Feats - Improved!

Another thread (@Xeviat, @jaelis, @Satyrn, @Bacon Bits, @FrogReaver) has sprung up talking about Healer and some others feats. There is some mention that Healer is too strong at low levels, but also not frequently used in game, and certainly not in combat. How can we balance it to make it more interesting, but not overpowered?

Healer
You are an able physician, allowing you to mend wounds quickly and get your allies back in the fight. You gain the following benefits:
- When you use a healer’s kit to stabilize a dying creature, that creature also regains 1 hit point.
- As an action, you can spend one use of a healer’s kit to tend to a creature and restore hit points equal to the creature’s maximum number of Hit Dice. (Removed 1d6 + 4.) The creature may also immediately spend one Hit Die to restore hit points as during a short rest. The creature can’t regain hit points from this ability again until it finishes a short or long rest.
- When you restore a creature's hit points or remove a condition or disease, make a DC 15 Wisdom (Medicine) check. On a success, that creature gains additional hit points equal to your proficiency bonus.
- You may extend the range of your healing abilities: When you restore HP or remove a condition or disease from a creature, you may simultaneously move toward that creature a distance up to your speed on top of your normal movement. Opportunity attacks against you have disadvantage during this movement.

Replacing the 1d6 + 4 Cure Wounds equivalent with one Hit Die expenditure takes away the low-level power and gives an in-combat use: you can do this anyway during a short rest, but not normally during combat. And it now consumes Hit Dice resources.

No Medicine skill proficiency keeps the second new feature balanced.

Adding proficiency bonus to all healing after a successful DC 15 Medicine check does a few things: it makes Medicine a more important skill to learn, and it buffs all healing, not just healing from this feat. We could further add the phrase, "During combat, ..." if we wanted it to be more combat-centric.

The last ability gives a movement bonus and measure of protection to encourage a healer to run into danger to heal.

iamntbatman said:

That Sniper Shot version of Sharpshooter still seems absurdly abusable. A few people in a party with that and you could cripple or outright kill any creature in the game in one round.

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I've been working on this one a bit. Adding Concentration helps balance it:

Sharpshooter - v4 - Sniper
- Attacking at long range doesn't impose disadvantage on your ranged weapon attack rolls.
- Your ranged weapon attacks ignore half and three-quarters cover.
- Sniper Shot: On your turn you may expend a bonus action to begin concentrating on your enemies' weaknesses. While you concentrate, your speed is halved. On your next turn, each target you hit with a ranged weapon attack gains one level of exhaustion rather than taking damage and is immune to further levels of exhaustion until the start of your next turn.

Further, you could add a skill check:

Sharpshooter - v4 - Sniper
- Attacking at long range doesn't impose disadvantage on your ranged weapon attack rolls.
- Your ranged weapon attacks ignore half and three-quarters cover.
- Sniper Shot: On your turn you may expend a bonus action to begin concentrating on your enemies' weaknesses. While you concentrate, your speed is halved. On your next turn, anytime you attack a target with a ranged weapon, make an Intelligence (Nature) or Wisdom (Survival) check, DC 14 + target CR - your character level. On a success, you have found a vulnerability: if you hit with this attack, your target gains one level of exhaustion rather than taking damage and is immune to further levels of exhaustion until the start of your following turn.

I dunno, that still just doesn't thematically make much sense for me. Why would getting hit with an arrow make you tired, but not hurt?

What about something like this:
- Attacking at long range doesn't impose disadvantage on your ranged weapon attack rolls.
- Your ranged weapon attacks ignore half and three-quarters cover.
- On your turn, you may choose to expend half of your movement to go prone and begin focusing on your enemies' weaknesses. Until you move, take damage or are affected by a hostile spell, your ranged weapon attacks are made with advantage, and all critical hits with ranged weapons deal one additional die of damage.

iamntbatman said:

I dunno, that still just doesn't thematically make much sense for me. Why would getting hit with an arrow make you tired, but not hurt?

What about something like this:
- Attacking at long range doesn't impose disadvantage on your ranged weapon attack rolls.
- Your ranged weapon attacks ignore half and three-quarters cover.
- On your turn, you may choose to expend half of your movement to go prone and begin focusing on your enemies' weaknesses. Until you move, take damage or are affected by a hostile spell, your ranged weapon attacks are made with advantage, and all critical hits with ranged weapons deal one additional die of damage.

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It would make you hurt, so I see that. I guess I removed the damage just to make it less powerful.

I like the exhaustion mechanic because it gets at the idea of a debilitating attack. Exhaustion results in ability check problems, and more: maybe the strike injured your perception or made you have trouble moving. Actual damage might not be as bad as specific injury.

Snipers are people who make precision strikes that are very deadly or debilitating. D&D doesn't (usually) do insta-kill, but exhaustion is a mechanic that can get at that idea. Plus, it is a unique ability using existing mechanics that can add a lot of flavor to a character.

On reflection, I'd allow any of them. While I had proposed #3, #4 to not steal their thunder is probably a bit better.

Blue said:

On reflection, I'd allow any of them. While I had proposed #3, #4 to not steal their thunder is probably a bit better.

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Ok. Cool. That seems the one to go with then.

I removed Tough from my list and added an updated Durable. Tough was already great and didn't need a power boost, and some people don't like adding Durable to it, even though others think Durable is nearly worthless.

What do you think of adding this mechanic for using hit dice to reduce damage in combat? Is it strong enough to make Durable an attractive feat, or is it too strong?

Durable
- Increase your Constitution score by 1, to a maximum of 20.
- When you roll a Hit Die to regain hit points, the minimum number of hit points you regain from the roll equals twice your Constitution modifier (minimum of 2).
- As a reaction when taking damage, you can spend hit dice. Reduce the damage you take by half the number rolled, rounded up.

ro said:

I removed Tough from my list and added an updated Durable. Tough was already great and didn't need a power boost, and some people don't like adding Durable to it, even though others think Durable is nearly worthless.

What do you think of adding this mechanic for using hit dice to reduce damage in combat? Is it strong enough to make Durable an attractive feat, or is it too strong?

Durable
- Increase your Constitution score by 1, to a maximum of 20.
- When you roll a Hit Die to regain hit points, the minimum number of hit points you regain from the roll equals twice your Constitution modifier (minimum of 2).
- As a reaction when taking damage, you can spend hit dice. Reduce the damage you take by half the number rolled, rounded up.

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Is it intended that the 3rd ability and the 2nd ability work together? I don't think they are meant to, and I believe the language is there...but I could see some people immediatley jumping to that conclusion.

In terms of power, its honestly not that strong. Its a reaction, its somewhat unreliable DR, it burns your HD twice as fast. But on the other hand, any DR is good DR...and its very hard to find sources of it. So it definitely gives the player a little something extra.

Personally though I think its too much work, and unneeded. I think you could just do something as simple as:

As a bonus action, you can spend HD less than or equal to 1/4 of your level (minimum 1) and immediately gain health equal to the result. You cannot use this ability again until after taking a short or long rest. (note that this version does get the double cod mod minimum benefit as well).

Stalker0 said:

Is it intended that the 3rd ability and the 2nd ability work together? I don't think they are meant to, and I believe the language is there...but I could see some people immediatley jumping to that conclusion.

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I agree with your assessment. As written they do not actually work together, which is intended, but I'm sure some people would think they did at first glance.

In terms of power, its honestly not that strong. Its a reaction, its somewhat unreliable DR, it burns your HD twice as fast. But on the other hand, any DR is good DR...and its very hard to find sources of it. So it definitely gives the player a little something extra.

Personally though I think its too much work, and unneeded. I think you could just do something as simple as:

As a bonus action, you can spend HD less than or equal to 1/4 of your level (minimum 1) and immediately gain health equal to the result. You cannot use this ability again until after taking a short or long rest. (note that this version does get the double cod mod minimum benefit as well).

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Yeah, that could be simpler. DR is an uncommon mechanic, and I think it might be more fun: it's less "I'm going to pause and heal myself", which exists lots of places in the game (Paladins, Fighters, etc.), and more "Ha! I'm amazing and your attempts to harm me are futile!" Also, DR can stop you from dying, whereas self-healing only works if you still have 1 HP.

The DR could be changed from half the roll to the full roll. It would still cost a reaction, but it wouldn't burn through hit dice quite so fast. And it would still be independent from the 2nd ability.

- "As a reaction when taking damage, you can spend hit dice. Reduce the damage you take by the number rolled."

Another possible ability for the feat:

- "Whenever you finish a long rest, you gain the benefits of a death ward spell. The spell’s duration is extended to 24 hours."