It's hard to imagine. One issue would be the damage twins, Power Attack and Deadly Aim. Leaving behind the feats that build off PA, both are popular number feats ... which kind'a open up things, like gaping wounds in enemies. How these would be reassigned is an interesting question for game development.
Well, Power Attack/Deadly Aim could be made standard options along with Combat Expertise. Anyone could take the attack penalty to get the damage or AC boost. I don't think much would change, the classes that would have taken it can have a more fun feat in the chain, and I don't see the classes that wouldn't have taken it caring either way.
Well, Power Attack/Deadly Aim could be made standard options along with Combat Expertise. Anyone could take the attack penalty to get the damage or AC boost. I don't think much would change, the classes that would have taken it can have a more fun feat in the chain, and I don't see the classes that wouldn't have taken it caring either way.
Interesting, and a boon to the switch-hitter. Haul out that bow, shoot until you're tired of it, then draw the greatsword, and all the while you're taking advantage of feats that are considered mandatory for anyone with full BAB, and a few of the 3/4 crowd too. I like the idea of getting more options..not sure how well it'd be for that.
Does remind me of the School Focus feats now tho. Sometimes it seems feats like that, or the much-derided skill boosting feats, represent just working harder at what you know you can do. Even good old Weapon Focus means you trained harder with that earthbreaker than normal, so you get your +1 just from that.
And Improved Manoeuvre feats are both, of course--avoid the AoO for not trying to kill your foe, and +2 to whatever mean thing you're doing to it.
Most feats have numeric bonuses so you are suggesting eliminating too many feats. By the way two weapon fighting would also be eliminated. Anyone can fight with two weapons the feat simply reduces the[b]numeric /b] penalty. You also eliminate the ability to become an expert at a particular activity. How am I supposed to build the expert swordsman when all the other martial classes have the same chance to hit and do the same amount of damage? This suggestion would end up making the game a lot less fun.
Most feats have numeric bonuses so you are suggesting eliminating too many feats. By the way two weapon fighting would also be eliminated. Anyone can fight with two weapons the feat simply reduces thenumeric penalty. You also eliminate the ability to become an expert at a particular activity. How am I supposed to build the expert swordsman when all the other martial classes have the same chance to hit and do the same amount of damage? This suggestion would end up making the game a lot less fun.
I cataloged the feats in the Core Rulebook as Purely Numerical versus Non-numerical. A feat that gives a numerical bonus but also a non-numerical effect, such as Improved Trip giving +2 to trip combat maneuver checks but also preventing the attack of opportunity, count as non-numerical. I decided the eliminating a penalty or adding an extra die of damage was numerical. On the other hand, Extra Performance and similar extras I decided were as non-numerical as extra attacks.
Even then, I added a third category: Numerical but Enabling. As Mysterious Stranger said, the Two-Weapon Fighting feat merely reduces penalties; nevertheless, no-one tries two-weapon fighting at full penalty so the feat acts as if it permits two-weapon fighting. And Improved Initiative is also numerical, but it lets rogues catch more opponents flatfooted, so it enables more Sneak Attacks.
Numerical
Acrobatic, Agile Maneuvers, Alertness, Athletic, Augment Summoning, Combat Casting ,Combat Expertise, Critical Focus, Deadly Aim, Deceitful, Defensive Combat Training, Deft Hands, Dodge, Disruptive, Double Slice, Empower Spell, Extend Spell, Far Shot, Great Fortitude, Greater Penetrating Strike, Greater Shield Focus, Greater Spell Focus, Greater Spell Penetration, Greater Vital Strike, Greater Weapon Focus, Greater Weapon Specialization, Heighten Spell, Improved Channel, Improved Critical, Improved Vital Strike, Intimidating Prowess, Iron Will, Leadership, Lightning Reflex, Magical Aptitude, Manyshot, Maximize Spell, Mounted Archery, Penetrating Strike, Persuasive, Pinpoint Targeting, Point-Blank Shot, Power Attack, Self-Sufficient, Shield Focus, Skill Focus, Spell Focus, Spell Penetration, Spirited Charge, Stealthy, Throw Anything, Two-Weapon Defense, Two-Weapon Rend, Vital Strike, Weapon Finesse, Weapon Focus, Weapon Specialization, Widen Spell
Numerical but Enabling
Arcane Armor Training, Arcane Armor Mastery, Armor Proficiency Light, Armor Proficiency Medium, Armor Proficiency Heavy, Arcane Strike, Catch Off-Guard, Fleet, Improved Initiative, Improved Shield Bash, Improvised Weapon Mastery, Martial Weapon Proficiency, Mobility, Run, Shield Master, Shield Proficiency, Simple Weapon Proficiency, Toughness, Tower Shield Proficiency, Two-Weapon Fighting
Non-numerical
Alignment Channel, Bleeding Critical, Blind-Fight, Blinding Critical, Brew Potion, Channel Smite, Cleave, Combat Reflexes, Command Undead, Craft Magic Arms and Armor, Craft Rod, Craft Staff, Craft Wand, Craft Wondrous Item, Dazzling Display, Deadly Stroke, Deafening Critical, Deflect Arrows, Diehard, Elemental Channel, Endurance, Enlarge Spell, Eschew Materials, Exhausting Critical, Exotic Weapon Proficiency, Extra Channel, Extra Ki, Extra Lay On Hands, Extra Mercy, Extra Performance, Extra Rage, Forge Ring, Gorgon's Fist, Great Cleave, Greater Bull Rush, Greater Disarm, Greater Feint, Greater Grapple, Greater Overrun, Greater Sunder, Greater Trip, Greater Two-Weapon Fighting, Improved Bull Rush, Improved Counterspell, Improved Disarm, Improved Familiar, Improved Feint, Improved Grapple, Improved Great Fortitude, Improved Iron Will, Improved Lightning Reflexes, Improved Overrun, Improved Precise Shot, Improved Sunder, Improved Trip, Improved Two-Weapon Fighting, Improved Unarmed Strike, Lightning Stance, Lunge, Master Craftsman, Medusa's Wrath, Mounted Combat, Natural Spell, Nimble Moves, Quick Draw, Quicken Spell, Rapid Reload, Rapid Shot, Ride-By Attack, Scorpion Style, Scribe Scroll, Selective Channeling, Shatter Defenses, Shield Slam, Shot on the Run, Sickening Critical, Silent Spell, Snatch Arrows, Spell Mastery, Spellbreaker, Spring Attack, Staggering Critical, Stand Still, Step Up, Still Spell, Strike Back, Stunning Critical, Stunning Fist, Tiring Critical, Trample, Turn Undead, Unseat, Whirlwind Attack, Wind Stance
No one is obligated to use numerical feats. Count me amongst the people who would enjoy more feats with neat effects. But it's fun to let people choose what they want. Numerical feats are often prerequisites to being good at maneuvers, archery, and the general interest in being ridiculous at damage or decent at it to make up for not pumping Strength to try and have more skills. All for more creative feats, don't know that we need to remove them though.
The lists in my previous post show that Pathfinder has plenty of feats with non-numerical effects.
However, many of those non-numerical feats have numerical feats as prerequisites. A rogue who wants Spring Attack has to learn Dodge and Mobility first. I listed Mobility as an Enabling feat, because it enables more movement on a crowded battlefield to someone who cannot tumble well, but it is numerical for a tumbling rogue.
But that is an argument about feat taxes, not directly about numerical feats. Perhaps the designers think that numerical feats make appropriate feat taxes because they don't steal the thunder from the final feat.
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For the most part, it is a game of numbers...I don't see how removing feats that effect the numbers could possibly improve the game.
Purely numeric Feats give me mixed feelings. On one hand, Pathfinder and most other d20 systems seem to focus on the strategy elements most common in the wargame predecessors of RPGs. As such, much of the problem-solving involves minimizing of risk, which is a pretty usual thing in tabletop games with the element of randomness. But on the other hand, for many players (myself included) it feels just so much satisfying to take a Feat that lets me do something I couldn't do before. Like some of the halfling racial Feats... I'm always really tempted to play one just because being able to "bring luck" to my party and retroactively purchase marginally useful junk is so much fun.
Current balance (as much as it exists) depends on the Big Six to bump up the numbers. Losing the numerical feats would hit the same problem. Consider how many builds use them, and you can see that they're often the better ones.
Non-numeric feats are more fun than (yawn) PA or Weapon Focus or Spell Focus or Dodge, but they're all too often overly situational or something that can trivially be achieved by a spell.