D&D 5E 5E Feat Option = D&D On Easy Mode?

[hawkeyefan]

This poll is inspired by the many, many threads that have brought up (or been hijacked by) discussions on the use of Feats and their impact on game balance, and the design intention of the 5E developers.

Many see Feats as being a great source of options for a PC, and a great way to individualize their PC, and I think that's accurate. But does this option come with a cost?

Is the use of Feats actually a form of "advanced play"? Are Feats better for players who have a strong understanding of the rules and the game system? Or would those players be better off in games that don't utilize Feats?

Essentially, is activating the Feat Option the same as activating Easy Mode? Select an option in the poll and then post your reasons.

 

[Henry]

I would say, "yes," but not by a dramatic amount. For instance, some feats eliminate opportunity attacks, without the character needing to multiclass to gain such a feature, or add extra damage, which , depending on the class features, has drawbacks which can be overcome. However, I don't think it's so much so that it changes the nature of the CRs or anything (they already need help, feats or no).

 

[5ekyu]

This poll is inspired by the many, many threads that have brought up (or been hijacked by) discussions on the use of Feats and their impact on game balance, and the design intention of the 5E developers.

Many see Feats as being a great source of options for a PC, and a great way to individualize their PC, and I think that's accurate. But does this option come with a cost?

Is the use of Feats actually a form of "advanced play"? Are Feats better for players who have a strong understanding of the rules and the game system? Or would those players be better off in games that don't utilize Feats?

Essentially, is activating the Feat Option the same as activating Easy Mode? Select an option in the poll and then post your reasons.

Easy mode defines as less difficulty - easier time overcoming threats and challenges.

The threats and challenges are entirely defined by the GM for any game (even if done indirectly by say accepting Al rules) and so whether or not a game or class or feat or skill or weapon or fighting style or any other choice one can make is "easy mode" is determined by that GM when they take on the task of Gming.

a Gm who starts his campaign at 5th level is fine and does not have to throw CR 1 and CR 1/2 enemies at their PCs - ignoring the fact that they are 5th level PCs.

Similarly a Gm who starts them at 1st level and allows feats is not required to ignore feats when he chooses foes and challenges.

Easy Mode is the Gm's choice - not the rules.

 

[lowkey13]

*Deleted by user*

 

[CydKnight]

What kind of game do your players want? Do they really want "easy mode"? My players don't but that doesn't mean that I won't let them take feats or use anything in rules as written. As a DM I will find a way to make the game challenging for them knowing the make-up of the PCs along with their play styles feats or no feats.

 

[ccs]

I assure you, taking the Sharpshooter, GWM, etc feat won't set the game to easy mode when I'm DMing.

 

[Satyrn]

No. I don't think fears make the game easier or harder, or even more or less complex.

Especially if the DM's philosophy includes increasing Monster strength to match any boosts the PCs get, any improvement the PCs get is an illusion is part that doesn't move the difficulty needle. And when I DM without that philosophy, the difficulty of the game isn't meant to come from the ability to win fights, anyway. So the difficulty needle isn't measuring anything meaningful anyway.

 

[Brotton Goodfellow]

Feats are great for optimizing a single aspect of your character. Want to be an Indiana Jones style tomb raider? Dungeon Delver is your answer. Are you a barbarian with a great axe that cares only to crush your enemies and see them driven before you? Boom: GWM.

I don't think they break the game and sure, under some circumstances it makes certain things easier for the player. But that can be awesome as a player too, especially if you're the only one in the party with that set of skills. Makes you feel like a badass.

As a DM, when designing encounters its prudent to take into consideration the type of feats players have and adjust accordingly. Not so much as to make the feat useless, but just enough to still challenge them and even incorporate the feat somehow.

 

[Flexor the Mighty!]

Pretty much IME. D&D 5e is very forgiving past 3-4th level regardless but with feats I was pretty much rewriting monsters on the fly to try and make it remotely interesting for my table. Its why I stopped running the game. I think 5e was designed to be easy mode D&D as a feature. Easier to tell stories if character death isn't happening 1e style with all the save or die stuff. Going back to S&W my group of veteran gamers were shocked at how lethal the older D&D style was and it took them a while to get out of the 5e mindset.

 

[TheCosmicKid]

"Easy mode" in just about any game that has it involves reducing options as well as making challenges less difficult. A tutorial in a video game generally involves just some basic characters/weapons/whatever. A starter set in Magic: the Gathering has a small pool of cards. So I think a ruleset that adds lots of options to the game is incompatible with the label "easy mode", even if those options are very powerful.