Devout Feats

More commonly called Exalted Feats. Only intelligent characters of good alignment and the highest moral standards can acquire exalted feats, and only as a gift from powerful agents of good-deities, celestials, or similar creatures. These feats are thus supernatural in nature rather than being extraordinary abilities, as most feats are.

Aura of Good: A character with at least one exalted feat radiates an aura of good with a power equal to her character level, as if she were a paladin or a cleric of a good deity.

The feats listed below may have been adjusted to fit this KoK campaign setting. Some of the feats are special and only apply to small groups. These groups may have had contact with other worlds and they brought back the knowledge as well as training in the feat. There could be many reasons why a character has learned these feats but what is certain is that they are not native to the world of Tellene.

ANIMAL FRIEND [EXALTED]

Animals respond favorably to the aura of goodness that exudes from you.

Prerequisites: Cha 15, wild empathy class feature

Benefit: You receive a +4 bonus on wild empathy checks to sway the attitudes of animals and good-aligned magical beasts including, but not limited to, blink dogs, unicorns, pegasi, and animals with the celestial template. In the case of good magical beasts, this bonus simply eliminates the penalty you normally take when trying to deal with magical beasts rather than animals.

EXALTED SMITE [EXALTED]

Your smite ability is empowered with holy energy.

Prerequisites: Smite evil class ability

Benefit: When you use your smite evil ability, your weapon is considered good-aligned for purposes of bypassing damage reduction.

EXALTED SPELL RESISTANCE [EXALTED]

You are particularly resistant to evil spells.

Prerequisites: Cha 15, spell resistance

Benefit: Against evil spells (spells with the evil designator) and spell-like abilities used by evil outsiders, your spell resistance increases by +4.

EXALTED TURNING [EXALTED]

You turn undead with such power that affected undead take damage.

Prerequisites: Ability to turn undead

Benefit: Any undead creature that you turn takes 3d6 points of damage in addition to the normal turning effect.

EXALTED WILD SHAPE [EXALTED]

You can use your wild shape ability to take the form of a good aligned magical beast.

Prerequisites: Wild shape class ability, wild shaping class level 8th

Benefit: You can use your wild shape ability to turn yourself into a blink dog, giant eagle, giant owl, pegasus, or unicorn. You can also turn into a celestial version of any animal you could normally transform into. Other magical beast forms are available to you. In general, only creatures of CR 3 or lower are possible. You gain the extraordinary and supernatural abilities of the creature. This ability counts as a use of your wild shape ability and functions the same way.

Special: The feats does not stack with other wild feats or wild shape abilities.

FAVORED OF THE COMPANIONS [EXALTED]

You swear allegiance to Talisid or one of the Five Companions, the paragons of the guardinals, and in exchange gain power to act on their behalf.

Benefit: Once per day, while performing an act of good, you may call upon your guardinal patron to gain a +1 luck bonus on any one roll or check.

Special: Once you take this feat, you may not take it again, nor can you take either the Servant of the Heavens feat or the Knight of Stars feat. Your allegiance is only yours to give once.

FIST OF THE HEAVENS [EXALTED]

Your stunning attack is empowered by celestial might.

Prerequisites: Wis 15, Sanctify Ki Strike, Stunning Fist

Benefit: The saving throw DC of your Stunning Fist increases by 2 when you use it against an evil creature. If the stunning attack succeeds, the creature is staggered for 1 round following the round it is stunned.

Special: A fighter may select Fist of the Heavens as one of his fighter bonus feats.

GIFT OF FAITH [EXALTED]

You have an unusual capacity to trust in divine providence working all things for the good.

Prerequisites: Wis 13

Benefit: You gain a +2 bonus on saving throws to resist any fear effect, despair effect (such as the crushing despair spell), or similar mind-affecting condition, but not charms or compulsions (such as the charm person and dominate person spells).

GIFT OF GRACE [EXALTED]

You can improve the saving throws of your allies by sharing some of your divine grace.

Prerequisites: Divine grace class ability

Benefit: You can give up some of your saving throw bonus granted by divine grace and share it with one or more other characters. You can sacrifice any amount of your own divine grace, up to your full Charisma bonus. You can divide that bonus among allies that you touch, to a maximum of one ally per character level you possess. For example, if you are a 5th-level paladin with a +3 Charisma bonus, you can give three characters each a +1 bonus on their saving throws, one character a +3 bonus, two characters a +1 bonus (keeping a +1 bonus for yourself ), or any similar division of your +3 bonus.

This shared divine grace lasts for one day or until you revoke it (as a free action).

HANDS OF A HEALER [EXALTED]

You can heal more damage than normal by laying on hands.

Prerequisites: Cha 13, lay on hands class ability

Benefit: When determining how many hit points you can cure, treat your Charisma score as if it were 2 points higher.

HOLY KI STRIKE [EXALTED]

Your unarmed attacks deal extra damage to evil creatures.

Prerequisites: Cha 15, Improved Unarmed Strike, Ki strike (holy), Sanctify Ki Strike.

Benefit: Your unarmed strike deals 2d6 points of extra holy damage to evil creatures. In addition, it is considered holy, which means that it can bypass the damage reduction of some evil outsiders. This does not stack with the extra damage from the Sanctify Ki Strike feat.

HOLY RADIANCE [EXALTED]

You can increase the intensity of the light surrounding you to

damage undead creatures.

Prerequisites: Cha 15, Nimbus of Light

Benefit: At will, as a free action, you can empower the radiance surrounding you into a blazing glow that sheds bright light in a 10-foot radius (and shadowy illumination out to 20 feet). Undead within 10 feet of you take 1d4 points of damage per round they remain within your halo.

HOLY SUBDUAL [EXALTED]

You can turn bonus damage into nonlethal damage.

Prerequisites: Subduing Strike

Benefit: When you use your weapon to deal nonlethal damage, you can also transform bonus damage from a holy weapon, your smite evil class ability, or your smite granted power into nonlethal damage.

Special: A fighter may select Holy Subdual as one of his fighter bonus feats.

INTUITIVE ATTACK [EXALTED]

You fight by faith more than brute strength.

Prerequisites: Base attack bonus +1

Benefit: With a simple weapon of your size or a natural weapon, you may use your Wisdom modifier instead of your Strength modifier on attack rolls.

Special: A fighter may select Intuitive Attack as one of his fighter bonus feats.

KNIGHT OF STARS [EXALTED]

You swear allegiance to the Court of Stars, the paragons of the eladrin, and in exchange gain power to act on their behalf.

Benefit: Once per day, while performing an act of good, you may call upon your eladrin patron to gain a +1 luck bonus on any one roll or check.

Special: Once you take this feat, you may not take it again, nor can you take either the Servant of the Heavens feat or the Favored of the Companions feat. Your allegiance is only yours to give once.

NEMESIS [EXALTED]

You are the holy bane of creatures of a particular type.

Prerequisites: Favored enemy class ability

Benefit: Choose one of your favored enemies. You can sense the presence of creatures of this type within 60 feet, as well as pinpoint their exact location (distance and direction) relative to you. Normal barriers and obstructions do not block this supernatural ability, allowing you to sense the presence and location of creatures behind doors or walls, for example. This feat does not allow you to see an invisible or hidden creature (although you can still discern its location).

In addition to sensing the presence of your favored enemy, you deal +1d6 points of damage on weapon attack rolls made against evil representatives of the favored enemy creature type.

Special: You can choose this feat multiple times. Its effects do not stack. Each time you select this feat, it applies to a different favored enemy.

NIMBUS OF LIGHT [EXALTED]

You are cloaked in a radiant light that marks you as a servant of the purest ideals. All who look upon you know without a doubt that you are a champion of good and are favored by the powers of the Upper Planes. The nimbus may take the form of a cloud surrounding your entire body, or it may appear as beams of light around your head.

Benefit: Good creatures automatically recognize the radiance surrounding you as a sign of your purity and devotion to the powers of good. You gain a +2 circumstance bonus on all Diplomacy and Sense Motive checks made when interacting with good creatures.

Your radiance sheds light as a common lamp: bright light to a radius of 5 feet and shadowy illumination to 10 feet. You can extinguish this radiance at will and reactivate it again as a free action.

NYMPH’S KISS [EXALTED]

By maintaining an intimate relationship with a good-aligned fey (such as a nymph or dryad), you gain some of the characteristics of fey.

Benefit: Fey creatures regard you as though you were fey. You gain a +2 circumstance bonus on all Charisma-related checks, and a +1 bonus on all saving throws against spells and spell-like abilities. Starting with the level when you take this feat, you gain 1 extra skill point per level.

PURIFY SPELL TRIGGER [EXALTED]

You can channel holy power through a spell trigger item, such as a wand or staff.

Prerequisites: Craft Wand or Craft Staff, ability to turn undead

Benefit: When you use a spell trigger item, such as a wand or staff, you can use one of your turning attempts for the day to trigger the item. You still expend a charge from the wand or staff. The spell cast by the item is modified as though it had the Purify Spell feat applied to it.

QUELL THE PROFANE [EXALTED]

Your mightiest attacks weaken evil foes.

Prerequisites: Str 13, Power Attack, Resounding Blow, base attack bonus +8

Benefit: Whenever you deal a critical hit to an evil creature using a melee weapon with which you are proficient, your opponent must succeed on a Fortitude save (DC 10 + 1/2 your character level + your Cha modifier) or take 1d4+1 points of temporary Strength damage. A monk’s unarmed strike is considered a melee weapon for purposes of this feat.

RANGED SMITE EVIL [EXALTED]

Your smite ability can be channeled through your ranged weapon.

Prerequisites: Smite evil class ability

Benefit: Your smite evil ability can be channeled through a missile that you fire. This counts as one use of your smite evil ability.

RIGHTEOUS WRATH [EXALTED]

Your rage is empowered with divine fury.

Prerequisites: Rage class ability

Benefit: When you first deal damage with a melee attack against an evil foe during your rage, that creature must make a successful Will saving throw (DC 10 + 1/2 your raging class level + your Cha modifier) or be shaken. If you fail to affect a creature the first time you hit it, you cannot affect it in that encounter. The shaken effect remains until you withdraw or are killed or incapacitated.

While raging, you maintain clarity of mind unusual among barbarians. You are perfectly able to deal nonlethal damage, stop your attacks to show mercy, and distinguish friend from foe even in the heat of your rage.

SACRED STRIKE [EXALTED]

Your sneak attack is enhanced by your unshakable faith in a good-aligned deity.

Prerequisites: Sneak attack class ability

Benefit: When you use your sneak attack ability against an evil creature, roll d8s for your sneak attack dice (instead of d6s) and your sneak attack damage is considered good-aligned for purposes of overcoming damage reduction.

SACRED VOW [EXALTED]

You have willingly given yourself to the service of a good deity or cause, denying yourself an ordinary life to better serve your highest ideals.

Benefit: You gain a +2 perfection bonus on Diplomacy checks.

Special: This feat serves as the prerequisite for several other feats, including the Vow of Abstinence, Vow of Chastity, Vow of Nonviolence, Vow of Obedience, Vow of Peace, Vow of Poverty, and Vow of Purity.

SANCTIFY KI STRIKE [EXALTED]

Sacred power suffuses your unarmed strikes.

Prerequisites: Improved Unarmed Strike, Ki strike (lawful), Cha 15

Benefit: Your unarmed strikes deal 1 extra point of damage to evil creatures, or 1d4 points to evil outsiders and evil undead. In addition, they are considered good-aligned for purposes of overcoming damage reduction.

SANCTIFY MARTIAL STRIKE [EXALTED]

Sacred power suffuses your attacks with a certain kind of weapon.

Prerequisites: Cha 15, Weapon Focus with the specified weapon

Benefit: Whenever you wield a specific kind of weapon, it deals 1 extra point of damage to evil creatures, or 1d4 points to evil outsiders and evil undead. In addition, that weapon is considered good-aligned for purposes of overcoming damage reduction.

Special: You can take this feat more than once, selecting a different weapon each time.

SANCTIFY NATURAL ATTACK [EXALTED]

You can focus holy power into your natural attacks.

Prerequisites: One or more natural weapon attacks, base attack bonus +5

Benefit: Each time you deal damage with a natural attack, you deal 1 extra point of damage to evil creatures, or 1d4 points to evil outsiders and evil undead. In addition, your natural attacks are considered good-aligned for purposes of overcoming damage reduction.

SANCTIFY WEAPON [EXALTED]

You can focus holy power into your weapon.

Prerequisites: Able to cast align weapon.

Benefit: When you cast align weapon, the affected weapon also becomes sanctified. A sanctified weapon deals 1 extra point of holy damage to evil creatures or 1d4 points of damage to evil outsiders and evil undead. In addition, creatures with the corrupted template (described in the Book of Vile Darkness) cannot recover hit point damage dealt by a sanctified weapon by means of normal healing, including fast healing.

SERVANT OF THE HEAVENS [EXALTED]

You swear allegiance to one of the Tome Archons who rule the Seven Heavens, and in exchange gain power to act on their behalf.

Benefit: Once per day, while performing an act of good, you may call upon your archon patron to gain a +1 luck bonus on any one roll or check.

Special: Once you take this feat, you may not take it again, nor can you take either the Knight of Stars feat or the Favored of the Companions feat. Your allegiance is only yours to give once.

STIGMATA [EXALTED]

You bear the marks of wounds on your body, as sort of a living martyrdom.

Prerequisite: Nimbus of Light

Benefit: You can heal the wounds and ailments of others using your own life energy. When you activate this ability, as a free action, you immediately take at least 2 points of temporary Constitution damage. You can take as many points of Constitution damage as you wish, as long as you remain alive and conscious.

Once you have activated your stigmata, you can touch your allies to heal them of 1 point of damage per level they possess for every 2 points of Constitution damage you take. In addition, any character you touch who is suffering from a disease can immediately make a new saving throw against that disease with a sacred bonus equal to the number of points of Constitution damage you took. If the character succeeds on that saving throw, she is freed from the disease.

You can use this touch on one ally per point of Constitution damage you take. As with delivering a touch spell, you can touch up to six allies as a full-round action. A single person can only benefit once from each activation of your stigmata, but each activation lasts for 1 hour.

When you use this ability, the wounds on your body bleed in proportion to the Constitution damage you take. The bleeding persists for 1 hour, and the Constitution damage cannot be restored by any means until the bleeding has stopped. Once the bleeding has stopped, you can freely activate the stigmata again, whether or not you have recovered your lost Constitution, as long as you have enough Constitution left to use the ability and survive.

VOW OF ABSTINENCE [EXALTED]

You have taken a sacred vow to abstain from alcoholic beverages, drugs, stimulants such as caffeine, and intoxication.

Prerequisites: Sacred Vow

Benefit: You gain a +4 perfection bonus on Fortitude saving throws against poisons and drugs (as long as you are subjected to a drug unwillingly).

Special: To fulfill your vow, you must not consume intoxicating, stimulating, depressant, or hallucinogenic substances, including alcohol, caffeine, and other drugs. If you intentionally break your vow, you immediately and irrevocably lose the benefit of this feat. You may not take another feat to replace it. If you break your vow as a result of magical compulsion, or otherwise unintentionally (a drug slipped into your drink, for example), you lose the benefit of this feat until you perform a suitable penance and receive an atonement spell.

VOW OF CHASTITY [EXALTED]

You have taken a sacred vow to refrain from marriage and sexual intercourse.

Prerequisites: Sacred Vow

Benefit: You gain a +4 perfection bonus on Will saving throws against charm and phantasm spells and effects.

Special: To fulfill your vow, you must abstain from any sexual contact with any other creature. If you intentionally break your vow, you immediately and irrevocably lose the benefit of this feat. You may not take another feat to replace it. If you break your vow as a result of magical compulsion, you lose the benefit of this feat until you perform a suitable penance and receive an atonement spell.

VOW OF NONVIOLENCE [EXALTED]

You have taken a sacred vow to avoid violence against humanoids.

Prerequisites: Sacred Vow.

Benefit: The saving throw DC for spells you cast or other special abilities you use against humanoid or monstrous humanoid targets is increased by +4 if the spell does not deal damage (including ability damage but not nonlethal damage), bestow negative levels, or cause death. Spells affected by this feat include most Abjuration, Enchantment, and Illusion spells (though not phantasmal killer, for example), those few Divination spells that have targets and require saving throws (including detect thoughts and discern lies), and even Necromancy spells such as waves of fatigue and ray of exhaustion. It does not affect most Evocation, Conjuration, and Transmutation spells.

The bonus granted by this feat does not stack with the bonus granted by the Spell Focus feat. It affects only saving throw DCs, not caster level checks or other elements of a spell.

The benefit of this feat extends to special abilities other than spells that allow a saving throw, but only if the ability does not deal damage and is not dependent on dealing damage. For example, a character with the Stunning Fist feat can increase the saving throw DC to avoid being stunned by +4 if she deals nonlethal damage, rather than regular damage, with her stunning attack. A couatl’s venom would not become more virulent because of this feat, however, because it deals ability damage and requires the couatl to deal hit point damage in order to deliver it.

Special: To fulfill your vow, you must not cause harm or suffering to humanoid or monstrous humanoid foes. You may not deal real damage or ability damage to such foes through spells or weapons, though you may deal nonlethal damage. You may not target them with death effects, disintegrate, pain effects, or other spells that have the immediate potential to cause death, suffering, or great harm.

Your purity is so great that any ally of yours who slays a helpless or defenseless foe within 120 feet of you feels great remorse. Your ally takes a –1 morale penalty on his attack rolls for 1 hour per your character level. For each helpless foe slain, the attack penalty increases by 1, to a maximum equal to your character level. The duration of the increased penalty starts from the latest slaying.

You may ask your allies to give you an oath that a helpless foe will not be slain. If the oath is sworn, an ally who later breaks the oath takes the penalty for doing so as if you were present. If you leave a helpless foe to be killed by your allies, you have broken your vow. You may ask a defeated creature to give you an oath of surrender or noninterference in exchange for its life. If the creature breaks this oath to you, you can allow your allies to deal with the creature as they see fit without breaking their oaths or your vow of nonviolence.

VOW OF OBEDIENCE [EXALTED]

You have taken a sacred vow to live according to the dictates of

another, generally your superior in a religious order or similar

organization.

Prerequisites: Sacred Vow

Benefit: You gain a +4 perfection bonus on Will saving

throws against compulsion spells and effects.

Special: To fulfill your vow, you must unquestioningly obey your superior and live according to the rules of your organization. If you intentionally break your vow, you immediately and irrevocably lose the benefit of this feat. You may not take another feat to replace it. If you break your vow as a result of magical compulsion, you lose the benefit of this feat until you perform a suitable penance and receive an atonement spell.

VOW OF PEACE [EXALTED]

You have taken a sacred vow to abstain from harming any living creature.

Prerequisites: Sacred Vow, Vow of Nonviolence

Benefit: This sacred vow grants significant supernatural benefits, but its cost is high.

First, you are constantly surrounded by a calming aura to a radius of 20 feet. Creatures within the aura must make a successful Will save (DC 10 + one-half your character level + your Cha modifier) or be affected as by the calm emotions spell. Creatures who leave the aura and reenter it receive new saving throws. A creature that makes a successful saving throw and remains in the aura is unaffected until it leaves the aura and reenters. The aura is a mind-affecting, supernatural compulsion.

Second, you gain a +2 natural armor bonus to your AC, a +2 deflection bonus to your AC, and a +2 exalted bonus to your AC. This exalted bonus does not apply to touch attacks and does not hinder incorporeal touch attacks. Brilliant energy weapons, however, do not ignore it. It does not stack with an armor bonus. If you also have the Vow of Poverty feat, the natural armor, deflection, and exalted Armor Class bonuses granted by that feat all increase by +2. If a creature strikes you with a manufactured weapon, the weapon must immediately make a successful Fortitude save (DC 10 + one-half your character level + your Con modifier) or shatter against your skin, leaving you unharmed.

Finally, you gain a +4 exalted bonus on all Diplomacy checks.

Special: To fulfill your vow, you must not cause harm to any living creature (constructs and undead are not included in this prohibition). You may not deal real damage or ability damage to such creatures through spells or weapons, though you may deal nonlethal damage. You may not target them with death effects, disintegrate, or other spells that have the immediate potential to cause death or great harm. You also may not use nondamaging spells to incapacitate or weaken living foes so that your allies can kill them—if you incapacitate a foe, you must take him prisoner.

If you intentionally break your vow, you immediately and irrevocably lose the benefit of this feat. You may not take another feat to replace it. If you break your vow as a result of magical compulsion or otherwise unwittingly, you lose the benefit of this feat until you perform a suitable penance and receive an atonement spell. (Characters who have taken a Vow of Peace are known to drink water through a strainer in order to avoid accidentally swallowing, and thereby causing harm to, a small insect.)

VOW OF POVERTY [EXALTED]

You have taken a sacred vow to forswear material possessions.

Prerequisites: Sacred Vow

Benefit: You gain bonuses to your Armor Class, ability scores,

and saving throws, as well as bonus exalted feats, all depending on

your character level. See Voluntary Poverty in Chapter 2 for details.

Special: To fulfill your vow, you must not own or use any material possessions, with the following exceptions:

You may carry and use ordinary (neither magic nor masterwork) simple weapons, usually just a quarterstaff that serves as a walking stick. You may wear simple clothes (usually just a homespun robe, possibly also including a hat and sandals) with no magical properties. You may carry enough food to sustain you for one day in a simple (nonmagic) sack or bag. You may carry and use a spell component pouch. You may not use any magic item of any sort, though you can benefit from magic items used on your behalf—you can drink a potion of cure serious wounds a friend gives you, receive a spell cast from a wand, scroll, or staff, or ride on your companion’s ebony fly. You may not, however, “borrow” a cloak of resistance or any other magic item from a companion for even a single round, nor may you yourself cast a spell from a scroll, wand, or staff.

If you break your vow, you immediately and irrevocably lose the benefit of this feat. You may not take another feat to replace it.

VOW OF PURITY [EXALTED]

You have taken a sacred vow to avoid contact with dead flesh.

Prerequisites: Sacred Vow

Benefit: You gain a +4 perfection bonus on Fortitude saving throws to resist disease and death effects.

Special: To fulfill your vow, you must avoid all contact with dead creatures, including meat cooked for food. You may not touch fallen foes. You may fight undead foes, but must purify yourself as soon as possible afterward. You may touch dead characters in order to restore them to life (by way of a raise dead or similar spell that requires you to touch the corpse), but for no other purpose.

If you fight undead creatures or accidentally touch dead flesh, you must purify yourself in a special ritual that requires 1 hour and a flask of holy water.

WORDS OF CREATION [EXALTED]

You have learned a few of the words that were spoken to create

the world.

Prerequisites: Int 15, Cha 15, base Will save bonus +5

Benefit: You can use the Words of Creation to enhance bardic music, to help cast good spells and create good magic items, and to enhance the process of creation.

Normal: A nonevil creature that tries to utter the Words of Creation without learning them properly is affected as by a feeblemind spell, while an evil character is struck dead. Fortunately, it is impossible to make someone speak the Words of Creation against his will, because their pronunciation is so exacting.