So anyone who has even a slight head for optimization can tell you that there are certain feats that are almost not even optional for many concepts, and many that are completely avoidable and/or only taken as a tax to reach stuff worth taking, even when conceptually relevant.
So my intent here is to either scale and/or condense non-progressive, low-level feats which are often indispensable to builds of a certain concept, while keeping them balanced in line with the other feats and ensuring that even a scaled contribution doesn't break the end-game balance numbers by very much.
It's long been a thing that the vast majority of core feats are pretty much crap, and that they start to get interesting again at levels 11+ which few even reach anyway.
So I am going to first list some of the worthwhile basic feats, and why I think so.
Blindfight: Based off of a percentage rating, which stays relevant no matter the base numbers.
Endurance: Given that sleeping in a category of armor better is always going to stay relevant, and that +4 is to an almost unscaling number such as a constitution check, the fact that it does not increase as you level doesn't bother me.
Improved initiative: +4 initiative is amazing in a game where base initiative doesn't scale by level, and winning initiative in a game with expectedly short combats is often the difference between a god wizard and a pouncing barbarian coming out on top.
Combat Casting: The DC to cast defensively is rather static in relation to level, so any small bonus helps.
Combat Expertise: It gives 1 AC, takes 1 to accuracy. It keeps doing so every 4 base attack bonus. By bab 20, that feat gives you comparably scaling options. Maybe that enemy has a low AC but hits like a truck, or your hp is so low you want to stay in the game for longer. If it were +1 from levels 1-20, it would feel like a drop in the bucket.
Power attack/deadly aim: Same reasoning. Nobody needs a lecture on why these feats are good.
Combat reflexes: Attacks already scale, so getting more of them is valuable from start to finish. The fact that you don't progressively get more stuff is okay because things it is attached to do scale.
Skill Focus
Alertness & similar skill feats:
In 3.0-3.5 nobody in their right mind took these feats. But with Pathfinder, at skill rank 10 they double. Suddenly, a skill monkey might just bat an eye here.
Two weapon fighting, rapid shot, etc. Obviously, an extra attack is always useful because the accuracy and damages of them go up in level through assorted means.
Now for some examples of Bad Feats:
Dodge(At level 20, who cares about +1? It barely makes an impact at the level it was taken).
Mobility(+4 is nice, but situational as hell, useless for light armors who just tumble)
Pt Blank Shot(By any level, who really cares about +1 nonscaling and limited?)
Great Fortitude/Lightning Reflexes/Iron Will (Don't scale. +2 is a drop in the bucket for weak or strong saves).
Improved Unarmed Strike(Worse than any weapon in the game because it is a lack of a weapon, and its benefit of not being disarmed could be mimicked with a 5 gold gauntlet. At least make it as good as a gauntlet, and count it with a weapon group proficiency feat). Proficiency in boxing and wrestling was a basic tenet of many Eastern and Western military forces alike even to the most basic trooper.
Weapon Proficiency Anything(Would be worth it if applied to entire weapon group.)
Extra rounds/uses of class feature (Extra uses should scale, not by much but scale, by level).
Weapon Focus and Greater(Would be worth it if applied to entire weapon group,merged together, and scaled)
Weapon Specialization and Greater(Would be worth it if applied to entire weapon group,merged together, and scaled)
Spell Focus and Greater(Would be worth it if merged together and scaled)
Spell Penetration and Greater(Not terrible for the same reasons +4 from combat casting is good. If merged into 1 scaling feat would be worth it).
Augment Summoning(Doesn't scale. +4 is a drop in the bucket when summoning a CR 12 creature.)
Okay, the majority of these feats suck in my opinion because they either do not scale and/or could be crammed together to make a feat on par with the better ones.
I know what the typical excuse is here: Feats aren't supposed to be that good. Fighters get a ton of them, so if they packed them together they equate to class features. How many of these basic feats really do that much impact when pushed together? Yeah, not many. And the significant effect tends to come in when merging 2 of the already good feats for a desired end. An example may be packing in good damage by splicing arcane strike and power attack or deadly aim. How much bang would tripling the feat sink matter beyond that? Let's say weapon focus and specialization greater? For 6 feats you now have 2 more accuracy and 4 more damage than a 3rd the investment before. Clear disparity.
Now, enough whining on my end. I am going to post my solutions when I reply. I encourage input as to how you would improve these subpar feats to be as good as some of the better ones, but of course still balanced.
Okay, now for my idea of how I would fix some of the offenders:
*Dodge: Gain mobility as a part of this feat, and add another +1 to armor class at level 8.
*Point Blank Shot: Precise shot is merged into this feat. Additionally, at 8th level, gain another +1 to attack and damage and it applies within the first range increment of the weapon if greater than 30 feet.
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For these feats, I regard a +2 to 2 skills as valuable as a +2 to one save, as feats illustrate. I just followed that same formula for the advancement of the save boosting feats.
*Great Fortitude/Lightning Reflexes/Iron Will: At level 10, increase the save bonuses added by +2 more.
I like giving options that will make a typically weak saved class a strong one, much like skill focus makes a non class skill effectively a class skill and then some.
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*Improved unarmed strike I will fix by counting it as part of any weapon group where it is included: close, monk, natural, etc.
*Weapon Proficiency, martial or exotic, will give the whole weapon group.
*Extra rounds of a class feature will add another 1/5 levels not including the initial, so at 5th, 10th, 15th, 20th. And if they want to take it again, so be it.
I can't think of any existing class feature other than spells which would become broken by allowing more rounds of duration.
*Weapon Focus will include greater weapon focus and include its entire weapon group.
*Weapon Specialization will include greater weapon specialization and any weapons covered by weapon focus. This way never requiring a second spend.
*Spell focus will include greater spell focus.
*Spell penetration will include greater spell penetration.
*Augment summoning will provide an additional +4 strength/con and +2 natural armor at caster level 10.
By no means is this an exhaustive list. My hope is that basic fixes will make it to where feats that didn't meet the needs of the concept now do so. Feedback and your own take on some feats would be appreciated. If there is an issue with perceived overpowering as a result of the change, please show a level-based progression and a comparison to an existing scaling feat and how you'd change it.
Edit: Typo fixes, and changed point blank shot to eventually scale to 1st range increment of the weapon. A minor balance difference that in my opinion cuts down on calculation by not having different stats for within 30 feet in addition to each range increment. Now if it's within your range increment after a certain level, you don't have to calculate it after the fact.