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I'm really bored of taking the same 5 or 6 general feats on each character, so I designed some new ones to diversify. I think these are balanced against the power of Fleet, Shield block, and toughness, but I'd appreciate some feedback.
Alchemist’s Friend level 1
You gain resistance to splash damage from your allies equal to one-half your level, with a minimum of one.
Better Backstabber level 15
When you hit a flat-footed creature with a Backstab weapon or unarmed attack, it deals one precision damage per damage die in addition to its normal damage instead of the normal backstab benefits. You may choose to use the standard backstab benefits instead if you wish.
Better Brace Level 15
When you ready to strike an opponent who moves within your reach, until the start of your next turn strikes with the brace weapon deal an additional 1 damage of the same type as the weapon for each weapon damage die it has. This is in addition to Brace’s regular damage but is not precision.
Dangerously Deadly level 19
When you would add a deadly weapon damage die, add one additional die of the same type.
Day Tripper level 1
You have a +2 circumstance bonus on fortitude saves to avoid addiction.
Expert Study Level 3
You gain a 1st level feat from your class that you qualify for.
Note: You may not take this feat if you have the human feat Natural Ambition, nor may you take this feat and later take Natural Ambition
Expert Training level 7
Advance one of your skills from trained to expert
Fatal and Deadly level 19
When attacking with a fatal weapon or unarmed attack, it gains the deadly d6 trait, in addition to its other traits.
Flash Grip Level 11 Free Action
Requirement: You are holding a combination or modular weapon.
Frequency: Every ten minutes
Change your grip on the weapon from one mode to another.
Great Backswing level 3
In addition to Backswing’s regular bonus, after missing twice in a row with a Backswing weapon or unarmed attack, you gain a +2 Circumstance bonus on your next attack. After missing thrice in a row with a Backswing weapon or unarmed attack, you gain a +3 Circumstance bonus on your next attack.
Great Force level 19
When using a Forceful weapon or unarmed attack, your third attack each turn with the weapon gains a circumstance bonus to damage equal to thrice the number of damage dice, and your fourth attack each turn with the weapon gains a circumstance bonus to damage equal to four times the number of damage dice.
Great Resonance level 19
When you use the conduct energy action granted by a Resonant weapon, the energy lasts until the end of your next turn.
Hidden Lethality level 1
When using a weapon or unarmed attack that has the nonlethal trait, you may make a lethal attack with a -1 circumstance penalty. If you are an expert in that weapon or unarmed attack, you may make a lethal attack with it with no penalty.
Legendary Training level 19
Prerequisite: master Training
Advance one of your skills from trained to expert, from expert to master, or from master to legendary.
Master Study level 11
Prerequisite: Focused Study or Natural Ambition
You gain a 2nd-level feat from your class that you qualify for.
Master Training level 11
Prerequisite: Expert Training
Advance one of your skills from trained to expert or from expert to master.
Small Bite level 1
Frequency: once a day
The first time each day you bite down on a Lozenge, you may choose to gain the secondary effect without ending the primary effect.
Swift Capacity level 11 Free Action
Frequency: Every ten minutes
Requirement: You just fired a capacity weapon.
Switch to the next chamber or barrel of the weapon.
Swift Grip Level 7 Free Action
Frequency: Every ten minutes
Change your grip on an item from one-handed to two-handed, or two-handed to one-handed, or from one hand to another free hand.
Triple Sweep Level 7
When using a sweep weapon or unarmed attack, if you have attacked two different targets this turn with the weapon already, you gain a +2 circumstance bonus to your attack roll if you attack a target you have not attacked yet this turn. If you have attacked three different targets this turn with the weapon already, you gain a +3 circumstance bonus to your attack roll if you attack a target you have not attacked yet this turn.
Wand Wielder level 15
Frequency: Once a day
You may activate a single wand one additional time each day.
I do like that you more or less abandon pretense of keeping every option as generic as possible.
At the same time, there is real reason designers don't put things like Swift Capacity into the General Feats.
As far as I know, that's the only action compression for capacity weapons in the game. It's unavoidable that it's an S tier pick for anyone using capacity weapons. Not only does that cause the norm / "expected PC power" being balanced around having that selection, but once taken, that Feat is dead/useless if the PC ever stops using capacity weapons. Meaning they may be harmed by sunk cost if they want to try something else.
It is interesting to talk about that Feat in comparison to Shield Block, but if that single Feat is removed from consideration, then it's clear that General Feats are all passives that are generally useful, while encouraging/assisting with niche playstyles or effects.
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IMO, I would support the lacking shooter options with something more generic, but perhaps not as potent as a saved action every fight.
Capacity kinda exists so 1-H builds can still shoot a few times without that extra hand to reload. But that barrel swap isn't a Reload, making it incompatible with the relevant abilities/Feats. I guess my idea of a good General Feat to help with that niche is to kinda delete it, lol.
Adverse Reloading: - - - Level 3 General Feat
Whether you have practiced stashing your weapon under an arm or onto a catch hook, you are able to momentarily stow and then reload a weapon with only the hand wielding it, bringing the weapon back on target by the end of the action.
When done, this manipulate action gains the flourish trait, but cannot be interrupted by Reactive Strike or similar critical hit effects. This is incompatible with reloading activities that already have the flourish trait.
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I think it would be fine/ much more tempting to select if the Expert skill training Feat auto-upgraded to Master at a later level like the Weapon Proficiency does.
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It would be great if the lozenges were genuinely good enough to warrant a Feat, but... yeah. They are not. I've tried, but honestly the 1-hour timer is an unexpectedly large nail in their viability (other Alchemist issues like static DCs still are worse, but apply to all alch items).
1 hour is too short for generic travel / exploration "just in case" and after-battle healing and refocusing means that if the passive lasts for 2 fights, you should count yourself lucky.
Most of the time, one ought to plan on having a lozenge in mouth for just a single fight. While resting from one battle in a context that's telegraphed to have more fights, when the party starts walking again, that's the cue that you may actually be able to benefit if you pop a lozenge.
Lozenges can be useful, theoretically, but the catch is that these are still competing for your infused reagents. It's not that they are worthless, but that lozenges are worth *less* than other options. Any designer that thinks PCs will want to prep 2 lozenges instead of 2 bombs or 2 numbing tonics is out of touch with the reality that Alchemist PCs have to deal with.
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It's the same problem with most of the alch item list. The rare few items, like bombs, are genuinely above par. The rest of the list is set to be at or below cantrip levels of power, but they keep adding items with the assumption that if it's just the right "silver bullet" then Alchemist PCs will find it appealing. It's a flawed strategy. That approach just results in the "here's the actually good ones, the rest are trash, don't spend the downtime + gp adding to your formula book" attitude. Which I cannot say is wrong. Why would I spend 25gp adding Galvanic Chew to my book when its static DC makes it only *possibly* useful for a level or two?
They refuse to allow alch items in general to be as potent as magical consumables, which already fail to justify the actions and headspace required to use them most of the time.
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Thanks for the feedback. I'm assuming retraining is pretty easy, so weapon trait specific options aren't traps, but could cost downtime.
You're right that swift capacity is too strong. I think I'll move it to a fighter/champion/ranger/barbarian feat at some level. I really want flash grip and swift grip to be available to many classes, but you're right that action compression should be class feats.
I want lozenges to be stronger, but I think buffing them directly is a better approach. I'll wait to see the alchemist remaster first, however. I have a lot of hopes riding on that one.