[RPG] What feats are useful for a Dragonfire Adept build

character-creationdnd-3.5efeatsoptimization

I'm building a Human Dragonfire Adept (from Dragon Magic) with the Draconic template (as presented in Races of the Dragon), as well as a feat for Draconic Tail, but I need a bit of help picking out certain feats. For example:

  • Is Flyby Attack basically a midair version of Spring Attack, or does it actually grant a second move action while airborne if I attack in that round? Does it stack with Spring Attack?

  • Would Hover and Wingover be useful, or does Draconic Flight already confer their effects?

  • What are some feats that can help me make the best of my 3 natural weapons (2 claws, tail)

  • Alternately, what are some weapon/equipment options that would synergize well with natural weaponry?

Best Answer

Is Flyby Attack basically a midair version of Spring Attack, or does it actually grant a second move action while airborne if I attack in that round? Does it stack with Spring Attack?

Flyby attack lets you make any standard action in the middle of a move, so it's much more versatile than Spring Attack. However, it doesn't defend against AoO! This lends itself to drastically different usage than Spring Attack, despite the superficial similarity; flyby attack works best with ranged/magic attacks, such as a breath weapon.

The text of the feat specifically forbids a second move action.

Would Hover and Wingover be useful, or does Draconic Flight already confer their effects?

Draconic Flight grants good maneuverability, which already gives the ability to hover (the feat hover has an error in the description). Wingover probably wouldn't be that useful by itself. However, if you really want to improve your flight capabilities, you'd be better off taking Improved Flight (Races of the Wild) to improve your maneuverability class. RAW this isn't allowed, since it says it requires "natural flight", but I think anyone who can has an intrinsic ability to fly meets the spirit of the requirement. So you could try convincing your DM of the same if this is important to you!

What are some feats that can help me make the best of my 3 natural weapons (2 claws, tail)

Multiattack, certainly! I imagine there are some dragon specific feats that might help, too. But, I'm not super familiar with Draconic Adept, so you might want to make sure focusing on your natural weapons will be effective. Glancing over the class, it has a poor BAB and no melee abilities, which makes me doubtful that your claws+tail will be very useful if you stick with the adept!