nswanson27
First Post
Not sure if I agree with alert being a "story-wrecker". A story-changer, maybe? But then most feats can be a story-changer I guess.
D&D 5E 2016 Feats Review
- Thread starter CapnZapp
- Start date
Horwath
Legend
IMHO,
you should rewrite all feats to be "half feats".
many of them are bad enough that you can put +1 to ability without any feat.
Some require little tone down.
Some can be split in two feats easy. I'm looking SS,GWM,PAM,CE at you!!
So here is my 2 cents;
All are half feats: so you can get two of them instead of ASI or 1 ability and 1 feat;
Alert: cannot be surprised, hidden enemies do not have advantage vs you.
added; Improved initiative: you gain +6 to initiative roll
Actor: same as PHB version, plus added proficiency in disguise kit
Charger: If you take Dash action and you move last 20ft in straight line towards an enemy, you can make one melee attack as a bonus action. Add your proficiency modifier to damage. If you have extra attack feature add double proficiency modifier instead.
Crossbow expert: ignore loading properties of a crossbow(you still need 2 hands to load a crossbow). You do not suffer disadvantage on attacks while you are in opponents melee reach.
extra attack feature as a bonus action gone and not coming back.
Defensive duelist: same as PHB, bad enough to be half feat.
Dual wielder: You can draw 2 weapons as one object interaction. You can dual wield 2 non light one handed weapons. Your offhand attack is now part of attack action with your main hand attack(s).
This prevents you from making aditional offhand attacks as bonus action.
added; Two weapon defense: while wielding two melee weapons you gain +1 to AC.
Dungeon delver; remove resistance to trap damage and you have a "half feat".
Durable: to have all people included without reference to their con score; you regain max HP from using your HDs.
Elemental adept: chose energy type: acid, cold, fire, lightning or thunder. You ignore damage resistance for that energy type with your spells and abilities.
added Elemental master: requires Elemental adept; you can change and acid,cold,fire,lightning or thunder spell damage to the type chosen by Elemental adept.
Grappler: as PHB, half feat.
Great weapon master; when you score critical hit or reduce a creature to 0 HP with non light melee weapon, you can make one attack with that melee weapon as a bonus action.
added; Power attack: when you attack with two handed melee weapon(or versatile weapon in two hands) you can take -3 penalty to attack and gain +5 to damage roll.
Healer: as PHB but instead of 1d6+4+max No.HDs, you heal 1d6+max No.HDs
Heavily armored: as PHB
Heavy armor master: as PHB
Inspiring leader: requires charisma 14; needs only 1 min of speech. affects you and a number of allies equal to your level × your charisma bonus. Gain temp HP equal to half your level + your charisma bonus.
added Inspiring leader, improved: requires charisma 16, Inspiring leader: gain temp HPs equal to your level + 2×charisma bonus.
Keen mind: this blows; as PHB but add one skill or tool proficiency to it.
Lightly armored: as PHB
Linguist: as PHB, add proficiency in forgery kit.
Lucky: as PHB but only 2 luck points.
Mage slayer: drop advantage on saves and you get a half feat.
Magic initiate: you gain only 2 cantrips from chosen class.
added; Magic adept: requires Magic initiate; gain one 1st level spell from chosen class. You can cast it once per long rest.
Martial adept: gain one maneuver and one superiority die. Die is d6 or what ever your class has if you have this feature. Can be taken two times.
Medium armor master: same as PHB. bad enough to be half feat.
Mobile: your movement does not provoke attack of opportunitiy
added; Fleet of foot: +10ft speed. When you take Dash action, difficult terrain does not slow your movement.
Moderately armored: as PHB
Mounted combatant: bad and limited to be half feat.
Observant: as PHB, or add +5 to passive insight also.
Polearm master: when you make attack with any long hafted weapon with two hands(quarterstaff, spear, pike, halberd, guisarme, etc...) you can make one attack with opposite end as a bonus action. Attack deals 1d4 B damage. Use str for attack and damage
added; Hold the line: opponents provoke AoO when they enter your melee reach.
Resilient: as PHB
Ritual caster: as PHB
Savage attacker: as PHB
Sentinel: as PHB but drop the 3rd part.
added: Intercept: when a creature in your melee reach makes attack against a target other than you, as a reaction you can make one melee attack vs that creature.
Sharpshooter: ignore attack penalty with weapons at long range. Ignore cover bonuses to AC.
added; Power shot: when making an attack with ranged weapon, you can take -3 penalty to attack and gain +5 bonus to damage roll.
Shield master: as PHB but drop the 3rd ability.
Skilled: gain proficiency in two skills or 3 tools. Can be taken 3 times.
Skulker: as PHB but drop auto hide if you miss with attack.
Spell sniper: as PHB but you do not gain an extra cantrip.
Tavern brawler: as PHB but after attack action with melee weapon you can use bonus action to make one unarmed attack or one grap attempt.
Tought: you gain one HP per level. Can be taken 2 times.
Warcaster: as PHB
Weapon master: gain one fighting style. Gain proficiency in one weapon. Can be taken 2 times.
you should rewrite all feats to be "half feats".
many of them are bad enough that you can put +1 to ability without any feat.
Some require little tone down.
Some can be split in two feats easy. I'm looking SS,GWM,PAM,CE at you!!
So here is my 2 cents;
All are half feats: so you can get two of them instead of ASI or 1 ability and 1 feat;
Alert: cannot be surprised, hidden enemies do not have advantage vs you.
added; Improved initiative: you gain +6 to initiative roll
Actor: same as PHB version, plus added proficiency in disguise kit
Charger: If you take Dash action and you move last 20ft in straight line towards an enemy, you can make one melee attack as a bonus action. Add your proficiency modifier to damage. If you have extra attack feature add double proficiency modifier instead.
Crossbow expert: ignore loading properties of a crossbow(you still need 2 hands to load a crossbow). You do not suffer disadvantage on attacks while you are in opponents melee reach.
extra attack feature as a bonus action gone and not coming back.
Defensive duelist: same as PHB, bad enough to be half feat.
Dual wielder: You can draw 2 weapons as one object interaction. You can dual wield 2 non light one handed weapons. Your offhand attack is now part of attack action with your main hand attack(s).
This prevents you from making aditional offhand attacks as bonus action.
added; Two weapon defense: while wielding two melee weapons you gain +1 to AC.
Dungeon delver; remove resistance to trap damage and you have a "half feat".
Durable: to have all people included without reference to their con score; you regain max HP from using your HDs.
Elemental adept: chose energy type: acid, cold, fire, lightning or thunder. You ignore damage resistance for that energy type with your spells and abilities.
added Elemental master: requires Elemental adept; you can change and acid,cold,fire,lightning or thunder spell damage to the type chosen by Elemental adept.
Grappler: as PHB, half feat.
Great weapon master; when you score critical hit or reduce a creature to 0 HP with non light melee weapon, you can make one attack with that melee weapon as a bonus action.
added; Power attack: when you attack with two handed melee weapon(or versatile weapon in two hands) you can take -3 penalty to attack and gain +5 to damage roll.
Healer: as PHB but instead of 1d6+4+max No.HDs, you heal 1d6+max No.HDs
Heavily armored: as PHB
Heavy armor master: as PHB
Inspiring leader: requires charisma 14; needs only 1 min of speech. affects you and a number of allies equal to your level × your charisma bonus. Gain temp HP equal to half your level + your charisma bonus.
added Inspiring leader, improved: requires charisma 16, Inspiring leader: gain temp HPs equal to your level + 2×charisma bonus.
Keen mind: this blows; as PHB but add one skill or tool proficiency to it.
Lightly armored: as PHB
Linguist: as PHB, add proficiency in forgery kit.
Lucky: as PHB but only 2 luck points.
Mage slayer: drop advantage on saves and you get a half feat.
Magic initiate: you gain only 2 cantrips from chosen class.
added; Magic adept: requires Magic initiate; gain one 1st level spell from chosen class. You can cast it once per long rest.
Martial adept: gain one maneuver and one superiority die. Die is d6 or what ever your class has if you have this feature. Can be taken two times.
Medium armor master: same as PHB. bad enough to be half feat.
Mobile: your movement does not provoke attack of opportunitiy
added; Fleet of foot: +10ft speed. When you take Dash action, difficult terrain does not slow your movement.
Moderately armored: as PHB
Mounted combatant: bad and limited to be half feat.
Observant: as PHB, or add +5 to passive insight also.
Polearm master: when you make attack with any long hafted weapon with two hands(quarterstaff, spear, pike, halberd, guisarme, etc...) you can make one attack with opposite end as a bonus action. Attack deals 1d4 B damage. Use str for attack and damage
added; Hold the line: opponents provoke AoO when they enter your melee reach.
Resilient: as PHB
Ritual caster: as PHB
Savage attacker: as PHB
Sentinel: as PHB but drop the 3rd part.
added: Intercept: when a creature in your melee reach makes attack against a target other than you, as a reaction you can make one melee attack vs that creature.
Sharpshooter: ignore attack penalty with weapons at long range. Ignore cover bonuses to AC.
added; Power shot: when making an attack with ranged weapon, you can take -3 penalty to attack and gain +5 bonus to damage roll.
Shield master: as PHB but drop the 3rd ability.
Skilled: gain proficiency in two skills or 3 tools. Can be taken 3 times.
Skulker: as PHB but drop auto hide if you miss with attack.
Spell sniper: as PHB but you do not gain an extra cantrip.
Tavern brawler: as PHB but after attack action with melee weapon you can use bonus action to make one unarmed attack or one grap attempt.
Tought: you gain one HP per level. Can be taken 2 times.
Warcaster: as PHB
Weapon master: gain one fighting style. Gain proficiency in one weapon. Can be taken 2 times.
IMHO,
you should rewrite all feats to be "half feats".
many of them are bad enough that you can put +1 to ability without any feat.
Some require little tone down.
Some can be split in two feats easy. I'm looking SS,GWM,PAM,CE at you!!
So here is my 2 cents;
All are half feats: so you can get two of them instead of ASI or 1 ability and 1 feat;
Alert: cannot be surprised, hidden enemies do not have advantage vs you.
added; Improved initiative: you gain +6 to initiative roll
Actor: same as PHB version, plus added proficiency in disguise kit
Charger: If you take Dash action and you move last 20ft in straight line towards an enemy, you can make one melee attack as a bonus action. Add your proficiency modifier to damage. If you have extra attack feature add double proficiency modifier instead.
Crossbow expert: ignore loading properties of a crossbow(you still need 2 hands to load a crossbow). You do not suffer disadvantage on attacks while you are in opponents melee reach.
extra attack feature as a bonus action gone and not coming back.
Defensive duelist: same as PHB, bad enough to be half feat.
Dual wielder: You can draw 2 weapons as one object interaction. You can dual wield 2 non light one handed weapons. Your offhand attack is now part of attack action with your main hand attack(s).
This prevents you from making aditional offhand attacks as bonus action.
added; Two weapon defense: while wielding two melee weapons you gain +1 to AC.
Dungeon delver; remove resistance to trap damage and you have a "half feat".
Durable: to have all people included without reference to their con score; you regain max HP from using your HDs.
Elemental adept: chose energy type: acid, cold, fire, lightning or thunder. You ignore damage resistance for that energy type with your spells and abilities.
added Elemental master: requires Elemental adept; you can change and acid,cold,fire,lightning or thunder spell damage to the type chosen by Elemental adept.
Grappler: as PHB, half feat.
Great weapon master; when you score critical hit or reduce a creature to 0 HP with non light melee weapon, you can make one attack with that melee weapon as a bonus action.
added; Power attack: when you attack with two handed melee weapon(or versatile weapon in two hands) you can take -3 penalty to attack and gain +5 to damage roll.
Healer: as PHB but instead of 1d6+4+max No.HDs, you heal 1d6+max No.HDs
Heavily armored: as PHB
Heavy armor master: as PHB
Inspiring leader: requires charisma 14; needs only 1 min of speech. affects you and a number of allies equal to your level × your charisma bonus. Gain temp HP equal to half your level + your charisma bonus.
added Inspiring leader, improved: requires charisma 16, Inspiring leader: gain temp HPs equal to your level + 2×charisma bonus.
Keen mind: this blows; as PHB but add one skill or tool proficiency to it.
Lightly armored: as PHB
Linguist: as PHB, add proficiency in forgery kit.
Lucky: as PHB but only 2 luck points.
Mage slayer: drop advantage on saves and you get a half feat.
Magic initiate: you gain only 2 cantrips from chosen class.
added; Magic adept: requires Magic initiate; gain one 1st level spell from chosen class. You can cast it once per long rest.
Martial adept: gain one maneuver and one superiority die. Die is d6 or what ever your class has if you have this feature. Can be taken two times.
Medium armor master: same as PHB. bad enough to be half feat.
Mobile: your movement does not provoke attack of opportunitiy
added; Fleet of foot: +10ft speed. When you take Dash action, difficult terrain does not slow your movement.
Moderately armored: as PHB
Mounted combatant: bad and limited to be half feat.
Observant: as PHB, or add +5 to passive insight also.
Polearm master: when you make attack with any long hafted weapon with two hands(quarterstaff, spear, pike, halberd, guisarme, etc...) you can make one attack with opposite end as a bonus action. Attack deals 1d4 B damage. Use str for attack and damage
added; Hold the line: opponents provoke AoO when they enter your melee reach.
Resilient: as PHB
Ritual caster: as PHB
Savage attacker: as PHB
Sentinel: as PHB but drop the 3rd part.
added: Intercept: when a creature in your melee reach makes attack against a target other than you, as a reaction you can make one melee attack vs that creature.
Sharpshooter: ignore attack penalty with weapons at long range. Ignore cover bonuses to AC.
added; Power shot: when making an attack with ranged weapon, you can take -3 penalty to attack and gain +5 bonus to damage roll.
Shield master: as PHB but drop the 3rd ability.
Skilled: gain proficiency in two skills or 3 tools. Can be taken 3 times.
Skulker: as PHB but drop auto hide if you miss with attack.
Spell sniper: as PHB but you do not gain an extra cantrip.
Tavern brawler: as PHB but after attack action with melee weapon you can use bonus action to make one unarmed attack or one grap attempt.
Tought: you gain one HP per level. Can be taken 2 times.
Warcaster: as PHB
Weapon master: gain one fighting style. Gain proficiency in one weapon. Can be taken 2 times.
Since SharpShooter and GWM is so much talk on the forums I have both in my current campaign including a fighter with hand crossbow and SS Battle Master and a Polearm GWM EK (He wanted shield and Absorb Elements for more survival) I am going to talk to my group and see if they are willing to test the -3 +5 vs the -5 +10 and see how much it changes the outcomes. They are pretty cool about something like that once we get our next session plan this month and we play I will report back on how it affected things.
CapnZapp
Legend
Anyway... onwards! 
Great Weapon Master
"Cleave" plus major damage boost
Design:This design is seriously backwards. For casual users, it doesn't provide that much of a benefit, while seriously threatening to be an actual trap. For power users, it's the game's single biggest power-up.
Fun:Doing massive damage might sound fun, but it isn't fun to those left out in the cold (i.e. anyone not taking this feat, anyone that can't take the feat, and NPCs that generally don't get feats at all). Still, from a pure fun perspective, it would be dishonest to give it a bad grade.
Power:As a power gamer, the existence of this feat (together with Sharpshooter) divides martials into the have and the have nots. It's that big of a deal. Optimizing around this feat gives you much better DPR than any other minmax focus. And on top of this, you also gain "cleave" which in itself is fun and good.
Since I don't want the mods to slap a "homebrew" sticker on this thread, let's just say the follow-up article, where I draw conclusion from this feat review will have to update this feat.
Healer
Your stabilize actions put heroes back into action. You effectively gain one completely free cure spell per creature.
Design:Not too bad. If you have plenty of clerical healing or an excess of healing potions you don't need this, but that's not what it's designed for. It's designed for the low magic campaigns that doesn't have all of that. And in that it's reasonably successful with no particular niggles.
Fun:Satisfying for the support player.
Power:A party will feel the impact of this compared to one without, but not to the extent of Inspiring Leader (below). You gain free heals sure, but you still need to spend the action, so this doesn't unbalance combat. It just makes life easier. The grittier the healing rules, the better this feat becomes.
Heavy/Medium/Light Armor
armor proficiency
Design:Couldn't be more straight-forward. One of few feats directly imported from previous edition. Fills a narrow niche as the simple or themed way to gain armor.
Fun:Not particularly, but serves its purpose. Those few that take it are happy, I presume.
Power:Sorry, but the armor proficiency feats are a trap for the theme-seeking player and are never picked up by power gamers. You can gain armor proficiencies much more cheaply by other means. Because they're half feats they escape a red rating.
This could have been implemented much more generously to keep in step with the rest of the game. For instance, if we assume picking Mountain Dwarf is as good a pick as any other, getting Medium Armor proficiency is essentially free, so why should it cost a feat?
I'm seriously tempted to bunch these together and just have one "Armor Proficiency Feat" that lets you pick the armor and shield proficiencies you like. All of them, if that's you fancy. After all, power gamers pick them up through multiclassing without any discernible cost (close to the cost of a feat!) anyway.
Also, why not throw in "choose one damage type. You gain damage reduction 3 against that damage type"? Would be a cool way to have you specialize in, say, piercing protection. Or acid. Anyway, the point is not to cheapen out by limiting this to nonmagical damage only. It's still an expensive way of getting a proficiency...
Heavy Armor Master
DR 3
Design:If the game should have damage reduction, I'd place it in a feat too. But why non-magical attacks only?!
Fun:Not particularly, but serves its purpose. Against lots of very weak attackers I do see the fun factor, but that's not happening enough for me to raise the grade. It is all passive, after all.
Power:I actually haven't analysed this in great detail. I do know people on the forums have picked it up, and I realize that as boring as it sounds like, it probably will save you lots of damage over the long run.
Inspired Leader
temp hp
Design:The actual language used is a bit confusing. The consensus is that you can use this over and over as long you have the time to spare, but this is not hinted at in any way. I would have phrased it differently, even if its effect stayed exactly the same.
Fun:In my experience, the satisfaction is so prevalent I'm gonna give this a blue rating. It does have a roleplay angle in that it can be gifted on NPCs.
Power:The way temp hp doesn't stack does limit this, but in practice it only means the group can abandon any other temp hp minmaxing stratagems. It really is a noticeable power buff, since the whole party is given a level's worth of bonus hit points after each rest. Power gamers don't need this easy power-up.
Keen Mind
benefits
Design:Apart from the hodge podge nature and lack of actual power, I dislike absolutes like "you remember everything". How do you even DM something like that? Designwise it's unfun how this only helps wizards.
Fun:I'm sure it's fun for the player...
Power:A difficult evaluation. Rp-wise it has its benefits. Otherwise its a half-feat for wizards. Couldn't its benefits have been handed out as a background instead?
Lightly Armored
See Heavy/Medium/Light Armor above
Great Weapon Master
"Cleave" plus major damage boost
Design:This design is seriously backwards. For casual users, it doesn't provide that much of a benefit, while seriously threatening to be an actual trap. For power users, it's the game's single biggest power-up.
Fun:Doing massive damage might sound fun, but it isn't fun to those left out in the cold (i.e. anyone not taking this feat, anyone that can't take the feat, and NPCs that generally don't get feats at all). Still, from a pure fun perspective, it would be dishonest to give it a bad grade.
Power:As a power gamer, the existence of this feat (together with Sharpshooter) divides martials into the have and the have nots. It's that big of a deal. Optimizing around this feat gives you much better DPR than any other minmax focus. And on top of this, you also gain "cleave" which in itself is fun and good.
Since I don't want the mods to slap a "homebrew" sticker on this thread, let's just say the follow-up article, where I draw conclusion from this feat review will have to update this feat.
Healer
Your stabilize actions put heroes back into action. You effectively gain one completely free cure spell per creature.
Design:Not too bad. If you have plenty of clerical healing or an excess of healing potions you don't need this, but that's not what it's designed for. It's designed for the low magic campaigns that doesn't have all of that. And in that it's reasonably successful with no particular niggles.
Fun:Satisfying for the support player.
Power:A party will feel the impact of this compared to one without, but not to the extent of Inspiring Leader (below). You gain free heals sure, but you still need to spend the action, so this doesn't unbalance combat. It just makes life easier. The grittier the healing rules, the better this feat becomes.
Heavy/Medium/Light Armor
armor proficiency
Design:Couldn't be more straight-forward. One of few feats directly imported from previous edition. Fills a narrow niche as the simple or themed way to gain armor.
Fun:Not particularly, but serves its purpose. Those few that take it are happy, I presume.
Power:Sorry, but the armor proficiency feats are a trap for the theme-seeking player and are never picked up by power gamers. You can gain armor proficiencies much more cheaply by other means. Because they're half feats they escape a red rating.
This could have been implemented much more generously to keep in step with the rest of the game. For instance, if we assume picking Mountain Dwarf is as good a pick as any other, getting Medium Armor proficiency is essentially free, so why should it cost a feat?
I'm seriously tempted to bunch these together and just have one "Armor Proficiency Feat" that lets you pick the armor and shield proficiencies you like. All of them, if that's you fancy. After all, power gamers pick them up through multiclassing without any discernible cost (close to the cost of a feat!) anyway.
Also, why not throw in "choose one damage type. You gain damage reduction 3 against that damage type"? Would be a cool way to have you specialize in, say, piercing protection. Or acid. Anyway, the point is not to cheapen out by limiting this to nonmagical damage only. It's still an expensive way of getting a proficiency...
Heavy Armor Master
DR 3
Design:If the game should have damage reduction, I'd place it in a feat too. But why non-magical attacks only?!
Fun:Not particularly, but serves its purpose. Against lots of very weak attackers I do see the fun factor, but that's not happening enough for me to raise the grade. It is all passive, after all.
Power:I actually haven't analysed this in great detail. I do know people on the forums have picked it up, and I realize that as boring as it sounds like, it probably will save you lots of damage over the long run.
Inspired Leader
temp hp
Design:The actual language used is a bit confusing. The consensus is that you can use this over and over as long you have the time to spare, but this is not hinted at in any way. I would have phrased it differently, even if its effect stayed exactly the same.
Fun:In my experience, the satisfaction is so prevalent I'm gonna give this a blue rating. It does have a roleplay angle in that it can be gifted on NPCs.
Power:The way temp hp doesn't stack does limit this, but in practice it only means the group can abandon any other temp hp minmaxing stratagems. It really is a noticeable power buff, since the whole party is given a level's worth of bonus hit points after each rest. Power gamers don't need this easy power-up.
Keen Mind
benefits
Design:Apart from the hodge podge nature and lack of actual power, I dislike absolutes like "you remember everything". How do you even DM something like that? Designwise it's unfun how this only helps wizards.
Fun:I'm sure it's fun for the player...
Power:A difficult evaluation. Rp-wise it has its benefits. Otherwise its a half-feat for wizards. Couldn't its benefits have been handed out as a background instead?
Lightly Armored
See Heavy/Medium/Light Armor above
jaelis
Oh this is where the title goes?
Ok it's embarrassing to keep picking on this one discussion, but I think you might not be looking right at the first benefit of Grappler either. You have advantage on attacks vs a creature you are already grappling, but it sounds like you are reading it as advantage on grapple checks? The feat doesn't actually help you grapple anyone, it just gives you some benefits once you have the grapple going.
(And it's perhaps worth pointing out that you can get both of the advantages offered by the feat anyway if you can succeed in shoving the target prone while grappling them.)
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CapnZapp
Legend
Thank you [MENTION=60210]jaelis[/MENTION], this is exactly the stuff I publish the review publically for.
Attacking a prone creature gives advantage so that's no 1. But do you mean that making the grappled creature prone is equivalent to pinning it to restrained?
And yes you do, grappled already sets speed to zero, restraining does more, but you already gain advantage from point 1, the only thing you don't get by shoving to prone that you do get by pinning it to restrained is disadvantage on dex saves (and that attacking a made-prone creature from range is bad while attacking a restrained creature is good)
I had evidently missed everything about this feat. It's essentially worthless if all it does is offer you an alternative to shove-to-prone that is better for your ranged allies but worse for the (very) special case where your wizard ally wants to fireball your target (and presumably you too).
Attacking a prone creature gives advantage so that's no 1. But do you mean that making the grappled creature prone is equivalent to pinning it to restrained?
And yes you do, grappled already sets speed to zero, restraining does more, but you already gain advantage from point 1, the only thing you don't get by shoving to prone that you do get by pinning it to restrained is disadvantage on dex saves (and that attacking a made-prone creature from range is bad while attacking a restrained creature is good)
I had evidently missed everything about this feat. It's essentially worthless if all it does is offer you an alternative to shove-to-prone that is better for your ranged allies but worse for the (very) special case where your wizard ally wants to fireball your target (and presumably you too).
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CapnZapp
Legend
Linguist
benefits
Design:For some specialist campaign, sure. Otherwise, learning to do ciphers and talk languages in a game where wizards have spells that trivialize these aspects... really?
Fun:It is fun. But no.
Power:A half-feat for wizards plus non-magical ways to do what you can already learn to do as a wizard... I'll ask again - couldn't its benefits have been handed out as a background instead?
Lucky
Three rerolls on your rolls as well as attacks made against you. And these rerolls are the good stuff - use either roll, not the "you must use your second roll" kind
Design:Designwise rather straightforward
Fun:This is an enormous self-confidence boost; you basically have advantage to your three most critical rolls a day
Power:This has to be good, but it can't save you when you're swamped, so there's limits.
Mage Slayer
Use reaction to "counterslay" spellcasting in melee, spellcaster get disadvantage on concentration, you yourself get "magic resistance" while in melee with caster
Design:Hmm. If you play completely straight with absolutely no metagaming, sure. But did noone envision the case where the spellcaster simply backs away 5 ft before casting? (He gets whacked no matter what, but at least can try to charm you without disadvantage). The second ability is useful to ranged fighters, while the first one only to melee fighters, and the third one is only useful if the DM doesn't do meta and never has monsters realize what the feat does.
Fun:Ruining the DMs carefully laid out plans for the BBEG is always good...
Power:Not sure how much power this really has. You do gain a certain "stickiness" where casters are even more doomed than usual when face to face with the hero. This is one of those feats that do something completely different and yet has a definite combat application... I'll leave it black for now.
Magic Initiate
two cantrips, one spell
Design:I'm happy something like this exists. Petty clear design. One somewhat hidden benefit is how this (as far as I can tell) turns you into a "spellcaster", allowing you to attune to certain items.
Fun:This is a good clean way to customize your character, so yes.
Power:Isn't this a bit stingy actually... (I mean, one single spell? For a whole feat?) Not even three cantrips, three slots for one spell, one slot each for three spells, and any combination in between... for those that aren't very into cantrips. Oh well, that could make it more difficult to understand, so I guess not.
Martial Adept
two maneuvers, one superiority die
Design:Again, allowing a peak into a "core" class is useful.
Fun:Not as fun as Magic Initiate if for the proasic reason you do expect to pull off martial stuns more often than magic spells...
Power:Again, a very stingy offer. On the other hand, while you only need to multiclass one level for the real deal of magic initiate, you need two for the real deal on maneuvers...
benefits
Design:For some specialist campaign, sure. Otherwise, learning to do ciphers and talk languages in a game where wizards have spells that trivialize these aspects... really?
Fun:It is fun. But no.
Power:A half-feat for wizards plus non-magical ways to do what you can already learn to do as a wizard... I'll ask again - couldn't its benefits have been handed out as a background instead?
Lucky
Three rerolls on your rolls as well as attacks made against you. And these rerolls are the good stuff - use either roll, not the "you must use your second roll" kind
Design:Designwise rather straightforward
Fun:This is an enormous self-confidence boost; you basically have advantage to your three most critical rolls a day
Power:This has to be good, but it can't save you when you're swamped, so there's limits.
Mage Slayer
Use reaction to "counterslay" spellcasting in melee, spellcaster get disadvantage on concentration, you yourself get "magic resistance" while in melee with caster
Design:Hmm. If you play completely straight with absolutely no metagaming, sure. But did noone envision the case where the spellcaster simply backs away 5 ft before casting? (He gets whacked no matter what, but at least can try to charm you without disadvantage). The second ability is useful to ranged fighters, while the first one only to melee fighters, and the third one is only useful if the DM doesn't do meta and never has monsters realize what the feat does.
Fun:Ruining the DMs carefully laid out plans for the BBEG is always good...
Power:Not sure how much power this really has. You do gain a certain "stickiness" where casters are even more doomed than usual when face to face with the hero. This is one of those feats that do something completely different and yet has a definite combat application... I'll leave it black for now.
Magic Initiate
two cantrips, one spell
Design:I'm happy something like this exists. Petty clear design. One somewhat hidden benefit is how this (as far as I can tell) turns you into a "spellcaster", allowing you to attune to certain items.
Fun:This is a good clean way to customize your character, so yes.
Power:Isn't this a bit stingy actually... (I mean, one single spell? For a whole feat?) Not even three cantrips, three slots for one spell, one slot each for three spells, and any combination in between... for those that aren't very into cantrips. Oh well, that could make it more difficult to understand, so I guess not.
Martial Adept
two maneuvers, one superiority die
Design:Again, allowing a peak into a "core" class is useful.
Fun:Not as fun as Magic Initiate if for the proasic reason you do expect to pull off martial stuns more often than magic spells...
Power:Again, a very stingy offer. On the other hand, while you only need to multiclass one level for the real deal of magic initiate, you need two for the real deal on maneuvers...
While you have rated a feat as gold for power, any feat that gets that rating is a broken feat. You've rightly identified Crossbow Expert as powerful enough to go right past gold and into its own category of ungraded.
At least a feat like Great Weapon Master, rightfully marked gold, is fixable enough to still give a mark.
In my ideal feat system you'd have no feats that were red or gold for power and none that were ever red for design or fun.
I will comment about one feat in particular. I'm a linguist by trade. I love languages. And even I wouldn't take the linguist feat as it's lackluster.
At least a feat like Great Weapon Master, rightfully marked gold, is fixable enough to still give a mark.
In my ideal feat system you'd have no feats that were red or gold for power and none that were ever red for design or fun.
I will comment about one feat in particular. I'm a linguist by trade. I love languages. And even I wouldn't take the linguist feat as it's lackluster.
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Too much personal bias, not enough facts and hard evidence.
For instance, Crossbow Expert:
You can work in melee as well as you can at 30ft, and you can make an extra attack with your bonus action if you relegate yourself to using a 1d6 weapon. Oh wow, really overpowered. Not.
For instance, Crossbow Expert:
You can work in melee as well as you can at 30ft, and you can make an extra attack with your bonus action if you relegate yourself to using a 1d6 weapon. Oh wow, really overpowered. Not.
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