Mercantile Background + Outsider Type

[Yogibear41]

Is there a way that I can take the Mercantile Background feat: which is normally limited to Dwarves, Gnomes, Halfling, or Humans as a planetouched?

Basically I want a character with the outsider type and this regional feat at level 1 without using a spell or prestige class to magically change my type. Is that possible within the rules?

[daremetoidareyo]

Is there a way that I can take the Mercantile Background feat: which is normally limited to Dwarves, Gnomes, Halfling, or Humans as a planetouched?

Basically I want a character with the outsider type and this regional feat at level 1 without using a spell or prestige class to magically change my type. Is that possible within the rules?

3.0 rules allowed 2 ranks in knowledge local (Where the feat is granted) to substitute the racial prereq

[PoeticallyPsyco]

Pretty easy with the variant rule that you can take flaws for bonus feats (which I do actually recommend, because a few extra feats goes a long way towards making builds interesting sooner and also means you can take some just for flavor). Planetouched of your choice + Human Heritage feat to change your type to Humanoid (augmented outsider, human, +whatever other subtypes you had) and a flaw for Mercantile Background, with 4 extra skill points as a bonus. You keep all the outsider traits but qualify for the feat.

Without that... yeah, I got nothing. I was thinking of using the Otherworldly feat, but that's also a regional feat, so you can't have both it and Mercantile Background.

[Yogibear41]

Pretty easy with the variant rule that you can take flaws for bonus feats (which I do actually recommend, because a few extra feats goes a long way towards making builds interesting sooner and also means you can take some just for flavor). Planetouched of your choice + Human Heritage feat to change your type to Humanoid (augmented outsider, human, +whatever other subtypes you had) and a flaw for Mercantile Background, with 4 extra skill points as a bonus. You keep all the outsider traits but qualify for the feat.

Without that... yeah, I got nothing. I was thinking of using the Otherworldly feat, but that's also a regional feat, so you can't have both it and Mercantile Background.

I checked that feat already, it changes your type to humanoid, you are not an outsider anymore. I need to have the outsider type.

[PoeticallyPsyco]

I checked that feat already, it changes your type to humanoid, you are not an outsider anymore. I need to have the outsider type.

Ah, wasn't sure if you needed the outsider type or just outsider traits.

Hmm. Actually, a savage progression (http://archive.wizards.com/default.asp?x=dnd/arch/sp) would work. After spending 1st level as a human with Mercantile Background (or any of the other races that qualify), a single level in Half-Fiend (http://archive.wizards.com/default.asp?x=dnd/sp/20031010a) (easily converted to Half-Celestial) nets you the outsider type. Not technically a planetouched, but effectively one, as you're a LA +1 outsider themed off the afterlife planes.

[Kalkra]

There's the Old Blood feat from Bastards and Bloodlines if you're okay with 3rd party stuff.

[Troacctid]

Why not be a dwarf or halfling planetouched? Azerbloods (dwarves with azer heritage) and d'hin'ni (halflings with djinn heritage) are planetouched outsiders that count as dwarves/halflings respectively. Both from Dragon #350. You could also take the Mulhorandi divine minion template for +1 LA.

EDIT: They are explicitly treated as shield dwarves and lightfoot halflings for the purpose of regional requirements.

[Thurbane]

There's also the Maeluth, from Fiend Folio (p.136): it has "Dwarf Traits" - depending on how you read it, this could qualify them to take the Mercantile Background feat.

[Biffoniacus_Furiou]

Half-Humans and Humanlike Races alternate rule, Races of Destiny p150 sidebar. You'll just count as having the human subtype instead of any subtypes you otherwise would have been able to count as (but you're still a native outsider). This will allow you to gain regional feats as though you were a human, although you may need to take Human Heritage in that same book for it to work, depending on your DM.

[daremetoidareyo]

Be a petitioner from manual of the planes, slap dragonborn on that bad boy and leave heaven to go adventuring some more.