The feats presented here focus on fine-tuning the capabilities of low-level d20 characters. In d20 inexperienced characters are sharply limited in the expertise they can attain in many areas. While in game terms a character may be inexperienced, in real world terms a neophyte adventurer could be an expert in his field. Many game genres, particularly horror, support character concepts such as a college professor, laboratory researcher, or acclaimed journalist, none of whose capabilities can be adequately modeled using the current system.
You can go days without sleep while studying a mythos tome. You load up on caffeine and keep yourself mentally sharp, driven by a burning drive to learn the tome's secrets.
Benefit: When rolling to determine the research period necessary to study an arcane tome, subtract 2 from each die rolled. No die result can ever count less than a 1 because of this modifier.
You have friends in high places who can help you out when you need them. Depending on who your friends are and what position they hold, they can do different things for you.
Benefit: The benefits granted by this feat depend on the nature of your friends' position in society. When you take this feat, choose one of the following contact types:
Business: You have contacts amongst several local businesses. Choose a particular city. When shopping for any sort of equipment there, you receive a 10% discount on any item you can legally purchase. You gain a +2 bonus when making Gather Information checks relating to business, commerce, or business people in your chosen city.
Criminal: As a result of your past dealings or line of work, you know people who commonly deal with criminals or actively engage in crime. Choose a single town or city. While there, you can purchase black market goods, such as illegal firearms, at 125% of their listed price and can in turn sell stolen goods at 50% of their listed price. You can also buy stolen, legal goods at 75% of their listed price. In addition, you gain a +2 bonus when making Gather Information checks that relate to crimes or criminals in your chosen city.
Occult: Choose a city. You are active in the occult community in that city or have several friends who are involved in the occult. You gain a +2 bonus to Gather Information checks that involve the occult when you make them in your chosen area. In addition, you can call on your friends to help you deal with anything related to the occult. You gain a +2 bonus to all study checks when reading mythos tomes while in contact with your friends. You contact your friends and ask them for help in decoding strange references and other aspects of the book.
Police: Choose a particular city. You have friends on the police force in that city who can pull strings to keep you out of trouble. You gain a +2 bonus to all Bluff, Diplomacy, and Intimidate checks against cops. If you are arrested for a misdemeanor, you may make a Diplomacy check (DC 25) to win a quick release from custody. You gain a +2 bonus when making Gather Information checks relating to crime in your chosen city.
University: Choose a particular university. So long as you have some way of communicating with your friends there, you can ask them to do research on you behalf. If you have direct access to the university, you gain a +2 competence bonus to all Research checks. In addition, you can ask friends to make three Research checks per week on your behalf. You make the check as normal, but do not have to spend time working on it. Instead, you ask your contact to do the work for you. Determine how long it would take you to finish the research and make a skill check as normal. After this time, your contact calls or visits you with the result of your check. You gain a +2 bonus when making Gather Information checks relating to academics and your chosen university.
Special: You may select this feat more than once, choosing a different type of contact each time.
You have an excellent sense for reading other people's motives and actions. When others lie, you readily sense it.
Benefit: You gain a +2 competence bonus to Sense Motive checks. Whenever someone lies to you, the GM automatically makes a secret Sense Motive check for you. On a successful check (opposed by the speaker's Bluff check) your GM informs you that you sense the lie.
Normal: When you want to determine if someone is lying, you must elect to make a Sense Motive check. You do not automatically use the skill.
You have earned a master's degree, studied for a Ph.D., or attained a similar level of advanced expertise in an academic field.
Prerequisite: Int 13+, age 28+
Benefit: The maximum number of ranks you may invest in a Knowledge skill equals your current maximum allowed ranks + 4. This applies to all Knowledge areas that you count as core skills.
Normal: The maximum ranks you may purchase for a class skill equals 3 + your current level.
You are nondescript and generally unnoticeable unless you make a special effort to draw attention to you. Alternatively, you are good at keeping a low profile and avoiding notice when you would rather not be seen.
Benefit: You gain a +2 competence bonus to Hide checks. In addition, when a creature has an equal chance to hit both you and another valid target, such as your friends, it tends to ignore you. You may make a Hide check opposed by the attacker's Spot. On a successful check, the creature attacks your allies rather than you. When making an attack, it ignores you. If you are the only available target or the creature would have to roll higher to hit all its other possible targets, it may attack you as normal.
Special: If every potential target has this feat, they cancel each other out. Determine the creature's target as normal.
You are able to hold on to your sanity in the face of terrible dangers. You still slide into madness, but are able to maintain your composure for a short period before sliding over the edge.
Benefit: When you fall victim to temporary or indefinite insanity, roll 2d6 and add your Wisdom modifier. The result is the number of minutes you may act normally before suffering the effects of insanity. If during this time period you suffer an additional sanity loss that causes temporary or indefinite insanity, you immediately suffer the effects of both bouts of madness. Determine the type of madness you suffer as normal. Your GM may decide to apply both or one of the insanity effects, at his option.
Special Note: The following two feats, Arcane Heritage and Occultist, are designed for games where the characters' access to magic and awareness of occult issues is assumed to run higher than normal. They are inappropriate for many horror campaigns.
Your family has a long history of instability, madness, and research into esoteric matters. As a result of your ancestry, you exhibit all three of these traits. Throughout your life, you have studied the work of your forefathers and have become acquainted with the occult arts.
Benefit: Three times per day, you may reduce the ability score damage you endure when casting a spell by 2. This reduction may drop the damage dealt to one score by 2 or the damage inflicted on two scores by 1 each.
Special: Your knowledge comes at a steep price. Reduce your starting and maximum sanity by 20. Each time you gain a level, you receive 1d6-2 sanity points. If the result of this roll is 0 or less, you gain no sanity points for that level.
Your in-depth study of the bizarre has yielded some highly valuable finds. You have managed to research and learn one magical spell.
Prerequisite: Graduate Education (occult)
Benefit: You know one spell that deals a total of 2 or fewer points of temporary stat damage when you cast it.
Normal: Starting characters do not have access to spells.
Special: You may select this feat multiple times, gaining a new spell each time you take it.