Alternate Class Features and Favored Class Bonus question


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Lets say I took an archetype that replaced the Warpriest's bonus feats with a sneak attack progression and took a race whose favored class bonus was 1/6 of a bonus feat. Does the bonus feat not being a class feature anymore negate the FCB bonus or would I still get a bonus feat after taking the FCB for 6 levels?


Adventure Path Charter Subscriber; Pathfinder Rulebook, Starfinder Adventure Path, Starfinder Roleplaying Game, Starfinder Society Subscriber

It depends on how the alternate favored class bonus is worded. Alternate favored class bonuses are usually written so that they are either additions to class features or more general bonuses/abilities (CMB with certain maneuvers, etc.).

Generally speaking, you can't "improve" an ability you don't have (although you can take the fractional bonus if you haven't yet reached the level that grants the feature, you can't apply it until the feature is actually gained); if the alternate favored class bonus adds to a class feature that was switched out in an archetype (or was not selected, if an ability has more than one option), then you can't apply the alternate favored class bonus. For example, a dwarf druid who selects an animal companion with Nature Bond cannot use the alternate favored class bonus to gain uses per day in a domain power (since the druid does not have a domain); a gnome vivisectionist alchemist cannot gain bomb uses through their favored class bonus, because they lack the bomb feature (traded out for Sneak Attack); bonuses to Trap Sense cannot be used with an invulnerable rager barbarian.

Nor can the alternate favored class bonus be used to improve the class feature that replaces the "normal" one. The invulnerable rager barbarian above cannot use the favored class bonus on Trap Sense to improve their Extreme Endurance, even though Extreme Endurance replaces Trap Sense and advances at the same rate.


It comes down to if the human 1/6 combat feats count as the class feature or if they are normal combat feats of whether you can do it or not.


Adventure Path Charter Subscriber; Pathfinder Rulebook, Starfinder Adventure Path, Starfinder Roleplaying Game, Starfinder Society Subscriber

"Gain 1/6 of a new bonus combat feat." (emphasis mine)

If the archetype completely trades out the bonus combat feats class feature, then the alternate favored class bonus can't be used to pick up bonus combat feats. However, if the archetype trades out some or even most of the bonus combat feats (such as the cult leader archetype; the bonus combat feats at 6th and 18th level are still gained), then the favored class bonus can still be used. Depending on the archetype, the character may have to wait a while (until they actually gain a bonus combat feat as a class feature) to benefit from the favored class bonus, though...

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