Duelist - combat reflexes ability as feat prerequisite?


Rules Questions


From the duelist class description:

"At 4th level, a duelist gains the benefit of the Combat Reflexes feat when using a light or one-handed piercing weapon."

The question is, can I use this to get feats that require 'combat reflexes' as a prerequisite, e.g 'stand still', 'bodyguard'?


Absolutely.

Just keep that weapon around so that you can use the feat. Lacking access to a death shuts off things that branch off from it. I doubt it will be an issue given weapon choices.


Cavall wrote:

Absolutely.

Just keep that weapon around so that you can use the feat. Lacking access to a death shuts off things that branch off from it. I doubt it will be an issue given weapon choices.

I'm ok with the downside. If the DM takes away my dueling sword I'm severely nerfed anyways.

Is this you interpretation, or do you know if pathfinder material refers to this "benefit of a feat" language/implications somewhere?

P.S I am aware that I can easily request a home-rule, but it gives me some satisfaction to know if what I'm doing is "officially" legit. I guess that makes me a bit of a lawyer.


So, there isn't exactly a RAW or "legit" answer to this as far as I know. Cavall is correct that if you lose access to a feat or ability which is a pre-requisite for others, you lose all of them. However, there is a problem here: you have the benefit of Combat Reflexes in a specific circumstance. Is that circumstance sufficient to allow you to take a feat as a character which requires it? There is not a clear statement I have seen one way or the other. I've seen arguments saying you cannot, because your feat selections should be considered separate from anything else ; I've seen arguments suggesting that having a feat like Alertness from a familiar would be sufficient (class feature) where an Ioun Stone (purchased item) would not be; and I've seen the most permissive where it all works and you can take what you want.

If this is for PFS, I recommend finding a different way to handle it - get the feats you want as bonus feats, or take Combat Reflexes explicitly.. For anything else, ask your GM.

Edit: Just parsed from your wording that this would be a non-PFS game. Whoops. To answer directly: as best I know, Paizo has published language regarding losing pre-req feats, but none about qualifying for later feats in a chain with a circumstantial pre-req.


Pathfinder has a long history of saying if you gain an ability "like" a feat in all respects, you have that feat.

This is giving you that feat in all respects so long as you do one thing (hold a certain weapon.) Yeah you're good to go.

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