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Can you cast the Helping Hands spell to let you qualify for feats that require 4 hands, such as Four-Handed Hacker? The spell states that you actually grow extra hands, so it's not just some conjuration like unseen servant helping you out, they are YOUR hands for the duration of the spell. Additionally, Four-Handed Hacker doesn't say anything about you needing to be a race with 4 arms, just that you need "four or more hands" (specifically hands not arms).
Obviously if this works, you would only benefit from the feat while the spell was active, of course. But does it work?
Source Galactic Magic pg. 76
Classes Technomancer 1, Witchwarper 1
School transmutation
Casting Time 1 standard action
Range close (25 ft. + 5 ft./2 levels)
Targets one willing creature
Duration 1 minute/level
Saving Throw none; Spell Resistance yes (harmless)
Description
First developed by resourceful skittermander technomancers, you or a targeted creature sprout two vestigial hands that can hold and manipulate objects. While this spell is active, the target gains a +2 circumstance bonus to Engineering and Sleight of Hand checks. Each round, this spell grants the target one additional move action that can be used to manipulate objects, such as to activate an item, draw a weapon, or reload a weapon. This spell doesn't allow the target to attempt additional attacks.
Source Character Operations Manual pg. 21
When you hack a computer, it’s a two-front war.
Prerequisites: Computers 1 rank, four or more hands.
Benefit: When you use the hack system task of Computers, if you have two hacking kits, your hacking attempt takes half the time (minimum 1 full action). You can also add, destroy, disable, remove, or repair a system or module in half the usual time.
Followup question: Could Helping Hands be used to qualify for feats that require 4 arms (not just hands) such as Fusilade. I think a strict RAW reading would be no, since technically Helping Hands says nothing about giving you arms, just hands. Though I have a feeling it's intention was to give full arms because having JUST hands grow out of your body without arms attached is kind of a horrific image...
You use your numerous limbs to lay down a hail of fire.
Prerequisites: Base attack bonus +1, four or more arms.
Benefit: As a full attack when you are wielding four or more identical small arms, you can fire them all simultaneously to duplicate the effects of an automatic weapon. You use all of the ammunition in all the small arms used, and you treat this as an attack in automatic Mode. Add all the ammunition expended from all of your small arms when determining the maximum number of creatures you can hit.
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I believe it does not let you take the feat because it's a temporary effect.
You must qualify to take the feat at the time you select the feat. Since this isn't really a precise moment during the game, and you can't time when it happens. You wouldn't be able to make sure that the spell is active during the level up process.
It is possible to qualify for this feat if you buy a dual cybernetic arm augmentation (level 14). You could later replace this augmentation and lose the benefits of the feat. At that point using the helping hands spell would allow you to temporarily regain the benefits of the feat.
If you're not playing in organized play your GM could make an exception, and allow you to take a feat you only qualify for some of the time. Which i feel is completely reasonable in this situation.
For your followup question, i'm not so sure helping hands is supposed to grant arms. It specifically says vestigial hands. Which implies that they are not as capable or developed as your regular hands.
That said, if your GM allows you to qualify for feats using spells, i think also allowing fusilade through helping hands is perfectly fine. It's not good enough that it needs to be reserved for only a select few species (I personally think it's pretty bad), and you'll only be able to use it if you have the spell active and have spent actions drawing at least two more guns.
No.
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Thanks Felix Cohen for the well thought out response.
Yeah I think I'm in agreement there too, I think RAW it only works if you could time the spell duration with a level up, which would depend on table variation and when the GM actually performs level advancement. Some GMs level you up immediately when you get XP, others wait until after the session, or after a full rest.
My GM has already allowed this, and I've allowed similar at my tables, but i just wanted to check on the RAWness of it. But I think most GMs would probably allow this since the player isn't trying to unconditionally get something they only conditionally qualify for, they are trying to conditionally get something they conditionally qualify for, which is perfectly reasonable for non-organized play.
Thanks for the help!
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I agree with the above: if you want to use one of your precious few feats on something that will only benefit you when you have a specific spell in effect, go for it. The RAW-ness is a bit wibbly, but the end effect is a voluntary self-nerf: spending class resources (i.e., a feat) on something that you won't be able to use most of the time.
Plus, by mid-level, you can grab one extra arm, and then at higher levels, take the double version. Heck, there's even things like the evolutionist's extra arm, which sort of flirt with the same idea. So by the end of your adventuring career, you'd be good to go!