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Message: <blockquote data-quote="Mercurius" data-source="post: 5318022" data-attributes="member: 59082">I'm thinking about doing away with feats as they are and replacing them with free-form player-created feats. So rather than choosing from a list of pre-made feats, a player would make up feats that suit their character concept. Obviously they would need guidelines so as to avoid the obvious pitfalls of over-powered feats, so I'm wondering if there is a "code" behind feats? In other words, if we stripped out all the specifics, what are the general guidelines for feats? And are there major and minor feats?I've only just begun thinking about this, but it basically fits in with my idea of an alternate edition of D&D that is more free-form, modular, and open to modification and customization while retaining a strong core rule-set, the d20 mechanic. I'd call this "5th edition" but I don't think WotC will go this route, unfortunately. It requires too much player creativity, quite frankly, and most of us like our feats and powers spoon fed. But imagine a D&D game in which classes are akin to templates with default classic forms but also room for wide customization; thus a "fighter" is both a specific build--the traditional character class--but also a group or type of character that can create any number of fighting types, from a blademaster to a knight to a gladiator, archer, etc. OK, this is kind of how both 3E and 4E already are, but I'm looking to take the free-form approach to the next step where rather than choose from a variety of options--powers, feats, skills, etc--players actually create their feats and powers, maybe even their skills.What I would want to do is figure out a "code" that would allow the creation of balanced classes, but that could be used to create highly individualized characters. In some sense I'm looking to create something similar to the class creation rules of 2nd edition, but that actually works. Feats, as a primary form of customization in both 3rd and 4th edition, seems like a good place to start. A couple ideas:Players create their own feats with created names, modifiers, etc. A "major" feat is worth two slots at Heroic tier or one at Paragon and Epic; a "minor" feat is worth one slot at any tier.Feats can exist in "steps" so that you have standard, improved, and master (or something like that). If a standard feat offers +1, then improved is +2, master +3. Each step costs a feat slot.But the question - how to determine whether a created feat is minor or major? What would be examples of current feats that are minor or major? And what would different conditions and modifiers be?Any ideas would be appreciated - whether with regards to feats in particular or the general idea.</blockquote>

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