D&D 5E Krynn's Free Feats: setting-specific or the future of the game?

[jasper]

I mean, it was obviously intended for the Background Feature to matter in games, but it often is vestigial with no real benefit, especially in public play. I remember my noble getting zero benefit for being a noble, and then one time when we needed shelter, I announced I'd ask the local lord to put us up in his keep, using my feature, and the DM actually said "I mean, I guess, but I don't understand how that works, the guy has never heard of you."

When I get pushback on simply finding my party a place to sleep for the night, it's obvious (to me) that a component of backgrounds has failed to work as advertised.

Oh my gawd a public play dm not knowing the rules. And this component has now failed!
(shut Jasper how many times have you farted on the rules at cons) James the error was with the DM and not the background feature.

 

[Vaalingrade]

As a comparison, what if they gave every chatacter free spells on the ground that anyway the majority already play spellcasters? Then nobody could play a non-spellcaster anymore unless they accept that everybody else got a boost but them. How fair is that?

I am already looking for the Kickstarter link.

 

[jasper]

power creep happens because the current Wotc writers are allowing it. AKA let us have this feature "Bob's your uncle" to be for just this specific campaign for flavor,
1year later,
Flavor everyone in the book just published. Bob's is everyone one uncle,
I have see how more options and "Optional Books" change Adventure League. Especially when the option seriously changes the play to older modules,

 

[James Gasik]

Oh my gawd a public play dm not knowing the rules. And this component has now failed!
(shut Jasper how many times have you farted on the rules at cons) James the error was with the DM and not the background feature.

But if the background features had more "teeth", as Crawford put it, maybe that wouldn't have happened in the first place. Just a thought.

 

[Horwath]

from what I have seen in 5E while playing:

1. I haven't seen a 4th level character without feats, not a single one.

2. Bonus feats for everyone at 1st level didn't break anything.


Now, there should be some limits on what feats should NOT be granted at levels 1&4. And some are already at UA list.

These bonus feats should be a tool to make your character more interesting, more versatile and not strictly more powerful in combat.

So what feats would I have for these two bonus slots:

1. All racial feats.

2. All UA skill feats: https://media.wizards.com/2017/dnd/downloads/UA-SkillFeats.pdf
minght need some cleaning up it this file

3. And a list from PHB/XGE/TCE/Eberron:

Aberrant dragonmark
Actor
Athlete
Chef
Dungeon delver
Healer
Inspiring leader
Keen mind
Linguist
Magic initiate
Observer
Ritual caster
Skill expert
Skilled
Tavern brawler
Telekinetic
Telepathic

Every background can have few of these as an option in addition to racial/skill feats.

Now this list could be expanded or it could be reduced, but... what feats should NEVER be given out as a bonus are:

Lucky
Tough
Resilient
Alert
Mobile
Crossbow expert
Sharpshooter
Heavy armor mastery
Great weapon mastery
Polearm mastery
Fey touched
Shadowtouched

now, none of these feats are a problem in themselves, but it must be a cost to take them.

 

[Jer]

But if the background features had more "teeth", as Crawford put it, maybe that wouldn't have happened in the first place. Just a thought.

There is, unfortunately, no amount of teeth you can put into a rule to get a DM who doesn't care to use them correctly.

 

[cbwjm]

from what I have seen in 5E while playing:

1. I haven't seen a 4th level character without feats, not a single one.

2. Bonus feats for everyone at 1st level didn't break anything.


Now, there should be some limits on what feats should NOT be granted at levels 1&4. And some are already at UA list.

These bonus feats should be a tool to make your character more interesting, more versatile and not strictly more powerful in combat.

So what feats would I have for these two bonus slots:

1. All racial feats.

2. All UA skill feats: https://media.wizards.com/2017/dnd/downloads/UA-SkillFeats.pdf
minght need some cleaning up it this file

3. And a list from PHB/XGE/TCE/Eberron:

Aberrant dragonmark
Actor
Athlete
Chef
Dungeon delver
Healer
Inspiring leader
Keen mind
Linguist
Magic initiate
Observer
Ritual caster
Skill expert
Skilled
Tavern brawler
Telekinetic
Telepathic

Every background can have few of these as an option in addition to racial/skill feats.

Now this list could be expanded or it could be reduced, but... what feats should NEVER be given out as a bonus are:

Lucky
Tough
Resilient
Alert
Mobile
Crossbow expert
Sharpshooter
Heavy armor mastery
Great weapon mastery
Polearm mastery
Fey touched
Shadowtouched

now, none of these feats are a problem in themselves, but it must be a cost to take them.

Clearly the designers disagree with some of these, they have alert and mobile on the level 4 lists. The adept spell feats are probably close enough in power that the fey and shadow touched feats would be fitting at level 4 as well. Personally, I wouldn't restrict anything.

 

[Parmandur]

Clearly the designers disagree with some of these, they have alert and mobile on the level 4 lists. The adept spell feats are probably close enough in power that the fey and shadow touched feats would be fitting at level 4 as well. Personally, I wouldn't restrict anything.

The Feats in the game ate basically equivalent, aside from half Feats: Half Feats may be out fir Level 1.

 

[James Gasik]

There is, unfortunately, no amount of teeth you can put into a rule to get a DM who doesn't care to use them correctly.

Well that's unfortunately true, but if Backgrounds give out Features at least equivalent to Feats (ie, non-class specific class features), it might go better. I believe I had heard Tasha's gives options for swapping out some ribbon abilities for more useful ones as well, but until gaming starts back up around me, I have yet to shell out the cash for the book.

 

[cbwjm]

The Feats in the game ate basically equivalent, aside from half Feats: Half Feats may be out fir Level 1.

Yeah, maybe. If I were to consider blocking any at level 1, it would be half feats. But then, it doesn't seem to be an issue with variant humans or that build your own race from Tasha's.