VoP Totemist, exalted feats?

[Darth Stabber]

So going over a build for a Human VoP totemist, I can't find enough exalted feats that are worth writing on the sheet. Assuming straight totemist 20 (built for multi-attack shenanigans), what am I going to spend that glut of feats on? (no additional vows, too restrictive).


Currently

Touch of Golden Ice (useful at low levels, some utility later given volume of attacks and likelyhood of nat 1 saving throws)

Nymph's kiss (free skill)

[tyckspoon]

Those are far and away the best of the Exalted feats. Since you're a Totemist, you'll probably get some use out of the ones that make your attacks Good, but they're not really compelling. Unless you homebrew (or go find some homebrew) some more Exalted feats, you pretty much just take whatever you qualify for because you have to spend the feat on something.

[Darth Stabber]

Toughness is better than several of the feats on that list. There a couple that are just good on their own merit, a couple that are good for the right build, a couple that are feat taxes, and the rest are just crap. I suppose that I could spend a feat on that anti-ability damage soulmeld, and be a stigmata healer.

[Zaq]

You simply can't use (and/or can't qualify for) Celestial Familiar, Celestial Mount, Consecrate Spell Trigger, Exalted Companion, Exalted Smite, Exalted Turning, Exalted Wild Shape, Fist of the Heavens, Gift of Grace, Hands of a Healer, Holy Subdual, Nemesis, Purify Spell Trigger, Ranged Smite Evil, Righteous Wrath, Sacred Strike, Sanctify Ki Strike, or Sanctify Weapon.

Totemists have Wild Empathy, so if you have a good CHA score for any other reason (maybe Imperious Command?), you can use Animal Friend.

I think you technically qualify for Exalted Spell Resistance if you use the Dread Carapace (or drop a feat on getting the Spellward Shirt).

All of the "+1 bonus 1/day" ones are really lame, so take whichever one you qualify for when you've run out of everything else.

Gift of Faith is very niche, but at least you can technically use it.

Intuitive Attack doesn't do much if you already have good STR (which I assume you do), but if you wanted to not worry about STR, it could work. Watch your damage potential, though.

Nimbus of Light, Holy Radiance, and Stigmata are kind of funny. Not very useful without some measure of breaking RAI, but eh.

Quell the Profane works with melee weapons and unarmed strikes, not natural attacks. Pity, because a typical Totemist blender makes enough attack rolls that a good few of them will be crits.

You can always take more Vows, though very few of them tend to be worth it.

Sanctify Natural Attack is made for Totemists. Take it.

You probably lack the stats for Words of Creation, and it doesn't really help you that much, but if you qualify, you can burn a feat on Shape Soulmeld: Strongheart Vest to reduce the damage you'll take by using it.

So yeah. The only one that jumps out is Sanctify Natural Attack.

[Darth Stabber]

I think given I will end up with stigmata (just to fill slots) burning a real feat for Stronheart vest maybe the win. If I do have the stats for it, words of creation would be not useless.

Forgot about sanctify natural attack, that is pretty much an auto-include

lvl2 - Touch of Golden Ice
lvl4 - Nymph's kiss
lvl6 - Sanctify Natural Attack
lvl8 - Nimbus of Light
lvl10 - Holy Radiance
lvl12 - Stigmata (also using a real feat for Strongheart vest)
lvl14 - Animal friend
lvl16 - Knight of the Stars
lvl18 - ???
lvl20 - ???

I need to fill 2 more, and figure out what charity gets all my money. How's about an animals shelter?

[Darth Stabber]

Does VoP allow me to have pets via handle animal?

[brujon]

Does VoP allow me to have pets via handle animal?

Yes and No. You won't actually spend any money to approach, gain the confidence and later train these animals if you're living in the wild or near the wild, and as long as you can provide free food for them, they're not costing you any money. But, here's the catch: Some DM's will consider them to be material posessions, because you can sell trained animals in D&D. They have a price tag on them. So, a light horse? 75gp. You can find one in the wild and train it, but now, oh hey look, you have 75gp in material posessions, tough luck pal. Discuss this with your DM beforehand, or else you may find yourself 2 feats short and shafted of equipment. I know because i'm currently playing a VoP Druid, so... Yeah. I discussed it beforehand and for me it's a no-no.

[gkathellar]

If you can use Homebrew, I suggest this VoP/Totemist fusion class. (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?t=172094)

[lunar2]

nymph's kiss would be better for your first level exalted bonus feat. that way you get a bunch more skill points out of it. really, though, VOP would probably work better with an incarnate, because they have a wider variety of abilities to tie into the wide variety of semi-worthless feats. or, if you have a particularly nice dm, ask him if instead of an exalted bonus feat every other level, you can have a general bonus feat every 3rd level. you get less feats, but you get better feats.

[gkathellar]

Incarnate doesn't get you a +5 enhancement bonus and solid DR penetration on every one of your ridiculous number of natural weapons without any Essentia investment.

[Person_Man]

If you can use Homebrew, I suggest this VoP/Totemist fusion class. (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?t=172094)

I also suggest the Forsaker Totemist, and not just because I wrote it and enjoy shamelessly promoting myself. It's actually a fairly balanced class that I and a few other Playgrounders have play tested with good results. When this thread popped up, it reminded me to make a minor mechanical tweaks based on that play testing, which I've since added. So if there are any thoughts on it, please let me know.

[Mephibosheth]

Another homebrew option would be to select some of the feats in one of these (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?t=164659)threads (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?t=207221). A lot of new options!

[Gotterdammerung]

Does VoP allow me to have pets via handle animal?

yes, you just need to have the roleplay attitude that they are your friends and don't belong to you.

You have to do the training yourself as you have no money to train them.

But this is easily done with wild empathy and handle animal. 2 skills which a totemist can raise into the stratosphere.

There is also a open ended feat in the arms and equipment guide that will let you use handle animal to train creatures of 4 int or lower.

It is called " " trainer. And you fill in the " " when you take the feat. You can take the feat multiple times. Each time it allows you to train a different type.
Example: Magical Beast Trainer
Example2 Aberration Trainer


You can also dip one level into beast heart adept without hurting your progression much.

For the dip you gain monster empathy. Which is basically a wild empathy compatible ability that lets you wild empathy magical beast no matter what intelligence they have.

And you gain a Beast companion- which is like an animal companion but chosen from a list of magical beasts.
Work with your GM for a feat that will stack your totemist lvls with your beast heart adept lvls for purposes of your beast companion if you want it to remain viable.


If a GM tries to say your pets are Possessions because they cost money, remind him that they do not belong to you, and they are just loyal friends. If he still is stubborn, remind him that each and everyone of your party members is worth money on the slave market. If you can adventure with your party without losing your vow, then you should be able to adventure with your gray renders, blink dogs, manticores, and eventually, your Tarrasque.



Although, a character like this is really hurt by the vow of poverty. Mainly because training exotic animals and selling them, is a very powerful way to get above WBL. The monsters you train fetch a hefty price, and are in high demand. They don't cost much to train. And you can use magic items to feed them. There are tons of magic items that magically provide food in order to bypass the monotony of keeping up with sustenance in game. you can use these items to feed your pets for free. And often times they are important. For instance, when you train the Tarrasque you have to break his habit of gorging himself and then hibernating. The creature has grown so big that it is not possible for him to sustain his diet. In response he awakens and gorges himself, then retreats to hibernate to slow his metabolism and make the big meal last longer. With a magic item of infinite food and your +80ish monster empathy/handle animal check, you can train a monster like that to quit hibernating.

[daremetoidareyo]

There are two more set of feats that you missed: Champions of Valor and Players guide to faerun

Here are the only ones even remotely useful.

defender of the homeland provides immunity to fear in your homeland in addition to a +1 sacred bonus to your AC, which I assume stacks with vow of poverty, for no good reason.

Knight of Tyr's merciful sword: 1/week sense the biggest evil around you in a straight line distance.

Lilira's Blessing: get a second chance to break entanglements and stuns

Gift of discernment: know if the DM plans on boning you out of your vow of poverty if you proceed with this plan.