Players Guide to Faerun & Exalted Deeds

[Katowice]

I was looking over the Exalted prestige classes in the Players Guide to Faerun. I would like to use those classes, but I don't have the Book of Exalted Deeds and as a result I don't have the feats that are called out as prerequisites (I do have the Book of Vile Darkness, though). I thought it was general policy to reprint in a sourcebook any feats that might be cited from another sourcebook.

Can anyone recommend some Core Rulebook or Faerun feats (I have all the 3rd Ed. Forgotten Realms books, except Spider Queen) that I could swap with the Exalted feats so I could include those classes in my campaign? The feats are Sacred Vow, Vow of Purity, Vow of Obedience and Nimbus of Light.

 

[Li Shenron]

My opinion...

Sacred Vow
The closest thing is Skill Focus (Diplomacy). However, the effect of SV to diplomacy is really only a side-benefit: you don't take SV to become more diplomatic, you take it to qualify for other vows.
IMHO the best thing to do is simply remove it from the requirements and add a RP requirement of swearing some specific vow which suits the class (plus being Good, but I guess this is already in the PrCl's requirements). If the PrCl requires also a specific vow feat, see below.

Vow of Purity
You swear never to touch dead flesh (including never eat meat), in exchance to bonuses vs diseases and death effects. I suggest to substitute it with Resist Disease (from MotW) + one other feat that grants bonus vs. death effects (if you can't find it, use Great Fortitude) and add the RP prerequisite. These 2 feats together would substitute for Vow of Purity AND Sacred Vow which is its prerequisites.

Vow of Obedience
You swear to always obey to some superior (in your church for example), in exchange to bonuses vs compulsion. I have no idea if there are other feats which give bonus vs this, if you can't find it, use Iron Will. Also add the RP prerequisite as appropriate.

Nimbus of Light
This is the most difficult. It grants bonuses to Diplomacy and Sense Motive vs Good creatures only (you could use Negotiator for this, which works vs everyone), but again this is rather a side-consequence of the feat. The striking feature is that you shed light and look inequivocably surrounded by goodness - which could be a bad thing sometimes . If the PrCl doesn't use this thing further, simply ignore it and use Negotiator (plus, as always, require the PC to be good if the PrCl doesn't already say that).

 

[Katowice]

I'm guessing also that unless otherwise stated, you should also add "Alignment: Good" as a requirement for the prestige class, since I would assume Exalted Feats may only be taken by good characters.

My opinion...

Sacred Vow
The closest thing is Skill Focus (Diplomacy). However, the effect of SV to diplomacy is really only a side-benefit: you don't take SV to become more diplomatic, you take it to qualify for other vows.
IMHO the best thing to do is simply remove it from the requirements and add a RP requirement of swearing some specific vow which suits the class (plus being Good, but I guess this is already in the PrCl's requirements). If the PrCl requires also a specific vow feat, see below.

Vow of Purity
You swear never to touch dead flesh (including never eat meat), in exchance to bonuses vs diseases and death effects. I suggest to substitute it with Resist Disease (from MotW) + one other feat that grants bonus vs. death effects (if you can't find it, use Great Fortitude) and add the RP prerequisite. These 2 feats together would substitute for Vow of Purity AND Sacred Vow which is its prerequisites.

Vow of Obedience
You swear to always obey to some superior (in your church for example), in exchange to bonuses vs compulsion. I have no idea if there are other feats which give bonus vs this, if you can't find it, use Iron Will. Also add the RP prerequisite as appropriate.

Nimbus of Light
This is the most difficult. It grants bonuses to Diplomacy and Sense Motive vs Good creatures only (you could use Negotiator for this, which works vs everyone), but again this is rather a side-consequence of the feat. The striking feature is that you shed light and look inequivocably surrounded by goodness - which could be a bad thing sometimes . If the PrCl doesn't use this thing further, simply ignore it and use Negotiator (plus, as always, require the PC to be good if the PrCl doesn't already say that).

 

[ruleslawyer]

Given that exalted feats only come from contact with good outsiders and are supposed to be in-game rewards for RP-ing REALLY good characters, yeah.

Nice suggestions, Li Shenron!

I'd suggest making up new feats, using the new exalted feats in the PGtF as power examples. Exalted feats generally confer a +2 skill or +1 save bonus (entry level feat), a +2 skill bonus + minor supernatural ability (second-tier feat without restrictions), a major supernatural ability (the badly-written ones!), or a major supernatural ability with restrictions (second-tier vow feat). So, for example:

Sacred Vow: Requires you to be really good and swear a specific vow, confers a minor skill bonus (a bonus to Diplomacy, or perhaps a +1 to Charisma-related skill checks).

Vow of Purity: What Li Shenron said. Must be vegetarian, can't touch dead flesh, but receive bonuses to save vs. disease and death effects. Use parallel feats like Resist Disease and Resist Poison, or make it a +3 sacred bonus to Fort saves with the restriction (it is a second-tier feat with a restriction attached, after all).

Vow of Obedience: Must obey person to whom you've sworn the vow. You could use Strong Mind (RoF) as a guideline, or a +3 sacred bonus to Will saves as above.

Nimbus of Light: Perhaps the Eye of Horus PrC ability, toned down a notch?