Earning Feats

[Thrallherd]

I can see a PC holding a feat, and spending it later on Leadership, for example.

 

[Vegepygmy]

When I hit 3rd level, and earn my 3rd level feat....do I Have to spend it, or can I bank it?

The FAQ says you have to spend it:

Can a character choose to delay a choice (such as spending skill points or selecting a feat) until a later level?​

No. All choices regarding character advancement must be made as soon as they become available. You can’t save skill points from one level to another, nor may you delay selecting a feat from, say, 3rd level to 4th level.​

The support for this interpretation is found on pages 58-59 of the 3.5 Player's Handbook. When your character attains a new level, you are instructed to make certain changes to the character; #7 on the list is to pick a feat if the new level is 3rd, 6th, etc. Nowhere do the rules say you can pick a feat at any other time; therefore, this is the only time you can do it.

 

[Light Knight]

Thankyou very much!

 

[the Jester]

This is a wonderful example of a time when, if the players demand, "Show me where it says I can't do that!" you should pull out that big ol' heavy 1e DMG on the shelf and whack them right across the face six or twelve times.

The onus is on the players to show the dm where the rule is that says that they can do something like this. The "Nothing says I can't!" argument applies equally well to the dm sleeping with their players' wives or "borrowing" their cars for a year or two.

 

[Trance-Zg]

Banking feats is a less powerful option than retraining option from PHB2 so no harm in allowing it.

yes, retraining costs but at least you get benefit of a "lesser" feat for few levels until you retrain it.

 

[Herzog]

Although I don't know of an actual explicit rule reference for or against banking, I'd allow it under the same restrictions as retraining: once you take the feat, you have to stick to the restrictions applicable to your character when the feat 'slot' was gained.

Example: if you get a new feat at lvl 3, but 'bank' it, and fill it in at lvl 6, you can only use it to take the feats you were allowed to take at lvl 3. If the feat has a requirement you didn't meet at that lvl (skill ranks, minimum caster level, other feat) than you can't take it.

 

[Dandu]

That is a very reasonable to handle someone who does not know what feat to select.