BUT, individual feats often suffer from poorly considered design. There is both poor balance between feats AND some feats allow characters to perform tasks which they should be able to perform - whether or not they have a feat.
In truth, this weakens the foundation of the entire game. Anytime something which should be available to all players becomes a feat, it arbitrarily steals that ability from everyone who doesn’t take the feat. Such arbitrary theft of possibilities dulls the most potent edge tabletop role playing has over video games: a limitless amount of options.
There are, in fact, lots of Feats which shouldn’t be feats, but should instead be handled on a case by case basis by the GM. To illustrate, I’ve included several samples of gameplay: Each demonstrates a player doing something which would not require any special ability on the part of the character, and the GM granting them a benefit for that.
| Power Attack: |
| Player: “This giant slug monster can’t dodge for anything. My fighter is just going to swing at it wildly and as hard as he can, rather than attempting his usual finesse.” GM: “Very well! Your fighter will take a -1 penalty on attack rolls for as long as he attacks this way, but will gain a +1 to damage on any successful hits. |
| Leadership: |
| GM: You’ve saved the Orc’s life from certain death at the hands of the grotesque mistress of webs. He falls to his knees and thanks you for helping him. He offers you anything you desire as a reward. Player: “My cleric speaks Orcish. I would like to ask that the orc reward me by aiding me in my adventures henceforth. In exchange, I promise he will always be granted the fullest benefit of my healing ability. GM: Make a diplomacy check. *clatter clatter* Player: “A twenty seven!” GM: “The orc agrees to follow you henceforth, so long as you always treat him with the same kindness which you have shown today.” |
| Weapon Finesse: |
| Player: “Since I use a rapier, which doesn’t really lend itself well to strong-armed attacks, I’d like to focus my weapon fighting style on quickness and style, rather than brawn.” GM: “Sure, just add your Dexterity to your attack rolls rather than your Strength.” |
| Dazzling Display: |
| Player: “Geeze, there’s a lot of guys here. Um…hey! I’ve been using a Halberd for a long time now, and even have some feats to improve my ability with it. Do you think I could do a bunch of fancy moves with it to try and scare some of them?” GM: “Make an intimidate check.” *clatter clatter* Player: “A 17.” GM: “You’ve successfully intimidated those who can see your display. They seem demoralized.” |
| Childlike: |
| Player: “Since the humans in this city are xenophobes, my halfling rogue would like to disguise himself as a human child. GM: “Alright, you can have a +2 circumstance bonus on that disguise since you picked one which isn’t far off from your current appearance. |
| Shielded Caster (Teamwork Feat): |
| Player: I’d like to attempt to protect the wizard from the goblin’s arrows while he casts. The last thing we need right now is this spell getting interrupted! GM: Sure thing. You’ve got a small wooden shield, so I’ll give him a +5 bonus on concentration checks while you protect him. |
There ARE feats which don't disallow players to do what they want, it simply is harder without relying on the feat. Feats such as Two Weapon Fighting allow players to handle a difficult task more easily, but it does not prevent them from attempting to fight with two weapons unless they take the feat. Skill Focus allows players to become unusually skilled at a group of mundane tasks such as diplomacy or wilderness survival. These types of feats improve characters which take them, but do not imply a restriction upon characters which do not.