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Thread: Background Feats
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2017-09-02, 10:41 PM (ISO 8601)
- Join Date
- Dec 2016
- Location
- Hunting "Yonder."
- Gender
Background Feats
Background Feats: These define the character before he took up the sword, started hurling fireballs or began stabbing orcs in the back. All characters gain a background feat at creation, this is in addition to any other feats they may gain. If they wish they can also use their feat for 1st level and (if human) their bonus feat from that.
Without further ado:
Skilled Professional
Benefit: You add your character level to a single profession and craft check that corresponds with it (such as armorer and craft (armorsmithing) etc). In addition you gains 2 bonus skill points each level that can only be added to the chosen skills and the chosen skills are always class skills for you.
Skilled Performer
Benefit: You add 1/2 your character level to perform checks. In addition if you are a bard you gain 2 extra uses fo bardic music a day.
Born Leader:
Prerequisites: Cha 14
Benefits: You add 1/4 your character level to diplomacy checks (min +1). In addition anyone that would be indifferent to you begins as friendly instead.
Elemental Ties
Benefits: You gain energy resistance equal to 1/4 your level*5 (Min 5). At 20th level this becomes immunity to the chosen element.
Paranoia's Memory
Prerequisites: Int 14
Benefits: You add 1/2 your level on all checks to remember past events. In addition you are immune to any spell or spell like ability that would change your memory. Also you gain 2 skill points per level that can only be used for a psionic skill, and such skills are always count as class skills for you.
Fleet of Foot
Prerequisites: Base land speed of 30'+
Benefits: At first level you gain a 10' bonus to your speed. This increases by 10' at 5th level and every 5 levels after.
Fast Healer
Prerequisites: Con 14
Benefits: You heal twice as fast, and when you take a negative level you may make the save to resist immediately. If unsuccessful you still get the normal save.
Improved Natural Armor
Your skin/scales/etc is much harder then the rest of your race, whether through ceremonial scarification, mutation or some other circumstance.
Prerequisites: Natural armor bonus
Benefits: You add 1/3 your level to your natural armor bonus.
Uneasy Sleeper
Life was rough, and those who slept too deep often kept sleeping... permanently.
Benefits: Waking you up us a free action, and you may also awake as a free action, In addition you act normally after awakening (no penalty for being groggy etc) and while asleep you make listen checks as if awake. In addition you add 1/2 your level to initiative.
Night Owl
Prerequisites: Natural darkvision
Benefits: When out at night or in underground terrain you add 1/4 your level (Min +1) as a racial bonus on attack rolls, damage rolls, and saving throws. In addition you gain darkvision out to 5*level.
Iron Gut
Prerequisites: Bonus on saving throws against poison or disease
Benefits: You add 1/2 your level (Min +1) on all saves against disease or poison. At level 20th you gain immunity to disease and poison.
Resistance to Magic
Prerequisites: Cold Iron Cyborg, Spellcraft 2 ranks
Benefits: Your SR Increases to 10+1/2 level. At 20th level you gain a constructs immunity to spells that allow for spell resistance.
Magic Sensitive
Benefits: You gain a weak version of detect magic, and the ability to rapidly counterspell. You pinpoint the location of magic (as if using detect magic) within level*10'. In addition you may counterspell a spell as an immediate action (no need to ready an action). If you suceed on a spellcraft check (5+spell level) you can identify the spell in use.
Way With Animals
Benefits: You may use bluff, diplomacy, and gather information with animals. You can only convey simple concepts such as "I would make a bad meal." or "Is there water near?" In addition you gain wild empathy, adding your level to the check. Classes that grant wild empathy (ranger/druid/spirit shaman/etc) count twice for bonus. Also animals start one step closer to friendly towards you
I feel these vary in power, but intend on using them if I ever get around to DM'ing another game... Will add descriptions to those without them when I get the time... (and not at 11:40 )
Edit: Changed up prereqs for some feats, improved others.Last edited by Westhart; 2017-09-06 at 07:15 AM.
Homebrew: If it is mine feel free to PEACH and/or use it.
Extended Signature
Well, it seems that life has deposited me here, yet again. Hopefully this time I get to stay a while, as I intend on revising some old homebrew.
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2017-09-03, 11:50 AM (ISO 8601)
- Join Date
- Apr 2017
- Location
- Vancouver <-> Dublin
- Gender
Re: Background Feats
I love these, all flavourful and most are well-balanced. Some notable exceptions though:
1) Fleet of Foot - while this option exists, it is effectively the only sane option. Nobody would ever take the others, except maybe for 2) Improved Natural Armour (with just a few other sources of AC you'll easily be matching/beating Full BAB classes; should be 1/3rd character level).
The others are mostly all good, except for some rather specific ones (Paranoid Memory? Uneasy Sleeper? Do those effects often come in handy in your games?).
Very nice in general,would use in my games.
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2017-09-04, 11:22 AM (ISO 8601)
- Join Date
- Dec 2016
- Location
- Hunting "Yonder."
- Gender
Re: Background Feats
Homebrew: If it is mine feel free to PEACH and/or use it.
Extended Signature
Well, it seems that life has deposited me here, yet again. Hopefully this time I get to stay a while, as I intend on revising some old homebrew.
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2017-09-05, 12:42 AM (ISO 8601)
- Join Date
- Apr 2017
- Location
- Vancouver <-> Dublin
- Gender
Re: Background Feats
Right they've definitely benefited from the power alterations. Fleet of Foot is still very powerful though (I'd have simply said a +10 bonus to speed)... but now some of the other feats have much better end-stage rewards (Resistance to Magic in particular, though I imagine the unique prerequisites balance it). So long as you advise PCs which feats are best-suited for the campaign, it'll all work out.
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2017-09-05, 07:18 AM (ISO 8601)
- Join Date
- Dec 2016
- Location
- Hunting "Yonder."
- Gender
Re: Background Feats
Woops, Resistance to magic was exposed to be a specific race, or spellcraft 2 ranks... and I use it for mage slayers all the time, which is what the cold iron cyborgs I am working on are supposed to be (they have no ability to manipulate magic at all).
I honestly have never had a problem with speedy characters (except for some dervish builds; but melee can use nice things) I feel that if this was +10' most people wouldn't take it compared to the benefits of other feats...Homebrew: If it is mine feel free to PEACH and/or use it.
Extended Signature
Well, it seems that life has deposited me here, yet again. Hopefully this time I get to stay a while, as I intend on revising some old homebrew.
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2017-09-05, 06:17 PM (ISO 8601)
- Join Date
- Apr 2017
- Location
- Vancouver <-> Dublin
- Gender
Re: Background Feats
Last edited by rferries; 2017-09-05 at 06:17 PM.
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2017-09-06, 01:01 AM (ISO 8601)
- Join Date
- Jul 2011
Re: Background Feats
Fleet of foot is a bit of an odd one out here in that there's no scaling with level, perhaps if it started with 10ft and then increase over time?
For Magic Sensitive what exactly happens when you're within level*10? Do you just get to know that there's magic around or can you pin point it, or even identify it?
I'm a big fan of making level 1 characters more interesting and these feel really character defining, which is great.
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2017-09-06, 07:07 AM (ISO 8601)
- Join Date
- Dec 2016
- Location
- Hunting "Yonder."
- Gender
Re: Background Feats
Yeah I always preferred scaling for... well pretty much anything.
Thanks! I have to think on magic sensitive... was going to be just detect/pinpoint it thinking make it be able to identify with spellcraft checks (5+spell level?) to allow for more scaling...
Fleet of foot will be changed soon!
EDIT: Added changes to magic sensitive and fleet of foot. What do you guys/gals think now?Last edited by Westhart; 2017-09-06 at 07:16 AM.
Homebrew: If it is mine feel free to PEACH and/or use it.
Extended Signature
Well, it seems that life has deposited me here, yet again. Hopefully this time I get to stay a while, as I intend on revising some old homebrew.
-
2017-09-06, 02:37 PM (ISO 8601)
- Join Date
- Apr 2017
- Location
- Vancouver <-> Dublin
- Gender
Re: Background Feats
They both look good! Scaling was precisely what fleet of foot needed :)