Feats of Skill
There are two things that all characters have access to in Pathfinder. Well, technically, when you include treasure, there are three, but when you’re talking about things inherent to the character himself, there are really only two: feats, and skills. All characters, regardless of class, race, and level, have access to some amount of feats and skills. While there are a seemingly endless number of feats to choose from (and more added every Tuesday!), there are only so many skills, and each skill is designed to cover a broad range of territory. Sometimes this works out great, but often it feels like a skill, as written, just doesn’t fully encompass the things you might want to do with it.
That’s where today’s feats come in. They augment skills. Not in the same way as, for example, Skill Focus, though. Rather, they grant new uses and abilities for existing skills, creating new things to do that only characters with both the feat and ranks in the skill can perform. But don’t take my word for it. Let’s go look at the feats.
Accomplished Haggler
Your intrinsic knowledge of objects’ value, combined with your shrewd people skills, allow you to get substantial discounts.
Prerequisites: Appraise 5 ranks, Diplomacy 5 ranks.
Benefit: Whenever you purchase an item, you may make a special Diplomacy check, with the DC equal to 20 + the merchant’s Charisma modifier (between 20 and 22 for most merchants). For every 5 ranks in Appraise you possess, you gain a +1 bonus on this roll. If the Diplomacy check is a success, you purchase the item at a 10% discount. For every 10 points by which you exceed the check’s DC, this discount increases by 5% (to a maximum of a 20% discount). If you fail the DC by 4 or less, the price of the item is unchanged. If you fail the DC by 5 or more, the merchant actually increases the price of the item by 10%.
Calm Animal
Your skill in relating to animals allows you to avoid difficult situations with them.
Prerequisite: Diplomacy 3 ranks, Handle Animal 3 ranks.
Benefit: You can make a special Diplomacy check to calm and quiet down domesticated animals. Unlike most Diplomacy checks, this one takes only 1 round, but typically requires you be able to make eye contact with the animal. For every 5 ranks in Handle Animal you possess, you gain a +1 bonus on this check. The typical DC to calm an animal in this way is 15 + the animal’s Charisma modifier (for an indifferent animal to give simple aid, such as not barking or growling at a thief in the night), but particularly hostile animals, or those well-trained as guards, for instance, may have higher DCs. If the animal is currently being handled by its owner, a -10 penalty applies to this check.
Conceal Hideaway
Your knowledge of stealth and surviving in the wilderness enables you to camouflage an area.
Prerequisite: Stealth 3 ranks, Survival 3 ranks
Benefit: You can use Survival to attempt to conceal a cave, camp, tent, or other structure in a wilderness environment. This is a special Survival check that takes 1 minute per square foot of the area to be concealed. The size of the area to be concealed affects the difficulty of the task: if the area is a cave, or similarly natural structure, only the entrance needs to be concealed. Otherwise, the entire structure must be concealed. In the case of an entrance, determine the size of the largest creature that can enter the structure without having to squeeze: this is the effective size of the area to be concealed. In the case of an entire structure, find its area and determine which size category is most appropriate. In either case, the size of the area imposes the same penalty as it would on a Stealth check. If the area is larger than Colossal, an additional -1 penalty is applied for each 5-ft.-cube beyond Colossal size. For every 5 ranks in Stealth you possess, you gain a +2 bonus on this roll. Your Survival check is opposed by the Perception checks of those looking for the area you are concealing.
Danger Sense
Your finely-tuned ability to read others prevents them from getting the drop on you.
Prerequisite: Sense Motive 3 ranks.
Benefit: As long as you are aware of a creature’s presence, it is difficult for that creature to attack you by surprise. If they initiate a combat and would normally gain a surprise round (such as, for example, by attempting to stab you by surprise in the middle of a pleasant conversation) you may automatically make a special Sense Motive check as a free action (DC 20). If you succeed, you get a hunch that something is wrong, and can act in the surprise round as well. If this would cause all combatants to act in the surprise round, there is instead no surprise round. This feat offers no protection against surprise attacks from enemies you are not aware of (such as those sneaking up behind you, for example).
Determine Command Word
Your affinity for magic items allows you to determine the correct way to activate them, instead of just activating them blindly.
Prerequisite: Use Magic Device 5 ranks.
Benefit: You can use Use Magic Device to guess the command word, or other special means of activation, of a magic item. This takes 10 minutes of uninterrupted concentration, and the DC is equal to 20 + the item’s caster level, or 25, whichever is higher. Once you have determined the command word for the item, you can activate it normally, without needing to use Use Magic Device to activate blindly. If the item has special requirements you do not possess, you may still need to use Use Magic Device to emulate those.
Plausible Lie
You’re so used to telling lies that you can glibly pass on falsehoods without raising suspicion.
Prerequisite: Bluff 5 ranks.
Benefit: Whenever you tell a lie that your audience has no reason to distrust (for example, introducing yourself under a false name), you may choose to take 10 on the Bluff check. If your opponent is actively scrutinizing your statement, or would be suspicious of it for any reason (subject to GM discretion), this benefit cannot be used.
Spread the Rage
Your heartfelt and eloquent words allow you to stir a rage in others that matches the one in you.
Prerequisite: Perform (oratory) 5 ranks, barbarian level 1st.
Benefit: Once per day, you may spend a minute and 5 of your daily rounds of rage to work up those around you into a rage. You make a special Perform (oratory) check with a DC of 20. If you succeed, all creatures that can hear you (to a maximum number of creatures equal to your ranks in Perform (oratory)) are affected as though by your rage class feature for 1 minute. For every 5 points by which your check exceeds the DC, you grant one additional round of rage to each listener. The listeners do not gain the benefits of any rage powers you possess, and a single character cannot benefit from this ability more than once per day, even from a different speaker. You cannot benefit from your own speech.
Treat Blindness/Deafness
You can use your medical knowledge to restore sight to the blind and hearing to the deaf.
Prerequisite: Heal 7 ranks.
Benefit: You can use the Heal skill to attempt to negate the blind and deaf conditions. This is a full-round action, and requires 1 use from a healing kit. If successful, the target is immediately cured of the blind or deaf conditions for 1 hour. If the cause of the blindness or deafness is gone by that time (such as, for example, if its duration was only one minute), it remains cured. This treatment does not in any way protect the target from further blindness or deafness, and he can become blind or deaf again during that hour. The DC to cure either blindness or deafness is 25. Curing each of these conditions requires a separate use of this ability (so a blind and deaf creature would require two separate actions to be restored both sight and sound).
Treat Discomfort
You can use your medical knowledge to quell an upset stomach and overcome otherwise debilitating effects.
Prerequisite: Heal 5 ranks.
Benefit: You can use the Heal skill to attempt to negate the sickened and nauseated conditions. This is a standard action, and requires 1 use from a healing kit. If successful, the target is immediately cured of the sickened or nauseated conditions for 1 hour. If the cause of the sickness or nausea is gone by that time (such as, for example, if its duration was only one minute), it remains cured. This treatment does not in any way protect the target from further sickness or nausea, and he can become sickened or nauseated again during that hour. The DC to cure sickness is 20, and the DC to cure nausea is 25.
Treat Paralysis
You can use your medical knowledge to restore motion to paralyzed bodies.
Prerequisites: Treat Discomfort, Heal 10 ranks.
Benefit: You can use the Heal skill to attempt to negate the paralyzed condition. This is a full-round action, and requires 2 uses from a healing kit. If successful, the target is immediately cured of paralyzed condition for 1 hour. If the cause of the paralysis is gone by that time (such as, for example, if its duration was only one minute), it remains cured. This treatment does not in any way protect the target from further paralysis, and he can become paralyzed again during that hour. A character can benefit from this treatment only once per day. The DC to cure paralysis is 30.