What are the 5 most powerful feats in the PHB?

[two]

Power Attack, Leadership, Combat Reflexes, Natural Spell...Augment Summoning.

One of the things I've noticed and liked as a player recently is that when my 2nd level Bard pulls out his +2 Inspire (Inspire + Inspirational Boost), the Fighters start PA'ing for their full +2 BAB, because it's a wash hit wise but they do a boatload more damage. Taking down a LBEG because both fighters hit and do a total of 35hp damage in one round is cool.

Yeah I love that trick too.

Your bard sings for +4/+4, for example, easily do-able by level 6 with a feat and a spell.

Your 2 handed weapon users power attack for 4, netting them +0 to hit.

Their damage jumps: +8 (power attack 4) + 4 (the additional bard damage) = +12 at no negative "to hit."

For every attack.

That adds up real, real quick!

 

[kelson]

so it looks like the over all consensus is

leadership
natural spell
power attack
improved trip
improved init

I think all of those are great, but personaly I love craft (just about anything) and scribe scroll. anything that lets me make those spells of mine available for free whenever I need them, or lets me customize my stuff exactly the way I want it is just invaluable.

 

[Harlekin]

Yeah I love that trick too.

Your bard sings for +4/+4, for example, easily do-able by level 6 with a feat and a spell.

Your 2 handed weapon users power attack for 4, netting them +0 to hit.

Their damage jumps: +8 (power attack 4) + 4 (the additional bard damage) = +12 at no negative "to hit."

For every attack.

That adds up real, real quick!

However, using power attack will only really do more damage, if the BBEG has a mediocre AC. Consider:

Assume the fighter needs a 11+ to hit, does damage of 2d6+9 (16 average) before factoring the bardsong.

Without PA, he will need a 7 + to hit for 20 average damage; he'll do 14 damage on average per attack.
With PA for 4, he will need 11+ to hit for 28 poits of damage , dealing 14 damage on average per attack

So for these number's it's a wash. If the fighter needs less than an 11+ to hit, power attack gets better, but not fast. If he needs more than 11, power attack actually results in a lower damage output.
Similarly, if the fighter is weaker and does less damage with a normal hit, power attack gets better; if he does more damage with a normal hit, power attacking reduces the average damage output.

 

[Victim]

However, using power attack will only really do more damage, if the BBEG has a mediocre AC. Consider:

Assume the fighter needs a 11+ to hit, does damage of 2d6+9 (16 average) before factoring the bardsong.

Without PA, he will need a 7 + to hit for 20 average damage; he'll do 14 damage on average per attack.
With PA for 4, he will need 11+ to hit for 28 poits of damage , dealing 14 damage on average per attack

So for these number's it's a wash. If the fighter needs less than an 11+ to hit, power attack gets better, but not fast. If he needs more than 11, power attack actually results in a lower damage output.
Similarly, if the fighter is weaker and does less damage with a normal hit, power attack gets better; if he does more damage with a normal hit, power attacking reduces the average damage output.

Either way, the bard song is almost doubling the fighter's damage.

 

[Celebrim]

so it looks like the over all consensus is

leadership
natural spell
power attack
improved trip
improved init

I think that's a pretty good consensus, but I personally think Rapid Shot is better than Improved Trip.

 

[Nifft]

Well, if we're allowed to break the prohibitions in the first post, it's crazy to leave Quicken Spell off the list.

1/ Leadership (illegal -- not in PHB)
2/ Quicken Spell (illegal -- meta-magic)
3/ Natural Spell
4/ Craft Wondrous Item
5/ ... (your choice)

Cheers, -- N

 

[Thomas Percy]

Yeah I love that trick too.
Your bard sings for +4/+4, for example, easily do-able by level 6 with a feat and a spell.
Your 2 handed weapon users power attack for 4, netting them +0 to hit.
Their damage jumps: +8 (power attack 4) + 4 (the additional bard damage) = +12 at no negative "to hit."

It's time to consider playing a bard.

Where I can find Inspirational Boost spell?

 

[buzz]

Sorry for not being clear. I meant that against creatures without DR, PA is often not as useful as it appears to be, because the extra 10 damage on a hit are nice and obvious but the attack missing because of PA is not so obvious.

Sure, but I'm not going to use PA to any great extent if my chances to hit are mediocre.

At the high level we're at now, I can usually either auto-hit or auto-miss. In either case, I'm going to use PA, because in the former case, I have no reason not to, and in the latter, I might as well, since I need to make those rare hits count.

If we're somewhere in the middle, I'm obviously not going to sacrifice an amount of BAB that will jeopardize my chances to-hit. Unless I really need it, however, I will usually soak up things like flanking or rage bonii, because the 2-to-1 damage bonus is too good to pass up.

Not to mention, all I really care about are my first iterative attack and my haste/rapid-strike attack. The subsequent attacks are typically either gravy (auto-hit) or swing-and-pray (auto-miss).

For a two-handed weapon user, taking PA is a no-brainer. It has been insanely useful for my barb.

 

[Mistwell]

Well, if we're allowed to break the prohibitions in the first post, it's crazy to leave Quicken Spell off the list.

1/ Leadership (illegal -- not in PHB)

No, really, it's in the PHB. Has been for years now. Catch up!

 

[Nifft]

No, really, it's in the PHB. Has been for years now. Catch up!

Erp. Okay. Thanks, -- N

PS: But I really think Quicken Spell needs to be on that list. It's silly to include Item Creation but not Metamagic.

EDIT: You are half right, but more importantly, you are HALF WRONG!!! The feat is listed in the PHB, but none of its effects are described there. The SRD has the description listed in the DMG, but not the PHB.