Genre Feats
For lots of really good reasons, the Pathfinder Roleplaying Game is designed to emulate a specific flavor of fantasy. It then branches out from that flavor sometimes with specific options, but they (for good reason) feel like bolt-ons.
But it’s not hard to turn Pathfinder into nearly any flavor of fantasy game. Sometimes you need more extensive rules (ranging from Anachronistic Adventures to comprehensive rules for Spell Points). But sometimes you just need a few tweaks to bring in a new flavor without having to rewrite the whole game.
Enter Genre feats.
Genre feats are specifically designed to reskin the flavor of a game. Characters get 2 free genre feats at 1st level, one additional bonus genre feat at 5th and every 5 levels thereafter, and may use normal (but not class bonus) feat slots to take more.
Genre feats have low prerequisites, often allow a build to work well that doesn’t in standard Pathfinder, and make genre-specific tropes easy. It’s common for a few genre feats to be popular with many players, and that’s fine. It reinforces the genre!
Here are example Swashbuckling Genre Feats. Obviously many more could be created.
A Flirt in Every Port
Benefit: In every settlement you come across, you have at least one local (at neither the bottom nor top of the social ladder) who is helpful towards you, and acts in a romantic fashion. Even if you spurn these allies and reduce their attitude towards you, it goes back up one step (to a maximum of helpful) every time you gain a level.
Brio
Benefit: You never take penalties for using improvised weapons. If you are using an improvised weapon in combat, you gain a +4 bonus to Perform and Diplomacy checks.
Chandeliers and Rigging
Benefit: As long as there are hanging ropes, lights, sails, or similar dangling flexible objects, you have a fly speed of 30. If you end any turn not within 20 feet of a dangling flexible object, you must land or you fall.
Elan
Benefit: Rather than suffer frightened or panicked conditions, you simple double or triple the penalties for being shaken if you would normally have those other conditions. Even when confused or mind controlled, you never attack yourself or an ally unless you wish to.
Flamboyance
Benefit: You may use your Charisma modifier (rather than Strength or Dexterity) when making attack rolls with weapons, and add your Charisma modifier (in addition to any other ability score that applies) to damage rolls with weapons
Unarmored Hero.
Benefit: When unarmored (or wearing light armor, if you are proficient with heavy armor), you gain a dodge bonus to AC equal to 4 + your base attack bonus. At 10th level this increases to 6 + base attack bonus. You lose this if you lose your Dexterity bonus to AC.
Posted on August 26, 2016, in Anachronistic Adventurers, Game Design, Microsetting, Pathfinder Development, Uncategorized and tagged Genre Feats. Bookmark the permalink. Leave a comment.
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