Free bonus feats - How to fluff it?

[ImperatorK]

I know there are magical locations that grant bonus feats for cash, but I don't know where to find them, so please inform me.
Also, if I would want to give some other feats for free, how could I fluff it? I mean other then a magical location.
I started to think about it when I was working on my homebrew vestige. I thought about how to introduce vestiges to my game, even when there would be no Binders in the team. Bind Vestige would help and they could easily learn it from a magical tome.

[Girshtop]

They could find a relic of their deity?

In an evil campaign I was in, we found a blight that was destroying a forest. After disposing of the good elves and dwarves (and beginning a city-wide war) around, we all got close to the blight and touched it, and we were granted special abilities. It was pretty cool.

Or maybe a wizard is running a lottery? First prize is extra feats, by use of wish.

I would totally get in on that lottery, even if it was expensive.

[Saintheart]

The gods intervene?

Come on, most of the time the theoretical gods of a setting don't seem to do much other than sit on the sidelines and wave little flags anyway. :smallbiggrin:

[JonestheSpy]

PC's find an old Tome with Secret Lore; studying Tome for x amount of time= gaining feat Y.

PC's meet Wise Old Teacher w/ Secret Lore; time spent training w/teacher = see above.

Unholy rituals to suck knowledge out of victims are good for evil types. My old fave game Runequest had a whole religion based on it (The Thanatar Headhunters).

[Girshtop]

I didn't say gods intervene, maybe they just found a powerful item of a champion that worshiped the same god.

Another suggestion if they're evil (or at least not good):

They somehow trap a part of a heroes soul in their body, which grants them new abilities.

That could play out some pretty cool role playing, or plot hooks.

[ffone]

One explanation that actually has a genre precedent (it must have a tvtropes.org entry) is the spirit of a decreased hero (or other skilled person, such as a protector of that location - good for a paladin/cleric/druid/ranger if it's a holy or nature-y site) who lends a piece of their own lifetime's knowledge to the living PC. In essence the bonus feat is you suddenly getting some of their memories, sort of like when Trinity 'downloads' helicopter piloting skills in The Matrix. This gives the DM the option of 'roleplaying' these spirits who ride along with the PC.

[Saintheart]

I didn't say gods intervene, maybe they just found a powerful item of a champion that worshiped the same god.

Sorry, I should've written it better: I was just suggesting that one explains the sudden presence of bonus feats as direct intervention by deities for whatever "destiny" reason you could come up with. :smallsmile:

[QuidEst]

You can also do a classic old lady at the crossroads, asking for a little food and water. If your players aren't genre savvy enough to be polite and lend a hand, that's their fault. XP I like pulling a little fairytale fluff into things.