A while back I saw people talking about the limitations of the Dodge feat. The problems with it included that it was a pain to remember to assign it during your turn and that you often forgot to apply it when the creature did attack you. This made me remember a feat in Races of the Wild that gave you a dodge bonus to AC if you moved far enough during your turn. The special thing about it was that it counted as the Dodge feat for prerequisites so that you didn’t have to take it to gain access to the many other options that required Dodge. Unfortunately that feat was most useful for characters that moved a significant distance each round which is why I am trying to make a few other feats that other characters can use.
These ended up being a little more specific than I originally intended. I was hoping to create more general feats that several classes could use, but in the end I felt that the original Dodge feat could stand as the general case while these other feats could cater to specific characters.
I would like to know what people think and how the mechanics and phrasing could be improved.
Thank you for reading.
By focusing your studies on an opponent’s unique attack style you have learned to avoid them.
Prerequisites: Favored Enemy
Benefits: Pick one of your favored enemies. You may apply the bonus that you gain against that favored enemy and apply it as a dodge bonus to your AC.
Special: This counts as Dodge for meeting prerequisites. You may take this feat multiple times picking a different favored enemy each time.
You have learned to use the pain of your enemies’ blows to temporarily increase your agility.
Prerequisites: Ability to rage or frenzy.
Benefits: While in a rage or frenzy you gain a +1 dodge bonus to AC whenever a weapon or a weapon-like spell damages you. These dodge bonuses last until the beginning of your next turn. These bonuses stack with each other so getting damaged twice would give a +2 dodge bonus to AC and getting damaged three times would give a +3 dodge bonus to AC and so on.
Special: This feat counts as the Dodge feat for meeting prerequisites.
Notes: You do not gain any dodge bonus if you actively allow an attack to hit you.
I like. The only thing that seems missing is some form of divine dodge. But otherwise, I will be making use of these. ^ ^
-Kurocyn
Thank you for the complement.
Here are two other feats that hadn’t finished before the last post.
You are capable of capable of dodging many of the attacks directed at you at the cost of a few scraped knees and various bruises.
Prerequisites: Endurance, a Con score.
Benefits: As a swift action you can take as much as 5 non-lethal damage and add the same number (+5 or less) as a dodge bonus to Armor Class. This change to Armor Class lasts until your next turn.
Special: This feat counts as the Dodge feat for meeting prerequisites. Also a fighter may select this feat as one of his fighter bonus feats.
You have refined your psychic powers to the point where you can look into your opponents’ minds to tell where they will attack next.
Benefits: As long as you are psionically focused you gain a +1 insight bonus to Armor Class against creatures that can be effected mind-affecting effects.
Special: This feat counts as the Dodge feat for meeting prerequisites.
By focusing your studies on an opponent’s unique attack style you have learned to avoid them.
Isn't the Favored Dodge feat in Dragon #335? Also, this is from the SRD:
Psionic Dodge [Psionic]
You are proficient at dodging blows.
Prerequisite: Dex 13, Dodge.
Benefit: You must be psionically focused to use this feat. You receive a +1 dodge bonus to your Armor Class. This bonus stacks with the bonus from the Dodge feat (but only applies on attacks made by the opponent you have designated).
By focusing your studies on an opponent’s unique attack style you have learned to avoid them.Isn't the Favored Dodge feat in Dragon #335? Also, this is from the SRD:
Psionic Dodge [Psionic]
You are proficient at dodging blows.
Prerequisite: Dex 13, Dodge.
Benefit: You must be psionically focused to use this feat. You receive a +1 dodge bonus to your Armor Class. This bonus stacks with the bonus from the Dodge feat (but only applies on attacks made by the opponent you have designated).
... I apparently forgot about that Favored Dodge. It doesn't do what my feat did, it enhances the Dodge feat while mine replaces Dodge, but it seems to say my feat is too strong.
I did check the SRD though so I did see Psionic Dodge, but looking back I think I paid little attention to it because, one, it again didn't do what I wanted my feat to do, and two, I felt it was weak and made my feat look overpowered. Now I don't think I should have done that since, whether I like it or not, the SRD should set the standard for power level and to do more than that would lead to power creep.
I don't think I can do anything with my Favor Dodge to make it different enough from Dragon's Favored Dodge to make both exist in the same game. It requires major reworking that would make it a completely different feat.
I think I can change Psychic Dodge enough so that it doesn't overshadow Psionic Dodge.
Thank you for telling me about Dragon's Favored Dodge and forcing me to deal with the Psionic Dodge comparison.
Thank you for telling me about Dragon's Favored Dodge and forcing me to deal with the Psionic Dodge comparison.
Sorry--didn't mean to rain on the parade or anything. As a long-term DM of particularly inventive players, I'm always on the lookout for balance issues and potential points of comparison in already-published rules.
P.S. I like the Stumbling Dodge a lot--no balance issues at all that I can see, and it doesn't replicate nor replace anything else that I'm aware of.
Thank you for telling me about Dragon's Favored Dodge and forcing me to deal with the Psionic Dodge comparison.Sorry--didn't mean to rain on the parade or anything. As a long-term DM of particularly inventive players, I'm always on the lookout for balance issues and potential points of comparison in already-published rules.
P.S. I like the Stumbling Dodge a lot--no balance issues at all that I can see, and it doesn't replicate nor replace anything else that I'm aware of.
I'm just angry at myself for not catching the problems on my own.
Thank you for the compliment on Stumbling Dodge, although I am concerned if the cost is high enough for higher levels. I hoped that the swift action to activate would make the help with that at those levels.
Thank you for the compliment on Stumbling Dodge, although I am concerned if the cost is high enough for higher levels. I hoped that the swift action to activate would make the help with that at those levels.
The fact that you've capped it at +5 mitigates the potential for insane abuse, and also keeps it consistent with Combat Expertise. I see your point: 5 hp nonlethal is nothing to a fighter with 125 hp. But because it only lasts 1 round, that same guy would end up taking 25 hp nonlethal over a 5-round combat (20% of his total, in this case).
That sounds right.
Here are a few more feats.
In addition to allowing you to avoid leaving yourself open while moving your acrobatics aid you in avoiding attacks.
Prerequisites: Tumble 5 ranks.
Benefits: When you avoid an Attack of Opportunity against an opponent by using your Tumble skill you gain a +1 dodge bonus to Armor Class against that opponent until your next turn.
Special: This feat counts as the Dodge feat for meeting prerequisites.
When feinting not only do you reveal your target’s weaknesses, you become able to direct their attacks away from yourself.
Prerequisites: Cha 13.
Benefits: When you successfully feint an opponent you gain a +4 dodge bonus to Armor Class against them until the beginning of your next turn.
Special: This feat counts as the Dodge feat for meeting prerequisites. Also a fighter may select Liar’s Dodge as one of his fighter bonus feats.
You are capable of reading your opponents’ attacks with a greater degree of accuracy than most.
Prerequisites: Negotiator, Sense Motive 5 ranks.
Benefits: You gain a +1 dodge bonus to Armor Class against intelligent creatures.
Special: This feat counts as the Dodge feat for meeting prerequisites.
A couple of these I'm not quite as thrilled with; Acrobatic Dodge almost seems like it's trying to be Mobility (which of course requires Dodge as a prerequisite). With Diplomat's Dodge, no one will take regular Dodge, because Diplomat's is far better against everything except skeletons, zombies, golems, and some plants.
Liar's Dodge has real potential. What I'd probably do, though, is make Dodge an additional prerequisite, instead of having it count as Dodge?
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That sounds right.
You are capable of reading your opponents’ attacks with a greater degree of accuracy than most.
Prerequisites: Negotiator, Sense Motive 5 ranks.
Benefits: You gain a +1 dodge bonus to Armor Class against intelligent creatures.
Special: This feat counts as the Dodge feat for meeting prerequisites.
It's definitely overshadowing Dodge at the moment. I'd make it more focused like the rest of these feats. Maybe:
Your honeyed words make even the most determined foe stop and reconsider, giving you an edge in combat.
Prerequisites: Negotiator, Diplomacy 5 ranks.
Benefits: Each round, you may designate an intelligent foe who you have some means of communicating with. Until your next turn, if that foe attacks you, you may make a Diplomacy check opposed by his attack roll. I you win the roll, you gain a +1 Dodge bonus to AC for 1 round, with an additional +1 bonus for every 5 points you beat his roll by.
Special: This feat counts as the Dodge feat for meeting prerequisites.
Notes:You cannot take 10 on the Diplomacy check for this feat. Multiple uses of this feat in the same round do not stack.
Any suggestions? I'm not sure about how it should be activated. Should it be "the first time a foe attacks you," or perhaps it should be "as a swift action, make a Diplomacy check opposed by the foes attack roll," except the second one reduces the power because the foe wouldn't be using Power Attack to reduce their high attack bonus like they would on an actual attack.
On Acrobatic Dodge: I wanted this feat to give the character a bonus for successfully tumbling around an opponent without getting attacked. Mobility on the other hand just helps you get around the opponent without getting hit. This feat is meant to be a reward for doing something while Mobility is an aid to not get injured doing something. You may be right that they are too similar in purpose; I might just need a little more time to think about it before realizing it.
On Diplomat’s Dodge: I attached the Negotiator feat and the skill ranks as prerequisites so that they would balance the feats combat ability. The Sense Motive ranks require a 3rd level character. I didn’t think that a character would be able to consistently use the Negotiator feat in combat, the exceptions being rushed diplomacy checks and defending against feint checks, so I thought that since the feat would not be used in combat (and that this feat wouldn’t be used outside of combat with negotiator) I could use it as a prerequisite have this Dodge feat be a bit more powerful. I didn’t go far enough I guess.
As a note, I hated this feats name. It didn’t say what I was trying to do at all.
Liar’s Dodge: I wasn’t in the mood to make more feats that had Dodge as a requirement, but it might be appropriate here.
I am getting too tired to think clearly and respond right now.
Again thanks for everyone’s comments.
Any suggestions? I'm not sure about how it should be activated. Should it be "the first time a foe attacks you," or perhaps it should be "as a swift action, make a Diplomacy check opposed by the foes attack roll," except the second one reduces the power because the foe wouldn't be using Power Attack to reduce their high attack bonus like they would on an actual attack.
I think that the Diplomacy roll shouldn't be rolled every turn. It may slow down combat for a minor bonus to Armor Class.
Would just allowing the PHB dodge feat to be taken multiple times be too much?
Would just allowing the PHB dodge feat to be taken multiple times be too much?
No; I kinda like that. That's more or less exactly what the Swashbuckler's dodge class feature is. If we imagine the Swashbuckler as a Figher with his bonus feats already selected for him, it works out pretty nicely.
Would just allowing the PHB dodge feat to be taken multiple times be too much?
That seems fine to me too.
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And now another dodge feat.
You have trained for special situations in combat giving you special insight into how to avoid creatures’ attacks.
Prerequisites: Int 13.
Benefit: Choose two different situations from the list below. You gain a +1 dodge bonus to Armor Class against the specified opponents. The dodge bonuses stack with each other.
- Against opponents you are flanking.
- Against rays and touch spells.
- Against creatures on lower ground.
- Against prone opponents.
- Against opponent’s more than 30 feet away.
- Against creatures that are in a grapple.
This will most likely be the last one I post because I don't think I can come up with any more good ways or even reasonable ways to say dodge. This one started out as a feat that granted an AC bonus for flanking, then I realized then that instead of make several feats each granting a bonus in a different combat position. I felt this was a cleaner than the previous version.
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four year old thread needed a reply? ;)
well dodge has changed sence 3.5 now its just u have add +1 dodge to ac (u dont have to choose a target) and All dodge bonus for all abilites stack (unless that ability states otherwise) but of coarse this is pathfinder every things the same as 3.5 but a second look reveals so much more
Yes. But this thread is from back in 2007 which I believe was back before they even released the beta Pathfinder rules.