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Pathfinder Reference Document
Pathfinder Reference Document

Story Feats

A story feat reflects a goal—often an all-consuming one—that shapes your life. Each story feat incorporates a trigger event (which comes from either a campaign occurrence or your background), an immediate benefit, a goal, and a further benefit for achieving that goal.

Story feats are marked with the story keyword. Each feat has at least two possible prerequisites, representing conditions most likely met during play or a background that fits the feat. You need to meet only one of these prerequisites. Anytime you gain a new feat, you may take a story feat, but you can have only one uncompleted story feat at a time. Story feats are designed for PCs, but can be taken by NPCs and monsters as well.

Unlike typical feats, story feats have nebulous prerequisites, and you should chose one only after talking with the GM. The GM should weave a story feat into the greater story of the campaign and even adjust it as needed to fit the campaign's long-term goals and the specifics of your background. Story feats should work organically within the story of the campaign, rather than be chosen purely for their mechanical benefits.

Like the prerequisites, the completion conditions for a story feat might require GM adjudication. If the events of the campaign are not likely to resolve the story implied by the story feat, the GM should consider shifting the goal to something you can achieve. Establishing a meaningful story arc is more important than adhering to the letter of the feat.

Because a story feat represents both your motivation and character development, the GM should make an effort to incorporate elements related to the feat into the ongoing campaign. These can be direct elements, like the appearance of a villain or hated creature, or indirect elements, such as rumors of the fate of a lost relative or NPCs who are impressed by a PC's artistic endeavors. A good rule of thumb is to work in a reference to each PC's story feat once every three to five sessions.

In most cases, allies can assist in completing a story feat. At the GM's discretion, if you do not take a leadership role in tasks or conflicts related to your own story feat, you might need to complete additional goals to resolve the story feat, or might even be denied completion altogether.

Common Rules

Many story feats share similar terminology in their prerequisites and completion conditions. The following terms have special meanings when used in story feats.

Appropriate Number: These are either creatures whose individual CRs add up to 20, or creatures whose individual CRs add up to 5 times your character level, whichever is greater. For example, if you're at 6th level, an appropriate number of creatures have CRs that add up to 30. This calculation is based on your current character level, not the level at which you selected the story feat. Overly easy challenges (encounters with CRs of 3 or more below your character level) don't count unless circumstances make them much more difficult to handle.

Challenging Foe: This is a foe or group of foes with a total CR of 10 or a CR of 3 plus your character level, whichever is higher. If this refers to a distinct individual, the foe's CR is set when the feat is taken, but the foe advances in power as you do. Otherwise, it refers to your current level. A typical recurring foe advances in CR by 1 for every 1—2 levels you gain.

Character's Level: Normally, this is your actual character level. If you're a creature best represented by CR rather than character level (such as most monsters with more than 1 HD), use your calculated CR instead of your character level.

Decisively Defeat: You overcome a foe in some way, such as by killing the creature, knocking it unconscious, or causing it to be taken prisoner. You must be a significant participant in the conflict to defeat the opponent, even if another strikes the final blow. Whether or not merely causing the enemy to flee qualifies is up to the GM. Generally, driving off an enemy while causing little actual harm does not qualify as a decisive defeat.

Slay: Slaying a foe includes killing it, destroying it, turning it to stone, banishing it to the Abyss, or otherwise eliminating it in a fashion reversible only by powerful magic. Unless otherwise noted, you must deal the final blow yourself to slay a creature.

Thwart: Distinct from defeating a foe, thwarting a foe involves disrupting its plans in a substantial and essentially permanent fashion. Deposing a lord, bringing down a priest's temple, or banishing a sorcerer to the depths of Hell all qualify as thwarting. You keep any benefits gained by thwarting a foe even if it survives defeat and returns more powerful than before. You must be a significant participant in the events that lead to your foe being thwarted for your actions to count toward fulfilling a story requirement.

Story Feats and Stacking

Most story feat bonuses are untyped, and stack with almost any other bonus. However, if you have multiple story feats, their untyped bonuses do not stack with each other. For example, if two story feats gave you a bonus on saving throws, you would add only the higher bonus.

Accursed (Story)

Your curse weighs down your soul like a millstone around your neck.

Prerequisite: You must carry a curse that can be lifted only by a quest or similar great undertaking, or have the Cursed Birth background.

Benefit: You gain spell resistance equal to 5 + your character level, as the curse interferes with all magic. Unlike most spell resistance, it can't voluntarily be lowered, though your own spells and magic items still automatically affect you.

Goal: Your curse is lifted or you are able to purge the corruption of your fiendish blood (the circumstances of either vary widely based on the nature of the curse, and are up to the GM).

Completion Benefit: You lose the spell resistance described above. You gain spell resistance equal to 11 + your character level, but only against harmful enchantment, necromancy, and transmutation spells and spell-like abilities—your aura resists further attempts to curse you. Harmless spells automatically bypass this spell resistance whether you desire it or not. This spell resistance can be voluntarily lowered.

Arisen (Story)

Escaping death strengthened your bond to life, but fills you with a need for answers.

Prerequisite: You must have been slain and brought back from the dead, or have the Left to Die or Cursed Birth background.

Benefit: You don't die until your negative hit point total is equal to or greater than 4 + your Constitution score. Once per day as a standard action, you can force yourself to carry on by strength of will alone, gaining 1 temporary hit point per hit die. These temporary hit points last for 10 minutes.

Normal: You die when your negative hit point total is equal to or greater than your Constitution score.

Goal: You meet in person and hear the words of your deity or your deity's chosen herald. If you worship a pantheon of deities, you must meet and hear a member of that pantheon—a herald does not suffice in this case. If you worship no specific deity, you must hear the words of an appropriate entity of the GM's choice.

Completion Benefit: You gain a +2 bonus on saving throws against death effects and fear effects. In addition, the caster level of any conjuration (healing) spell that is cast on you increases by 1 for the purposes of its effects on you alone.

Battlefield Healer (Story)

In even the fiercest battles, you risk life and limb to save your allies.

Prerequisite: You must successfully cast a conjuration (healing) spell on an ally after being hit by an attack of opportunity, or have the Battle, Chaplain, or Healed background.

Benefit: When attempting a concentration check caused by receiving damage (including ongoing damage), you reduce the damage taken by 50% for the purposes of determining the concentration check DC.

Goal: Over time, provoke at least 20 attacks of opportunity for casting conjuration (healing) spells on allies. These spells don't have to succeed to count.

Completion Benefit: You automatically succeed at concentration checks for conjuration (healing) spells caused by taking damage.

Champion (Story)

You must prove yourself through single combat.

Prerequisite: You must have defeated a single challenging foe without any aid from another, or have the Champion of a God, Champion of the People, Competition Champion, or Gladiator background.

Benefit: As a swift action, you can declare a single combat challenge to one foe within 50 feet and in line of sight. Upon doing so, you gain a +1 bonus on attack rolls and a +1 dodge bonus to AC against that foe as long as no one else threatens that opponent or until the single combat challenge ends. If another combatant attacks you or your foe, the challenge ends and you take a —2 penalty on attack rolls and to AC for 1 round. Though you can declare a single combat challenge at will, once you declare it on a foe you can't declare it on the same foe for another 24 hours.

Goal: Defeat an appropriate number of challenging foes in single combat. These combats must not be interrupted by other creatures, and the foes must not have already been substantially injured or impaired prior to combat with you.

Completion Benefit: Your bonuses for single combat increase to +2. In addition, any confirmed critical hits you make against such a foe deal an additional 1d6 points of damage.

Damned (Story)

From your earliest days, you were destined to sacrifice everything in your quest for power.

Prerequisite: You must have had friendly contact with an evil-aligned outsider that would qualify as a challenging foe, have a fiend-related sorcerous bloodline such as abyssal or infernal, have direct fiendish ancestry (such as being a tiefling or half-fiend), or have the Fiend Raised or The Fiend background.

Benefit: You gain a +2 bonus on Charisma-based checks involving evil-aligned outsiders and +1 bonus to the DC of spells and spell-like abilities you use against such creatures. You take a —2 penalty on Charisma-based checks involving good-aligned outsiders.

Goal: Successfully trade your soul to an evil outsider.

Completion Benefit: You gain a +2 enhancement bonus to an ability score of your choice. This enhancement bonus can't be dispelled or removed save by the direct intervention of a deity, and counts as a supernatural ability. In addition, you gain a +2 bonus on caster level checks (including dispel checks and checks to bypass spell resistance) against good-aligned outsiders. If you die while under the effects of this agreement, you can't be brought back from the dead unless the evil outsider permits it. You lose your completion benefits immediately and permanently if you renege on the arrangement by which you traded your soul, though you keep the feat's basic benefits.

Deny the Reaper (Story)

The lives you could not save stay with you to your final breath.

Prerequisite: You must have witnessed the death of a close companion in battle—a death that could have been prevented, such as from bleeding, failure to stabilize, or ongoing poison damage—or have the Death in the Family or The War background.

Benefit: You gain a +2 bonus on Heal checks. If you have 10 or more ranks in Heal, this bonus increases to +4. You can apply first aid as a move action and don't take a penalty when treating deadly wounds without a healing kit.

Goal: Bring an ally back from the dead, including by using breath of life or reincarnate.

Completion Benefit: You and each ally within 10 feet of you gain a +2 bonus on saves against death effects. In addition, once per day you can spontaneously convert any 5th-level or higher conjuration (healing) spell into breath of life.

Eldritch Researcher (Story)

You seek new applications for magical energy.

Prerequisite: You must have created a new spell, or have The Way Things Work background.

Benefit: When casting a spell you've created, add 1 to your caster level. In addition, you gain a +2 bonus on Spellcraft checks. If you have 10 or more ranks in Spellcraft, this bonus increases to +4.

Goal: Create a new spell of at least 6th level.

Completion Benefit: The save DCs for any spells you create increase by 1 when you cast them. In addition, when applying metamagic feats to self-created spells, reduce the total level adjustment by 1. You can't reduce metamagic costs to lower than the spell's original level in this manner.

Special: For a self-created spell to benefit from this feat, it must be a truly novel spell. Spells slightly altered from the original (for example, delayed blast fireball as compared to fireball) gain no benefit. Alchemists can benefit from this feat as though their formulae and extracts were spells.

Fearless Zeal (Story)

You're willing to lay down your life for your faith.

Prerequisite: You must be ordained as a sacred (or profane) champion of your faith by a high-ranking member of its clergy, or have the Devoted, Faith-Bringer, or Moral Debt background. Such an honor goes above and beyond the normal oaths required of a cleric or paladin.

Benefit: Once per day, you can add a +2 bonus on any single attack roll, caster level check, saving throw, or skill check. You must choose to add this bonus after the die has been rolled and success or failure determined, but before any results (such as damage) are rolled and applied. If you have 10 or more levels or hit dice, this bonus increases to +4.

Goal: Die in pursuit of your faith's goals and be brought back to life. If you die in circumstances that don't involve your faith, you gain no benefit. If your GM permits, you can instead remain dead and create a new PC inspired by your heroic sacrifice.

Completion Benefit: If you died and came back, you become a living symbol of faith. Once per day as a standard action, you can inspire those who share your faith to great effort, granting them a +2 morale bonus on attack rolls and saving throws for 1 minute. This is a mind-affecting, language-dependent effect. If you create a new character inspired by your previous character, the new PC receives a +2 bonus to a single ability score. This ability score can't be one that already has a racial bonus. The new PC can later take this feat if he meets the prerequisite.

Feral Heart (Story)

In your chest beasts the heart of a wild beast.

Prerequisite: You must have reverted to savage behavior through a traumatic event or extended period in the wilderness, or have the Raised by Beasts background.

Benefit: Whenever you receive a morale bonus on Strength or attack rolls (such as from heroism or the barbarian rage class feature), you receive a +2 bonus on Dexterity- and Strength-based ability and skill checks and a +1 bonus on Reflex saves until the morale bonus effect ends.

Goal: Woo and then marry or otherwise enter into a committed relationship with a person from a civilized culture. This relationship must be forged in love, not bought or coerced.

Completion Benefit: Delay the penalties for the exhausted, fatigued, shaken, and sickened conditions for 1 round after first receiving them. If you already have the condition in question and it is applied again, this feat provides no benefit. Despite ignoring the penalties you do still have the condition. For example, if you become shaken again while benefiting from this feat, you become frightened as normal.

Foeslayer (Story)

Your bitter feud with your enemies can be quenched only with blood.

Prerequisite: You must have been defeated and robbed of at least half your possessions by a particular group of humanoids or monstrous humanoids, or have the An Eye for an Eye, Hated Foe, Raiders, or Vengeance background. You may choose a specific race, such as duergar, or a broader group, such as goblinoids. At the GM's option, you may instead choose residents of a particular country, settlement, or tribe.

Benefit: The save DCs for your spells or abilities increase by 1 when you use them against the chosen group, and you gain a +1 dodge bonus to AC against their attacks.

Goal: Slay an appropriate number of challenging foes.

Completion Benefit: You gain the benefits of the Improved Critical feat on attacks made against members of your chosen race. Your dodge bonus to AC against such foes increases to +2.

Forgotten Past (Story)

A pivotal event from your past eludes your memory.

Prerequisite: You must have suffered permanent memory loss or have the Reincarnated background.

Benefit: The duration of mind-affecting spells (even beneficial ones) is halved for you, to a minimum of 1 round. Your inquisitive nature gives you a +2 bonus on Perception checks. If you have 10 or more ranks in Perception, this bonus increases to +4.

Goal: Regain a major portion of your lost memories. The exact means varies, possibly requiring a wish, assistance from a divine being, reliving a past life, or confronting the situation that led to your memory loss. This process must involve encountering a challenging foe, though possibly in ways other than direct confrontation.

Completion Benefit: You roll twice whenever you attempt a saving throw against a mind-affecting effect, keeping the better result.

Special: Restoration of memories by means less significant than miracle or wish does not qualify for the prerequisite.

Glimpse Beyond (Story)

You have glimpsed the madness at the edges of reality.

Prerequisite: You must have faced an undead, evil outsider, or aberration with a CR greater than your level +4, or have the Raised Among the Dead or The Dead One background.

Benefit: You gain a +2 bonus on Knowledge (dungeoneering) checks to identify the vulnerabilities and powers of aberrations, Knowledge (planes) checks to identify the vulnerabilities and powers of evil outsiders, and Knowledge (religion) checks to identify the vulnerabilities and powers of undead, and you can make such checks untrained. If you have 10 or more ranks in any of these Knowledge skills, the bonus increases to +4 for the appropriate skill. In addition, you gain a +2 bonus on saves against fear effects.

Goal: Be killed or driven insane (as determined by the GM) by an aberration, evil outsider, or undead. This leaves your mind permanently marked.

Completion Benefit: Any sane creature that attempts to read your thoughts takes 1d6 points of Wisdom damage (Will DC 10 + 1/2 your level + your Charisma modified negates). In addition, the effect of any ability damage, ability drain, or penalty to your Intelligence, Wisdom, or Charisma is halved (minimum 1). You take a —2 penalty on Will saving throws. Whenever you roll a save against a mind-affecting effect, roll twice and keep the better result.

Innocent Blood (Story)

With their deaths, the pitiful wretches that inhabit this world open your path to greatness.

Prerequisite: You must slay at least 50 intelligent noncombatants for either your own personal gain or for no cause at all, or have the Bloodthirsty, First Kill, or The Kill background.

Benefit: You gain a +2 bonus on Intimidate checks. If you have 10 or more ranks in Intimidate, this bonus increases to +4. Each time you slay an intelligent creature, you gain a +1 bonus on attack rolls and caster level checks for 1 minute (this bonus does not stack with itself).

Goal: Slay at least 200 more intelligent noncombatants, then slay a challenging foe that seeks to either bring you to justice for your crimes or usurp your position.

Completion Benefit: Any shaken creature takes double the normal penalties when attacking you, making saves against your abilities, or resolving skill checks with you as a target.

Liberator (Story)

Your time in shackles has forever marked your soul.

Prerequisite: You must have been enslaved for at least 6 months, or have the Imprisoned or Kidnapped background.

Benefit: You gain a +1 bonus on attack rolls, weapon damage rolls, and skill checks when your actions would directly lead to freeing prisoners or slaves.

Goal: Free at least 200 slaves through perilous rescues (not merely buying them at market).

Completion Benefit: You gain the ability to inspire others through your dedication to your cause. Allies within 20 feet receive your Liberator feat bonuses when working with you to free prisoners or slaves. In addition, as a standard action you can inspire slaves and former slaves within 120 feet, giving them temporary hit points equal to 1/2 your character level and a +1 bonus on saving throws. These benefits last for 1 hour, and a given creature can receive this benefit only once per day. These are mind-affecting effects, and the inspiring bonus is language-dependent.

Lost Legacy (Story)

What once belonged to your family shall be yours again.

Prerequisite: Your family must have claim to an inherited title or position that no longer belongs to them, or have the Dishonored Family background. You can take this feat even if you have no knowledge of this lost family title.

Benefit: You gain a +1 bonus on Charisma-based ability checks and skill checks.

Goal: Regain your family's lost claim, either for yourself or another in your family. In the process of completing this claim, you must decisively defeat a challenging foe that seeks to deny your birthright.

Completion Benefit: You gain a +1 bonus on Wisdom ability checks, Wisdom-based skill checks, and Will saving throws.

Special: If you manage to regain your position without defeating a challenging foe, you may still complete this story feat at a later date if a suitable challenging foe attempts to steal your birthright again.

Magnum Opus (Story)

You seek to create a true masterpiece.

Prerequisite: You must either have sold five or more self-created works of art worth a total of at least 5,000 gp, have performed at least five performances for audiences of 50 or more while achieving a great performance result or better on your Perform check, or have the Virtuoso background.

Benefit: Choose a single Craft or Perform skill. Whenever you take 10 with this skill, treat your die result as a 15 instead.

Goal: Either sell a single self-created work of art for at least 25,000 gp, perform at least 10 performances for audiences of 100 or more while achieving an extraordinary result or better, or win the artistic patronage of the ruler of a country or city of at least 100,000 people. In each case, you must achieve this using the skill chosen above.

Completion Benefit: You gain a +5 bonus on skill checks made with your chosen skill, and a +2 bonus on all other Craft and Perform checks for which you have at least 1 rank.

Monument Builder (Story)

Your inspired architecture shall make your name immortal.

Prerequisites: Knowledge (engineering) 1 rank, and you must have built a structure worth at least 5,000 gp.

Benefit: When you supervise a construction project or do the construction yourself, reduce your raw material costs by 10%. You gain a +2 bonus on Knowledge (engineering) checks. If you have 10 or more ranks in Knowledge (engineering), this bonus increases to +4.

Goal: Design and construct a building worth at least 100,000 gp with great personal significance to you. For example, you might construct a new temple for your god on the site where an old temple was destroyed, or an academy for students to unlock the secrets of the universe.

Completion Benefit: The value of any past and future buildings you construct (including the building constructed to achieve your goal) increases by 10% as your reputation spreads. In addition, you and your workers complete double the normal amount of work in a given time interval when you supervise a construction project.

Nation Builder (Story)

The land calls to you to conquer it and forge a realm all your own.

Prerequisite: You must have explored and claimed an area of at least 100 square miles.

Benefit: When in either unclaimed wilderness or land under your own control, you receive a +2 bonus on Perception checks, Stealth checks, and Survival checks. If you have 10 or more ranks in one of these skills, the bonus on that skill increases to +4.

Goal: Explore and conquer an area of at least 1,000 square miles, in the process decisively defeating a challenging foe. You must also lay claim to the land either in your own name or in the name of a leader you directly report to, and establish a stronghold or other fortification to defend it.

Completion Benefit: You gain a +2 bonus on initiative checks, attack rolls, and saving throws while in the area you have claimed.

Nemesis (Story)

A past enemy seeks your ruin.

Prerequisite: You must have at least one enemy who wishes to cause you great harm. If you have multiple enemies, the GM may keep the specific nemesis secret, or have many of your enemies work together against you. If your nemesis is not already a challenging foe, it either advances in strength to become a challenging foe or allies with others to achieve a higher challenge rating.

Benefit: Having a nemesis drives you to excel in training. For each new level you gain in a favored class, including the level you gained when you chose this feat, you can choose two benefits instead of one. One of these benefits must be either a bonus hit point or a bonus skill point, even if other options are available.

Goal: Slay your nemesis. Causing your nemesis's death through your direct actions qualifies even if you do not strike the fatal blow, but another killing your nemesis without your involvement doesn't count.

Completion Benefit: You gain a +2 inherent bonus to an ability score of your choice. In addition, you may retroactively apply your extra favored class benefit to the favored class levels you gained before taking this feat.

Special: Thwarting your plans becomes an all-consuming goal for your nemesis. Your nemesis gains a +2 bonus on attack rolls and damage rolls against you. Whatever you try to achieve, your nemesis seeks to tear down.

Prophet (Story)

The truth has been revealed, and you have been chosen to deliver it.

Prerequisites: Ability to cast divine spells, and you must either have received a vision from your god (or another appropriate supernatural entity) or have the Marked by the Gods background.

Benefit: If you are nonevil and worship a nonevil deity, whenever you cast a beneficial spell on an ally you gain a +1 sacred bonus to AC for 1 round per spell level. If you are evil or worship an evil deity, whenever you cast a harmful spell on an enemy you gain a +1 profane bonus to AC for 1 round per spell level. Casting a spell on yourself does not count unless it also affects an ally.

Goal: Convert an appropriate number of creatures to the worship of your deity.

Completion Benefit: Your bonus to AC for casting beneficial or harmful spells on allies increases to +2, and the bonus also applies on saving throws for the same duration.

Redemption (Story)

Your past failure haunts you and drives you on.

Prerequisite: You must have lost class features by violating the code of conduct of a class that possesses such a code, or have the Dishonored Family background.

Benefit: As an immediate action, you can add a +1 bonus to the result of an ability check, attack roll, saving throw, or skill check you have just rolled by becoming shaken for 1 minute. You must choose before the result is revealed.

Goal: Regain any lost class features and complete a quest to prove your worth. In the course of completing this quest, you must decisively defeat a challenging foe. The quest should relate in some fashion to the transgression that removed your class abilities or led to you being disgraced.

Completion Benefit: You gain the ability to reroll a failed saving throw once per day. You must keep the result of the second roll, even if it is lower.

Shamed (Story)

A past humiliation haunts you to this day.

Prerequisite: You must have been publicly embarrassed, or must have the Bastard Born background. If the embarrassment didn't cause significant harm to your personal honor or social standing, it does not qualify for the feat prerequisites. The humiliation doesn't need to have been unjustified.

Benefit: Being observed drives you to excel. When you're in a conflict that is being observed by others not involved in the conflict, you gain a +1 bonus on attack rolls and skill checks.

Goal: You can complete this goal in one of two fashions. First, thwart a chosen foe in a fashion that clearly establishes your superiority to the general public. Second, prove your worth another way, like gaining a title or becoming the chosen hero of a region.

Completion Benefit: Your newfound confidence gives you temporary hit points equal to your character level. These temporary hit points last until lost and refresh any time you rest long enough for natural healing to occur, whether or not any healing actually occurs.

Stronghold (Story)

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.

Thief of Legend (Story)

More than just a burglar, you aspire to commit crimes of legendary stature.

Prerequisites: You must have stolen at least 1,000 gp worth of treasure without being caught and kept mementos of these thefts worth at least 500 gp, or have the Greed background.

Benefit: Once per day when you attempt a Disable Device check to open a lock or Sleight of Hand check to pick a pocket, you can roll twice and take the better result.

Goal: Steal a famous and well-guarded treasure worth at least 50,000 gp while leaving no evidence of your involvement behind. The treasure must be protected by a mix of at least 8 traps or challenging foes. Any guardians need not be defeated, merely bypassed. You don't need to keep the treasure, and you can boast of the theft afterward.

Completion Benefit: You gain the ability to reactively disarm a trap. When you trigger a trap, you can attempt a Disable Device check with a —5 penalty to interrupt the trap's function, leaving it still armed but effectively preventing it from activating. You can use this ability a number of times per day equal to 3 + your Intelligence modifier. Since the trap is still armed, it might activate again if you don't immediately back away or otherwise avoid repeating the act that set it off the first time.

Town Tamer (Story)

This town needs cleaning up, and you're just the one to do it.

Prerequisites: You must have 5 ranks in Intimidate and a personal motivation to clean up a particular town (such as an old friend calling in a favor, or seeking a place to settle down), or you must have the Bounty Hunter or Champion of the People background.

Benefit: Choose a particular settlement. When you're in your chosen settlement, the DC of Intimidate checks made against you increases by 10. You gain a +1 bonus on attack rolls and a +1 dodge bonus to AC against undesirable elements like criminals or ruffians in your chosen settlement. This bonus increases to +2 for combat maneuver checks.

Goal: Defeat 10 more troublemakers in your chosen settlement with a CR equal to your character level or higher, and in the process eliminate a serious criminal threat or otherwise clean up the streets.

Completion Benefit: You gain the ability to designate a new chosen settlement as often as you wish. You must first live in a settlement for 1 week to make it your chosen settlement. In addition, you gain a +2 bonus on initiative checks and a +1 bonus on saving throws when in your chosen settlement.

True Love (Story)

You found love, only to have it denied by the cruelty of fate.

Prerequisite: You must have found love with a person you can't be with, have a current lover, or have the Current Lover, For Love, or The Lover background. Possible complications include distance, your love being with another, your feelings being unrequited, or your relationship being forbidden.

Benefit: You add 1 to the save DC and caster level of your spells and spell-like abilities with the emotion descriptor. In addition, you gain a +2 bonus on Sense Motive checks. If you have 10 or more ranks in Sense Motive, this bonus increases to +4.

Goal: Find a way to be with your true love (even if you can't formally wed).

Completion Benefit: The inspiration of knowing your love waits for your return gives you a +2 bonus on attack rolls, saving throws, and skill checks whenever you are below a quarter of your total hit points (not counting any temporary hit points). You lose this completion benefit if your relationship with your true love comes to an end for any reason, including death.

Special: At the GM's discretion, you can find true love with a person other than the one you designated when you chose this feat. In this case, the love you initially chose was wrong for you, but this became obvious only when you found the one truly meant for you.

Unforgotten (Story)

You search for a person dear to you—lost, but you pray not dead.

Prerequisite: You must have a close relative, spouse, or other person dear to your heart who never returned from a journey, was captured, or otherwise vanished with little trace, or you have the Major Disaster background.

Benefit: Your dogged determination reduces any nonlethal damage you take by 1 point, to a minimum of 1 point of nonlethal damage. You also gain a +1 bonus on Will saves.

Goal: Find your lost loved one alive, and in the process, decisively defeat a challenging foe who kept you apart.

Completion Benefit: You gain a +1 bonus on all saving throws, replacing the +1 bonus on Will saves. If you find your loved one dead, you lose all benefits from this feat until you put the body and possibly soul to proper rest. Putting the body to rest restores the completion benefit, but you don't regain the ability to reduce nonlethal damage.

Vengeance (Story)

The need to avenge those you loved drives you to great deeds.

Prerequisite: You must have a close family member or other loved one slain by a specific challenging foe or that foe's minions, or have the Raiders or Vengeance background.

Benefit: You gain a +1 bonus on saving throws, attack rolls, and weapon damage rolls against your chosen foe and known minions of that foe.

Goal: Thwart your chosen foe.

Completion Benefit: You gain a +1 bonus on all saving throws. This bonus stacks with this feats's bonus against your foe and its minions, should they survive.