D&D 5E Adding Feats to the Existing Backgrounds

[rmcoen]

I'm okay with the Variant Human retaining its bonus feat - and without restriction. If he wants to be a Variant Human with the Acolyte background, and have Warcaster (VH bonus) and Ritual Caster (background) both, I'm okay with that. He's not getting darkvision or wings or resistances or any of the other racial bonuses, in exchange for that bonus feat. Adding a feat to backgrounds doesn't change that math.

 

[Weiley31]

It would make sense if they were pushing people to use DDB. But they wouldn't manipulate the rules to suit their agenda, would they?

Yeah, I think such a list would have to have an option of two feats for each Background, and the player gets to choose the one they want. If it's done properly, the Acolyte background could be an interesting choice for characters that aren't clerics or paladins.

Maybe something like:

Acolyte: if your character has the Acolyte background, they can start with their choice of the Healer feat or the Ritual Caster feat.​

​

Soldier: if your character has the Soldier background, they can start with their choice of the Mounted Combatant feat or the Weapon Master feat.​

However this ends up working, I think I'll impose a restriction that characters cannot start with more than one feat at 1st level. That's a bridge too far, in my opinion.

That's pretty much HOW the new Backgrounds going forward should be. Each Background should come with a curated list of Feats. If your an Entertainer, then expect to see the Actor feat amongst one of the curated list choices. If your a Soldier, expect to see Fighting Initiate, Touch, Great Weapon Master, and whatever in the curated list choices. So on and so on.

 

[rmcoen]

Weiley31, I would hope that feats like Sharpshooter, Crossbow Expert, Great Weapon Master, Fey touched, Warcaster, Spell Sniper... these feats are not available from Backgrounds. I want my players to have Mounted Combat, Chef, Actor, etc. as background feats. But... 5e's feats are weirdly half-assed. 4e had a bazillion "+2 to 2 skills" feats to choose from, or the Expert "+3 to one skill". 5e has awesome feats, and a lot of "situationally good", and then "trap" feats that are just plain awful. Not a lot of "flavor" feats because, after all, you are giving up "+2 to a stat" for it.

But that's a different debate.

I don't want OP feats granted by Backgrounds.

 

[GMforPowergamers]

I want my players to have Mounted Combat, Chef, Actor, etc. as background feats.

Chef and Actor are both GREAT examples of feats I WANT in the backgrounds... maybe keen mind, observant too

 

[Weiley31]

Chef and Actor are both GREAT examples of feats I WANT in the backgrounds... maybe keen mind, observant too

ya those work and would be part of curated list choices as well.