Feat Points-

[Kyrinn S. Eis]

I'm definitely more aware of the fact tha certain Feats are not equal to others as I GM a Playtest of pathfinder -- _NOT because PFRPG Feats are more or less 'broken' than other Feats_, but because I've mainly been a player in 3.5 games.

My suggestion is to break all Feats into a Point Value (Cost) based on their Utility/Impact and in that way, PCs can save-up Feat Points to purchase higher-cost (greater Utility/Impact) Feats, or simply pick up a Feat with the number of Feat Points available at any given Level for their character.

Clearly, Fighters (and others, mainly PrCs) have the option of more than one Feat (Point) at certain Levels and this would contribute to their ability to purchase 'better' Feats at a given point in their advancement.

Thoughts?

[Kyrinn S. Eis]

I find it interesting that the concern to 'balance' the system doesn't necessarily extend to Feats. I wonder why that is?

Clearly, Athletic and Two Weapon Fighting (for example) are not equally valuable, even taking non-fighting v. fighting Featness into account.

Is it necessary for me to delineate these to garner any sort of attention to the in-equity of the Feats? :)

[peep_delta]

There is agreement in my group, with the OP here, on this issue. My current GM is going to kill me, because this was his idea. This is quasi on-topic:

Enable Feat-Swappage (it's like the Sorcerer's ability to swap spells at 4th [etc]), but for feats. Fighters would get swappage more often, other classes...less so.

You could do this in conjunction with the point-system, mentioned above.

[Kyrinn S. Eis]

peep_delta wrote:

There is agreement in my group, with the OP here, on this issue. My current GM is going to kill me, because this was his idea. This is quasi on-topic:

Enable Feat-Swappage (it's like the Sorcerer's ability to swap spells at 4th [etc]), but for feats. Fighters would get swappage more often, other classes...less so.

You could do this in conjunction with the point-system, mentioned above.

peep, if you are still alive, I'd point you and your GM toward Monte Cook's Book of Experimental Might II: Bloody, Bold, and Resolute!, which has the very aspect of Feat Substitution as you described it.

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Coming from a Point-design Mechanic background (Hero system, GURPS, nTellIGo, etc.) I find the idea of mixed-bag Feats a bitter pill to swallow.

I'm not talking about necessarily stripping out Prereq.s (although some may be in need of re-work), but simply assigning a point value to them, and going from there.
In this way, whether the Feat Point system were used or not, all that would need to be done for PFRPG is to add a parenthetical (#) notation next to the Feat's name. Those that use the Feat Points would be governed by that number, and those that don't use it could simply ignore it.

By taking a tad more time in considering the (proposed) Feat Point cost, Paizo's team could help further-balance the system.
BC (Backward Compatibility) seems tenuous as it is, but the FP# would be unaffected for casual use, and for the GM that embraces it, may help them decide which Feats cost what as far as non-core Feats found in so-called 'splatbooks'.