If you go the Evangelist prc route but only take it through lvl7, what happens when you reach 20HD? Do you gain the 3rd Evangelist Boon or the 3rd Exalted boon?
By RAI I think you'd gain the boons appropriate to your prestige class, but I've been on the internet long enough to know people will disagree vehemently.
If you have levels in the evangelist, exalted, or sentinel prestige classes, you gain access to these boons at lower levels as a benefit of your prestige class. If you have no levels in one of these prestige classes, you gain the boons marked as exalted boons. If you later take levels in sentinel or evangelist, you lose access to the exalted boons and gain access to the new boons appropriate to your class.
I'd argue that, because you "have levels in one of these prestige classes" (and it isn't exalted), you couldn't gain the level 20 exalted boon.
That's what I figured, but it's an odd case of a feat changing what it does with how a prc works. Especially, when you don't see the prc to the end.
By RAI I think you'd gain the boons appropriate to your prestige class, but I've been on the internet long enough to know people will disagree vehemently.
If you have levels in the evangelist, exalted, or sentinel prestige classes, you gain access to these boons at lower levels as a benefit of your prestige class. If you have no levels in one of these prestige classes, you gain the boons marked as exalted boons.[b] If you later take levels in sentinel or evangelist, you lose access to the exalted boons and gain access to the new boons appropriate to your class[/ bbn].I'd argue that, because you "have levels in one of these prestige classes" (and it isn't exalted), you couldn't gain the level 20 exalted boon.
I agree, by strict RAW this seems correct. I changed the emphasis in thebquoted section because I believe it's relevant. I would also add that if you get to 20HD you would qualify for the 3rd Evangelist boon dispite not being a 9th level Evangelist - The Evangelist grants early access, but doesn't disqualify the benefits of the base feat (aside from changing which boons you get).
I'm sure someone will disagree with me =P