The latest Unearthed Arcana from Jeremy Crawford and again featuring guest writer Robert J. Schwalb introduces a number of feats which make you better at skills. Each increases the skill's primary ability score, doubles your proficiency bonus, and gives you a little bonus ability. "This week we introduce new feats to playtest. Each of these feats makes you better at one of the game’s eighteen skills. We invite you to read them, give them a try in play, and let us know what you think in the survey we release in the next installment of Unearthed Arcana."
Unearthed Arcana Unearthed Arcana: Get Better At Skills With These Feats
The latest Unearthed Arcana from Jeremy Crawford and again featuring guest writer Robert J. Schwalb introduces a number of feats which make you better at skills. Each increases the skill's primary ability score, doubles your proficiency bonus, and gives you a little bonus ability. "This week we introduce new feats to playtest. Each of these feats makes you better at one of the game’s eighteen skills. We invite you to read them, give them a try in play, and let us know what you think in the survey we release in the next installment of Unearthed Arcana."
Bishop_
First Post
Pardon my ignorance, but how these "If you are already proficient in the skill, you add double your proficiency bonus to checks you make with it"-feats interacts with Rogue's Expertise in the same skill? Expertise (Stealth)+Stealthy feat for example. Do you sum all the benefits?
bedir than
Full Moon Storyteller
I love the idea of adding a single cantrip via some of these feats. I do not like the once-a-day spells. Survivalist could get Druidcraft instead of Alarm and that would be fine. Druidcraft's ability to quickly start a fire or fore-tell the weather is perfect for them.
Phazonfish
B-Rank Agent
Unfortunately/fortunately not, there is a rule in the PHB that only instance of a bonus based on proficiency can be applied. I don't have the page number on me, but I'm sure someone around will have it for you shortly.
Blue
Ravenous Bugblatter Beast of Traal
Grapple-barbarian for the win! They could already get advantage on STR checks and have Extra Attack for multiple attempts, but they couldn't get expertise in Athletics without multiclassing. Now they can.
Brawny specifies one size category larger. That seems like it will stack with things like goliath to allow them to carry moderately sized buildings.
Diplomat - non-magical "subtle" charm. And not broken if you start fighting it's allies (or it) later.
Performer - hey, look, now DMs will say you can't use your performance skill to distract people without a feat.
Several of these overlap class abilities, so the class most likely to want to boost their skill gets less out of these feats then others.
Oooh, a silver tongued hexblade using two weapons. Give up the no-bonus-to-damage offhand attack to sweet-talk them with your very high Charisma vs. their probably +0 Wis (Insight), then get advantage on you actual attacks (and no opportunity attacks). Though it does make your on-hand a d6 shortsword instead of a d8, since they need to be light. Might be fun for a crit-seeking champion fighter once you have 3 or more attacks - with expertise you don't even need charisma against foes if they don't have wisdom as a trained skill. At 12th you'd have 3 attacks, 4 ASIs, and +8 to deception before any Chr, going up to +10 next level.
Brawny specifies one size category larger. That seems like it will stack with things like goliath to allow them to carry moderately sized buildings.
Diplomat - non-magical "subtle" charm. And not broken if you start fighting it's allies (or it) later.
Performer - hey, look, now DMs will say you can't use your performance skill to distract people without a feat.
Several of these overlap class abilities, so the class most likely to want to boost their skill gets less out of these feats then others.
Oooh, a silver tongued hexblade using two weapons. Give up the no-bonus-to-damage offhand attack to sweet-talk them with your very high Charisma vs. their probably +0 Wis (Insight), then get advantage on you actual attacks (and no opportunity attacks). Though it does make your on-hand a d6 shortsword instead of a d8, since they need to be light. Might be fun for a crit-seeking champion fighter once you have 3 or more attacks - with expertise you don't even need charisma against foes if they don't have wisdom as a trained skill. At 12th you'd have 3 attacks, 4 ASIs, and +8 to deception before any Chr, going up to +10 next level.
Ath-kethin
Elder Thing
Isn't that the point of getting better at stuff? I mean, even at 5th level a character is doing stuff that was impossible at 1st. I don't see how having a kickass skill modifier does anything but reduce the impact and necessity of spells.
mellored
Legend
If someone spends a feat on it, it's ok it they auto-pass that skill check. No need to scale the DC.
I mean, wizards can fly and teleport, it's ok if the fighter doesn't need to roll a climb check.
Blue
Ravenous Bugblatter Beast of Traal
Yeah, really worried about DC inflation. And that means you fail unless you are of the right class or spend the feat tax.
cbwjm
Seb-wejem
Why would DCs increase? Isn't part of the point of bounded accuracy meant to be that the PCs are getting better at skills while the DCs stay the same? A difficult DC 20 climb shouldn't become more difficult just because a player has invested in improving their athletics skill.
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