When you have extra feats laying around, what do you go for to round out a character for survivability and function? If you would like, list two lists: one for melee characters, one for ranged characters (martial or arcane).
Iron Will.
Great Fortitude.
Lightning Reflexes.
When you have extra feats laying around, what do you go for to round out a character for survivability and function? If you would like, list two lists: one for melee characters, one for ranged characters (martial or arcane).
Martial:
Mounted combat.
Toughness
Skill Focus
Extra Trait
Dodge
Arcane
Any Metamagic
Spell Focus
Skill Focus
Toughness
Extra Trait
I don't really ever have feats just lying around other than non full BAB characters human bonus feats (due to +1 BAB required chains).
That being said there are some feats that martial characters pretty much need to find room for that don't directly support their competency. For any martial there is the iron will feat. For barbarians it the feat that allows you to not die if you drop below zero when raging. If the martials have a Dex bonus, combat reflexes is often a good buy. Combat expertise is good as well, and it opens up some decent combat maneuvers too.
For ranged characters precise shot, improved precise shot, and shadow strike are ways you can avoid to hit penalties and deal precision damage (for those lucky enough to have access to extra precision damage). The weapon focus line is also good due to range penalties and cover penalties. Skill focus perception is also important due to the range penalties to perception. Knowing your target is half of the battle, so any skill focus that helps you spot and/or identify your enemy can be good.
For casters I like item creation feats and meta magic. A silent dimensional door is always useful. A quickened anything is useful, as is still spells when grappled or in difficult situations where you need spells the most. Similarly combat casting is a must if you want to cast in combat.
Improved initiative is useful for everybody but the melee types (its better to wait for the buffs and receive enemy charges thus full attacking against a charge penalty than to charge yourself and eat a full attack with low AC). High Initiate allows casters and archers a chance to buff up or get flat footed sneak attacks.
I never really see Dodge as a "utility" feat, if just because my gaming group likes to use the "Agile Defender" 3rd party trait that had Dodge as a prerequisite (it gives you a bigger Dodge bonus based on your BAB and what kind of armor you're wearing).
The same goes for Improved Initiative. The feat is just so useful to every class, I'd have a hard time not taking that regardless of what kind of character I was building, unless I was really feat starved.