What ARE feats for? Min-maxing or Role-Play customization

[rkwoodard]

optimal customization to your archetype

Getting a PhD takes over twenty years from start to finish.

Min/maxing isn't bad, and it especially isn't antithetical to RPing. It's a product of what people actually do

Feats follow this perfectly. "Being good" isn't the opposite of roleplaying, it's a PART of it. My guy is a Malconvoker, so he gets a lot of feats to improve his summoning. Sure, he's definately improving his good parts and minimizing the bad, but how is that out of character? Summoning is what he does. Yeah, he doesn't take the Underwater Basketweaving feat, but then again, I never took the Underwater Basketweaving class in college.

Feats allow me to make the optimal build for my chosen archetype. So, I don't use them to make the most powerful character, I use them to build the most optimal Archer, or the most optimal magic-user/thief. It may be a subtle difference, but a big one in my opinion.

RK

 

[Remathilis]

Both. Did not vote.

 

[knightofround]

I think its meant more for min-maxing. The game assumes that you optimize your character's feats for balancing reasons. If you played a 3.X fighter and put all your bonus feats into Weapon Focus for every weapon imaginable, rather than going with a more optimal build, encounters designed for a party that includes you is going to unbalanced.

What would be far easier would be to roleplay your character as a conniseur of weapons -- but not actually spend any feats to that effect to gimp your character.

I mean, I don't need to look at the Dodge feat and think "oooo, you know what, this is a great tool I can use in my roleplaying!"

 

[StreamOfTheSky]

I have never seen anyone get a feat for anything other than character optimization. If that is "min-maxing" (a loaded term with tons of negative sterotypes attached to it) then every player I have DMed or played with is a minmaxer.

This.

Voted min-maxing, though there is some RP aspect to it, the "crunch" portion has a much greater effect on choosing feats.

 

[Thanee]

To support the character concept and/or offer new options.

Some feats are chosen because they fit the character, though most are chosen with mechanics in mind, of course. However, min-maxing is such a strong term. Just because you pick Weapon Focus (longsword) since your Fighter happens to fight with longswords most of the time, isn't min-maxing. It's just a logical choice (both mechanics- and role-playing-wise).

Another factor is Prestige Classes (in 3E/3.5E, anyways). Some feats are simply a necessity to be able to follow the chosen path.

Bye
Thanee

 

[roguerouge]

Role playing is for when you play a character and interact with the world. Feats are for making it more likely that your role-playing will be successful, for optimizing the chances that you will be able to pull off your role playing as a mighty wizard, a doughty fighter, a persuasive bard. Taking skill focus: merchant or Improved Unarmed Strike is an excellent way to die sooner.

If you feel the need for mechanical markers of your character's RP, use skill points. That's what they are for. Feats are way too precious to waste in this manner, as I've found out with Improved Unarmed Strike for my ex-boxer ranger. Take ranks in profession, craft, knowledge or perform to represent your character's fluff and interests.

 

[roguerouge]

Also, take a look at Fight Club. Once you start getting into fights regularly, you start devoting your life to not getting splattered. It's good RP that represents your PC's focus on staying alive.

 

[justanobody]

The are designed for min-maxing as they only give combat bonuses.

 

[Dannyalcatraz]

While its not "Exactly" equal, that was my answer, since its closest to my personal observations.

There are only a few feats that are true Min-Max feats- the rest are routinely labeled "sub-optimal" by power gamers. You see more than one of those on a character sheet, and you're either looking at a noob's PC or someone who is trying to approximate his idealized vision of his PC with the game's mechanics.