Homebrew Feat: Genius


Homebrew and House Rules


Genius
Requirement: Human, half elf, half orc, gnome, halfling or other race with a racial bonus to a mental ability score.
You lose 2 points of your racial bonus to Wisdom or Charisma(whichever you used to qualify for this feat), and gain an equivalent racial bonus to Intelligence(max: +2). You may additionally select one trait related to spellcasting, an arcane spellcasting class, intelligence, or any intelligence based skill, including selecting a qualifying racial trait through the trait 'Adopted'.

Special: This feat may only be selected at first level, or when subject to a 'reincarnate' spell if your previous form had a racial bonus to intelligence and your new form has or can have a racial bonus to Wisdom or Charisma.

The intent of this feat is to support gnomes who are supposed to be amazing inventors. I would probably also allow a gnome to get this feat in place of ANY racial trait(the ones under the 'gnome' entry such as Defensive Training or illusion resistance), but not gain the extra trait effectively, it becomes a half-feat they can trade a racial ability for, well unless they trade Gnome Magic, that ability is worth a feat.

Metamagic Ring, Lesser Quicken 1/day, Cost 12,000gp.
This item functions as a metamagic rod to quicken a single spell of up to 3rd level once per day. The ring must be worn for 24 hours before a spell can be cast in this way.
Note: It costs a straight third of a metamagic rod of quicken spell, but also has the requirement that it must be worn for 24 hours and takes up the ring slot. Balanced? (Normally, a slotted item would be half the price, but I upped it from half because I thought it fair and underpriced otherwise).

Metamagic Ring, Lesser Versatile. Cost: 17500gp
This ring allows for up to 3 levels of metamagic feats to be applied to spells of 3rd level or less per day. This ring must be worn for 24 hours to function.
1 Charge: Silent Spell or Still Spell
2 Charges: Silent Spell and Still Spell
3 Charges: Quicken,
Varies: Any other metamagic feat or combination of metamagic feats up to +3 spell levels, chosen when you prepare spells(if so chosen, this replaces quicken).
1 Charge: You can activate a metamagic rod of up to 3000gp held in hand without expending a charge or without moving it (your choice) by expending one charge from the ring, it's effect (in addition to those of this ring) are added to the spell.
2 Charges: Up to 9000 gp.
3 Charges: 15000 gp
You may combine the above actions, up to 3 charges or spell levels may be expended in this way.
Creation: As a metamagic rod, plus Rary's Mnemonic Enhancer.
Note: This ring fills the void of a missing 'Metamagic Still' rod, which can't exist because metamagic rods need to be waived around.

To get pricing of versatile: Divide metamagic rod of quicken by 3 (one charge of 3 spell levels, the most powerful ability), multiply by 1.5.
To get pricing of lesser quicken ring. It should give 4 spell levels, but only gives 3 unless quicken is used. Cost is ad-hoc.

Bizarre Metamagic Ring of Spell Silencing, Lesser
While wearing this ring, sounds you produce appear muffled and you gain a +2 competence bonus to stealth checks, additionally when not trying to be silent and attempting to communicate, make an stealth check at a -10 penalty, those who fail are unable to hear your words (thought they can read your lips normally).
After the ring has been worn for 24 hours, three times per day the wearer may, without a sound, gain the effect of the 'Silent Spell' feat as applied to a spell of 3rd level or lower.
Cost: As a metamagic rod of the same price, plus 600gp, so 3,600gp.
(1.5 times the cost of a +2 competence bonus from an ioun stone).

(Note, this is a crazy fun item, especially with a cranked up stealth check, especially on a rogue).

Ring of Unseen Casting CL 3rd (Caster level based on mistmail)
3000gp (As a metamagic rod of still spell)
400gp (Single use of a first level spell effect, caster level 1 2000 gp / 5/charges [one]) That's per charge cost.
CL 3, 3 mins total, single use or 3 cl1 charges
Three charges would be 1200... hmm.
1200*1.5 = 1800

Ring of Unseen Casting, CL 3rd
Cost: 4800
Three times per day you may choose to cast a glamer over yourself which prevents your motion (other than throwing a ranged weapon, or

benefit from the spell 'Illusion of Calm', while under the effect of that spell you may also cast a single spell as though it had been prepared with the still spell feat. After you have cast the spell, the illusion ends.

/

2250, 250 masterwork chain shirt


Humans, half elves, and half orcs don't need a feat like that. They could just choose intelligence. Am I missing something?


The feat is unnecessary when applied to humans, yes. I merely wanted to illustrate that a flexible bonus is sufficient.


Frankly I would think that a Metamagic Ring would be at least the same cost as a Metamagic rod. It has the drawback of being a non standard location item for those powers and the advantages of not requiring any hand to use and being available constantly so you don't have to waste actions drawing it, or retrieving it if you have to drop it for some reason.

Also a lesser metmagic rod is 36K, you speak that the ring was too cheap so you changed the price from 50% to 33% but that only makes it even cheaper. 12,000 gold for a lesser quicken effect is insanely cheap.

Also, rods are not priced as per slotted or unslotted to start with so lowering the costs for a slot is not an applicable comparison. They effectively use the 'primary or off hand weapon' slot since all rods must be held to be used.

Frankly must be worn for 24 hours to function is nearly meaningless as a drawback unless for some odd reason your rings are regularly being removed on that character.

Your lesser variable ring is insanely broken and underpriced. Your effective getting access to 3 Metamagic feats. And Quicken is a 4 level modifier so should it not at least cost 4 charges by your descrption instead of 3?

I could go on but all those metamagic rings are crazy overpowered for their prices.


The investor part of gnomes was in Dragonlance yes. In PF you can just take skill focus. It looks like a feat to make wizards and Arcanists. I dont think there is a need for the feat but every int based caster that qualify is gonna take this feat. That is generally the definition of too good. Can a race( pehaps Versatile human) that get a bonus to for example int and wisdom Trade his wisdom for more int?
And i think the magic items are under priced, but good ideas.


Hi, I was writing a huge response, However, I noticed you seemed to have completly ignored the actual reasons for the magic item pricing.

Gilfalas wrote:
Also, rods are not priced as per slotted or unslotted to start with so lowering the costs for a slot is not an applicable comparison. They effectively use the 'primary or off hand weapon' slot since all rods must be held to be used.

One: That isn't an item slot. If it were, summoners with eidolons wouldn't be able to wield weapons as their eidolons do.

Two: That 'slot' doesn't have affinity, which means complaints about cost difference moving it from slot to slot are moot. Technically, I am moving it from an unslotted item (held in hand), to a slotted item, however, I didn't feel that it justified a cost reduction as such, in spite of the fact that the ring of sustenance uses the same item slot.

Also, regarding affinity. Let me just rattle off a quick list: Ring of Sustenance (prepare in only 2 hours), Ring of Counterspells, Ring of Spell Storing, Ring of spell knowledge, Rings of Wizardry.
Though, unlike other item slots, you have two ring slots.

Two: The 1/3rd reduction in price is paired with a 1/3rd reduction in charges, as per the magic item creation rules under 'charges per day' this is appropriate. Divide by 5/charges per day. Taking the reciprocal, I wind up with a metamagic rod of quicken being multiplied by 3 times the single charge price.
http://www.d20pfsrd.com/magic-items
Charges per day: Divide by (5 divided by charges per day) Boots of teleportation

Frankly must be worn for 24 hours to function is nearly meaningless as a drawback unless for some odd reason your rings are regularly being removed on that character.
Then I suppose being worn for a week (ring of sustenance) is rather odd too.

Your lesser variable ring is insanely broken and underpriced. Your effective getting access to 3 Metamagic feats. And Quicken is a 4 level modifier so should it not at least cost 4 charges by your descrption instead of 3?

You have access to 3 feats, yes, that is the versatility part, but if you choose a minor effect (such as a silent or still) you lose quicken. You get 3 charges, once you use 1, the higher level ability of the ring is lost and it effectively becomes no better than a 3000gp metamagic rod in most respects. Also, if you choose a +2 metamagic ability, or any other feat, you lose quicken and instead gain 1/3rd of a 9000gp magic item. Effectively, any item other than quicken reduces the ring to a much less expensive item.

You can get a +2 metamagic rod, and a +1 and have 3 uses of each for 12000gp, but with my ring you get a single use of the +2 rod and either silent, still, or another activated rod. This is clearly a superior value to a single metamagic +2 use, and one +1 (silent or still), AND it costs less.

The ring is VERY versatile, until you use even a single charge, and then you're done for the day.(Unless you chose a weaker effect, in which case, two more weaker effects, and you just saved 3000gp by buying a very expensive ring). Please consider it in play, not in theory. 4 encounters a day. A metamagic rod affects 3 of them, my items, one.


If you did not want dissenting responses you should not have asked for criticisms.


I agree. you got some good constructive criticism. And instead of looking long and hard at it you went 'nope, i like it my way'.

Whats the point of posting in the first place if you're just gonna do that.


I do want constructive criticism, and the ability to respond to it. Questioning the questions is part of debate. I posted the reasons for the pricing in response, hoping people can tear that down, find something I've missed, put in a suggestion for ad-hoc pricing, or give me more reasons to reconsider.

I did not, however, invalidate the fact that 'access' to quicken at a lower level might make it potentially strong. Whether or not it has a slot is very much relevant.

Also, the inability for 'grease' to be used is still not invalidated. I consider that balanced against the loss of a ring slot, of which most casters (the only ones the ring is useful for) will want to take a ring of sustenance or another ring, thus taking up the slot entirely.

In person, I often play devil's advocate and will take the other side, including arguing against myself if nobody else will. I once spent 3 days proving myself wrong.

Do I like it my way: Yes.
Will this be the final price: I have no idea. I've changed the price 3 times to get here before I even posted the ring, researching magic item creation rules, I just now found the rules about combining multiple similar abilities on unslotted items, that seems to indicate maybe it should be cheaper. (But I think it is already cheap enough, and don't want to go any lower, but if I can find a raw pricing over an ad-hoc pricing, that would be preferred.)

Interesting: when combining mutliple magic items, they are divided by half (for slot affinity), then multiplied by 1.5, for a 75% reduction net.
Also, when combining slotless items with similar abilities they are reduced by 75%.

Multiple Similar Abilities: For items with multiple similar abilities that don't take up space on a character's body, use the following formula: Calculate the price of the single most costly ability, then add 75% of the value of the next most costly ability, plus 1/2 the value of any other abilities.
http://www.d20pfsrd.com/magic-items

So, is the 1.5 the combination of 75% reduction for the second item, plus doubling it to make it slotless. (For example, if combining two rings, the first one is a slotted item at regular price, but the second is reduced by 75%, for being combined with another item as a lesser ability, THEN doubled [to 1.5 times] for not taking up a ring slot). Still cheaper than a slotless ring (double), but not by much.

An item that does not take up one of the spaces on a body costs double.

I do want dissenting responses, and I want to dissent to the dissenting responses, then I want people to dissent to my dissent of their dissent of my...
Question everything, Why? It is a traditional style of jewish debate, and it works quite well for understanding things. I appreciate your contributions. I'm still reflecting on grease, and as for the feat above... it definately needs to be rewritten.

Though, honestly, I got distracted by the ring. XD I'm still rewriing the feat.

If anyone can find the 'wealth by levels' and maximum purchase in pathfiner society (I'm using it as a baseline for the design), I would be most appreciative.


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Sounds like you have it all figured out.


I wish. I was thinking of doing a prerequisite of a specific wis or cha for Genius, but the problem is that the feat it's self LOWERS your ability score by subtracting 2, so you would need a 15, or the feat would toggle on and off (what?) Yeah, the feat dropping cha, means you no longer qualify for it, so your cha goes back up. XD

Requirements: +0 Int from race, a racial bonus to Wisdom or Charisma.
(I rephrased this 4 times. XD)
Requirements: A racial bonus to only Wis or Cha mental ability scores.
Requirements: Ability Score Racial Tratis(+2 Wis or Cha, +0 Int maximum).
Requirements: +2 Wisdom or Charisma Racial Trait. (And just make it not stack. Eg: "Your racial bonus to intelligence improves to +2")

Problem with 4, +2 Wis, -2 Int becomes, +0 Wis, +2 Int (a net boost of +4).

Requirement: +2 Wisdom or Charisma Racial Trait.
If you do not already possess a racial trait that provides a bonus to Intelligence, you lose 2 points of your racial bonus to Wisdom or Charisma(whichever you used to qualify for this feat), and gain an equivalent racial trait providing a bonus to Intelligence(max: +2).

Special: Apply the benefits of this feat to the base race before applying templates when generating NPC's or other characters. This feat may only be selected at first level, or when reincarnating (use the retraining rules).

The wisdom equivalent is called simply 'Wise'.
The charisma equivalent, Charming, magnetic, alluring

Ingelligent, Wise (seeing if I can come up with 3 that match) Captivating? Charming?
Or: Great Charisma, Great Intellect, Great Wisdom

Savvy! Genius, Wise, Savvy?

I like the fact that the feat Genius might enable a lot of other races players wouldn't normally play as Wizards to be Wizards (much like the Sage archetype, or the Empyreal for -2 Cha races, it is clearly better than other sorcerer archetypes as a +1 is always better than a -1.)

The real question with the Genius feat: It's good, but would you consider it unbalanced? Functionally, it really does create a new race (from players perspective) as the advantages and disadvantages of the race change. EG: would you pause for even a second if you saw a genius halfling, gnome, or aasimar next to a human or half elf.

First issue, the +2 AC. (Halfling with +2 Dex and Small, combined with +1 to saves). And I just realized that even if I make that as a race, it's still the same RP, this is why DM's make races.

You lose 2 feats over human. Hmm... a ray focused halfling sorcerer might not have the same skills, but would be a match in terms of spell DC and could take Dodge, which would not only meet the prereqs for other feats, but

Vs. Tiefling
-1AC, but you could take dodge as you still have the feat... tieflings are much better. Halfling tieflings, better still.

Okay guys, what do you think about no trait, or a static +1 bonus on knowledge checks, or an extra language? I like the trait because it supported fluff, I want the person to actually be a genius (if they are a genius).

Additionally, whenever you make a knowledge check with a skill with which you have the maximum number of ranks...

Merely because I know a lot of things, doesn't make things any better, all it takes is one abuse or trick I didn't think of (like the 'tomor familiar' with the protector archetype, and the feat/item/etc is useless.

Grand Lodge

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Pathfinder PF Special Edition, Starfinder Roleplaying Game Subscriber

Gnomes as mad inventors is essentially an idiocy that should have been buried along with Dragonlance.


Not familiar with dragonlance gnomes, sadly. My gnome mad inventors are basically the (mostly sane) version of the homocidal explosive obsessed goblins in my universe. (They're actually two related species.)

Regarding the feat, just realized Reincarnate doesn't affect mental stats, so I guess it's also a fix for GM's who like to reapply mental stats and wreck their players characters (which is about the same time I like to make a new character). So remove the 'reincarnate' note for most campaigns, it only applies in campaigns with a houserule that affects mental stats.

Fun with the witch's 'Forced Reincarnate' hex. "My character refuses to come back to life." Same with the GM's reincarnate. "My wizard refuses to return to this world in an inferior form."

I may also create a tile-based reincarnate chart to go along with it later. (Increases the chance of similar abilities being selected.)

Anyway, if GM's want to reapply mental stats, that feat should keep the character working. Otherwise the note is unnecessary.


Since your proposing this feat based on the setting of your home game, why not just change the stat selection on your home game races and call it a day? Seems way more simple to me than forcing people to blow a feat to change a stat bonus.


I agree with Gilfalas.
And if your GM insist on changing mental stats on your wizard because you get reincarnated i dont think he will allow you a home made feat to fix it. And if he does he is most likely someone you can talk with and fix this problem if it ever shows up.

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