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My question is very simple: can you leave a feat slot open and fill it at a later time?
For a bit of explanation, I'm building a summoner. I plan on taking Extra Evolution as many times as possible. I qualify to take it again at 10th level, except that a summoner obviously doesn't get a feat at 10th level. OK, no big deal, I'll take it at 11th. But how about at 20th? I would once again qualify to take it at 20th level, but again do not receive a feat at that level, meaning the campaign would need to extend into epic levels in order to take it again.
I don't see anything that says that you absolutely must fill your feat slots (or spend all of your skill points) as soon as you get them, but I'm assuming you probably do. I'm just here to confirm.
My question is very simple: can you leave a feat slot open and fill it at a later time?No. You have to meet the prerequisites by the time you get the slot.
Where is it stated that you have to pick a feat immediatly when you can have one ? Same for the skill points, where is it stated you have to spend all your skill points when you've got them ?
Well it really doesn't concern me at all since I houserule that you can pick a feat without meeting the pre-requisite (but not use it) in my games... And it's far for being over powered at my table... But I want to know nonetheless... ;)
From the core rulebook, Character Advancement section:
When adding new levels of an existing class or adding levels of a new class ... Finally, add new skills and feats.
Through logical implication, there is no option here. It states "add new skills and feats" and does not give you an option to do otherwise. This directly implies you must add your skills and feats upon acquiring them, and is how I've always interpreted it as well. I was only looking for confirmation.
I would allow a player to do this, but only if the character was being played. As in, you can't do this if you start at a higher level.
You have to take feats as soon as you get them, and must meet the prereqs, RAW. However, Ultimate Campaign's retraining rules might help out here...
RAW and RAI you have to take the feats as you level up. I would allow having a PC specifically choose not to level up while he waited for some circumstance to change, however.
As Derek mentioned, you could simply take a feat when you level up and then retrain said feat when you qualify for whatever other feat you'd rather have.
From a pure rules lawyer standpoint I definitely dont feel that raw implicitly requires it. With a mind for pathfinder's notoriety for having such loose wording... Leaving so much room for interpretation... I'd actually allow it. The player has to slog through the lower levels without the benefit of whatever he could have put in that feat slot... Talk about giving fighter some of his power back. Who HASNT been arguing for that this whole time... RAW isnt written enough to be incontrovertable... I'm gonna have to go with RAI... And RAI for me personally would be that you can hold on to them. YMMV. I cant say that I would be afraid of what possibilities it would unlock if you allowed it anyway...
I asked this of Jason Bulmahn. He confirmed the answer above, that no you cannot put off taking a feat until later when you level.
Jason's thread
My question and his answer are on pg 7 of the thread
It should be noted that soon after my question JB re-named his thread "Ask Jason Bulmahn all your NON-RULES questions here"
But I'm sure that was just a co-incidence.
Right?