Feats

Lords of Madness Feats

1 A fighter can select this feat as one of his fighter bonus feats.

2 You can gain this feat multiple times. Its effects do not stack. Each time you take the feat, it applies to a new aberrant feature.

GENERAL FEATS

ABERRATION BANEMAGIC []

You can cast spells that do additional damage to aberrations.

Benefit:When you cast a spell that deals damage to an aberration, you deal an extra 2d6 points of damage. A single spell can never gain this extra damage more than once per casting.

For instance, a fireball deals the extra damage to all aberrations in the area it affects. However, if a 3rd-level wizard casts magic missile and produces two missiles, only one of them (of the wizard’s choice) gains the extra damage, whether or not both missiles are directed at the same aberration or two different aberrations. If a spell deals damage for more than 1 round, it deals this extra damage in each round.

Scrolls scribed by you do not gain any benefit from Aberration Banemagic. Scrolls activated by you also gain no benefit from Aberration Banemagic. The same is true for most other magic items, such as wands and potions. However, staffs activated by you use not only your caster level but also gain the benefit of this feat, if applicable. If the spell allows a saving throw, the DC of the saving throw increases by 2.

The additional damage dealt by this spell is either halved on a successful saving throw or negated entirely, depending on how the regular damage dealt by the spell is affected by a successful saving throw.

ABERRATION BLOOD [ABERRANT]

One of your ancestors was an aberration and has passed the taint of its aberrant physiology down through the generations to you. This taint manifests physically in your appearance in some noticeable way.

Prerequisite:Humanoid.

Benefit: You gain a physical feature that grants you a racial bonus on one type of check; once you select the check to which this bonus applies (as well as the corresponding feature) you cannot change it later. The bonus must be chosen from the following list:

Special: You can select this feat more than once. Each time you select this feat, choose a different aberrant feature and gain the bonus associated with it.

ABERRATION WILD SHAPE [ABERRANT]

Most druids detest aberrations and think of them as outside nature, but some view them simply as examples of nature from an extreme and alien world. Thanks to your heritage, you are one of these latter, and have learned to channel your inhuman bloodline into your shapeshifting power.

Prerequisites: Aberration Blood, wild shape ability.

Benefit: You can use your wild shape ability to assume the form of an aberration. This otherwise functions identically to your normal wild shape ability. The size of the aberration is limited by the size of animal you can normally assume the shape of with wild shape.

AQUATIC SPELLCASTING []

You know how to cast spells that work equally well in or out of water.

Benefit:Water does not impede your spells. Creatures partially or completely submerged do not gain cover or total cover when you cast a spell from outside the water. The surface does not block line of effect for any spell, including spells with the fire descriptor. You need not make a Spellcraft check to cast a fire spell underwater.

Normal: Partially or completely submerged creatures gain improved or total cover against attacks from land. The water surface blocks line of effect for fire spells. Fire spells do not function underwater unless the caster succeeds on a Spellcraft check (DC 20 + spell level).

BESTIAL HIDE [ABERRANT]

Your skin is thicker, scalier, or furrier than normal.

Prerequisite: Aberration Blood.

Benefit: Your natural armor bonus to AC improves by 1 for every two aberrant feats you possess.

DARKSTALKER []

You have learned how to stalk and surprise creatures whose senses are very different from those of a humanoid.

Benefit:When you hide, creatures with blindsense, blindsight, scent, or tremorsense must make a Listen check or a Spot check (whichever DC is higher) to notice you, just as sighted creatures would make Spot checks to detect you. You cannot hide in plain sight unless you have that ability as a class feature.

In addition, you can flank creatures that have the all-around vision special quality.

Normal: Creatures with these senses do not need to make Spot or Listen checks to notice other creatures within range. Creatures with all-around vision can’t be flanked.304

DEEPSPAWN [ABERRANT]

The abnormalities of your aberration-tainted heritage grow more pronounced. Your body undergoes a shocking degeneration into something that is strikingly inhuman.

Prerequisites: Aberration Blood, one other aberrant feat.

Benefit: Two short but powerful tentacles sprout from your waist. You gain two tentacle natural attacks that each deal 1d4 points of damage (for a Medium creature) plus your Strength modifier.

The tentacle attacks are treated as primary weapons. You can attack with weapons and also make tentacle attacks, but your tentacle attacks are treated as secondary weapons: The attacks are made with a –5 penalty on the attack roll, and you add only 1/2 your Strength bonus to the damage roll. You gain a +2 racial bonus on grapple checks.

DURABLE FORM [ABERRANT]

You are much more resilient than the fragile humanoids that do not share your aberrant heritage.

Prerequisite: Aberration Blood.

Benefit: You gain 2 hit points for each aberrant feat you have.

INHUMAN REACH [ABERRANT]

Your arms elongate, allowing you to touch the floor with your hands. In addition, you can bend them in strange and unnatural ways. The arms may vary in appearance, perhaps seeming scaly and snake-like, or slimy like tentacles; conversely, they may resemble normal but longer arms with a second elbow joint. Unless you wear a large cloak to conceal these deformities, you are disturbing to behold.

Prerequisite: Aberration Blood.

Benefit: You gain an additional 5 feet of reach. For most Small and Medium creatures, this benefit increases natural reach to 10 feet. If you already have a reach of more than 5 feet for some reason, this feat extends your reach by another 5 feet. As described on page 112 of the Player’s Handbook, a reach weapon doubles your normal reach; for example, if you have this feat and you wield a longspear, you can attack targets 15 or 20 feet away.

Your elongated arms also grant you a +2 bonus on Climb checks.

Special: Due to the disfigured nature of your new limbs, you take a –1 penalty on all melee attack rolls.

INHUMAN VISION [ABERRANT]

You possess the inhuman eyes of some strange creature. They might look segmented or larger or without pupils. You might even have eyestalks.

Prerequisite: Aberration Blood.

Benefit: You gain a racial bonus on Spot checks equal to the number of aberrant feats you possess. The range of your darkvision improves by 5 feet for every aberrant feat that you possess. If you do not already have darkvision, you gain darkvision out to 5 feet for each aberrant feat you possess.

MUSIC OF THE OUTER SPHERES []

You can use your bardic music to create discordant, insane sounds. This music is particularly effective against aberrations, and can sicken them, vitalize them, or fill them with lethargy.

Prerequisites: Perform (any) 11 ranks, bard level 9th.

Benefit: You can now use the following additional bardic music abilities.

Lull Aberration (Sp): You must target a single aberration within 30 feet with this ability. You can target an additional aberration for every three bard levels above 9th that you possess. A targeted aberration must make a Will save (DC 10 + 1/2 bard’s level + bard’s Cha modifier) or become lethargic and partially hypnotized by the discordant sounds of your performance. Affected aberrations are slowed, as per the spell.

Sicken Aberration (Sp): Any aberration within a 30-foot spread centered on you must make a Fortitude saving throw (DC 10 + 1/2 bard’s level + bard’s Cha modifier) or become sickened for as long as you continue to use this ability. If an aberration makes this saving throw, it does not have to make another saving throw to avoid becoming sickened unless you activate this ability again.

Vitalize Aberration (Sp): All aberrations within a 30-foot spread centered on you gain a +2 morale bonus to all special attack and spell-like ability save DCs and a +1 dodge bonus to Armor Class.

OCULAR SPELL [METAMAGIC]

Your study of the terrible powers of the beholder has given you insight into new ways to prepare and cast spells.

Prerequisites: Knowledge (dungeoneering) 4 ranks, two or more eyes.

Benefit: You can cast a spell with a casting time of 1 full round or less as an ocular spell. An ocular spell does not take effect immediately, but is instead held in one of your eyes for up to 8 hours. You can store only two ocular spells in this fashion, even if you have more than two eyes. Only ray spells and spells with a target other than personal can be cast as ocular spells.

When you choose, you can then cast both of the ocular spells as a full-round action; the spells become brilliant blasts that shoot out from your eyes. You can choose different targets for the two ocular spells. When you release an ocular spell, its effect changes to a ray with a range of up to 60 feet. If the spell previously would have affected multiple creatures, it now affects only the creature struck by the ray. You must succeed on a ranged touch attack to strike your target with an ocular spell, and the target is still permitted any saving throw allowed by the spell.

Example: Ferno, an 11th-level wizard with the Ocular Spell feat, could prepare two scorching ray spells as ocular spells, casting them at the beginning of the day. In combat, he can take a full-round action to fire off both scorching ray spells. He can fire each spell at a different target, and he gets all three rays from each spell.

An ocular spell uses up a spell slot two levels higher than the spell’s actual level.

PARRYING SHIELD []

You have studied advanced techniques for battling foes whose attacks normally bypass armor. You use your shield to block or deflect rays and other touch attacks.

Prerequisite: Shield proficiency.

Benefit: You gain your shield bonus (and the shield’s enhancement bonus, if any) as an addition to your touch AC.

Special: A fighter can select Parrying Shield as one of his fighter bonus feats (see Player’s Handbook page 38).

QUICK RECOVERY []

It’s hard to keep you down for long. You have a talent for shaking off effects that leave others unable to act.

Benefit:Whenever you begin your turn stunned or dazed, you canmake a new saving throw at the original DC of the effect that stunned or dazed you in an attempt to recover. Recovering from being stunned or dazed in this way is a move action. If the effect that caused you to become stunned or dazed did not allow a saving throw, you can recover by succeeding on a Will save (DC 10 + 1/2 HD or caster level of originator of effect + relevant ability modifier, or Cha modifier if there is not an obvious ability linked to the effect).

Normal: You are stunned or dazed as long as the effect calls for, and do not have an opportunity to recover early.

SCAVENGING GULLET [ABERRANT]

The taint of the aberration in your blood has gifted you with the ability to gain nourishment from things that others would never consider as food.

Prerequisite: Aberration Blood.

Benefit: You gain nourishment from eating any organic material, despite its freshness or source. You gain a +4 racial bonus on Fortitude saves to resist the effect of ingested poisons, as well as on Fortitude saves to resist diseases caused by ingested substances (such as spoiled food).

STARSPAWN [ABERRANT]

Your abnormal body and heritage has become more pronounced. You grow membranous wings and are comfortable in extreme elevations.

Prerequisites: Aberration Blood, one other aberrant feat.

Benefit: You gain a fly speed (with average maneuverability) equal to one-half your base land speed (round down to the nearest 5-foot increment). You can use your flight for a number of consecutive rounds equal to 1 + your Constitution modifier (minimum 1 round); between these uses you cannot fly for 1 round. You gain resistance to cold 5. You are immune to altitude fatigue and altitude sickness.

THRALL BRED []

You were spawned in the breeding pits of the mind flayers or the beholders. You were bred for unusual strength, hardiness, and loyalty to your unhuman masters, and you can now choose to bestow your loyalty on other worthy masters.

Prerequisites:Humanoid, Con 13.

Benefit:When you are within 30 feet of the individual you have designated as your special charge, you gain a +1 morale bonus on damage rolls and saving throws. If your special charge is not within 30 feet, or is dead or incapacitated, you take a –2 morale penalty on damage rolls and saving throws.

You can designate a special charge only once per month. If your charge dies or abandons you, you take the morale penalty until you have the opportunity to choose a new charge (or choose to have no special charge at all). Your charge must have more Hit Dice than you.

WARPED MIND [ABERRANT]

Your tainted form has altered the physical nature of your brain, making you resistant to mental effects and more capable of unleashing the power of your mind on others.

Prerequisite: Aberration Blood.

Benefit: You gain a racial bonus on Will saves against mindaffecting spells and abilities equal to one-half the number of aberrant feats you possess. You gain 1 psionic power point for each aberrant feat you possess.

WATERSPAWN [ABERRANT]

Your abnormal body and heritage has become more pronounced. You have prominent fins and are supremely well adapted to the icy deeps.

Prerequisites: Aberration Blood, one other aberrant feat.

Benefit: You gain a Swim speed equal to your land speed. This also grants you a +8 racial bonus on Swim checks, the ability to take 10 on any Swim check, and the ability to use the run action while swimming. You gain resistance to cold 5. You can breathe air and water with equal ease.

WILD TALENT []

Your mind wakes to a previously unrealized talent for psionics.

Benefit: Your latent power of psionics flares to life, conferring upon you the designation of a psionic character. As a psionic character, you gain a reserve of 2 power points and can take psionic feats, metapsionic feats, and psionic item creation feats (see the Expanded Psionics Handbook). You do not, however, gain the ability to manifest powers simply by virtue of having this feat.

ABOLETH FEATS

CRAFT ABOLETH GLYPH [ITEM CREATION]

An aboleth with this feat can create magic glyphs that store spells or have specialized effects of their own.

Prerequisites: Aboleth, caster level 5th.

Benefit: The creature can create a permanent glyph of warding effect that automatically recharges and replenishes its own energy after a short period of inactivity after it is triggered.

Crafting an aboleth glyph takes one day for each 1,000 gp in its base price. The base price of an aboleth glyph is its caster level × spell level × 1,000 gp. To create the glyph, the creature must spend 1/25 of the base price in XP and use up raw materials costing one-half of the base price.

A newly created glyph functions exactly as if the creature had cast glyph of warding on the affected area, except that the glyph automatically reappears 1 minute after it is discharged. Similarly, if the glyph is dispelled, it reforms as good as new 1 minute later. An aboleth glyph can be destroyed only in the same manner that a magic item can be destroyed— Mordenkainen’s disjunction, physical destruction of the glyph, and so on.

Alternatively, the aboleth can create a master glyph. Each master glyph is a unique glyph with specific effects and base costs; several sample master glyphs are detailed later in this chapter.

DEATH FRENZY []

When an aboleth takes this feat, its sense of immortality rebels against the very concept of death. If threatened with death, the creature becomes frenzied with speed and fury.

Prerequisites: Aboleth, Diehard, Endurance.

Benefit: If the aboleth is reduced to fewer hit points than its total Hit Dice, it automatically enters a death frenzy. Entering this state is an immediate action; the aboleth can enter a death frenzy even when it’s not its turn.

While in a death frenzy, the aboleth cannot cast spells, use spell-like abilities, or use supernatural special attacks. When an aboleth enters a death frenzy, it gains a +4 morale bonus to its Strength and Dexterity, and the threat range for all its natural attacks doubles. When it makes a full attack, it can make one additional attack each round at its highest base attack bonus. Its land speed increases by 10 feet, and its swim speed increases by 20 feet.

Finally, it gains fast healing 2. A death frenzy lasts until the creature is killed or until its hit points rise enough to equal or exceed its total number of Hit Dice. Upon emerging from a death frenzy, the creature immediately takes 1d4 points of Strength damage.

ENLARGE MUCUS CLOUD []

An aboleth with this feat can extend its mucus cloud into a wider area.

Prerequisites: Aboleth, Con 20.

Benefit: The aboleth’s mucus cloud extends to fill an area equal to its natural reach (a 10-foot radius for most aboleths).

Normal: The aboleth’s mucus cloud has a radius of only 1 foot.

Special: On land, the aboleth’s mucus cloud becomes a mucus puddle of an equal radius. The mucus can affect other beings in contact with the puddle (including any that move through it using their base land speed), but beings that jump or fly over it, or otherwise avoid the puddle, are safe.

MEMORY EATER []

An aboleth with this feat is particularly adept at extracting memories and knowledge from the bodies of those it consumes.

Prerequisites: Aboleth, Cha 21.

Benefit: The aboleth processes and remembers countless memories of those it has eaten. It can make untrained skill checks in any skill, including those in which it has no ranks and that normally cannot be used untrained.

Normal: Aboleths receive only random flashes of memory that quickly fade while eating the flesh of an intelligent creature.

POWERFUL BITE []

An aboleth with this feat develops jaws that are much more muscular than normal, allowing it to bite more efficiently.

Prerequisites: Aboleth, Str 28, Weapon Focus (bite).

Benefit: An aboleth with this feat gains a natural bite attack that deals 2d6 points of damage plus half its Strength modifier. If the aboleth makes a full attack, this bite attack is a secondary attack and is made with a –5 penalty on the attack roll.

Normal: The aboleth’s bite attack is an unarmed strike that takes a full-round action to use and deals 1d4 points of damage on a hit.

QUICKSLIME []

The slime attack of an aboleth with this feat is particularly fast and difficult to resist.

Prerequisites: Aboleth, Ability Focus (slime).

Benefit: The save DC of the creature’s slime attack gains a +2 bonus; this stacks with the bonus granted by the Ability Focus (slime) feat.307 Further, the transformation process takes only 1d4+1 rounds to affect the victim’s skin.

Normal: The transformation process takes 1d4+1 minutes.

REACH BITE []

An aboleth with this feat can extend its jaws and esophagus out from its body to make attacks beyond its normal reach.

Prerequisites: Aboleth, Str 28, Powerful Bite, Weapon Focus (bite).

Benefit: The creature’s reach with its bite attack extends by an additional 5 feet.

Normal: The creature’s bite attack has a reach equal to its standard reach (10 feet for most aboleths).

THICKEN MUCUS []

An aboleth with this feat can produce mucus that is thicker than normal, and other creatures find it difficult to swim through.

Prerequisites: Aboleth, Con 22, Enlarge Mucus Cloud.

Benefit: Creatures within range of the mucus cloud have their swim speed reduced by half if they start their movement in the cloud. Additionally, all creatures in melee with this aboleth take a –1 penalty on attack rolls, Armor Class, and Reflex saving throws. Aboleths, skum, and creatures transformed by an aboleth’s slime attack are unaffected by Thicken Mucus and can move through the cloud without penalty.

Special:When on land, this ability affects only nonaboleth (or nontransformed creatures) that walk through the mucus puddle. The land speed of these creatures is reduced by half, and their swim speed is not affected. Flying creatures are not affected. Freedom of movement negates these penalties.

TOXIC MUCUS []

An aboleth with this feat can produce mucus that is poisonous to other creatures.

Prerequisites: Aboleth, Con 22, Enlarge Mucus Cloud, Thicken Mucus.

Benefit: Any creature that comes in contact with the mucus cloud becomes poisoned.

The creature must make a successful Fortitude save (DC 10 + half the aboleth’s Hit Dice + Con modifier) or take 1d4 points of Dexterity damage. One minute later, the creature must save again against the same DC or take another 1d4 points of Dexterity damage. Creatures that remain in the mucus cloud for multiple rounds must make additional saving throws each round.

Aboleths, skum, and creatures transformed by an aboleth’s slime attack are immune to the effect of Toxic Mucus and can move through the cloud without penalty.

Special:When on land, this ability affects only nonaboleth (or nontransformed creatures) that walk through the mucus puddle; flying creatures are not affected. An aboleth must replenish its mucus constantly to maintain the poisonous qualities. Samples taken from the aboleth retain their toxic qualities for only 1 minute.

BEHOLDER FEATS

AGILE TYRANT []

A creature with this feat develops longer, more flexible eyestalks than its kin. This extra flexibility allows it to bring additional eye rays to bear against its foes.

Prerequisite: True beholder or beholderkin.

Benefit: The creature can direct an extra eye ray into a single 90-degree arc.

BANE OF THE UNCLEAN []

A creature with this feat hates aberrant beholders so strongly that it gains bonuses when fighting them.

Prerequisite: True beholder or must have aberration as a favored enemy.

Benefit: The creature gains a +2 morale bonus on attack rolls, weapon damage rolls, touch Armor Class, and saving throws when fighting a beholderkin.

Special: If the creature is a true beholder, the Benefits of this feat apply to other true beholders as well as to beholderkin.

DISINTEGRATION FINESSE []

A creature with this feat can use disintegrate effects to affect smaller, more exacting areas.

Prerequisites: Dex 13, ability to cast disintegrate as a spell or use it as a spell-like or supernatural ability.

Benefit:When the creature uses disintegrate on a target, it can elect to disintegrate only portions of the target. Against living targets, it still does the normal amount of damage, but any parts of the target it wishes to spare remain unaffected by the spell. The creature could, for example, disintegrate only a target’s skeleton, leaving its skull untouched.

It also can voluntarily reduce the amount of damage dealt. Against nonliving targets, the creature can use disintegrate to sculpt and reshape the object in any manner desired, as long as the result is no larger in volume or size than the original object. The quality of the result is determined by a Craft (sculpting) check.

Normal: A disintegrate effect destroys all of a slain creature, an entire object, or one 10-foot cube of nonliving matter.

Special: If your campaign uses the Damage to specific Areas variant rule on page 27 of the Dungeon Master’s Guide, a creature with this feat can disintegrate a single part of a target’s body, such as its hand, arm, head, eyes, ears, feet, legs, and so on, as long as the target is not killed outright by the damage caused by the spell.

DISJUNCTION RAY []

A beholder with this feat can narrow its antimagic cone down to an eye ray that disjoins magic.

Prerequisites: Cha 19, Focused Antimagic, beholder with functional antimagic ability.

Benefit: As a standard action, the creature can reduce the cone-shaped area of effect of its central eye’s antimagic cone down to a razor-thin eye ray. If the creature hits a magical effect or magic item with this narrowed eye ray, it disjoins the effect or item as if it had cast Mordenkainen’s disjunction on the effect or item. Beholders avoid using this narrowed ray on magic items since the destruction of a magic item also destroys a potential source of magic that could be used to charge their dweomer-lobes.

FOCUSED ANTIMAGIC []

A beholder with this feat can focus the antimagic of its central eye to target a single person or object.

Prerequisite: Beholder with functional antimagic ability.

Benefit: The creature can reduce the cone-shaped area of effect of its central eye to target a single creature or object. The target must be within range of its normal cone-shaped effect (150 feet).

METARAY []

A beholder with this feat can apply the effects of metamagic feats to its eye rays.

Prerequisites: True beholder or beholderkin, at least one metamagic feat.

Benefit: Once per round, as a standard action, the creature can enhance one of its eye rays with the effect of a metamagic feat that it possesses. Enhancing an eye ray in this manner burns the eyestalk out for a number of rounds equal to the amount by which the metamagic would normally increase a spell level. Since firing an eye ray that hasn’t been enhanced with metamagic is a free action, the creature still can use its other eye rays in a round in which it enhances one ray with metamagic.

For example, if a beholder had the Maximize Spell feat and the Metaray feat, it could take a standard action to fire a maximized inflict moderate wounds eye ray that would cause 26 points of damage on a hit. Its inflict moderate wounds eyestalk would then not be usable for the next 3 rounds.

Special: The creature cannot use this ability with a metamagic feat that would increase the level of a spell by more than three levels.

SKILLED TELEKINETIC []

A creature with this feat becomes so skilled with its telekinesis ability that it can manipulate and use magic items via telekinesis.

Prerequisite: Ability to use telekinesis as a supernatural ability.

Benefit: As a standard action, the creature can use its telekinetic power to trigger a command word, spell completion, or spell trigger magic item as long as the item is unattended and the creature would normally utilize the item when holding it. The magic item must be within reach of the creature’s telekinesis ability, the creature must have line of sight with its target, and the creature must have line of effect between the magic item and the target. The item must otherwise fulfill all the requirements for manipulating an object via telekinesis (such as weight).

GRELL FEATS

GRELL ALCHEMY [ITEM CREATION]

A creature that has this feat has studied the alien and disturbing arcane lore of the grell, and understands the magical and physical laws by which their spells and devices function.

Prerequisites: Int 13, Knowledge (dungeoneering) 3 ranks, caster level 1st.

Benefit: A creature with this feat can create grellcraft items, including lightning lances. Its spells are partially based on obscure physical laws, as opposed to magic alone, and therefore gain a +2 bonus on spell penetration checks. They are also more difficult to identify or dispel. Spellcraft checks made to identify the spells and caster level checks made to dispel the spells are made with a –2 penalty unless the identifier also knows this feat.

TSOCHAR FEATS

MINDSIGHT []

A creature that has this feat possesses innate telepathic ability that allows it to precisely pinpoint other thinking beings within range of its telepathy. The creature perceives where the others are and how powerful their intellects are.

Prerequisite: Telepathy special quality.

Benefit: A creature that has this feat can detect and pinpoint beings that are not mindless (anything with an Intelligence score of 1 or higher) within range of its telepathy. This works much like blindsense—the creature knows what square each thinking being is in, but it does not see the being, and the being still has total concealment unless the creature can see it by some other means.

The creature also perceives several observable characteristics about each being detected with mindsight, including the being’s type and Intelligence score. The creature need not take any additional or special actions to gain this information; it is as obvious to mindsight as the being’s race and clothing would be to eyesight.