentration checks are about 1/2 to 2/3 of the Concentration checks you usually make the bonus should probably be increased to +5 or +6.

Alternately, some kind of non-numerical benefit would be nice. Straight numbers are good for the meat but not very interesting and they lose significance at higher levels when you have plenty of other numbers around to add in. Perhaps something like: you can also cast spells that require S components when both hands are full.

 

[Aaron L]

Wow, casting defensively is pretty standard and necesary when we play. Combat Casting is a useful feat.

 

[Fast Learner]

What if Endurance also reduced your need for sleep by 25%, even for casters. Would this make it attractive enough?

 

[Dark Psion]

My fix for Skill Focus is that is grants +2 bonus and the skill becomes a class skill to all of your classes.

 

[Crothian]

Feats only become useless when players don't take advantage of them and when DMs don't allow them to come into play. Some feats are stronger then others, but there is no worthless feat.

 

[ced1106]

Skill Focus... but, then again, almost no one ever really thought that was worthwhile. The same for Toughness.

Cute. EQ RPG's Skill Focus is +3 (useful for their version of the Heal skill), and Toughness is Toughened (Additional HP equal to 1 plus your base Fortitude bonus).

Otherwise, agreed with Crothian. (GM: "The goblin leader makes his Intelligence check and orders the goblin archers to fire on the unarmed guys waving their hands around.")


Cedric.
aka. Washu! ^O^

 

[Kaji]

Feats only become useless when players don't take advantage of them and when DMs don't allow them to come into play. Some feats are stronger then others, but there is no worthless feat.

As usual, I agree with Crothian here. Endurance provides the following benefit:

Benefit: Whenever the character makes a check for performing a physical action that extends over a period of time (running,
swimming, holding the character's breath, and so on), the character gets a +4 bonus to the check.

A clever character should finds ways to make this useful, just like any feat.

 

[Kaelynna]

How often does concentration even come into play?

Our group in a few years of play has never needed to even roll a concentration check. I'm with Forsaken on this one. Unless a spellcaster gets completely surrounded which has never happened in our game, I just don't see the use for it.

- Kae.

 

[psionotic]

Odd.. Concentration checks come up all the time in our game. Its usually when someone holds their attack to attempt to disrupt spellcasting, but casting defensively comes up frequently, too. Sure, the spellcaster could get completely surrounded, but the more likely scenario is that a creature with reach runs right up to the caster, forcing them to take the AoO moving, take it casting, or cast defensively to get their spell off without taking one at all.

 

[Kyramus]

hmm interesting why your dm won't use tactics to surround the spellcaster and force him to cast defensively.

In my game, there will be times when the enemy knows what to do with spell casters, and there are times when they are just chumps.