D20 Patch: Feats

Feats were the very first thing I wanted to fix, before I even got it in my head to make an entire d20 Patch overhaul. It was from this goal that the rest of d20 Patch was born, turning feats into fighting tactics everyone could use, updating old content to use a standardized system, and turning several class features into feats so that multiclassing wasn't so necessary to create the character you want to play. There are a few core ideas I'm attempting to adhere to when making feats:

Identity. Class levels represent a character type, and their general training. Skill points are small numerical bonuses to represent growth and practice. A feat is a rarer thing, a defining trait that should significantly separate characters in the class or same level of training. Two fighters of the same level might have the same attack bonus, but one with Cleave is very different than one with Great Fortitude.

Each and every feat should contribute to a character's identity in a way that class levels and skill points do not.

Options Over Power. A character's level determines much about how powerful they are, and that's it's purpose. Gaining a level and not gaining an edge over lower-level opponents defeats the purpose of gaining a level at all; there are plenty of games without a level system, and if you enjoy treading water then go play those instead. Feats can help increase your power, but if the right feat choices have you out-scaling higher-level opponents, the level system is diminished.

What feats excel at, the niche that separates them from level and skill points, is allowing a character to do something they couldn't before. Instead of just wringing out every last bonus to your one trick, feats should also give you more tricks.

Non-Scaling Bonuses. People are born thinking in logarithms. A +2 bonus is half of a +4 bonus, which is half of a +8 bonus, right? So when you have a +5 from skill points and take Skill Focus for +3, you're getting +60% Then when you gain 5 more levels and have a +10, that same Skill Focus is only +30%. Paizo thought so, which is why Pathfinder added that Skill Focus gives +6 if you have 10 ranks in the skill.

This is not how a level-based system works. When you're level 1, level-appropriate challenges should be about a 50-50 chance. A +3 makes that 65-35, changing the ratio from 1:1 to nearly 2:1, doubling your chance of success. When you're level 10, level-appropriate challenges should be about a 50-50 chance, and a +3 still makes that 65-35.

Feats that grant increasing bonuses with level destabilize higher-level play.

Condensed. Many character themes, especially martial ones, require you to spend every feat you have just to play it. Archers, for example: You need Precise Shot if you have melee allies, and Point-Blank Shot is a prerequisite for... Far Shot. Also for 30 other feats, even though the whole point of being an archer is to shoot from a distance. This is a prime example of a feat tree that needs pruning, so that players have a real choice in what character they want and not be railroaded down a very long path to get there.

Another problem of these sprawling feat trees is that they warp the perception of players. The numerical difference between a level 1 commoner and a level 5 PC is the difference between someone currently coasting through high school and the greatest nonfiction paragons in history. The difference between a level 1 Fighter and a level 5 Fighter is that Cleave becomes Whirlwind Attack. The limited number of feats characters get, paired with how little some of them do and how many are simply prerequisites for the real feats, means players have to hit epic levels to do the same things as most fictional characters.

Condensing multiple feats into one allows players to play the character they want at reasonable levels.

Fewer Prerequisites. In many cases, feats have more prerequisites than they need. The player wants to take a feat that improves offhand attacks without taking Two-Weapon Fighting? Let them. Either they're worse off for it, or they aren't and TWF was a meaningless feat tax on the character they really wanted. Excessive prerequisites funnel characters into railroaded builds, taking away from their identity and forcing them into major character decisions many levels ahead.

In cooperative storytelling games, players should have the agency they need to contribute they way they want.

Away From The Table. As much as possible, decisions and calculations should be done before players show up to the game. Feats can have all sorts of crazy math if you only need to calculate them when you're leveling up, and should avoid making players do math while other players are waiting for them to finish their turn. Other players getting bored and seeking distraction elsewhere gets exponentially worse the longer a turn takes.

Feat Types
I'm experimenting with the idea of feat types granting bonuses. They give small incremental benefits with the same theme as the feat, allowing single-class characters to get a multiclass feel based on feat selection. A wizard who takes combat feats becomes more martially trained, while a fighter who takes spirit feats gains unwavering resolve. If the barbarian wants to double down on being an indestructible tank, body feats are for them. If the cleric wants to better protect their party by being the front line in a trap-filled dungeon, mind feats will help.

This increases how much feat selection impacts the identity of the character, and condenses feats like Iron Will. If you choose to use these, use your best judgement when determining which feats have them.

REPLACES: Extra Channel{PF}, Great Fortitude{PF}, Iron Will{PF}, Lightning Reflexes{PF}, Practiced Manifester{CP}, Practiced Spellcaster{CAr}.

My intent for d20 Patch is to use one common pool of points for spells, powers, and spell-like abilities, replacing many "X times per day" mechanics with one unified pool of mental stamina. Consider feats that deal with grit, inspiration, ki, or panache as spirit feats.

Feats that make you choose a weapon, such as Weapon Focus or Improved Critical, are now Weapon Mastery feats and no longer require that you choose the same weapon as a prerequisite feat. Buffing secondary and tertiary weapons isn't all that useful mechanically, but it but it gives Options Over Power. If the longsword specialist finds a very powerful magic greataxe that tempts them to switch things up, now they only need to take/retrain one feat instead of a whole feat tree. The best adventures are the ones that change the character, and this flexibility of mechanics helps that narrative.

Feats
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