Type: General
Source: Dragon #315
You are a member of one of the major noble houses of the former Great Kingdom.
Region: Ablissa, North Kingdom, Solnor Compact.
Benefit: The benefits of this feat depend upon the Celestial House to which you belong. Unless your DM allows otherwise, your rank is very minor and grants no game benefits other than those listed below. Membership in your family may have intense roleplaying repercussions and benefits, at the discretion of the DM.
Cranden: You receive maximum starting gold at 1st level. Due to the diplomatic expertise and sterling reputation of your noble house, you receive a +3 bonus on all Diplomacy checks. Unless otherwise noted, NPCs in the former Great Kingdom have an initial attitude of friendly toward you.
Darmen: The weapons of choice for your mercantile house are the poisoned words that have killed far more enemies than poisoned blades. When caught in a lie due to an unsuccessful Bluff check, you get an immediate follow-up opposed Bluff check to cover up the "misstatement" with double-speak. If this Bluff check is successful, ignore the original failed result - the Bluff attempt goes off successfully, leaving the victim none the wiser. Unless otherwise noted, NPCs in the former Great Kingdom have an initial attitude of friendly toward you if they are members of the middle or upper class. Lower-class serfs understand all too well the contempt most members of House Darmen feel for their "breed," and are initially unfriendly toward you.
Garasteth: The arcane legacy of Aerdy's House Garasteth is known throughout the Flanaess. Wizard is a favored class for you. A multiclass Garasteth's wizard class does not count when determining whether she takes an experience point penalty for multiclassing. You also get a +2 bonus on Spellcraft checks. Because most folk fear the magical might of your house, NPCs in the former Great Kingdom have an initial attitude of friendly toward you.
Naelax:You share the bloodline of Ivid the Undying, the mad undead Overking who brought the once-mighty Great Kingdom to its knees. You receive a +2 bonus on all Intimidate checks. Thanks to an unholy pact between Overking Ivid I and a fiend, you enjoy a special relationship with evil outsiders. You have a continuous true seeing ability, as the spell (caster level 16th), but the ability works only against the cloaking spells of demons and devils. This is a super-natural ability. Due to your family's ghastly reputation, NPCs in the former Great Kingdom have an initial attitude of unfriendly toward you.
Rax-Nyrond: The true heirs of the House of Rax died out long ago, but several illegitimate and minor branches of the family survive. The Rax legacy is not particularly proud, being filled with a succession of incompetents and half-wits. Regardless, the house managed to hoard a great deal of political influence during its time at the head of the Great Kingdom. As an heir of that tradition, you receive a +3 bonus on Gather Information checks, and all checks take 1d2 hours. Unless otherwise noted, NPCs in the former Great Kingdom have an initial attitude of friendly toward you.
Torquaan: The financial might of House Torquaan extends far beyond the borders of the former Great Kingdom. Your family's reputation for squeezing the most out of a gold coin by employing deceit, trickery, cruelty, and good old-fashioned business skills allows you a 10% discount on all purchases made anywhere the influence of House Torquaan is known. The DM is free to disallow this discount outside the former Great Kingdom or in locales openly hostile to House Torquaan. Since many folk see your kinsmen as greedy plutocrats, NPCs in the former Great Kingdom have an initial attitude of unfriendly toward you.
Special: You must select this feat as a 1st-level character.