New Exalted Feats (or, a Fix for Vow of Poverty)

[Jack Simth]

I was thinking on how to fix the Vow of Poverty - the issue isn't so much that the Vow of Poverty itself is weak, it's that the non-casters don't get the stuff they'd normally get through wealth - Flight for when the battle leaves the ground, teleportation and invisibility for when a fight turns sour, and so on. The Vow of Poverty does, on the other hand, grant bonus exalted feats - which means we can "fix" the Vow of Poverty relatively simply by arranging for new exalted feats to grant those missing abilities. So without further ado, I present to you:


New Exalted Feats

Yearn for the Heavens[Exalted]
You have learned to use your bond with the celestial realms to tug on the heavens a little, cushioning your falls.
Prerequisite: Dex 13
Benefit: When you fall, subtract 10 feet from your effective falling distance per [Exalted] feat you posses; if you have 11 or more Exalted feats, you take no damage from falling at all. This does not alter your actual falling speed, just the amount of damage you take from the impact. This is a supernatural ability.

Reach for the Heavens[Exalted]
Your bond with the celestial realms is very strong, and you have learned how to use that bond to pull yourself up off the ground for short periods of time.
Prerequisite: Dex 16, Yearn for Heavens, Character Level 8
Benefit: As a Swift action, you can grant yourself a fly speed equal to your land speed (good maneuverability) usable once per day per Exalted feat you possess. This fly speed lasts for five rounds, and is a supernatural ability.

Climb to the Heavens[Exalted]
Your bond with the celestial realms is so strong that you can use it fly indefinitely.
Prerequisite: Dex 19, Yearn for the Heavens, Reach for the Heavens, Character Level 12
Benefit: You gain a fly speed equal to twice your land speed (average maneuverability), usable at will. This is a supernatural ability.

Pre-edit version:
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Yearn for the Heavens[Exalted]
You have learned to use your bond with the celestial realms to tug on the heavens a little, cushioning your falls.
Prerequisite: Dex 13
Benefit: When you fall, subtract 10 feet from your effective falling distance per [Exalted] feat you posses; if you have 11 or more Exalted feats, you take no damage from falling at all. This does not alter your actual falling speed, just the amount of damage you take from the impact. This is a supernatural ability.

Reach for the Heavens[Exalted]
Your bond with the celestial realms is very strong, and you have learned how to use that bond to pull yourself up off the ground for short periods of time.
Prerequisite: Dex 16, Yearn for Heaven, Character Level 5
Benefit: As a Swift action, you can grant yourself a fly speed equal to your land speed (good maneuverability) usable once per day per Exalted feat you possess. This fly speed lasts for five rounds, and is a supernatural ability.

Climb to the Heavens[Exalted]
Your bond with the celestial realms is so strong that you can use it fly indefinitely.
Prerequisite: Dex 19, Yearn for the Heavens, Reach for the Heavens
Benefit: You gain a fly speed equal to twice your land speed (average maneuverability), usable at will. This is a supernatural ability.
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Some notes:
1st level is where the Wizard gains the ability to cast Slowfall, 5th level is where a Wizard gains the ability to cast Fly. 9th, Overland Flight ... which do essentially what these feats do, and are achievable at about the same level.

Any comments on the balance of the above?

So, anyone have any reasonably flavorful ways to do some fairly short feat chains for invisibility (ala Potions of Invisibility), and minor teleportation (ala a Cape of the Monteback) in such a way that it's reasonably balanced?

 

[Evilhalfling]

I would give the feats requirements higher level req than a single classed wizard Sorcers get flight at 6th or more likely 7th, and clerics get airwalk at 7th. Overland flight is really only possible for Wizards, until clerics and druids get windwalk, pushing the second feat back to 12th would be reasonable.

The flight = land speed is also a problem for me given the number of monks and cheeta shaped druids with VoP. fixed speeds like the fly spells would work better.
Also these feats are considerably better than the other exalted feats avalible, aside from VoP itself. Does VoP really need the enchancement?

The only Characters I have made with VoP were a druid for a one-shot, and a gold dragon, rogue2 (racial levels from Dragon Magazine). Both could fly under their own power. The dragon was a lot of fun but rolling 5 sanctified attacks with SA when he could get it, got tiresome.

 

[Jack Simth]

I would give the feats requirements higher level req than a single classed wizard Sorcers get flight at 6th or more likely 7th, and clerics get airwalk at 7th. Overland flight is really only possible for Wizards, until clerics and druids get windwalk, pushing the second feat back to 12th would be reasonable.

A halfling Druid can be permanently flying at 4th level, pure Core - the Dire Bat animal companion has fly 40 (good), and can be taken at that level. Reduce Animal (Druid-2, duration of 10 minutes/level) even permits the halfling to do this in dungeons sized for medium critters. Clerics and Druids get Air Walk as a 4th level spell, and at 10 minutes/level, they'll only need a few copies to get them through the day. I just called the Wizard versions a decent average.

Could move the level requirements, though, readily enough - 7th and 12th, you said?

The flight = land speed is also a problem for me given the number of monks and cheeta shaped druids with VoP. fixed speeds like the fly spells would work better.

Could do that; what speeds would you suggest?

Also these feats are considerably better than the other exalted feats avalible, aside from VoP itself. Does VoP really need the enchancement?

Yes and no.

The Vow of Poverty is not, in and of itself, weak; it's just that there's no real flexibility to it. The Vow of Poverty gives you some rather nice things - but there's a catch: you can't use magic items, and the Vow of Poverty doesn't give you certain types of things that noncasters traditionally gain through items - flight, invisibility, and teleportation being the big three (roughly in that order, too). If you're a spellcaster, this isn't much of an issue, as you can do that yourself. If you're not a spellcaster, this means you have to beg spell slots (and actions in battle, for the shorter-duration effects) from the spellcasters in the party. When a 5th level Wizard with Fly and a bow can turn you into mincemeat at 10th level if you don't have support, you've got a serious problem that needs addressing. This is an attempt at addressing that.

The only Characters I have made with VoP were a druid for a one-shot, and a gold dragon, rogue2 (racial levels from Dragon Magazine). Both could fly under their own power. The dragon was a lot of fun but rolling 5 sanctified attacks with SA when he could get it, got tiresome.

Right - you were playing characters that could fly on their own. Try it with someone that can't fly at mid to high levels. Almost any flying opponent with ranged attacks will turn most noncasting VoP characters into mincemeat. You'll have a drastically different experience. This is an attempt to fix that, by making Flight more accessible to noncasters.

 

[StreamOfTheSky]

Why not give a flight feat around the level Boots of Flying becomes affordable for most characters, and stat it identical to that? Just because mages can fly by level five, generally no non-caster can reliably fly before level 8. Often, not till level 12+ is it really feasible.

 

[Jack Simth]

Partly because the various flying items aren't particularly balanced against each other (For occasional use, Potions of Fly only cost 750 gp each (pricey if you do it often, but a viable thing for use by 5th level); Winged boots for 16k give you Fly(Good) 60 for 5 minutes a pop, 3/day; an *unslotted* Broom of Flying gives you 9 hours of 40 (average) each day for 17k, split up as desired, which might as well be continuous for most purposes; an *unslotted* 5x5 Carpet of Flying gives you Fly 40 (average+Hover capability) for 20k at will; and Wings of Flying give you 54k for Fly 60 (good) with no duration cap (slotted)).
Partly because something that's reasonably inherent to the character (a feat) shouldn't have exactly the same mechanics as something that is in no way inherent to the character (an item).

 

[StreamOfTheSky]

But it's unfair to base when to give a character flight based only on casters. Non-VoP Fighters, Rogues, etc... can't reasonably be expected to fly by level 5-6. Yes, there's potions, but that's a very hefty cost. VoP generally mimics static bonus items, so I think it's fairest to base access levels on items that let a person fly multiple times or x times daily. In other words, all those things you named (forgot the cloak that's in the Regalia of the Pheonix, that one's a good deal for what it gives).

If you want to make it inherent on the character, fine. I just said copy boots of flying since that'd be nice and simple.

 

[Jack Simth]

... when I'm making house rules, I tend to want to balance them with themselves + Core. There's too much non-Core stuff to expect to balance with everything. Likewise, when I'm evaluating the balance of something, I tend to look at it in terms of itself + Core; to that end, I look at Core examples.

Also, I want to make it relatively feat intensive so that it won't be attractive to non-VoP characters - three feats is considerably costly for someone who doesn't have them coming out of the wazoo, compared to the VoP character that gets up to 11 bonus Exalted feats.

Also, except for out-of-combat maneuvering purposes, five rounds and five minutes aren't all that different.

Still - 8th and 12th, you said? Okay. I'll edit.

 

[StreamOfTheSky]

Ok, you want invisibility feats, let's see....

Meld With Sunlight [Exalted]
Prerequisites: Nimbus of Light, Holy Radiance
Benefit: Once per day per Exalted feat you possess, you may turn Invisible (as the spell) with a duration of one minute per character level (or until you end it). You can only use this ability when in an area that is fairly illuminated. You can use the area of your own radiance, though this will give your location away in an otherwise dark or dimly lit room (While still giving you benefits such as concealment). This is a Supernatural ability.

Project Spirit [Exalted]
Prerequisites: Nimbus of Light, Holy Radiance, Meld With Sunlight
Benefit: You mask your physical form beneath your spirit, effectively making you invisible. Unlike Meld With Sunlight, this can be used in any area, and effectively is an improvement of that feat. Uses per day is still equal to your Exalted feats, and the duration remains the same.

That's...the best I can think of right now.