D&D (2024) 5.5E, a good timing to make all feats into half-feats.
Marandahir
Crown-Forester (he/him)
Remember also that this doesn't work necessarily with levelled-feats.
Blue
Ravenous Bugblatter Beast of Traal
Here are my concerns.
Narrowing of Choice. Right now, players have a choice of a feat that gives them a specific ability, or one to advance a specific ability and give some power. This removes the first category, and effectively locks in player wanting to raise specific ability scores to a small subchoice of the feats. Or they get a literal half-feat - a feat where only half the power will be of any appreciable use. Which is dangerously close to a trap option. It would be very rare to see unusual and organic combos, like someone taking an interesting feat but it added to their dump stat.
Impact on MAD classes. Some classes require more good ability scores, like the paladin needing STR (or DEX), CHR and CON. Players of these will be hit harder by removing the ASI increase of +2 (or +1/+1). So this adjustment doesn't affect all of the classes the same. The ranged rogue will do better than that paladin with such limited adjustments.
Meaningful choices vs. same-y-ness. Right now the choice is between an ASI which is mostly a useful recurring math adjustment, or a feat which is an interesting option, or a half-feat to split the difference. There's no one right choice, and having meaningful choices like this helps define this character vs. another of the same class. But now there's only one choice - the split the difference. Characters have a much higher chance to end up same-y with others of their class - +1 to their primary ability score, and one of the feats from that limited list that also enhances their features.
Slowness of advancement. Any even scores need to wait 8 levels to see a change in the modifier, which is a long time for payoff. And for four levels of it, you only have "half a feat" in play since the other part hasn't yet made any adjustment to game play.
Speed to cap. Considering that the average campaign tops at 10-11, then with 50Anniversary we're looking at 3 feats (1st, 4th, 8th). For the players that like to go to 20, that requires starting with a 17 after background, and no other ability score can be touched. For a reasonable subset of players, this is a big deal.
Narrowing of Choice. Right now, players have a choice of a feat that gives them a specific ability, or one to advance a specific ability and give some power. This removes the first category, and effectively locks in player wanting to raise specific ability scores to a small subchoice of the feats. Or they get a literal half-feat - a feat where only half the power will be of any appreciable use. Which is dangerously close to a trap option. It would be very rare to see unusual and organic combos, like someone taking an interesting feat but it added to their dump stat.
Impact on MAD classes. Some classes require more good ability scores, like the paladin needing STR (or DEX), CHR and CON. Players of these will be hit harder by removing the ASI increase of +2 (or +1/+1). So this adjustment doesn't affect all of the classes the same. The ranged rogue will do better than that paladin with such limited adjustments.
Meaningful choices vs. same-y-ness. Right now the choice is between an ASI which is mostly a useful recurring math adjustment, or a feat which is an interesting option, or a half-feat to split the difference. There's no one right choice, and having meaningful choices like this helps define this character vs. another of the same class. But now there's only one choice - the split the difference. Characters have a much higher chance to end up same-y with others of their class - +1 to their primary ability score, and one of the feats from that limited list that also enhances their features.
Slowness of advancement. Any even scores need to wait 8 levels to see a change in the modifier, which is a long time for payoff. And for four levels of it, you only have "half a feat" in play since the other part hasn't yet made any adjustment to game play.
Speed to cap. Considering that the average campaign tops at 10-11, then with 50Anniversary we're looking at 3 feats (1st, 4th, 8th). For the players that like to go to 20, that requires starting with a 17 after background, and no other ability score can be touched. For a reasonable subset of players, this is a big deal.
rules.mechanic
Craft homebrewer
You called this one - looks like the new playtest agrees with you!
feats is the source of all lamentation.
at first whim was about the choice of feat vs ASI.
then with these new all half feats, the concern is about not using optimally the ability bonus.
Then we can try two offer a full feat and a ASI. People would still complain that they could be use of two feats or two ASI.
So I think that it’s the only solution : Give the choice two feats, two ASI or a feat and a ASI!
at first whim was about the choice of feat vs ASI.
then with these new all half feats, the concern is about not using optimally the ability bonus.
Then we can try two offer a full feat and a ASI. People would still complain that they could be use of two feats or two ASI.
So I think that it’s the only solution : Give the choice two feats, two ASI or a feat and a ASI!
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