Suggestion ( Prerequisites that require an alignment )


Homebrew and House Rules

Dark Archive

I only ask this because I am looking at the inner sea gods feat and see Measured Response has a prerequisite “worshiper of a good deity.”

In my option "worshiper of a good deity" is really not a stat to fill the prerequisite for a feat. It is almost like saying "your character must like ham." I've noticed there are not any feats (core feats) that have an alignment as a prerequisite. As a game mechanic it makes more since to have an alignment be a prerequisite because that is an actual mechanic already in the game (detect good, “heals good creatures of 1d4 points”, smite good, smite evil) all of these are mechanics that are already in the game and are currently working.

Alignment mechanics are an item that the gaming system can be built on. It adds role playing and game strategy to the table. If someone wanted to take a feat the required them to be good then they will have to RP a good aligned character, they’d get that feat from being good aligned then take the backlash from being good aligned also. But this is all in the cost of the feat.

But stating “worshiper of a good deity” states not much about the character but places an alignment requirement on the deity. Unlike a cleric a character can me any alignment distance from the deity. This prerequisite of referring a deity does not seem like a prerequisite because the PC is not giving up anything or working for anything. If you are good or evil you have act accordingly to keep that alignment, if you need +X bab for a feat you have to take a class or have work levels to get to that BAB, if you need X ability score you have to spend points in that ability and less in another. By worshiping a deity you can always worship that deity, even if your defile their holy place you can go back to worshipping them. Unlike divine casters you do not need atonement to just worship a deity.

Also since there are several gods you can worship several deities at ones. “The old and the new” This makes your select of these types of feats unlimited when in alignment you can have one alignment, G / LG / LN / N / NC and so on. There are several but you can only have one at a time

I know alignment is not totally governed in the game and the DM will call most alignment changes. I’ve love to have a paizo book that had an alignment system or actions and points that will show how a person can stay or change alignments But the “worshiper of a good deity” seems to be on a whim of the PC and ask for an alignment but the alignment of a friend of the PC.


The ones I can think of that use alignment are aligned channel and improved familiar both of which would stop working if you changed alignment. versatile channel requires you to be a cleric of a neutral deity which is not something easily changed.

If the feat is granting some sort of sliver of divine power alignment and significant worship should be required.

If it is a secret technique held by an elite group of worshipers once you learn it you can go back to burning down orphanages and kicking puppies no problem.

As far as measured response goes I see no reason that should have an alignment or deity worshiping prerequisite at all. I see no reason why and evil character cannot "believe that a conservative but consistent response guarantees success." I would simply remove that prerequisite if you want to use that feat in your game.


I agree with Bardarock. You really have a lot of options and one of which is just changing the prerequisite for you game.

Personally, I like to write up brief blurbs for religions (organized or otherwise), cults, heretical factions,and what not and determine what feats go with what group. Some groups share more "general" feats, while some are exclusive to the entity in question.

You have a lot of power as a GM to adjust things to you and your players tastes.

Community / Forums / Pathfinder / Pathfinder First Edition / Homebrew and House Rules / Suggestion ( Prerequisites that require an alignment ) All Messageboards

Want to post a reply? Sign in.