Noble Scion
Source Inner Sea World Guide pg. 288 (Amazon)
You are a member of a proud noble family, whether or not you remain in good standing with your family.
Prerequisites: Cha 13, must be taken at 1st level.
Benefit: You gain a +2 bonus on all Knowledge (nobility) checks, and that chosen Knowledge skill is always considered a class skill for you.
When you select this feat, choose one of the benefits listed below that matches the flavor of your noble family. Work with your GM to ensure that your choice is appropriate.
Scion of the Arts: You gain a +1 bonus on all Perform checks, and Perform is always a class skill for you. If you have the bardic performance ability, you can use that ability for an additional 3 rounds per day.
Scion of Lore: You gain a +1 bonus on all Knowledge skills in which you have at least 1 rank.
Scion of Magic: You gain one of the following languages as a bonus language: Abyssal, Aklo, Celestial, Draconic, Infernal, or Sylvan. Once per day, as a free action, you can gain a +2 bonus on any Spellcraft check you make. You must spend the free action to gain this bonus before you make the check.
Scion of Peace: Whenever you take 10 on a Wisdom-based skill, treat the result as if you had rolled a 13 instead of a 10.
Scion of War: You use your Charisma modifier to adjust Initiative checks instead of your Dexterity modifier.
Note: Pathfinder Player Companion: Heroes of the High Court p.5) Noble houses throughout Golarion train their courts to focus on the ideals and skills most appropriate for their given region. The Noble Scion feat (Pathfinder Campaign Setting: The Inner Sea World Guide 288) provides benefits to noble characters. Presented below are a number of benefits that can be taken in place of the standard selection of benefits provided by the feat.
Scion of Absalom: You gain one of the following languages as a bonus language: Dwarven, Elven, Giant, Gnome, Halfling, or Orc. You gain a +1 bonus on Diplomacy checks when interacting with a creature that shares this bonus language. Scion of Brevoy: You gain a +2 bonus on Bluff checks against other nobles or members of a noble court.
Scion of Cheliax: You gain a +1 bonus on Knowledge (planes) checks and treat your caster level as 1 higher when attempting to bind or call a devil.
Scion of Goka: Choose either Sleight of Hand or Stealth. While you are in a small city or larger settlement, you can take 10 with the chosen skill, even while rushed or threatened.
Scion of Highhelm: You use your Constitution modifier instead of your Charisma modifier for the purpose of the Leadership feat.
Scion of Irrisen: You reduce the amount of nonlethal damage you take from exposure to cold by 4 (minimum 0).
Scion of Jalmeray: Once per day, you can reroll a save against a psychic spell and gain a +2 bonus on that reroll.
Scion of Katapesh: Once per day, you can attempt a Diplomacy check to reduce the cost of an item by 10% (DC = 15, + 1 for every 500 gp of the item’s base cost). The item must have a market value of 5,000 gp or less.
Scion of Kyonin: You use your Dexterity modifier instead of your Charisma modifier for the purpose of the Leadership feat.
Scion of Nidal: You gain low-light vision. If you already have low-light vision, you instead gain a +2 bonus on Perception checks in areas of dim light.
Scion of Numeria: You gain a +1 bonus on skill checks when interacting with technology (Pathfinder Campaign Setting: Technology Guide 5) and a +2 bonus on damage rolls against creatures of the robot subtype.
Scion of Osirion: You reduce the amount of nonlethal damage you take from heat exposure by 2 (minimum 0). Additionally, you require only a gallon of water per day to avoid dehydration in hot climates.
Scion of Qadira: Once per day, when attempting to negate an attack with Mounted Combat, you can roll twice and take the better result. Ride is a class skill for you.
Scion of the River Kingdoms: Whenever you take 10 on Handle Animal, Knowledge (nature), Perception, Ride, or Survival checks, treat the result as if you had rolled a 13 instead of a 10.
Scion of Taldor: You gain a +2 bonus on Charisma-based checks when interacting with nobles or members of a noble court.
Scion of Ustalav: Once per day as a free action, you can suppress any fear effects affecting you for a number of rounds equal to half your Hit Dice (minimum 1) even if you could not normally take actions due to your fear. Knowledge (religion) is a class skill for you.
Center of Power
Source Quests and Campaigns pg. 26 (Amazon)
You have posted loyal followers in the most vital places.
Prerequisites: Leadership score 13, hold a leadership role related to running a kingdom.
Benefit: Choose a building in your kingdom as your center of power, and dedicate one of the followers granted to you by the Leadership feat to overseeing that location. For every kingdom turn in which that follower does nothing but oversee that location, the benefits that building grants to your kingdom’s Economy, Fame, Loyalty, and Stability are doubled and any penalties are negated. This feat does not allow a building to grant benefits it does not normally provide, and has no effect on a building’s other effects.
This feat only applies to one building, and committing multiple followers to this or different buildings has no effect—the selected location is treated as being of particular importance to you, and its uniqueness combined with the follower’s loyalty grants it special efficiencies. The same follower does not have to oversee your center of power every month, but you must keep at least one follower dedicated to this location for the entire month to gain this feat’s benefits. Once per year, you may change which building is your center of power.
Dynasty Founder (Story)
Source Quests and Campaigns pg. 9 (Amazon)
You will claim rulership of a city, whether under a larger government or independently.
Prerequisites: You must have lived in the chosen city for at least 1 year or be the heir of a former city leader.
Benefit: You gain followers as if you had the Leadership feat, although you cannot attract followers of a level higher than your level – 2. If you also have the Leadership feat, increase your Leadership score by 3 for the purpose of determining how many followers you have.
Goal: Thwart all rivals to rulership over the chosen region, including at least one challenging foe.
Completion Benefit: You gain control of the settlement (see the settlement rules in the Pathfinder RPG GameMastery Guide). Upon gaining this benefit and once per year thereafter, you can attempt to alter the settlement in one of the following ways by attempting a DC 25 Diplomacy check modified by the settlement’s Society modifier or a DC 25 Intimidate check modified by its Law modifier:
Move the settlement’s alignment 1 step closer to yours along either the good-evil or law-chaos axis.
Replace one settlement quality with another.
Change the government type.
Significantly alter the laws.
Failure indicates that popular opinion in the city successfully opposes you.
In addition, from now on, your followers gain a +1 morale bonus on attack rolls and saving throws as long as they can see you.
Special: For groups using the kingdom-building rules from Pathfinder RPG Ultimate Campaign, you can optionally use the rules for establishing a settlement to complete the goal of this story feat.
Suggested Traits: Domineering, Inspiring, Natural- Born LeaderAPG.
Possible Dynasty Founder Quests
d12 Quest
1 Trollheim awaits the slayer of a linnorm to claim the city’s empty throne (page 105).
2 Whispers of rebellion against House Surtova draw you toward Restov in Brevoy (page 53).
3 River Kingdoms denizens respect openly seizing what you want, and you want the throne of a River Kingdom, such as that of King Irovetti of Pitax (page 163).
4 Mendev’s understaffed fringe cities wait to be claimed by valiant crusaders (page 119).
5 You believe that the Black Sovereign has ruled Numeria’s capital of Starfall for too long (page 145).
6 Riddleport in Varisia is chaotic and poorly governed, but a strong leader might become ruler with enough support from one of its various factions (page 197).
7 Outlaws lairing in the Vergan Forest will need a strong leader if they are to successfully rebel against the living god Razmir (page 161).
8 The ruler of Lastwall (or some other randomly determined nation) promises rulership of a city to any hero who can slay a menacing dragon in the nearby woods (page 100).
9 The empire of Minkai in Tian Xia has been in a state of turmoil since Emperor Shigure Higashiyama was deposed by his own clansmen. If you are to seize a kingdom in the Dragon Empires, now is the time (page 208).
10 If you can slay the dreaded creature known as the Devil in Gray in Lozeri of Ustalav, then perhaps you can inspire enough faith in the surrounding populace to usurp the ruling council of Courtaud (page 193).
11 The Byzantine nature of Taldor’s burdensome bureaucracy can make it easy for a silver-tongued beguiler to achieve some station of power in the nation (page 184).
12 By winning the Free Captain’s Regatta in the Shackles, you hope to achieve a place on the infamous Pirate Council and gain control of your own island (page 171).
Inspirational Commander
Source Quests and Campaigns pg. 27 (Amazon)
Armies under your command enjoy higher morale thanks to your excellent leadership.
Prerequisites: Charisma 13.
Benefit: You or any army that is under your command gains a +2 bonus on Morale checks. Additionally, you gain two additional boons of your choice (see page 240 of Ultimate Campaign).
Natural Ruler
Source Quests and Campaigns pg. 27 (Amazon)
You have a special talent for ruling a nation, and take to the task with ease.
Prerequisites: Hold a leadership role related to running a kingdom.
Benefit: Choose an ability score. Any time your leadership role calls for that ability score to affect one of your kingdom’s attributes, your modifier to that ability score is treated as being +2 higher. For example, if you choose Charisma and occupy the General or High Priest leadership role, your Charisma modifier to affect your kingdom’s stability would be +2 higher than normal. However, if you occupied the Spymaster leadership role—which employs the Intelligence and Wisdom ability scores—this feat would grant no benefit.
Additionally, the entire kingdom gains +2 Stability for as long as you occupy a leadership role.
Special: You may gain this feat multiple times, but each time you must choose a different ability score. The bonus to Stability gained from this feat stacks.
Squire
Source Knights of the Inner Sea pg. 20 (Amazon)
You attract a squire to aid you in your knightly endeavors.
Prerequisites: Character level 4th, proficient with all martial weapons.
Benefit: This feat acts similarly to the Leadership feat, with several exceptions. You can only attract a 1st-level cohort (referred to hereafter as a squire) with this feat, and cannot recruit followers until you have the Leadership feat. You determine your Leadership score according to the rules presented in the Leadership feat, but your squire is always at least three or more levels lower than yourself.
A squire can only take levels in a class that grants proficiency with all martial weapons as a class feature, such as paladin, gunslinger, cavalier, or fighter. She cannot multiclass, though she may take any archetype she qualifies for, including those from the following “Squire Archetypes” section.
If a squire gains enough XP to bring her to two levels lower than your level, the squire does not gain the new level until you gain your next level—until then her new XP total is 1 less than the amount needed to attain the next level and she gains no additional XP until you advance.
If you release your squire from service, you may gain a new one by scouting for potential candidates in a city or large town where members of your knightly order can typically be found, which requires at least 24 hours of uninterrupted scouting. This act can also replace a squire who has perished.
Graduation: When you reach 7th level, this feat automatically upgrades to the Leadership feat (meaning that you effectively lose this feat and replace it with Leadership). You gain all the normal benefits of the Leadership feat, except that your squire must remain at least three levels lower than you and must continue to take levels in her first class. In order for your squire to be able to be two levels lower than you, your squire must be at least 4th level, and you must witness her as she single-handedly defeats a creature with Hit Dice equal to or greater than her own. Upon the creature’s defeat, your squire graduates to full knighthood and acts as a normal cohort; she may begin taking levels in other classes if she so chooses, and she may increase in level to up to two levels lower than yourself.
Stronghold (Story)
Source Ultimate Campaign pg. 72 (Amazon)
You seek to build a bastion against which your enemies shall break like water against the rocks.
Prerequisites: You must have the Leadership feat and must lead at least 10 combat-capable followers (such as fighters or rangers).
Benefit: You can spend a move action to give battle orders to your troops, granting creatures under your command within 60 feet your choice of a +1 morale bonus on attack rolls, a +1 dodge bonus to AC, or a +1 bonus on a single type of saving throw. All creatures must receive the same benefit. You can’t use this benefit on allies not under your command. This is a language-dependent, mind-affecting effect.
Goal: Build or capture a stronghold capable of housing a force of at least 200 troops, and staff it with at least 100 combat-capable soldiers (or the equivalent) under your command. You must also provide food and water sufficient to survive at least a 6-month siege and a gold reserve sufficient for at least 6 months of wages if your troops require pay.
Completion Benefit: Your battle order bonuses improve to +2, and the range of your orders increases to 120 feet. In addition, you can give two different orders to your troops. For example, you could grant your archers +2 on attack rolls while your front line gains a +2 bonus to AC.
Commander of Goblinkind
Source Monster Codex pg. 116 (Amazon)
You employ ruthlessness and malice to command other races of goblinoids to do your bidding.
Prerequisites: Cha 13, hobgoblin.
Benefit: You receive a +5 competence bonus on Knowledge (local) checks and Charisma-based skill checks regarding other goblinoids. If you have the Leadership feat, treat your leadership score as 2 higher when taking followers or a cohort with the goblinoid subtype.
Noble Impostor (Story)
Source Heroes of the High Court pg. 4
You put on airs and others believe your tales.
Prerequisites: Must not be a member of an established family or a member of nobility.
Benefit: You gain a +2 bonus on Bluff and Knowledge (nobility) checks and these skills are class skills for you.
Goal: Convince at least three noble families, a ruling monarch, or a settlement of at least small city size that you are a member of an existing or a previously unknown noble family.
Completion Benefit: You gain followers as if you had the Leadership feat. If you also have the Leadership feat, increase your Leadership score by 3 for the purpose of determining how many followers you have.
Practiced Leadership
Source Champions of Balance pg. 15 (Amazon)
When you and your cohort are both members of the same organization, you needn’t shoulder the burden of leadership alone. By relying on the authority of your shared organization as well as your own leadership skills, your cohort demonstrates improved devotion and tactical acumen.
Prerequisites: Leadership, membership in the same organization as your cohort.
Benefit: As long as you and your cohort maintain membership in good standing within the same organization, your cohort gains a +4 morale bonus on Will saves against enchantment spells and effects. Additionally, your cohort is treated as though she possessed the same teamwork feats you do for the purpose of determining whether you receive a bonus from your teamwork feats. Your cohort doesn’t receive any bonuses from these feats unless she actually possesses the feats.
If you and your cohort belong to one of the organizations listed in this section, your cohort gains the practiced leadership benefit associated with your organization. If a benefit grants your cohort access to a spell-like ability, the caster level of the effect is 1st or equal to your cohort’s caster level, whichever is higher.
Recruits
Source Cohorts and Companions pg. 30 (Amazon)
Be they students, retainers, new recruits to your order, or neophyte members of your faith, you have access to a small set of dedicated servants.
Prerequisites: Cha 13, character level 5th.
Benefit: You gain a number of cohorts (as the Leadership feat) that represent NPCs you are responsible for instructing and overseeing. You have a number of such cohorts equal to half your character level. Unlike normal cohorts, these minor cohorts must be at least 4 levels lower than your character level. Since these students must spend most of their time studying and gaining experience, you can only have one minor cohort travel with you at a time (though they all gain experience at the same rate, as those not present are assumed to be studying and growing independently). Whenever you are in a major town or city, you may exchange your current minor cohort for a different member of your recruits.
As minor cohorts are busy learning and studying the basics of their careers, those not traveling with you cannot engage in mundane or magical crafting or Profession checks. Minor cohorts not traveling with you can serve as managers for your holdings if you are using downtime rules (Ultimate Campaign 88). If a minor cohort dies, you take only a –1 penalty to your Leadership score.
Special: Recruits counts as the Leadership feat for purposes of prerequisites. A character cannot have both Leadership and Recruits. A character with Recruits that later qualifies for Leadership may exchange this feat for Leadership immediately upon qualifying (selecting one minor cohort to become a full cohort, while the rest move on).
Torchbearer
Source Dungeoneer's Handbook pg. 20 (Amazon)
You acquire a professional torchbearer to accompany you
Prerequisites: Character level 5th.
Benefit: This feat is similar to the Leadership feat, with several exceptions. You can attract only a 1st-level cohort (referred to hereafter as a torchbearer) with this feat, and can’t recruit followers. You determine your Leadership score according to the rules presented in the Leadership feat, but your torchbearer is always at least 3 levels lower than your level.
A torchbearer can take levels in the alchemist, bard, fighter, ranger, or rogue class. She can’t multiclass, though she can take any archetype she qualifies for, including those from the Torchbearer Archetypes section on page 21. The torchbearer must take the Torch Handling feat at 1st level (see the sidebar on page 21).
If a torchbearer gains enough XP to bring her to 2 levels lower than your level, she doesn’t gain the new level until you gain your next level; until then her new XP total is 1 less than the amount needed to attain the next level and she gains no additional XP until you advance.
If you release your torchbearer from service or otherwise lose your torchbearer, you may gain a new one by scouting for potential candidates in a city or large town where adventurers are at least somewhat common, which requires 24 hours of uninterrupted scouting.
Unlike other hirelings, a torchbearer requires no compensation for her services as long as her employer has this feat; the opportunity to train under a hardened adventurer is reward enough for most torchbearers.
Graduation: When you reach 8th level, this feat automatically upgrades to the Leadership feat (meaning that you effectively lose this feat and replace it with Leadership). You gain all the normal benefits of the Leadership feat but lose the benefits of this feat, and your torchbearer acts as a normal cohort; she may begin taking levels in other classes if she so chooses, and may increase in level to up to 2 levels lower than your level.
Possessed Hand
Source Haunted Heroes Handbook pg. 25
You’ve made a peaceful and permanent bargain with a ghost, spirit, or outsider. It possesses your hand, guiding and aiding you in exchange for help in return.
Benefit: You attract a ghost, spirit, or outsider with personal motivations to possess your hand. This usually involves some sort of mutually beneficial pact or agreement. Your possessed hand helps you in numerous ways, but its periodic, uncontrolled antics are distracting; you take a permanent –2 penalty on concentration checks once you gain this feat.
Any attack you make with a one-handed weapon, light weapon, unarmed strike, or natural attack with your possessed hand gains a +1 insight bonus on the attack roll and damage roll. You also gain a +1 insight bonus on Disable Device and Sleight of Hand checks. Once per day as a swift action, you can retrieve any stowed object you carry on your person, provided the object weighs no more than 5 pounds.