Edit: Rephrased to clean-up meaning and intent
I’m starting a new blogtype on tenletter (and presumably it will just be me making use of it 
). The Feat Discussion posts. The format is simple: one feat is presented and everybody is invited to discuss it. So, without further ado:
Harmless [General]
Prerequisite: Cha 13+
Benefit: Provided you wear light or no armor, you may add your Cha modifier to your AC as a dodge bonus, you retain this bonus to AC even when flat-footed, helpless or unconscious. Additionally, when you attack an opponent he is considered flat-footed to your attack. However, whenever you perform an offensive action (such as attacking a foe or casting an offensive spell) you immediately lose the benefits of this feat. You regain the benefits of this feat 1 minute after the most recent offensive action you performed. Aiding allies using the Aid Another action and casting buffing spells on yourself or allies and even positioning yourself in a flanking position do not count as offensive actions for the purpose of this feat.
This is obviously great on supportive heroes such as bards – though I imagine there are others that could find this feat attractive.
Comment by trashcondor — 29 June 2009 @ 11:58 pm
I’d say that you’d lose the bonus for the rest of the fight (maybe even further fights with the same antagonist).
Anyway, I like this. And the best part: it’s usable in both 3.X and 4e!
Comment by jatori — 30 June 2009 @ 8:29 am
I kind of decided on the 1 minute duration to avoid dangling “where exactly does the encounter end” issue. And in most encounters 1 minute is really the max duration of the encounter in the first place.
Though, overall, I think the wording for the feat still has to be perfected. So any suggestions for rewrite are encouraged
Comment by trashcondor — 30 June 2009 @ 10:21 pm
What about: You’re in the cooldown minute already, having just thrown Tasha’s Hideous Laughter at an orc, when you decide to throw another one? Does the timer reset (1 minute from second Laughter casting), does the timer remain unchanged, or does the time timer increase by another minute?
Comment by jatori — 1 July 2009 @ 8:54 am
Ya – that is one of the things that should be cleaned up in the feat. The intention, ultimately, is that you aren’t allowed offensive actions for 1 minute. (So the timer doesn’t increase by another minute – but it resets to a minute).
Comment by trashcondor — 1 July 2009 @ 9:52 am
Harmless [General]
Prerequisite: Cha 13+
Benefit: Provided you wear light or no armor, you may add your Cha modifier to your AC as a dodge bonus, you retain this bonus to AC even when flat-footed, helpless or unconscious. Additionally, when you attack an opponent he is considered flat-footed to your attack. However, whenever you perform an offensive action (such as attacking a foe or casting an offensive spell) you immediately lose the benefits of this feat. You regain the benefits of this feat 1 minute after the most recent offensive action you performed.
Comment by trashcondor — 1 July 2009 @ 11:51 am
One time I was greater invisible in rifts, and I pressed the timer on a fusion block. And my invisiblity went away, because it disapears if you do a ‘harmful’ move. Like pressing a button and a little clock ticking down.
I’m not sure this feat has a good design, because when the GM references the fiction as he see’s it, the only thing it can do is take something away from the player (the bonus). That means fiction eithe equals no bonus, or a penalty. It’s probably better to link any reference to fiction with either no bonus, or a bonus. That way it’s either even stevens or a win, when the GM checks the fiction.
Comment by Callan — 2 July 2009 @ 7:23 am
Added a bit more description on what counts as offensive actions for the purposes of the feat. Specifically:
Aiding allies using the Aid Another action or casting buffing spells on yourself or allies and even positioning yourself in a flanking position do not count as offensive actions for the purpose of this feat.
Does that make the design more playable Callan?
Comment by trashcondor — 2 July 2009 @ 9:28 am
I still see the GM as drawing on the fiction in order to forfil this penalty and thus drawing on the fiction gets associated with negative vibes. Someone runs out of a room, violently opening a door and…you know the rest – the way some people take an idea of ‘offensive actions’ and imagine it are pretty wild and different.
Really this isn’t so much about the feat but whether you do or might agree that drawing on the fiction can be associated with negative stuff and perceived as being less fun due to the connection. You might not – it may be incorrect, but that’s how I’m thinking at the mo.
Comment by Callan — 8 July 2009 @ 6:06 am
@Callan: I agree – some GMs do go a bit overboard. The intention is that unless enemies are directly hurt in some way through attack damage or spell effects, then the Harmless feat stays active. Angry-door-opening should under almost no interpretation of the feat lead to the feat being disabled. Unless violently opening the door initiates a bullrush action on an enemy… :p
Comment by trashcondor — 8 July 2009 @ 10:01 am