Playing footsie with Feats

[bariumdose]

Has anyone found a use for the Track feat? I select on it from the radial menu, and it just shows me the general direction of one of my party (usually an NPC) or the direction of one of my enemies, whom I've already slain.

And, on a more general note, does anyone have any opinions as to which feats (out of the 77 or 100 feats that exist in this game) are just plain useless or hardly ever used in this game?

[Lord Plothos]

Well track would be at the top of the list, that's for sure. Most of the dialog-enhancing stuff is pretty worthless, and I have never been a fan of metamagic, really. Mostly it's class-specific. Obviously two weapon fighting won't be much use for a wizard, and spell focus won't be any good for a fighter. More generally, steer clear of agile, alertness, animal affinity, athletic, deft hands, dilligent, endurance (unless to get diehard, which ain't so great), eschew materials, most of the exotic weapon profs, improved counterspell, leadership, mounted combat and all it's subfeats, imp. bull rush, imp. overrun, imp. sunder, rapid reload (you're better off getting longbow prof, esp. with no magic crossbows around), self-sufficient, and spell mastery. ...to name a few.

[bariumdose]

Fed up with Feats

As they say in ToEE, Well met, Lord Plothos!

I have the same opinion of metamagic feats - they just don't work for me. I can never figure out what they're suppose to do. My sorcerer is always told that she doesn't have the caster level needed to cast an empowered spell.

I do like the two-weapon fighting, improved two weapon, and two weapon defense. They're great on a ranger or a rogue (especially with the rogue's sneak attack). Use Magic Device doesn't seem to work on my cleric - I'm trying to get her to use some wands (like magic missile) but no go. I guess it has to do with the fact that most wands cast arcane rather than divine magic?

[QUOTE=Lord Plothos]Well track would be at the top of the list, that's for sure. Most of the dialog-enhancing stuff is pretty worthless, and I have never been a fan of metamagic, really. Mostly it's class-specific. Obviously two weapon fighting won't be much use for a wizard, and spell focus won't be any good for a fighter. More generally, steer clear of agile, alertness, animal affinity, athletic, deft hands, dilligent, endurance (unless to get diehard, which ain't so great), eschew materials, most of the exotic weapon profs, improved counterspell, leadership, mounted combat and all it's subfeats, imp. bull rush, imp. overrun, imp. sunder, rapid reload (you're better off getting longbow prof, esp. with no magic crossbows around), self-sufficient, and spell mastery. ...to name a few. [/QUOTE]

[Lord Plothos]

Yeah, technically use magic device is a skill, not a feat, but whatever. To use a wand that contains a type of spell you don't have the ability to cast normally, you have to make a u.m.d. skill check, and the DC (difficulty class: the number you need to get) is really high. IIRC, it's something like 20+spell level. Basically, the only one in this game who has much chance to do this well would be a high level bard or rogue who's maxed his ranks in u.m.d. That makes it a skill that's about as useless as the track feat, really. Don't put ranks in it unless they have absolutely nowhere else to go.

And "Well met, friend. Here are some details about my life that don't interest you. Please wander freely about my home, and betake yourself to yon gilded chest. I'll be over here, standing in place with my armor on, staring at the doorway."

[bariumdose]

That's too funny!

Yeah, I know what u mean. I can sneak up and pick the lock of a chest while its owner is standing right behind my gnome ranger. It's like watching the Three Stooges working the safe whilst the wolfman is looming right above them.

Hey, speaking of picking locks on chests, is there any way to get into the jeweler's chest or Jaroo the Druid's chest without incurring combat with them?? I've managed to use Furnok as my monster fodder and have him pick the chest locks - if he succeeds great, my party gets experience points; if he doesn't, he's the one who gets blown up, shot up, poisoned, etc.

I thought I saw a thread once which said you could continually steal from the jeweler's chest as a source of money. Do you know anything about that?

Thanks again.


[QUOTE=Lord Plothos]Yeah, technically use magic device is a skill, not a feat, but whatever. To use a wand that contains a type of spell you don't have the ability to cast normally, you have to make a u.m.d. skill check, and the DC (difficulty class: the number you need to get) is really high. IIRC, it's something like 20+spell level. Basically, the only one in this game who has much chance to do this well would be a high level bard or rogue who's maxed his ranks in u.m.d. That makes it a skill that's about as useless as the track feat, really. Don't put ranks in it unless they have absolutely nowhere else to go.

And "Well met, friend. Here are some details about my life that don't interest you. Please wander freely about my home, and betake yourself to yon gilded chest. I'll be over here, standing in place with my armor on, staring at the doorway."[/QUOTE]

[Lord Plothos]

As far as I know, opening either chest will cause combat, so I don't know anything about stealing from the jeweler repeatedly. Anyway, if you're going to cheat to get free money, why not just use the console to mod your funds?

I do remember reading somewhere that you could pick the lock at Jaroo's repeatedly to get lots of experience, but again, you can mod experience as well, so whatever.

If you have a rogue with high dex and full ranks in disable device/open locks, especially if you get him masterwork tools, he should have little problem with just about every chest out there. Alternatively, you could just craft a wand of knock and open everything from a distance. I've never actually tried it, but I'm reasonably sure that'd work. I do so like to avoid NPCs.

[bariumdose]

I'm a bit contradictory. I don't like to modify the game console to give myself unlimited XP, GP, and other P - that would be cheating. Yet, if there's a loophole within the game's design that I can exploit to my advantage, I will.

Yeah, I could craft a knock wand - true, very true. I don't much care for NPCs, although I will use them as my vanguard to draw enemy fire/attacks away from my players who can cast spells and fire arrows from a distance. Plus, it's great fun to loot the dead NPCs for their magic goodies.

[QUOTE=Lord Plothos]As far as I know, opening either chest will cause combat, so I don't know anything about stealing from the jeweler repeatedly. Anyway, if you're going to cheat to get free money, why not just use the console to mod your funds?

I do remember reading somewhere that you could pick the lock at Jaroo's repeatedly to get lots of experience, but again, you can mod experience as well, so whatever.

If you have a rogue with high dex and full ranks in disable device/open locks, especially if you get him masterwork tools, he should have little problem with just about every chest out there. Alternatively, you could just craft a wand of knock and open everything from a distance. I've never actually tried it, but I'm reasonably sure that'd work. I do so like to avoid NPCs. [/QUOTE]