Why feats for concepts and ideas?

[Psionicist]

Okay, I haven't played D&D for about 8 months, so there are a few things I don't take for granted now and see in a whole different light.

Most feats improve your abilities in various ways. Improved Disarm for example - the purpose of this feat is to make your character better at disarming opponents than other characters and NPCs. Keep in mind that you can actually disarm opponents without this feat. Same thing with Skill Focus. You can use your skills without this feat, but if you have it you are better at the skill than other characters of the same class and level. This feat category improves what you already know. This feat category does not hinder gameplay.

There are a few feats that grant you extraordinary abilities normal people just cannot do, in the sense it's worthless even trying. These feats are like superhero powers, but for regular D&D-heros. A good example (balance aside) of this is the Fearless feat from PGTF. This feat makes you immune to fear. You are not just good at resisting fear (say with Iron Will from the above category), you are completely immune to it! Another example is the Diehard feat, you can fight unconceous, sort of! This feat category grants you new special abilities unrelated to what you already know. This feat category does not hinder gameplay.

Then we have Spring Attack (and Whirlwind attack, and lots of other feats). Without this feat, you just cannot move before and after an attack, regardless of skill and level. Either you have this feat and can move before and after an attack, or you don't have this feat and cannot. Moving before and after an attack is not exactly a heroic ability, and it certainly does not improve what you already know. Heck, if this feat didn't exist, it'd be perfectly legal to move before and after an attack.

I don't get it. Why are tactical concepts and ideas implemented as feats? Take Hamstring from Complete Warrior. If you have this feat, you can hamstring your foes! Why do I need a feat to do that? Another example is Flying Kick. Do I really need a feat to jump and kick into combat? This is unique to combat for some reason - there's no feat that give you the ability to diplomatically influence people to give you the key to a locked door. There's no feat that grant you the ability to use a library when researching a subject. It seems feats are used instead of a combat skill, and this is highly annoying.

I mean, even a Str 8 Halfling Wizard can armwrestle a Str 20 orc or wear armor. Why not move during combat?

Thoughts?

 

[Starglim]

Heck, if this feat didn't exist, it'd be perfectly legal to move before and after an attack.

No, it really wouldn't.

But I take your point to some extent that this is not, on the face of it, a stunningly heroic ability.

If you think it would suit your campaign, why not allow it as a combat option to everyone? Conan d20 has done it with Weapon Finesse and Star Wars d20 has done it with metamagic. The only other change needed would be to replace or remove Spring Attack as a prerequisite for Whirlwind Attack.

 

[Sejs]

There's no feat that grant you the ability to use a library when researching a subject.

Heh, actually there is. The Research feat from the ECS. Though what it did was more expand on something you can already do, sort of how you mentioned above.

 

[Hypersmurf]

Another example is Flying Kick. Do I really need a feat to jump and kick into combat?

No, you don't. You can jump and kick if you want, regardless of the feat. But if you want to deal an extra d12 damage for doing it, that's the benefit the feat gives you.

Heck, if this feat didn't exist, it'd be perfectly legal to move before and after an attack.

Er, no, it wouldn't.

-Hyp.

 

[frankthedm]

Ask your DM, some are generous, some are stingy.

I am a mean bastard:
Whirlwinging without the feats: lose dex bonus, draws AoO from each threatening foe, culmative-4 on each attack you roll, regain dex bonus on next action.

 

[Shin Okada]

If the designer includes all the physically (or imaginary) possible maneuvers and tricks into basic combat rule, that rule set will become too big and too complex. By making some tricky or difficult maneuvers into "optional" feats, they can avoid that problem. If someone really want to simulate certain heroic combat style in his game, he can create a character with that feat. Yet, the basic combat rule is not too complex.