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You know, I always dislike the imbalance in Force that happens when somebody starts a "Worst feat ever" thread and there's no "Best feat ever" thread right next to it.
So here it is. What is the best feat in your opinion? Of course, you can't compare Power Attack to Maximize Spell, but you can put forth a feat that's so damn cool/useful for your characters that it makes you giddy every time you look at it on your charsheet. It's not just mechanical "best", it's also the cool factor "best".
My candidate: Dazing Assault.
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Spell Perfection. It single-handedly fixed blasting at high levels and can also be used for any number of other great builds.
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Dazing assault, combat reflexes and spell perfection. Yes, these feats are all good but most people know that the best feat ever is....
Leadership!!
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Improved Initiative. Acting first can make or break an encounter.
Power Attack / Spell Focus / Point Blank Shot and Imp. Ini.
Really, these are usually a must have from level 1.
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Antagonize, one of the only ways for tanks to be useful.
Spell Perfection. It single-handedly fixed blasting at high levels and can also be used for any number of other great builds.
Excellent. Now pick one for non-casters :3
Leadership.
'nuff said.
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Annoy GM.
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Annoy GM.
I've never heard of that feat.
I have heard of it's two prerequisites "Distruptive Player" and "Tyrant DM", however. Thankfully, only one of them must be chosen.
Why did I suddenly imagine a paranoid/tyrannical/bad DM seeing this as a "feats I will permanently ban" thread?
Well, because Leadership is already banned by most non-workaholic GMs ?
Dazing assault, combat reflexes and spell perfection. Yes, these feats are all good but most people know that the best feat ever is....
Leadership!!
+1
Absolutely correct. There is no feat that is superior to leadership.
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clustered shot. (may be partial because playing ranged character now, but it really kicks!)
Well, because Leadership is already banned by most non-workaholic GMs ?
Oh, I'm sorry. You meant to say "incompetent" GMs, right? :D
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I love Breadth of Experience.
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Prone Shooter...oh wait...wrong thread...
In all the games I've played not one person has allowed Leadership. I gotta say though, it does look like it is one of the top feats.
I'll go with Craft Wondrous Item. It opens up a wide range of opportunities.
I'm not sure if Evil Lincoln was joking about Breadth of Experience - but I think BoE is a really underrated feat. A lot of my players take whenever they happen to play elves or dwarves. Knowledge skills are kind of a big deal at our table, especially in terms of the ability to ID the weaknesses of monsters. Also, Knowledge (local) gets used a lot when my PCs decide to kill and/or ruin the lives of NPCs that they don't like...
Alas, my vote goes out to Leadership, though, considering that Leadership could net you a cohort who has whatever other feat you'd care to nominate.
Daron Woodson
Abandoned Arts
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I don't allow Leadership because it's really more of a roleplaying thing. So I guess you could say I give it to people that work for it.
I do this also.
I allow them to take it but they don't get their cohort until I deem their RP to deserve it.
Generally it hasn't been a problem, no one in my groups has ever seemed interested in the feat. I had to specifically point it out in my Kingmaker game as I was running a small group... then my group doubled in size.
Ooh, I love Breadth of Experience too. I also love playing dwarves.
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Leadership, unless you require the PC to recruit their cohort from established NPCs they've met. Allowing the PC to build his/her cohort from the ground up with appropriate WBL like another PC character is what's overpowered. Also, just put the followers in the background, or they get the fireball along with the rest of the party. I don't think they'll survive.
Assuming the changes to leadership I've stated, I'd say power attack or deadly aim, depending on your character. Can't really think of an across-the-board feat for all casters or skill characters like those two are for fighter-types. Except maybe breadth of experience for the skill characters, but that has race limitations.
I'm not sure if Evil Lincoln was joking about Breadth of Experience - but I think BoE is a really underrated feat. A lot of my players take whenever they happen to play elves or dwarves. Knowledge skills are kind of a big deal at our table, especially in terms of the ability to ID the weaknesses of monsters. Also, Knowledge (local) gets used a lot when my PCs decide to kill and/or ruin the lives of NPCs that they don't like...
It's a strange kind of "overpowered" when profession (midwife) comes up in the campaign and, of course, your character has it...
But seriously, being competent in every profession is actually really killer in RP-heavy campaigns, and has no shortage of combat applications if your GM has even a modest imagination.
If our benchmark here is "would you trade the game experience you had with this feat for any other feat" then breadth of experience is sincerely at the top of my list. Preferred spell, Greater Spell Focus, and Leadership are all feats I have had a great personal experience with. (But nowadays I ban leadership in my games, I prefer hirelings.)
And that pretty much has to be the benchmark, because if it is just DPR or something lame like that, many of the best feats in the game will be overlooked (even from a combat-centric perspective!)
Yes, it's banned by most non-incompetent GMs.Well, because Leadership is already banned by most non-workaholic GMs ?Oh, I'm sorry. You meant to say "incompetent" GMs, right? :D
Not sure if serious, or just damned incompetent.
Also, I can't say much about Breadth of Experience as a feat since nobody at my tables has taken it so far.
Also, I can't say much about Breadth of Experience as a feat since nobody at my tables has taken it so far.
Sorry to sell it so hard, but that's actually another advantage to my enjoyment. To my knowledge, I am the only one in any of my gaming circles to have taken it. FIRST.
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Spell Perfection. It single-handedly fixed blasting at high levels and can also be used for any number of other great builds.Excellent. Now pick one for non-casters :3
Crane Wing.
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Also, I can't say much about Breadth of Experience as a feat since nobody at my tables has taken it so far.Sorry to sell it so hard, but that's actually another advantage to my enjoyment. To my knowledge, I am the only one in any of my gaming circles to have taken it. FIRST.
I take breadth of experience at first level almost every time I play an elf, and the existence of this feat alone biases me towards elves. An elf with this at level one is great for alchemists, bards, gunslingers, magi, rangers, rogues, witches, and wizards. That's almost half of the base classes, and that alone is impressive.
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To me it's all about things that break the normal combat sequence, outcome or basic game mechanics:
- Spell Focus and Greater Spell Focus start to take saves out of a given range for level/CR when combined with a slew of other modifiers.
- Improved Initiative: First strike is deadly + opponent can't damage you if it's already defeated. Both mitigate taken damage in a fight and options to act in fight.
- Ride-by or Fly-by attack. You get to attack, and potentially place yourself out of the way for a retaliatory attack. An excellent way to get in some extra damage early in a fight.
- Power attack is decent, but throws on some heavy bonus numbers with a TH weapon.
And I would have to throw in Breadth of Experience just for its vast numerical value - +22 (potentially more) effective skill point bonus, on top of letting you do something you normally could not (i.e. make a skill check untrained).
Greater Grapple. Grapple -> Pin, then Check -> Tie Up, then Coup De Grace (as a Monk).
Plus I love ALL the Craft paths...Potions, Weapons, Armor, Constructs, Magical, Wondrous...LOVE them. I like to be a blacksmith or alchemist...basically an NPC in a PC's body.
There shouldn't really be any question about it. Leadership is obviously the "best" feat. everyone (even low CHA types) benefits from it immensely and everyone can take it at 7th without meeting any other prerequisites.
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I've found an easy fix to Leadership is to restrict the classes the cohort may be to npc classes only, which in my mind makes sense as they are an NPC. They also get npc stats & equipment. I let the PC choose race and class, but I build the cohort from there. Same goes for followers, they are npc classes as well. IMHO, it puts the cohort on a more even ground with Animal Companions and the like.
Just my $0.02
Why don't you just break it down by class?
Leadership is going to be #1 for versatility and power for all classes, pretty much hands down.
Fighter - Crane Wing. I'd also pick Sunder Spell, but it's Dwarf only, right?
Rogue - Weapon Finesse. Come on, it's like giving them +5 to hit at high levels. Is there a single classic rogue who doesn't take the feat?
Blaster caster - Yep, Spell Perfection.
Barbarian - I would like to say Superstition, but it's a class thing. I'll have to go with Power Attack. Barbs are BUILT to use PA.
Generic Caster/Metamagic: Nothing like Quicken Spell.
Which leaves the best feats for a lot of other classes. Can a Witch take Improved Familiar, etc?
==Aelryinth
I've had a lot of fun with Improved Feint combined with a rogue & longspear. It pretty much lets you get a sneak attack in every time.
I also like Blind-Fight and Combat Reflexes. Blind-Fight gives you a 2nd chance at trying something, plus some always-on benefits (Dex to AC vs invisible). Combat Reflexes lets you make an AoO even when flat-footed, which a lot mobs don't expect, plus the extra AoO is nice, especially if you have a way to force provocations, like a reach weapon or tripping or disarming, etc.
Spring Attack is a big favorite of mine. Ditto Shot-on-the-Run.
Skill Focus can also be really useful. I've actually used it a lot, and not always with half-elves!
I believe the usefulness of a feat depends greatly on what your character can do and what you want her to do.
Leadership is probably the most universally powerful, though.
Power Attack is absolutelly amazing for any Full-BAB 2Her, and still great for other melee characters.
Weapon Finesse/Dervish Dance are wonderful for magi.
Natural Spell is basically a feat tax for Druids. There is no reason ever to not take it.
Quicken Spell is way too good for any caster. Spell Perfection is a close second.
I simply love Catfolk Exemplar - Scent. For 1 feat you get to say "F+*$ you!" to any opponent who relies on stealth and/or invisibility.
I honestly believe Breadth of Experience is very overrated. Don't get me wrong, it's a pretty good and flavorful feat, but it's hardly game-changing.
The atrocious feat known as Antagonize went from "very strong" to "nearly useless". (BTW, its useflness is not why I hate this feat).