iserith
Magic Wordsmith
I'm not sure whether you still didn't read my post thoroughly or didn't understand the point I was making - I will assume the latter and phrase it a bit differently:
Comparing combat feats with non-combat feats is subjective based on play styles - so comparing "Read and write all languages" to "+3 with swords" is problematic. However, if you are comparing COMBAT feats, that subjectiveness narrows (note I said narrows, not disappears) considerably. There is still some subjectiveness because some people might play extreme dungeons only, or ranged combat only - but that doesn't mean you should eschew balance as a principal - continuing down that path is nihilism - it leads to the conclusion that nothing matters because everyone plays differently.
The designers can and should balance combat feats based on the assortment of monsters they present in the MM - which is a large assortment of different types, ranged, spell, and melee. They can and should balance based on a variety of locales - dungeons, urban, wild, etc. In other words, balance to the mean/average. This is still a bit subjective BUT it is done in thousands of games successfully. Extreme examples of play should not be considered in judging balance.
You say D and D is "a set of tools the DM can use to make the game he or she wants and nothing more" - that is a line of thinking that could and does alienate a substantial portion of the gaming world. I, like many, have an expectation that D and D be a complete game, not a collection of tools that must be endlessly tinkered with to work.
In the end, I agree with Tony Vargas' statement that D and D 5e suffers from a failure to commit to balance - and I think your attitude sums up 5e's problems (as percieved by me) in that regard.
If that is your expectation, then you should expect disappointment. Balance (whatever that may mean to the DM or group) happens because of the DM's efforts toward that end, not because of the game system. This is why I find complaints about "balance" in D&D 5e to be laughable. The people doing the complaining reveal their misunderstanding with every post.
Change your expectations, however, and it becomes easy to see what is required of you as DM. After all, they sold us this game system during the playtest (in part) as being one of "dials," right? Where you have a lot of options and you tune things to your desired specifications? This should really be a surprise to no one in my view.