What has worked with your group?
Each level we allow a PF character to retrain one feat, with GM approval. Retraining a feat that is a pre-requisite for another currently active feat is not allowed.
We are thinking about allowing spell retraining, but because some classes have that as a class ability, we're not sure about it. Probably will though.
With GM approval retraining of skills is allowed (reallocation of skill points).
That's all we've done so far.
|
Yes definitely, especially if people are learning new classes to them, or new feats etc. The only time I would not allow it would be if a player deliberately planned his character development to include swapping out feats that dont scale for ones that do later on to optimize his character. Unless they are a fighter of course.
Fixing things that make you unhappy is one thing. Getting a freebie bonus ability is another. Same with spells for sorcerers btw.
Just my 2 cents.
|
Living Greyhawk rule: Every level-up, you may choose to retrain ONE of the following:
* a feat (so long as it is not an anchor).
* a class ability (if there was a choice, i.e., a cleric domain or ranger favored enemy or weapon emphasis, etc)
* four skill points in ONE skill (shift to another).
-- For Pathfinder, I'd add:
* both traits
* a +1 equivalent weapon enhancement for another applied to the same weapon
* one trait and two skills points shifted
* an archetype (to another archetype of the same class)...1/2 "retraining levels" (minimum: 1) per level already in the class.
* one class to another of the same "style", per GM discretion. I.e, cleric, oracle and druid are d8 divine spellcasters, oracles and sorcerers are spontaneous casters, and paladins, cavaliers and fighters are d10 martial classes, etc. Cost 1 "retraining level" per level altered.
Term: "Retraining Level", how many future levels' worth of eligible retraining you must forfeit. For example, if your 5th level rogue decides to convert class to 5th level ninja upon leveling to 6th, he forfeits ability to retrain for the next five levels (7,8,9,10,11), and will not be able to retrain anything until 12th earliest. Retraining an archetype or class means you have no ability to retrain feats or skills for some time thereafter, so the new class or archetype should match well what you already have.
* Fighters: get an extra retraining every odd-numbered class level (i.e., alternate with bonus feats).
I don't lay out hard and fast rules above and beyond the built-in retraining options (sorcs get to change out spells sometimes, fighters get to change out bonus feats sometimes, and so on), but rather I let players retrain about as much as they want, subject to the following restrictions:
Can't retrain something just because you outgrew it. If some hit-dice-capped spell is something that's no longer useful, you can use one of your natural retrains on it. That's part of the cost of taking such spells - that they eventually get less valuable. Note that I DO let players retrain things if they took another option that makes it unnecessary - for example, retraining a martial weapon proficiency if you take a level of fighter at some point that makes that feat useless. Note that the prereqs still have to work out, so you can't have your level five feat be weapon focus with the martial weapon if your fighter level was your eighth.
Can't swap things in and out just to get feats for only temporary use. Like, you can't trade out a bunch of spells and feats for a sweet crafting package, craft a bunch of stuff, then swap those spells and feats back out. Similarly, you can't swap to a bunch of specialized options just because they're more useful for the current adventure and then swap them back.
Generally can't swap character levels. I'll generally only okay this if I'm completely convinced that it's not a power-gamey move.
I reserve the right to veto anything that seems remotely power-gamey. Retraining is a privilege - albeit one offered pretty freely, especially to new players - not a right. I'm okay with anything as long as I can be convinced that it's for fixing regrettable character decisions and not simply for twonking builds around to make them as powerful as possible at every level. If you're trying to put together a druid build that doesn't work well at all until you get wild shape, then your character gets to be an underperformer for a few levels.
In general, I find that the restrictions rarely come up. Most of the more power-gamey players whose instincts might be to abuse such a system tend to have builds planned out to the skill point from level 1 and stick to the plan.
