"If the gendarme has already selected all of the listed feats, then he may select his bonus feats from those feats listed as combat feats" So if you have already taken Mounted Combat and Ride-by attack you can select 2 additional feats from the Combat Feats.
The Charge does not have to be on Horse-back, that is why Spring Attack is there. The Archetype is not like a Monk where prerequisites can be ignored, so it you cannot take any of the feats you miss out. (I think it unlikely that you will not have a strength of 13 or 1 rank in Ride at first level and be choosing this class - that would cover you for the bonus 1st and 5th level feats). So this should only be an issue at Level 20 when you are taking the last choice which you may not have the Dodge and Mobility to take.
|
I'm just interested now because of the gendarme and his little list of specific bonus feats, and whether he needs to meet the prerequisites for them. Im guessing the cavalier must, since the typical bonus feats he gains at 6th need to have prerequisites met, and his tactician feats need to meet prereqs. Was just hoping for an easy yes/no :)
| 1 person marked this as a favorite. |
So its 2015, has anyone seen a ruling by Paizo on gendarme bonus feats as needing the prereqs to take them?
Honestly, the real question here is whether or not a class feature or option that grants a bonus feat ignores prerequisites. A sort of, "What's the default assumption." because there are class features that state that you need to meet the prerequisites (such as is with fighter bonus feats) and ones that state that you don't (such as monk and ranger bonus feats).
So, let's figure out the best ruling for this. This is what the Genedarme says:
A gendarme trains to be a mounted terror, almost to the exclusion of all other abilities. He gains bonus feats at 1st level, 5th level, and then every three levels thereafter, but must select these bonus feats from the following list: Improved Bull Rush, Mounted Combat, Power Attack, Ride-by Attack, Spirited Charge, Spring Attack, and Unseat. If the gendarme has already selected all of the listed feats, then he may select his bonus feats from those feats listed as Combat Feats.
This ability replaces tactician, greater tactician, master tactician, and the standard cavalier’s selection of bonus feats.
The important thing to note here is that this replaces the standard cavalier's selection of bonus feats.
Now, this is what the standard cavalier's list of bonus feats says:
At 6th level, and at every six levels thereafter, a cavalier gains a bonus feat in addition to those gained from normal advancement. These bonus feats must be selected from those listed as combat feats. The cavalier must meet the prerequisites of these bonus feats.
So if we look at this, the standard cavalier clearly requires that you meet the prerequisites while the genedarme doesn't mention it. But the standard genedarme replaces the standard bonus feat class feature.
In the Advanced Class Guide (which was written AFTER Ultimate Combat, where the genedarme was published), the book notes the difference between altering a class feature and replacing a class feature. When you replace it, its gone. Poof. Nothing left. When you alter a class feature, it is assumed that the class feature is unchanged except for what is noted as being changed in the archetype.
So it standard to reason that if the genedarme was printed today, it might have very well had its alterations written as such: "This ability replaces tactician, greater tactician, and master tactician, and alters the standard cavalier’s selection of bonus feats." If it had been written like that in the Advanced Class Guide, then the standard cavalier's requirements would have been grandfathered in, which seems to have been the intent anyway because no concessions are made by the class feature. Typically, bonus feats tell you if you need to meet the prerequisites or not. (The big exception to this are rogue talents, which also don't mention if you need to meet their prerequisites sans combat trick.)
The default assumption is that you must always meet prerequisites unless the ability says otherwise.
You can't delay a feat, so you need to take one. I struggle to figure out how you build a character that can't take any of the available feats?
Easy. You just take feats that are bonus as normal feats and leave dodge and mobility for last.
8th level human gendarme1st: Power attack, Imm bull rush, Mounted Combat
3rd: Ride-by Attack
5th: Spirited Charge, Unseat
7th: Dodge
8th: can't take Spring Attack as they haven't taken mobility yet and it's the only bonus feat left.
The base assumption is that you must meet the prerequisites for any feats you select, bonus or otherwise. In my opinion, the primary reason many class features which granted limited lists of bonus feats still specified you must meet the prerequisites of said Bonus Feats was to make it explicitly clear those class features worked differently than Ranger Combat Styles. Sort of an example of CYA backfiring I suppose.
I guess the take away here is if you are building a Gendarme, don't leave yourself in a position where you cannot take the one of the remaining feats at any given level you gain a bonus feat?
That's a lot of contortions to be unable to take spring attack.
Don't put yourself in that position.
While it's easy to avoid it's also easy to "figure out how you build a character" that doesn't avoid it. No contortions needed, just taking useful feats from the list and getting closer to picking any combat feats as bonuses. The only thing different is that the prerequisites for the bonus feat are all there except for spring attacks, so you have to go out of your way to pick them up. While an experienced player will note this right away a new one might miss it until it's too late.
A new player will also have a GM who can fix it. This isn't like WoW where you botch your character you need to start over a new one.
Haven't been able to do that in years just a small gold expenditure and your back on track.
When James has an opinion, he has an excellent track record at eventually finding support from future rulings.
It's my admittedly cynical opinion that habitually taking the least-enabling interpretation has worked well, in that regard, not because in every case such interpretation is otherwise sound, but because in every case a least-enabling ruling leaves more enabling to be sold in future texts.
How often does a ruling open new avenues of design? How often does a ruling close them? Is there an imbalance? Why?
Is the design team's motivation more to support your character built on last year's books, or more to reclaim whatever design space they can, to sell you more again, in this year's books?
I don't mean to suggest that James is like the proverbial Barber, who you should not ask if you need a haircut. Only that James demonstrably prefers short hair, as one might expect the barbers do.
I myself have very long hair.