Talk:Hothead (3.5e Feat)

Ratings

	Dragonexx favors this article and rated it 4 of 4!
	A simple, but good, boost to the rage ability.

	Qwertyu63 favors this article and rated it 4 of 4!
	Very nice. One of the better things I've read today. Good, but not so good everyone has to take it. Just right.

	Fluffykittens likes this article and rated it 3 of 4.
	A nice little straight up boost to power, but weak enough that it's merely nice and not necessary.

The-Marksman likes this article and rated it 3 of 4.

This feat keeps changing so much it's hard to keep my rating up to date. First it was too powerful because it didn't have a draw back, then it had int damage which I thought was decent, because then you had to watch when/how you used it, or use up valuable magic resources to fix the int damage. Now it lowers con, which, while that is a draw back, Barbarians have so much con already that I'm not sure they'll properly feel that penalty.

	Eiji-kun likes this article and rated it 3 of 4.
	This is a nice high level boost to one's rage. Worth the feat slot, I approve.

Blocked Rating

Leziad is neutral on this article and rated it 2 of 4.

This rating refers to a substantially different version of the article, or concerns mentioned in it have already been addressed.Well the Int damage is still there, which coupled with the AC penalty is a very harsh for a powerful but frankly not THAT impressive of a boost. It take two days of rest to recover from a single use of this feat. If you rage multiple times per day that compound quickly. That make you not want to use the feat you took. Honestly I'd be fine with the AC penalty and maybe like, add a rage duration reduction.

Alternatively, for a very small investment in gold for a wand of lesser restoration, you can use this all day long without any worries. For a shift on the RNG on top of what you normally gain from Strength, I think it's deserved. --Ghostwheel (talk) 13:49, 14 May 2019 (MDT)

	Undead Knave is neutral on this article and rated it 2 of 4.
	My opinions on this feat have changed somewhat over time. It's a pretty boring vertical increase in power for Barbarians, and while the base Barb needs it, this gets out of hand quickly with more powerful Barb variants. Even for the base Barb, though, it's boring. A resounding meh.

	Ghostwheel opposes this article and rated it 0 of 4.
	The big part of rage is the bonus to Strength. Reducing the bonus to Constitution is not a huge deal at all. Regardless, this is a straight up vertical enhancement to power, which is the laziest of bonuses to give from a feat, especially when the drawback is largely immaterial.

This is not a trait, it is a feat. A feat is not required to have a drawback. Many feats are strict numerical bonuses. For example weapon focus gives a +1 bonus to attacks, and weapon specialization gives a +2 to damage. Increasing your chance to hit or amount of damage is not a bad thing. Instead it can drive the campaign along and be pivotal to a party's survival. The fact that you cannot find a major mechanical difference between this and a variant weapon focus speaks volumes. Look in the mirror some time and you will notice much of your own work just adds numbers instead of interest new abilities. Numbers matter.--Franken Kesey 14:28, 17 May 2019 (MDT)

I don't think that comparing to the SRD, which often made boring (not strictly bad but frequently so) feats that merely add bigger numbers is a very strong defense. Feats that add horizontal options encourage differentation of gameplay elements even amongst characters playing the same class. If all they do is give higher numbers then there is very little variability, which leads in theory to a less interesting gaming experience. I think that's the point here, since the barbarian in particular is a weak-ish class that will always seek out higher numbers to minimize the weaknesses of its one existing schtick. This feat is practical since it's a vertical upgrade to a class in dire need, but it can be boring at the same time. - TG Cid (talk) 06:43, 18 May 2019 (MDT)

Balance

I'd call this rogue at least. +2 to attack and +3 to damage from a single feat? At least rogue-level. That, and it can be used at will, with no negative side-effects like the barbarian's race...... --Ghostwheel 04:24, April 7, 2010 (UTC)

You need to read it. "1/day for every 2 con modifiers" is nowhere near an at will ability. Will reduce other stuff. --Franken Kesey 04:34, April 7, 2010 (UTC)

So at higher levels, 6/day? When combats last 3-5 rounds, that's still enough to go through 2-3 encounters without much of a problem. And it stacks with Barbarian rage... --Ghostwheel 05:35, April 7, 2010 (UTC)

Better? Are alterations of Improved and Greater better? --Franken Kesey 06:25, April 7, 2010 (UTC)

I think this is a bit strong for a fighter level feat. It would be better off as a rogue level feat (especially with the improved and greater versions). --Andrew Arnott (talk, email) 17:15, April 26, 2010 (UTC)

If I took of 1 Str, and add a -2 Wis and Cha while activated (to all hotheats) - would it be more fighter level? --Franken Kesey 17:22, April 26, 2010 (UTC)

Intimidate boost

It says you get that when you are hotheaded. When is that exactly? And why is that in the special line instead of the benefit line? - TarkisFlux 03:14, April 26, 2010 (UTC)

You are hotheaded when ever you rage. I found it to be an indirect benefit - thus put it in the special line.

A benefit is a benefit, especially one that you get under the exact same circumstances as the rest of the benefits you list. The special section is more reserved for meta-game rules interactions, like a feat counting as another for prereq purposes or if the feat can be selected as a fighter bonus feat (which is redundant with the later introduced Fighter tag, and was dropped from later books). Anyway, I'd move that into the regular benefit line and drop the hotheaded reference in favor of "while raging" for clarity. - TarkisFlux 16:12, April 26, 2010 (UTC)