D&D 5E (2014) Revising a few feats for balance in my home game - Thoughts?

[Valdier]

I am looking at a few of the feats that I see that stand out as exceptionally weak, or exceptionally strong and trying to pair them back to a more balanced baseline.

I would very much like to get some feedback / ideas on these if there are other options you can think of or others I might be missing. Unless a feat specifies, it includes all other benefits in the PHB in addition to the following changes.

• Defensive Duelist - Functions against all attacks in an attack action.
• Durable - Rolling 1 on a Death Save does has no extra effect.
• Great Weapon Master - Raises your melee weapon damage dice one step. Does not offer -5/+10
• Keen Mind - As an action, you can end a charm, enchantment or fear effect on you. You must complete a long rest before you can use this again. You have advantage on madness saves.
  [*]Lucky - You do not re-roll dice when you have disadvantage, instead you may roll normally.
  [*]Martial Adept - Pick an attribute at the time of purchase, your Save DC is based on this attribute. You gain gain 2 superiority dice.
  [*]Moderately Armored - You do not get disadvantage on stealth checks from wearing medium armor.
• Sharpshooter - Raises your ranged weapon damage die one step. Does not offer -5/+10
• Weapon Master - Replace four weapons with all weapons.

Edit: updated several things

 

[The Crimson Binome]

Out of curiosity, how do you raise the damage dice of a great-weapon?

2d6 -> 2d8, 1d12 -> 1d20 ?

 

[Valdier]

2d6 becomes a 2d8, 1d12 would likely go to 1d12 + 1d4 is my thought, or just 2d8's also.

 

[Mephista]

Martial adapt's problem isn't the attribute - its simple enough to have a build with the right attribute. Martial Adapt's issue is the fact that its only one superiority die per rest. After talking with others, I found that even scaling the die is not an issue. Scaling back the die and granting two dice per rest gathered more interest in my experience.

 

[MoonSong]

I would say that your version of weapon master is a bit too much. Part of the point of the feat is to customize your PC, to make him/her more unique. Learning all the weapons goes a little against that. If you want to make it better, add a perk, like quickly drawing the chosen weapons, or using a bonus action to gain advantage with a single attack using that weapon... Maybe you can treat one handed weapons as finesse even if they aren't?.

 

[Valdier]

I would say that your version of weapon master is a bit too much. Part of the point of the feat is to customize your PC, to make him/her more unique. Learning all the weapons goes a little against that. If you want to make it better, add a perk, like quickly drawing the chosen weapons, or using a bonus action to gain advantage with a single attack using that weapon... Maybe you can treat one handed weapons as finesse even if they aren't?.

You think it's too good compared to which other feat? Currently every class has whatever weapons they need for their class. In a game with multiclassing, it really is just saving you a 1 level dip to fighter or cleric (and you get less for it).

I honestly was thinking it needs to be better. I'm still not sure anyone would take it in a game. I think it basically says "you are extensively trained in weapons, akin to a fighter, for the cost of +2 to a stat"... I'm not sure that's honestly good enough still.

 

[Valdier]

Martial adapt's problem isn't the attribute - its simple enough to have a build with the right attribute. Martial Adapt's issue is the fact that its only one superiority die per rest. After talking with others, I found that even scaling the die is not an issue. Scaling back the die and granting two dice per rest gathered more interest in my experience.

I'll be honest, I think it might need both. I want Martial Adept to be an option a non-fighter might take so that is why the attribute option. I think I will also make it two dice, because I don't see that putting it beyond other mid-high end feats.

 

[MoonSong]

You think it's too good compared to which other feat? Currently every class has whatever weapons they need for their class. In a game with multiclassing, it really is just saving you a 1 level dip to fighter or cleric (and you get less for it).

I honestly was thinking it needs to be better. I'm still not sure anyone would take it in a game. I think it basically says "you are extensively trained in weapons, akin to a fighter, for the cost of +2 to a stat"... I'm not sure that's honestly good enough still.

Not that it is too good, but that the effort to make it more powerful makes it less useful for customization -and less attractive. The size of feats already makes it less useful for fine tunning, making it even more broad reduces the flavor you get from it.

Maybe if you used something like

Weapon Master
You gain +1 to Dex or Str
Select six weapons, you gain one of the following benefits with each weapon (one benefit per weapon, you can choose each weapon and each benefit more than once)
- Gain proficiency with the selected weapon
- You can treat the weapon as if it had the finesse property, you can't select this benefit for heavy weapons.
- You can use a bonus action to gain advantage with the next attack roll you make using that weapon before the end of your next turn.
- You can wield the weapon using a part of your body you would not normally be able to use for weapons. Such as your feet, mouth or hair.
- When you wield the weapon, your reach with it increases 5'. - melee weapons only.
-When you use the weapon to shove, you have advantage on your Athletics/Acrobatics roll.

This has the extra benefit of making it helpful to even fighters and paladins.

 

[Psikerlord#]

I am looking at a few of the feats that I see that stand out as exceptionally weak, or exceptionally strong and trying to pair them back to a more balanced baseline.

I would very much like to get some feedback / ideas on these if there are other options you can think of or others I might be missing.

• Defensive Duelist - Functions against all attacks in an attack action.
• Durable - A 1 on a Death Save does not count as two failures.
• Great Weapon Master - Raises your melee weapon damage dice one step. Does not offer -5/+10
• Keen Mind - Once per long rest you can end a charm, enchantment or fear effect on you as a reaction. You have advantage on madness saves.
  [*]Lucky - Cancels disadvantage rather than reroll.
  [*]Martial Adept - Save DC is based on an attribute of your choice at the time the feat is acquired. You gain gain 2 superiority dice.
  [*]Moderately Armored - You do not get disadvantage on stealth checks in medium armor.
• Sharpshooter - Raises your ranged weapon damage die one step. Does not offer -5/+10
• Weapon Master - You are proficient in all weapons.

I think all of these changes are most excellent indeed!

edit - sorry I personally think lucky is strong but ok as is, but would also be fine using your version.

 

[Jefe Bergenstein]

I would say that your version of weapon master is a bit too much. Part of the point of the feat is to customize your PC, to make him/her more unique. Learning all the weapons goes a little against that. If you want to make it better, add a perk, like quickly drawing the chosen weapons, or using a bonus action to gain advantage with a single attack using that weapon... Maybe you can treat one handed weapons as finesse even if they aren't?.

It's still a terrible feat even WITH all weapons. If you're built to fight, you already have the tools needed. Who cares if the wizard knows how to use one polearm or 10. Neither are going to help him much, and the extra options are fluff. You take a ranged and a couple of melee weapons as it stands, and the only real difference is weapon damage type, which doesnt matter in 99% of fights not involving skeletons.

I'd add +1 Str or Dex, all weapons, and tool proficiency in siege weapons.

In terms of your other feats, I'd note that Lucky is a straight up nerf at just canceling disadvantage. I personally think Lucky is too good, but would fiddle with the number of re-rolls. I changed it to "per session" myself. It removes tracking between sessions, and helps curb its power in social/exploration situation that plays out over several days with little attention to individual days (IE, you are moving through the wilderness, odds are you are only making a couple rolls a day anyways). I do reserve the right to let it refresh FASTER however.

Not sure on defensive duelist. Your proposal makes boss monsters even more of a joke than they already are in this edition, but I do think it needs something else. Maybe a "once per round" rather than using your reaction?