Ransomable

When your foes look at you, they can’t help but think that they might be able to get some money for you…if they keep you alive.

Benefit: For whatever reason, intelligent creatures that see you get the feeling that you might be worth something to someone. It could be because you’re a known member of a wealthy and prestigious family, or it could be that you’re known to be a favored agent of a powerful noble, or it could just be that you wear expensive clothing. Whatever the reason is, it makes people think twice before killing you.

Whenever a non-good creature with an Intelligence score of 5 or greater attacks you, make a special Diplomacy check as a free action. This doesn’t represent any actual talking or persuasion on your part, but rather subconscious actions that cause your attacker to reconsider whether or not you would be more valuable to them alive. The DC for this check is equal to 10 + 1/2 the attacker’s Hit Dice + the attacker’s Charisma modifier. If the check succeeds, the attacker decides to subdue you instead, dealing nonlethal damage, or using the grapple combat maneuver to pin and bind you, and won’t intentionally kill you for the next 24 hours (at which time, if he changes his mind, another special Diplomacy check can be made). If the check fails, the attacker does as he pleases, and is immune to this ability for the next 24 hours.

Note that even if a creature is affected he may not decide to ransom you, per se. He might instead decide to sell you, or sacrifice you in a grand ritual to his deity, or transform you into a vampire, etc., etc., etc. Even characters that aren’t particularly interested in money can find some reason to keep you alive, at least for a little while. Note also that this feat doesn’t mean that they will treat you well, and it is entirely possible that you may eventually die of negligence. Finally, just because you seem valuable doesn’t mean anyone will actually pay a ransom. Each rejected ransom attempt raises the DC for further special Diplomacy checks to keep your attacker from killing you by a cumulative +4.