House Rules

The feats listing was extracted from the House Rules.

Chapter 5 - Feats

Modified Feats

Arcane Spell (Tome and Blood)

This feat can only apply to a spell that the character knows.

Skill Focus

The modifier to skill checks related to this skill is +4.

Spell Focus

In addition to +2 to DC for saving throws, you gain +2 to all concentration checks in the school you pick with this feat.

Spring Attack

You may use one of your two moves to perform any move-equivalent action, including a second attack (if you are normally allowed multiple attacks).

Toughness

You gain 5 hit points.

Weapon Focus

The effects of Weapon Focus stack. The number of Weapon Focus feats for any one particular weapon that you take cannot be lower than the number of Weapon Specialization feats for the same weapon, and cannot exceed the number of Weapon Specialization feats by more than one.

Weapon Specialization

All classes may take the Weapon Specialization feat, but are restricted by minimum levels that are class dependent. This feat may be taken multiple times and the effects stack. Prerequisites for taking this feat the first time are identical to those for fighters (PH, p. 37). Thereafter, you may gain this feat each time you gain an additional attack according to your class as summarized below:

Fighter, Barbarian, Paladin, Ranger = 4/6/11/16

Cleric, Druid, Rogue, Bard, Monk = 6/8/15

Sorcerer, Wizard = 8/12

New Feats

Add Domain [General]

You gain access to one additional domain.

Prerequisite: Cleric

Benefit: Choose a new domain that you are allowed access. You gain the granted power(s) and access to the spells of that domain.

Armored Casting [General]

You are trained at spell casting while in Armor.

Prerequisite: Dex 13+, Armor Proficiency.

Benefit: Arcane failure chances from wearing armor are halved.

Armored Fencer (Medium) [General]

You may parry when wearing medium armor.

Prerequisite: Dex 13+, Int 13+, Armor Proficiency (Light), Armor Proficiency (Medium), Expertise, Parry.

Benefit: You can make parry attempts while wearing medium armor.

Normal: You must be wearing light or no armor to parry a blow.

Armored Fencer (Heavy) [General]

You may parry when wearing heavy armor.

Prerequisite: Dex 13+, Int 13+, Armor Proficiency (Light), Armor Proficiency (Medium), Armor Proficiency (Heavy), Expertise, Parry, Armored Fencer (Medium).

Benefit: You can make parry attempts while wearing heavy armor.

Normal: You must be wearing light or no armor to parry a blow.

Construct Familiar [General]

Your familiar is constructed rather than a living being.

Prerequisite: The ability to have a familiar.

Benefit: Rather than a living creature, your familiar is a magical construct, a mechanical creature animated by magic. The arcane spellcaster must still specify a specific animal to call as a familiar. The familiar that appears, however, is a construct version of that creature. See page 5 in the Monster Manual for construct special qualities.

You cannot convert an existing non-construct familiar to a construct familiar by taking this feat. Rules for a construct and any special abilities can also be taken from the Encyclopaedia Arcane: Constructs. The DM decides what special abilities the construct has.

Crushing Defense [General]

You may parry with great force

Prerequisite: Str 13+, Dex 13+, Int 13+, Expertise, Parry, Power Attack, Sunder, base attack +4 or higher.

Benefit: When you succeed at a parry attempt, you may attempt to sunder your opponent's weapon. Your weapon must be no more than one size category smaller than your opponent's weapon to sunder. If you succeed in parrying the blow, you deal damage to your opponent's weapon. If you succeed in destroying your opponent's weapon, he does not get a free opportunity to disarm you. You cannot sunder (and therefore damage) a natural attack or an unarmed strike when you parry.

Defensive Fighting [General]

You are able to use your multiple attack capability for defense.

Prerequisite: Expertise

Benefit: If you are allowed multiple attacks in a round (either with the same weapon or when using two weapons) the attack penalty that you take using the Expertise feat does not apply for one attack. If you have more than two attacks, further attacks are made with the standard penalty.

Normal: A character not capable of this feat can fight defensively while using the attack or full attack action to take a -4 penalty on attacks and gain a +2 dodge bonus to Armor Class. A character with just the Expertise feat can take a 1 to 1 attack penalty/armor class bonus in an amount up to their base attack bonus (see PH, p. 82, Expertise feat).

Special: The Weapon Finesse feat increases your armor class bonus by an additional +2. You must allocate an attack using the weapon chosen for the Weapon Finesse feat to gain this bonus.

You can take this feat multiple times. Each time allows you to reduce the number of attacks you make using the Expertise penalty by one. Regardless of the number of times you take this feat, one attack is always made with the Expertise penalty.

Enspell Familiar [General]

You can cast spells on your familiar over a distance.

Prerequisite: Ability to have a familiar.

Benefit: You are always considered to be in contact with your familiar for the purpose of casting shared spells. Thus, any spell you cast on yourself also affects your familiar, as long as it is within 1 mile of you.

Normal: The familiar must be within 5 feet of the caster at the time such a spell is cast.

Expert Parry [General]

You may parry multiple attacks by the same creature.

Prerequisite: Dex 13+, Int 13+, Combat Reflexes, Expertise, Guarded Defense, Parry.

Benefit: Your parry attempts can be divided among multiple creature's attacks or a single creature's attacks as you see fit. Each parry attempt uses up an attack of opportunity granted by the Combat Reflexes feat.

Normal: A player with the Parry feat can only attempt to parry one blow from a single creature which may have multiple attacks per round.

Guarded Defense [General]

You parry with surprising deftness

Prerequisite: Dex 13+, Int 13+, Combat Reflexes, Expertise, Parry.

Benefit: You may make a number of additional parry attempts in a round equal to your Dexterity bonus. Just as you cannot make multiple attacks of opportunity against the same creature, you cannot attempt to parry multiple attacks made by a single creature in a round. Each parry attempt uses up an attack of opportunity granted by the Combat Reflexes feat.

Normal: A character with the Parry feat can only parry one attack per round.

Improved Weapon Hurling [General]

You can throw weapons at your enemies with great skill.

Prerequisite: Str 13+, Dex 13+, Base attack bonus of +4 or higher, Weapon Hurling.

Benefit: As Weapon Hurling, except you can throw melee weapons of one step larger than your size category with no attack penalty. You also get a +1 bonus to damage for every 3 class levels.

Normal: See normal improvised thrown weapons rule in PH, p. 97.

Increased Spell Knowledge [General]

You increase the amount of spells you know.

Prerequisite: Bard, Cleric, Sorcerer, Wizard.

Benefit: Choose any spell or spells of combined levels equal to your ability modifier (for the ability that grants you bonus spells) and add them to your spell book or total known spells. They must be spells you have access to.

Special: You can gain this feat more than once and effects stack.

Parry [General]

You are skilled at deflecting the attacks of your enemies.

Prerequisite: Dex 13+, Int 13+, Expertise.

Benefit: After a melee attack roll to hit your character has been made, but before damage is assigned, you may attempt to parry the blow. You may only attempt to parry an attack against a weapon up to two size categories larger than the one you wield. Natural attacks are considered to be weapons two size categories smaller than the creature's size. You cannot parry an attack when unarmed, when wearing medium or heavy armor, or when you are denied your Dexterity bonus to AC. Attempting to parry uses up an attack of opportunity for that round. You may only make one parry attempt a round.

To parry, you must make a melee attack roll in an attempt to surpass the attack roll that you are trying to parry. When wielding a light weapon you gain a +4 bonus to your parry roll. If you succeed, the attack fails and deals no damage. If you fail, the attack deals damage normally. In either case making a parry attempt gives your opponent the opportunity to make a disarm attempt against the weapon you are parrying with. Attempting to disarm you is a free action that does not provoke an attack of opportunity, and failure does not allow you to make a disarm attempt in return.

Normal: Characters are not able to avoid damage once a hit has been determined.

Shield Specialization [General]

You are especially good with shields.

Prerequisite: Shield Proficiency.

Benefit: You gain an additional +1 AC bonus (armor) when using a shield. You also receive no attack penalties or lose your shiled's AC bonus when using shield bash attacks.

Normal: See shield bash attacks in PH, p. 106.

Spontaneous Cantrip/Orison Spell Casting [Special]

You are able to cast all 0-level spells spontaneously.

Prerequisite: Cleric, Druid, Sorcerer, Wizard.

Benefit: You no longer choose which 0-level spells you prepare. Any 0-level spell can be cast instantly at any time up to your daily limit.

Normal: Clerics, Druids, Wizards need to memorize spells in advance. Cantrips/Orisons have a casting time.

Undead Familiar [General]

Your familiar is an undead creature.

Prerequisite: The ability to have a familiar.

Benefit: Rather than a living creature, the familiar is an undead version of a normal animal. See page 6 in the Monster Manual for undead special qualities. Undead familiars tend to be associated with characters of evil alignment, particularly necromancers.

Undead familiars can be turned or rebuked. Use the familiar's effective hit dice (treat as the master's character level -- use the familiar's normal total if it is higher) for the purposes of turning or rebuking. A familiar fleeing or cowering as a result of a successful turn can't obey commands from the master (any more than it could while fearstruck or paralyzed). Raising a destroyed undead familiar brings it back as a living creature.

You cannot convert an existing non-undead familiar to an undead familiar by taking this feat. However, if your familiar is slain and you have this feat, you can reanimate your dead familiar with a raise dead spell.

Weapon Hurling [General]

You can throw weapons at your enemies.

Prerequisite: Str 13+, Dex 13+, Base attack bonus of +4 or greater.

Benefit: You can throw all melee weapons of your size category or smaller with no attack penalty. All weapons have a range increment of 20 ft. Anything outside this range is subject to normal range penalties.

Normal: See normal improvised thrown weaons rule in PG, p. 97.

Wizard Spell [General]

You can prepare a single wizard spell from a spellbook.

Prerequisite: Ability to cast arcane spells without preparation (like a sorcerer or bard).

Benefit: A single spell slot can be filled with a spell that you do not already know. You can learn a spell from a spellbook, like how a wizard learns his spell. It takes 15 minutes of study to learn a spell this way. The spell can not be prepared with metamagic feats.

The prepared spell remains in your mind and occupies one of your spell slots until you cast it or discharge the spell (having no effect -- just freeing the space in your mind). Once cast or discharged, the slot has been used for the day and the player can use it normally after resting for the night.

Only one spell can be prepared at a time with this feat. In order to memorize a different spell, the first one must be cast or discharged.

Normal: A sorcerer or bard gets a very finite amount of spells known, and must stick with them until they learn Wish or Limited Wish to cast different spells or change their spells known.

Special: You can gain this feat multiple times. Each time you do, you can prepare one additional spell.