Unearthed Arcana Unearthed Arcana: Feats for Races

I find this line mystifying: "These feats don’t assume that multiclassing is used in a campaign."

What are they trying to say here? Do these feats become unbalanced when combined with multiclassing?

Also, some of the feats significantly alter a character's body. Barbed Hide, for example, endows a Tiefling with a barbed hide. That's not the sort of thing that you can acquire through training. Which gives rise to the question, "Why couldn't the Tiefling do this at level 1?" It's not like Pole Arm Master, where you can explain the acquisition of the new ability through practice and training. Either you were born with a barbed hide or you weren't.

Same with Dragon Wings: "You sprout draconic wings." I'm not well-versed in Dragonborn lore, but is that really something that just... happens during their adult life?

 

[Enevhar Aldarion]

What next? Class-based feats?

We got tool and weapon feats a few months back, skill feats last week and race feats this week, so why not class feats next week? What is left after that? School of Magic/Domain feats? Which could be fun if done right.

 

[OB1]

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That's a great theory in a vacuum, but not something you see a majority of players doing. It's not realistic. That ASI can have a big impact, and there is a difference in trying to be efficient at what you do and Min-Maxing everything.

Not saying to dump your combat stat or anything, but a +2 or +3 in your prime ability is plenty efficient to overcome the baseline challenges in the game. Besides, the most efficient way to win a combat is not to have to fight it in the first place and that is achieved through strength in the Social and Exploration pillars of the game.

The great secret of 5e is the flexibility in character design.

 

[Plaguescarred]

Wow some really cool feats in there i especially like Bountiful Luck, Dwarf Resilience, Orcish Aggression and Elven Accuracy.

 

[Corwin]

That's a great theory in a vacuum, but not something you see a majority of players doing.

Majority of what players? All of them? Are you qualified to make that assessment? I certainly am not. Sure, I could tell you what I've experienced at the tables I've played at. But even if that's a hundred tables, that's still just anecdotal.

It's not realistic.

In what sense? In-game? Or are you speaking metagamingly?

That ASI can have a big impact...

It can have an impact. And should. I don't know how big, though. That's going to vary greatly. Are you primarily talking about a 5% uptick in attack bonus, saves, and such like that? Though even then, that 5% has less real, practical value depending on where you actually are before, and the general TNs you are trying to achieve. Because, with bounded accuracy, I've found we don't need to push our bonuses past a certain tier before we start to see diminishing returns on our investment.

 

[FormerlyHemlock]

That's a great theory in a vacuum, but not something you see a majority of players doing. It's not realistic. That ASI can have a big impact, and there is a difference in trying to be efficient at what you do and Min-Maxing everything.

I don't know about "the majority of players" because I don't keep close track of how my players build their PCs, but I'm at least 50% certain that several of my players invest in interesting feats long before maxing combat stats, and perhaps don't even max combat stats at all. (In particular I can think of an elven Necromancer who invested in boosting Dexterity before Intelligence; and a human monk who boosted Int by +3 after maxing Dex but before maxing Wisdom, although admittedly special circumstances were in play there.)

More to the point, I'm a natural powergamer, and when I build PCs, I don't max combat stats until I have a critical selection of feats in place either, although which feats depends on the (N)PC. For some concepts, Lucky is super important to get early; for monks it's usually Mobile and maybe Alert or Skulker; in other cases Moderately Armored may be key, or Mounted Combatant; and yes, Warcaster and Sharpshooter get a mention here too. ASIs are what you do after you've grabbed all the low-hanging feat fruit and just need something to marginally improve your AC/attacks, but ASIs never lead to exciting transformations in capability the way feats can.

If grabbing ASIs first were truly the most powerful short- and long-term decision, I'm pretty sure I'd be tempted to do it more often--and I'm sure my players would do it more often still, because most of them aren't as tempted by the Dark Side (powergaming) as I am.

Besides, don't forget about Fighters. By level 8, a human fighter can have Dex 20 and two feats, e.g. Sharpshooter and Alert. That's well within the normal range of play. A half-orc fighter at that level could very plausibly (i.e. with only average rolls) have Str 20, GWM, and Orcish Aggression--and it's perfectly plausible that Str 20 might have come last.

 

[Thurmas]

Majority of what players? All of them? Are you qualified to make that assessment? I certainly am not. Sure, I could tell you what I've experienced at the tables I've played at. But even if that's a hundred tables, that's still just anecdotal.

That's fair, I can't speak for all of them. A better way to word it would have been to say that the majority of players that I have interacted with put a premium on maxing their main ASI and on grabbing a handful of the same small pool of feats. I'm sure it will vary from group to group, but I was speaking from my experience. Excuse my poor choice of words.

I wasn't trying to sideline everyone in this discussion. I was trying to make the point that I wish there was capability to take more feats built into the game and not have them compete with ASIs.

 

[werecorpse]

I really like the idea behind this and most of the execution.

it helps races to be more than just short humans or pointy eared humans etc

im still not sure about the "double proficiency" style feat it's the reason I wasn't keen on the skill feats as it puts too much strain on bounded accuracy for skills.

Need more of these, where is the feat that makes halflings good at throwing stuff & with slings, the feat that helps dwarves and gnomes avoid attacks from Giants - these feats enable DM's to make the races like they were in their favourite edition.

 

[doctorbadwolf]

I mentioned upthread that this would be perfect for my gnome battlemaster. I'd much rather take this feat than multiclass - and that unlimited speak with animals - can't get that anywhere and it's perfect (but would be more perfect if it wasn't magical!)

I have several gnomes at my table, between 3 campaigns. Gnomes are popular in my group. Only 1 is a ranger, no Druids...I guess the warlocks have access to them....mostly, though, people are going to want this feat. Especially since I allow all gnomes to speak with critters, because I consider it a small feature and it fits all gnomes.

Not sure what thinking would conclude that this feat isn't beneficial...

 

[buzzardoftheages]

Flames of Phlegethos - for evoker wizards, fiendish warlocks and draconic sorcerers. Who is Phlegethos?

"Phlegethos is a fiery wasteland filled with Active Volcanoes, hills of ash, gouting fires, streams of magma, pits of smoking excrement, and burning sand beneath a screaming rain of magical fire flakes."

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Baator#Phlegethos

 

[doctorbadwolf]

Gnomes get critter friend, because of course they do.What next? Class-based feats?You might ask yourself, "Self, how much more smug can a Paladin be?" And you would think the answer is, "None, none more smug."But with the new, "Paladin Smugosity Feat" you can be so smug, you can #humblebrag about your divine smite prior to thine enemy being smote.

My brand new Gnome Paladin, Loki Fendris Mathenwe Alistair Hornbuckle Grindacre Fornswyth Vuldenforth, laughs, smugly, at your clever jest.