Feats are special talents or training which a character gains as they advance in level. Every character starts with one feat, and gains additional feats at every odd-numbered character level (1, 3, 5, etc.). You can also gain additional feats (“Bonus Feats”) from your race or class.
Feats are an important way to customize your character, and help to distinguish your character from other characters of the same race and class. Most rulebooks published by Paizo contain new feats, but if you want to take a look at some feats so start with, look at the list of Core Rulebook Feats on the legacy Pathfinder SRD. Note that the table of Feats lists a shortened description of the feat under “Benefits”, and these descriptions can sometimes be misleading or inaccurate. Be sure to read the feat’s full text before getting excited.
Some feats provide passive bonuses that add to modifiers, or increase some other aspect of your character. Other feats might provide new actions which you can take, or might allow you to turn the feat on and off to modify other actions.
Feat Descriptions
Feat Name: The feat’s name also indicates what subcategory, if any, the feat belongs to, and is followed by a basic description of what the feat does.
Prerequisite: A minimum ability score, another feat or feats, a minimum base attack bonus, a minimum number of ranks in one or more skills, or anything else required in order to take the feat. This entry is absent if a feat has no prerequisite. A feat may have more than one prerequisite.
Benefit: What the feat enables the character (“you” in the feat description) to do. If a character has the same feat more than once, its benefits do not stack unless indicated otherwise in the description.
Normal: What a character who does not have this feat is limited to or restricted from doing. If not having the feat causes no particular drawback, this entry is absent.
Special: Additional unusual facts about the feat.
Example Feat
Exotic Weapon Proficiency (Combat)
Choose one type of exotic weapon, such as the spiked chain or whip. You understand how to use that type of exotic weapon in combat, and can utilize any special tricks or qualities that exotic weapon might allow.
Prerequisite: Base attack bonus +1.
Benefit: You make attack rolls with the weapon normally.
Normal: A character who uses a weapon with which he is not proficient takes a –4 penalty on attack rolls.
Special: You can gain Exotic Weapon Proficiency multiple times. Each time you take the feat, it applies to a new type of exotic weapon.
