Driven to Win

[Voltumna]

Feat from A&Z, benefit:

You may add your base Will save to your attack instead of your Strength or Dexterity modifier. Feats such as Iron Will add to this.

The description refers to feats, but would the will save bonus from a code of honour add to the attack bonus?

 

[VincentDarlage]

As with a lot of what I write, that is up to an individual GM to decide.

I would rule it to be situational - if the combat is occuring and part of the code of honour applies, then the bonus applies. For example, if one with a civilised or barbaric code has been seriously insulted, and the duel is to satify honour, I would allow it. Likewise, if one with a civilised/barbaric code is protecting someone weaker, then I would allow it. If one with a civilised code is attacking ordinary civilians who have not openly rebelled, then I would not allow it. Likewise, if someone with a barbaric code is trying to slay an honourable foe who has offered a ransom, then I would not allow it.

Of course, do what seems the most fun for you and your players. If a feat turns out to be not much fun, don't use it, or modify it until it becomes fun.

 

[Voltumna]

That's what I had tought. I looked for feats that grant bonuses to will saving throws and I couldn't find any except for Resolute, that grants it for saves vs corruption, so I tought the bonus from resolute could apply when fighting the source of that corruption, but didn't seem it could apply in any situation. Same thing with the bonus from religious faith, if a mitraic priest is fighting evil sorcerers or demos, it seems appropriate he could benefit from the strength granted by his faith.

I found this feat very cool, it is nice when a character's ethos can show though in the mechanics of the game.

 

[Belkregos]

sounds like the bonus for high wisdom would be propitiate as well

 

[Valgrim Bragisson]

There's a Feat called Sneer in Hyboria's Fallen. It grants a +4 bonus to Will saves vs. Fear and Terror effects, and a +4 insight bonus to resist intimidation. I think the prereqisits are 10+ ranks in intimidate and 1 point of Corruption.
MP

 

[Majestic7]

RAW the feat is noticed to make sorcerers obsessed with victory in combat - I must say that this sounds rather strange, as it means giving the sorcerer extra PP quite easily. Thus I'd houserule this feat that it grants the obsession penalty for the duration of combat, but does not grant the extra PP reaching the goal of your obsession normally does.

 

[Voltumna]

There's another feat from the Shem book that can add to DtW, it is for Sabateans only though, it is called Aura of Authority, and gives a +2 bonus to will saves, then +3 and then +4 when you meet certain ranks in intimidate.

There are certain drugs that grant a bonus to will saves, like the Hashish of Paradise from H's Fallen, I think this bonus would also apply. This could make for a good twist for a character with the DtW feat, he gets hooked to the drug because of the rush he gets when fighting. The Hashish grants a +4 to all saves, so it improves initiative from the bonus to reflex save too. Alas, taking drugs isn't without peril, so as all artificialities, it would be a risky pleassure, and an expensive one too.

 

[Clovenhoof]

Hi guys, ltns ^^

FWIW, I have finally decided not to use or allow _any_ splatbook feats or abilities in my game by default, until further notice. Sometimes (not too often) the ability by and of itself is already overpowered. And more often, there are weird synergy effects when abilities from different splats are used together. For example, using "True Professional" (Argos?) in conjunction with "Body Painting" (Picts) -- +20 attack bonus FTW!

I hate to say it, but while I had been thinking long and hard about splatbook feats, "Driven to Win" was actually the straw that broke the camel's back. Crunching the right numbers, a non-fighting character can have better attack values than professional warriors, and that can only mean that something is altogether broken.

Exception: what I did, however, was to houserule certain splatbook feats (like "Two Weapon Strike") as general ability available to anyone with the Two Weapon Fighting ability.

In other games, I used to houserule as little as possible and only allowed official publications (and no third-party stuff either). For Conan, I had to decide not to use official optional rules and write houserules instead. Weird development.

 

[Style]

Clovenhoof, for D20 I've been playing that way for years, as are most of my friends. For D&D, we allow the core books, and that's it. Even using wotc books, like the Complete series, very quickly breaks things when you have munchkin players. And really, there is absolutely no need. There is a ton of variety in the D&D core.

I don't play D20 Conan, but it seems like it is the same way. There is a ton of variety with in the core to do any kind of character you want. There is no need to unbalance your game by allowing the splat books.

 

[Clovenhoof]

Well, I just finally got Hyboria's Fiercest and so far I've only glanced at the Feats section. (The "getting by in the wild" part being a lot more interesting at the moment) -- so maybe I'll allow some of those, possibly only after a house-rule rewrite.
Generally - and that goes for all D20 products I know regardless of the publisher - most splat feats seem to be either not worth the slot (underpowered) or imba (overpowered).

So far, I can safely say that the Core rules offer quite a lot of selection and there is really no desparate need for extra stuff, beyond some fixes (like the terrible Ranged Finesse for example, which I did fix).

 

[Ichabod]

I don't really find any d20 books that give feat options I want. The problem of underpowered and overpowered is featured prominently in the core books. Players who want their characters to be effective take only a small range of feats, which leads to cookiecutter characters on a mechanical level, defeating the point of having options in the first place. At least, skills (which is why I have no interest in the simplified skill system in latest Star Wars) differentiate characters.

Of course, this in no way supports supplemental feats. What it means is that players and GMs should be designing their own feats.