Improve Dodge & Dodge Mastery

[micka micka]

Maybe this idea have been found before...
I have a proposition to up the dodge Feat. It's to have an evolution like the Schied feat "art of schield".

I have think 2 evolutions :

Improve Dodge.

Condition : Dodge, Lv 4, Dex 15+
Dodge bonus increase by +1

Dodge mastery

Condition : Dodge, Improve Dodge, lv 8, Dex 17+
Dodge bonus increase by +1

So with Dodge feat a character can have +3 dodge bonus to AC.

It's not my idea. I have read that in an unofficial supplement of D20 Modern RPG. I have find this intersting.

What do you think about that ?

PS : Sorry for my English I'm French...

[FireberdGNOME]

Micka,
Don't worry about your English: You write better than some native English speakers :)

I like the idea. For one, you can already do it with a shield, and for two, it's a feat-tax heavy way to increase an light fighter's AC.

GNOME

[micka micka]

Thanks :)

Yes, I thinks that's respect the soul of the game without change the égality in the differents characters and the simple feat Dodge can be more usefull. So I know that Dodge is a condition in a lot of Feat but with it, Dodge can be more appreciate. So like you say for light fighter and the monk. :D

If you restrain magical items it's a good opportunity to increase a little the AC.

[Alexander Kilcoyne]

I think its a great idea but its actually a little weak... Throw in a secondary bonus on the second feat, and improve it on the third?

The Shield Focus tree has a secondary bonus IIRC, look at that for a good model of this.

[Oliver McShade]

I like the idea, but disagree that it is weak, when you add other factors into it.

[Alexander Kilcoyne]

I'm aware it also applies to CMD et cetera.

The Dodge feat itself is not weak, but I think if somebodys going to invest three feats into something it should get better as you go.

As written above, you may as well just put a caveat saying-

'This feat may be taken multiple times, up to 3 times total.'

[Matthew Morris]

Oliver McShade wrote:

I like the idea, but disagree that it is weak, when you add other factors into it.

Care to elaborate?

[FireberdGNOME]

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The Shield feats that are in question are:
Shield Focus (+1 Shield Bonus to AC)
Greater Shield Focus (+1 Shield Bonus to AC, stacks w/ Shield Focus)
Shield Specialization (+2 Shield Bonus to AC v. Crits; Add Shield (but not Enhancement Bonus) to CMD

I think what is being asked is adding more Dodge feats, in line with the Shield (Defense) feats.

Dodge (+1 Dodge Bonus to AC) is the only feat available for AC on a light-fighter/monk. Looking at what the Shield feats give you, simply adding +1 Dodge per feat seems fine. Dodge *always* adds to CMD. It would be bad to give much more than that. You can't give save benefits (there are already feats doing that) you can't give 'surprise resistance (there are already class abilities that do that, Uncanny Dodge).

Alexander said just add a line allowing Dodge to be taken three times and the effects stack would be a fast, easy way to get what you are looking for.

GNOME

[micka micka]

"Alexander said just add a line allowing Dodge to be taken three times and the effects stack would be a fast, easy way to get what you are looking for."

Yes It's right, simple and effective. But I prefer my solution.

Why ?

Simple :
I am a human fighter Lv1, I take 3 feats : Dodge, dodge, dodge at my first.
I find it's so fast. No evolution in this method. The schield focus Feat ask for the greater upgrade a level condition (Lv8). It's to simulate the character's evolution.

The second point is the Ability condition Dex 15+ and Dex 17+, like Gnome say it's specificatly for characters with a high Dex score, like the light armored characters or for the warrior with a very high Dex (with the power to reduce the armor penality and up the dex bonus available to the AC).
So it's good for a rogue with Dex 18 and a leather armor and good for and heavy armored fighter with a very good Dex.
Don't forget that there are 15 character's points to create an adventurer and if you give at your Dexterity à lot of points you have less for the others abilitys. It's a choice.

To upgrade CMD, I agree with Gnome, there are another feat I remember.