Non-natives taking Regional Feats?

[Dog Moon]

Okay, take a Dwarf from the Great Glacier. He can take Great Glacier Regional Feats. I could see allowing him to take Dalelands Regional Feats if he was raised there his entire life, though unable to take Great Glacier Regional Feats.

Is there any way for him to take Regional Feats of a different Region without it being in his background? Does it even make any sense for him to be able to under any circumstances [such as training, maybe, or living there for a certain length of time]?

Obviously, some, like Magic in the Blood, should not be taken by people of a different Region, even in the above example with the Dwarf, but some Regional Feats seem to be more of 'way of life' than 'way of blood.' Should these feats ever be allowed by people of different regions [assuming they aren't already] even with some sort of additional prerequisite?

[A friend of mine wanted a Regional Feat from a different Region, but I said no. I'm trying to think if there's any plausible way of allowing it as is or with some sort of additional requirement]

 

[Li Shenron]

I don't know what to say...

Usually I think that the fun of regional feats is that only some characters are allowed to take them. For me, that's the fun part, I actually like seeing a feat from my region (or race, or clan...) and knowing I can have it and the other cannot but I also like laughing when I see a feat that I wish I could take but I cannot not, for the same reason

If I was in a game which used regional feats, but players were allowed "shortcuts" to get feats from other regions, I would definitely be appalled, and I'd just suggest to make them general feats.

 

[Staffan]

It depends on whether you use the 3.0 version of regional feats (as per the FRCS) or the 3.5 version (as per Player's Guide to Faerûn).

With the 3.0 version, you need to have two ranks in Knowledge (local) for each other region you want to take feats from, and spend the appropriate time there. Or something like that, I don't remember the exact specifics.

With the 3.5 version, regional feats are a little more limited. You can only take one, ever, and you have to take it at first level. That would preclude taking feats from another region. If your character has been living in the Dalelands his whole life despite being born on the Great Glacier, he should take the Dalelands as his region and just include "born on the GG but his family moved when he was an infant" as a flavor detail.

 

[genshou]

With the 3.5 version, regional feats are a little more limited. You can only take one, ever, and you have to take it at first level.

One more reason I don't play 3.5.

 

[Nyaricus]

Yeah, Staffan is right in that in 3.0 you could take feats with a few ranks in Know: local.

How about telling us what the character is, and the feat he wants to take, as well as the sourcebook(s) used. I'd love to give feedback, if we had a bit more detail

 

[Dog Moon]

Yeah, Staffan is right in that in 3.0 you could take feats with a few ranks in Know: local.

How about telling us what the character is, and the feat he wants to take, as well as the sourcebook(s) used. I'd love to give feedback, if we had a bit more detail

Well specifically, he's a Beguiler and wants to take Arcane Schooling from PGtF to be able to take wands of Evocation such as Fireball, etc.

However, to allow one, I feel that I would need to be able to allow more, or else I'd likely just be constantly making 'exceptions.' So I was trying to find what people thought in general as opposed to asking about this single case so I could either say Regional Feats as a whole weren't possibly taken by others or that they can be taken with x prereq. Kn (Local) 2 ranks seems a little bit easy, IMO.

 

[Nyaricus]

Here's what I'd do, in your shoes:

Since you are so uncomfortable with him taking this feat easily (ie 2 ranks in Know: Local) have a couple additional prereqs. How about any two feats that the Wizard Class gets as bonus feats plus 2 ranks in Know: Local [Region] and 2 (more) in Know: Arcana. That would be sufficient IMO.

Hope that helps. Just make sure that you give prereqs that help explain his 'training'.