As I mentioned in a prior post, I’d like to integrate Monte Cook’s Arcana Unearthed ruleset with the recently released Pathfinder ruleset. I really like the magic system and the flavor of the world is not to be missed. One of the first things that I felt needed to be integrated is the feat system, so I went throw the rulebook feat by feat and compared the feats to what is currently offered under the Pathfinder Rules set.
Monte Cooke had introduced a couple of new concepts in his Arcana Unearthed rules: Ceremonials Feats and Talents. The world of Arcana Unearthed utilized a lot of ceremony and ritual, and Monte classified these feats to codify the rule significance of going through certain ceremonies. From a rules point of view, these feats don’t really pose any problem being directly translated over to Pathfinder rules. Monte Cook called for giving every race an additional ceremonial feat at first level, but that’s not because Ceremonial Feats were categorically weaker. Ceremonial feats are just as powerful if not more powerful than the other feats, so they pose no problem in doing a straight across feat for feat integration.
Talents, however, are a different story. In the Unearthed Arcana rules system, a talent was a feat that could only be taken at first level. Because of this restriction, he made a talent slightly stronger that other feats. For instance, Monte’s version of Skill Focus gives a +3 bonus to the selected skill, while the talent Affinity with Skill gives a +4. Note that the Skill Focus feat was one of many departures from the existing 3.0 D&D rules (which only gave a +2 bonus for Skill Focus at the time) that would later be officially added into the 3.5 or Pathfinder revision. Unearthed Arcana has a many such ideas that, even today, represent a significant step forward for the Pathfinder rules set; my absolute favorite among them is a completely unified magic system.
For the Pathfinder Rules, Monte Cook’s talent feats are actually very simply to integrate because Pathfinder has, essentially, adopted their conventions. In the Pathfinder Adventure Path: Council of Thieves #1 – The Bastards of Erebus, there is an extensive right up on tieflings that includes a few feats that allow you more variation in the character creation stage. These tiefling-related feats have to be taken at first level, which makes then exactly the same as talents. Furthermore, Pathfinder has added traits, which are essentially “half feats” that must be taken at first level. Since Pathfinder recommends two traits (or half-feats) at character creation, you can easily add Monte Cook’s talent feats as simply “double traits.” That is, instead of getting two traits, you’d get one of the talent feats.
With these conventions, you can adopt the entire Unearthed Arcana feat system under the Pathfinder rules. All that would be left to do is go feat by feat through the rulebook and compare each feat to what’s now existing under the Pathfinder rules, which is exactly what I did. For each feat, I decided whether the feat was:
- Exactly the same as a current feat already in the Pathfinder rules. Some feats, such as Martial Weapon Proficiency, simply haven’t changed at all over time.
- An feat that was simply out of date, or deprecated. That is, the Unearthed Arcana feat was speaking to a concept that had been updated in the new Pathfinder rules. In such cases, I gave the comparable Pathfinder feat that should be used instead.
- In need of slight modification. For insteance, a feat that gives a bonus to Bluff and Gather Information, should instead give a bonus to Bluff and Diplomacy.
- An entirely viable feat that would be a great addition to any Pathfinder game.
Without further ado, here is my feat by feat update of Monte Cook’s Unearthed Arcana for the Pathfinder rules system.
| Arcana Unearthed Feat | Status |
| Affinity with Skill | Viable is using Talents |
| Aid Spellcasting | Viable |
| Ambidexterity | Viable if using Talents |
| Armor Prof, Exotic | Viable if using Exotic Armor |
| Arm Prof. Heavy | Same as Pathfinder |
| Armor Prof, Light | Same as Pathfinder |
| Armor Prof, Mediun | Same as Pathfinder |
| Attune to Magic Item | Viable |
| Battle Mage | Viable |
| Bite | Viable |
| Blessed Mage | Viable |
| Blood as Power | Viable, but 0-level spells already do not use a spell slot. Also, hps expenditures should be doubled for wizards casting spells from restricted schools. |
| Bloody Strike | Viable |
| Bonded Item | Viable |
| Born Hero | Viable is using Hero Points |
| Born Leader | Viable if using Talents |
| Brandish Magical Might | Viable |
| Chi-Julud | Viable |
| Cleave | Deprecated. Use Pathfinder Feat: Cleave |
| Cleave, Improved | Deprecated. Use Pathfinder Feat: Great Cleave |
| Combat Reflexes | Same as Pathfinder |
| Compensate for Size | Viable |
| Complex Spell | Viable |
| Conjure Mastery | Deprecated. Use Pathfinder Feat: Augment Summoning |
| Corrupt Mage | Viable |
| Craft Charged Item | Deprecated. Use Pathfinder Feat: Craft Wand |
| Craft Constant Item | Deprecated. Use Pathfinder Feat: Craft Wonderous Item |
| Craft Magic Arms and Armor | Deprecated. Use Pathfinder Feat: Craft Magic Arms and Armor |
| Craft Spell Completion Item | Deprecated. Use Pathfinder Feat: Scribe Scroll |
| Creator Mage | Viable |
| Crippling Strike | Viable |
| Defensive | Viable if using Talents |
| Defensive Move | Viable |
| Defensive Roll | Viable |
| Defensive Stance | Same as Pathfinder Feat: Dodge |
| Eidetic Memory | Viable if using Talents |
| Eldritch Training | Viable |
| Elemental Mage | Viable |
| Elemental Resistance | Viable if using Talents |
| Energy Mage | Viable |
| Exotic Spell | Viable |
| Expertise | Deprecated. Use Pathfinder Combat Expertise |
| Far Shot | Deprecated. Use Pathfinder Feat: Far Shot |
| Fast Healer | Viable if using Talents- otherwise count as two traits |
| First Strike | Viable |
| Fleet of Foot | Deprecated. Use Pathfinder Feat: Fleet |
| Flyby Attack | Viable |
| Focused Healing | Viable |
| Great Fortitude | Same as Pathfinder |
| Hands as Weapons | Viable |
| Hunter Mage | Viable |
| Improved Bull Rush | Deprecated. Use Pathfiner Feat: Improved Bull Rush |
| Improved Critical | Deprecated. Use Pathfinder Feat: Critical Focus |
| Improved Disarm | Deprecated. Use Pathfinder Feat: Improved Disarm |
| Improved Initiative | Same as Pathfinder |
| Improved Trip | Deprecated. Use Pathfinder Feat: Improved Trip |
| Infuse Weapon | Viable |
| Intuitive Sense | Viable |
| Improved Intuitive Sense | Viable |
| Iron Flesh | Viable |
| Iron Will | Same as Pathfinder |
| Light Sleeper | Viable if using Talents- otherwise count as two traits |
| Lightning Reflexes | Same as Pathfinder |
| Low Blow | Viable |
| Mighty Hurl | Viable |
| Mirror Sight | Viable |
| Mobility | Same as Pathfinder |
| Modify Combat Stance | Viable |
| Modify Spell | Viable |
| Mounted Archery | Same as Pathfinder |
| Mounted Combat | Same as Pathfinder |
| Natural Archer | Viable if using Talents- otherwise count as two traits |
| Natural Swordsman | Viable if using Talents- otherwise count as two traits |
| Night Owl | Viable if using Talents- otherwise count as two traits |
| Opportunist | Viable |
| Paralyzing Blow | Viable |
| Peaceful Mage | Viable |
| Point Blank Shot | Same as Pathfinder |
| Power Attack | Deprecated. Use Pathfinder Feat: Power Attack |
| Power Charge | Viable |
| Power of the Name | Viable |
| Precise Shot | Same as Pathfinder |
| Priest | Needs Modification: Eliminate reference to Gather Information |
| Psion | Viable |
| Quick Draw | Deprecated. Use Pathfinder Feat: Quick Draw |
| Quicken Spell | Deprecated. Use Pathfinder Feat: Quicken Spell |
| Rapid Reload | Viable |
| Rapid Strike | Viable |
| Resistance of Disease | Viable if using Talents- otherwise count as two traits |
| Resistance of Magic | Viable if using Talents- otherwise count as two traits |
| Resistance to Poison | Viable if using Talents- otherwise count as two traits |
| Resistant Spell | Viable |
| Ride-By Attack | Same as Pathfinder |
| Sanctum | Viable |
| Sense the Unseen | Same as Pathfinder Feat: Blind-fight |
| Sensitive | Viable if using Talents- otherwise count as two traits |
| Shield Proficiency | Same as Pathfinder |
| Shield Specialization | Viable |
| Shot on the Run | Deprecated. Use Pathfinder Feat: Shot on the Run |
| Signature Spell | Viable if using Talents- otherwise count as two traits |
| Skill Application | Viable |
| Skill Focus | Same as Pathfinder |
| Skill Mastery | Viable |
| Slippery Mind | Viable |
| Speed Burst | Viable |
| Spell Affinity | Viable if using Talents- otherwise count as two traits |
| Spell Artist | Viable if using Talents- otherwise count as two traits |
| Stomp | Needs Modification: Replace reference to Balance with Acrobatics |
| Stunning Blow | Deprecated. Use Pathfinder: Stunning Fist |
| Sturdy | Deprecated. Use Pathfinder Feat: Toughness |
| Sunder | Deprecated. Use Pathdiner Feat: Improved Sunder |
| Tattooed Spell | Viable |
| Title | Viable |
| Tough Hide | Viable |
| Track | Deprecated. This feat has been eliminated. |
| Trample | Deprecated. Use Pathfinder Feat: Trample |
| Two-Weapon Defense | Same as Pathfinder |
| Two-Weapon Fighting | Deprecated. Use Pathfinder Feat: Two-Weapon Fighting |
| Two-Weapon Fighting, Improved | Deprecated. This feat has been eliminated. |
| Two-Weapon Fighting, Massive | Viable |
| Unarmed Strike, Defensive | Viable |
| Unarmed Stike, Mighty | Viable |
| Unique Spell | Viable |
| Unraveling Mage | Viable |
| The Voice | Needs Modification: Eliminate reference to Gather Information. Otherwise, viable if using talents or count as a double trait. |
| Way With Animals | Needs Modification: Eliminate reference to Gather Information. Otherwise, viable if using talents or count as a double trait. |
| Wealthy | Deprecated. Use Pathfinder Trait: Rich Parents |
| Weapon Finesse | Deprecated. Use Pathfinder: Weapon Finesse |
| Weapon Focus | Same as Pathfinder |
| Weapon Proficiency, Exotic | Same as Pathfinder Feat: Exotic Weapon Proficiency |
| Weapon Proficiency, Martial | Same as Pathfinder Feat: Martial Weapon Proficiency |
| Weapon Proficiency, Simple | Same as Pathfinder Feat: Simple Weapon Proficiency |
| Weapon Specialization | Deprecated. Use Pathfinder Feat: Weapon Specialization |
| Whirlwind Attack | Deprecated. Use Pathfinder Feat: Whirlwind Attack |
| Wild Mage | Viable |