Initiate Feats

[The incredible, edible Phil]

The recent Player's Guide to Faerûn and Races of Destiny introduces Initiate Feats. These feats are similar to domains in that they grant a special ability but where they differ is that the Initiate Feat adds spells (usually deity specific) to a character's spell list rather than a bonus spell. Some are deity specific, others are for groups of deities.

It does provide some insight on how to further make clerics thematically aligned to their patron deity without necessarily resorting to a prestige class.

Here is an example of an Initiate Feat from Player's Guide to Faerûn:

Initiate of Nature [Initiate]

You have been initiated into the greatest secrets of Eldath's, Mielikki's, or Silvanus' church.

Prerequisites: Cleric or druid level 5th, patron deity Eldath, Mielikki, or Silvanus.

Benefit: You can rebuke or command animals or plant creatures as an evil cleric rebukes or commands undead. You can use this ability a number of times equal to 3 + your Charisma modifier.

In addition, you may add the following spells to your cleric or druid spell list:

3rd level Mold Touch
4th level Briartangle, Thorn Spray
5th level Fireward, Tree Healing

[The incredible, edible Phil]

Here are my thoughts on a potential the Initiate of Avani/Avanalae Feat:

You have been initiated into the greatest secrets of Avani's church:

Prerequisite: Cleric level 3rd, patron deity Avani/Avanalae, scion and/or khinasi

Benefit: You cast spells with the light descriptor at +2 class level.

In addition, you may add the following spells to your cleric spell list.

2nd level: Fox's cunning (PHB page 233)
4th level: Leomund's secure Shelter (PHB page 247)
6th level: Legend Lore (PHB page 246)
8th level: Purity of Reason (BRCS page 66)


Of course, if there are any other Avani only spells, these could easily be added or substituted into the above list.

[The incredible, edible Phil]

Here is my suggestion for an Initiate of Belinik Feat:

Prerequisites: Cleric level 5th, patron deity Belinik, scion and/or Vos

Benefit: Add Intimidate to your cleric class skills. You add your Strength Modifier in addition to your Charisma modifier on all Intimidate checks.

In addition, you may add the following spells to your cleric list:

1st level: Enlarge Person, Ray of Enfeeblement
3rd level: Rage
4th level: Fear

[RaspK_FOG]

I think your feats you have presented thus far are too good...

[The incredible, edible Phil]

I did base them off two similar divinities from Races of Destiny and Player's Guide to Faerûn (Belinik from Bane and Hextor and Avani from Lathander and Pelor) to get an idea of what powers could be in order, but there is no reason why they could not be scaled down a bit.

One way to go about this would perhaps be to make the requirements more strict. Seeing that these are the secrets of the church proper, the favored culture of some deities and/or being a scion would be logical. In the case of say Haelyn the character must be an Anuirean or a scion.

[Osprey]

I would increase the clerical level requirements to start with...the deepest secrets of a faith should be possessed by only a few of the most elite and devout members of a sect. Requiring a clerical level of say, 7th level or higher, really isn't unreasonable IMO, and does better represent the upper echelon of clergy in the BR setting.

[The incredible, edible Phil]

To be fair, I used the FRCS more than the Races of Destiny book to evaluate the power. I will scale them down a bit to better reflect the BR setting.

[The incredible, edible Phil]

Initiate of Cuiraécen:

Prerequisites: Cleric level 5th, patron deity Cuiraécen, scion

Benefit: You cast spells with the electricity descriptor or the word lightning or thunder in its name at +1 caster level.

In addition, you may add the following spells to your cleric spell list.

1st: Shocking grasp
2nd: Rage
3rd: Call Lightning, Lightning bolt

[The incredible, edible Phil]

Initiate of Eloéle

Prerequisite: Cleric level 5th, patron deity Eloéle, scion.

Benefit: You add Escape Artist and Sleight of Hand to your cleric class skill list.

In addition, you add the following spells to your cleric spell list.

3rd level: Night's Embrace
5th level: Gift of Eloéle
9th level: Deeper Night

[The incredible, edible Phil]

Initiate of Erik

Prerequisites: Cleric or Druid level 5th, patron deity Erik, scion and/or rjurik

Benefit: You get a +3 sacred bonus to Profession (herbalist).

In addition you may add the following spells to your cleric or druid spell list:

2nd level: Snare
3rd level: Nondetection
4th level: Hallucinatory Terrain

[Mark_Aurel]

I really like these feats. You have an excellent eye for mechanics, Phil.

On the other hand, I'm not entirely certain whether I like the concept of Initiate feats or not in the first place. In a way, they seem to reduce options, not increase them.

[The incredible, edible Phil]

One of the interresting things they did with initiate feats is that it allows clerics more leeway in their domain selection and it provides another possible requirement for deity-specific prestige classes or for expanded feats that work off the initiate.

However, where BR is "lacking" is in converted 3rd (or 3.5) edition deity-specific spells.

[Mark_Aurel]

I can see what you mean about more leeway in domain selection. Being a prestige class requirement isn't necessarily a good thing, however.

There are several different problems. First, some of these feats are good. They aren't no-brainers, but they're good enough to make a top 10 or top 20 list of most desirable feats. Not a problem in and of itself.

It becomes a problem, however, if the feats drive access to prestige classes that grant additional cool benefits. Then they sail straight up to the no-brainer category for a lot of characters.

The main problem, however, is that they sort of restrict character choice if you want to be a cleric of this god or that. No one is forcing you to take those feats, but the way they're made would sort of make a cleric of a specific god feel incomplete without them. That's the real problem, I think -- you'd be seeing a lot of 1st-level clerics with these feats, and thus less variety within the priesthoods. It's not a strong, tangible complaint, but I think it's a fairly strong intangible design flaw in these feats.

[The incredible, edible Phil]

Well using FR as a template as that is where the initiate feats first appeared, the initiate feats are fairly stronger not only in spell selection but also in the ability.


So far, a single PrC (Scourge Maiden) has required the Initiate of [Loviatar] feat (out of a possibility of 3 books, although none of them have focused much on the divine), but because of that requirement, compared to a similar PrC in 3e, it has fewer feat requirements. Afterall, part of the secrets of a clergy would be the PrCs. This frees up other feat slots some.

[irdeggman]

I also like the latest versions of these feats.

The bigggest problem I have with initiate feats (not your versions by the way) is that while they are based on deep commited devotion they are not written well. For example in Races of Destiny there are several of them that can be taken at 1st level. How can a character have demonstrated deep devotion and commitment at 1st level?

I like how you chose to maintain the concept of demonstrating the devotion by not allowing the feats to be taken at 1st level (or maybe just ignoring those that could, either way it was a wise decision IMO).