Effects of taking feats more than once?

[Creamsteak]

Resilient more than once (each time a different stat) seems intuitive to me. I am surprised if that wasn't allowed. I never bothered to check.

 

[bedir than]

I suppose that WotC is just being overly careful in order to avoid powergaming exploits...

As a house rule, I think it is very possible to allow some feats to be taken multiple times. I would kind of follow this rule of thumb:

- does a second feat increase the range of applicability? (e.g. grants the same benefit on a different weapon group, same defensive bonus vs different element, different spell school etc) > Allow

- does a second feat increase the bonus on the same d20 roll or similar? (incl. attack rolls, AC, ST, ability/skill checks) > Disallow

- does a second feat increase quantities of known stuff / quantitative results / numbers of use? (incl. damage, HP, number of proficiencies, spells known, uses/day) Allow with limitations*

*By "limitations" I mean maybe allow a second or third feat but not more, depending on the cases

Using this framework I'll probably make a list of what I would allow, but I doubt many players would use many feats more than twice. Variety is kind of fun.

 

[Blue]

There a lot of feats that would at least partially stack in addition to the ones you listed. Ignoring the ones where the only thing you gain is +1 to a stat (which, while it would stack, is less than just taking the ability boost).

Alert - get an extra +5 to init.
Charger - extra +5 damage on charge attack
Dual Wielder - +1 AC with two melee weapons
Linguist - 3 more languages
Mobile - increase speed by 10 feet
Observant - bonus to Int or Wis; +5 bonus to the skills listed



(Unsure: GWM / SS - can you choose the -5/+10 for each time you have the feat?)

 

[Dausuul]

I don't think there are significant balance concerns, but I'm inclined to stick with the feat rules as written, just to encourage diversity.

With Magic Initiate, the Fighter-Eldritch Knight can get over a dozen cantrips, and over 10 first level slots...
Some abusive versions:

MI-Wizard C: flame bolt, ice knife 1: Magic Missile
MI-Sorcerer C: burning hands, shocking grasp, 1: Magic missile.

So, said fighter now (1) adds magic missile to known spells, and (2) has 2/day castings of magic missile @ level 1, a built in ranged attack, a built-in melee attack, plus his own 2x 1st level slots... at 6th level. He's got almost as much magic as a 1st level wizard.
So at 8, he adds MI-Warlock C: eldritch bolt, creat fire, 1: Magic Missile...

By 20th level, he's spamming off with 10 castings of MM, and a lightning bolt.

That's not abusive. At all. You're sacrificing your effectiveness as a fighter (no stat boosts, no Great Weapon Mastery or Sharpshooter) for the ability to repeatedly cast a spell that does less damage than a normal fighter Attack action. Even after accounting for miss chance, each individual attack by a fighter averages almost as much damage as magic missile in total; as soon as the fighter hits 5th level and gets Extra Attack, magic missile is left in the dust.

If you want to cast blasting spells all day, play a sorcerer or an evoker. They do it way better than a fighter ever will, feats or no feats.

 

[Greenstone.Walker]

Resilient more than once (each time a different stat) seems intuitive to me. I am surprised if that wasn't allowed. I never bothered to check.

My reading is that you can't take "Resilient (CHA)" more than once but you can take "Resilient (CHA)" and "Resilient (CON)" and so on, up to four times (three for Rogue) because then you have proficiency in every saving throw.

 

[Psikerlord#]

I would only allow feats that give additional choices - and don't simply "stack" with themselves - to be taken multiple times. Eg: ok would be: magic initiate, martial initiate, resilient, skilled, linguist, etc

I would definitely not allow lucky or savage attacker or mobile or observant or toughness to stack. They are not opening up new choices/adding new abilities. They are just "stacking" qualities that in my view were not meant to be stacked.

 

[thalmin]

I think stacking would be the primary reasons the designers decided feats could only be taken once. In the one feat that repeating is specifically allowed, stacking is prohibited.

 

[Azurewraith]

I Wouldn't allow feats that gave increases to stats including AC as it can get out of hand. The monsters in the MM are also for the most part laughably weak in games allowing feats i haven't used a monster as is since around lvl 3 as there all just cake walks.