Simple Q&A D&D 3.5 (by RAW) XXII

[killem2]

Q 158: See the following:

Bonus Exalted Feats: At 1st level, an ascetic gets a bonus
exalted feat, and another bonus feat at 2nd level and every 2
levels thereafter. Unlike the other benefits of a vow of poverty,
a character does not gain these bonus feats retroactively when
he takes the Vow of Poverty feat; he only gains those bonus feats
that apply for the levels he gains after swearing his vow. Thus,
the bonus feat gained at 1st level is available only to humans
who take both Sacred Vow and Vow of Poverty at 1st level.


I am confused about the red text.

What happens if say a race that doesn't have a bonus feat available? Like what if we're talking about a level 1 Gnome, or a level 1 Elan, something with out a bonus feat? Would they need something like a Flaw to offset it?