D&D 5E (2024) Feat Chains are Incompatible with Easy CharGen + 1st Lev Feats

[Shiroiken]

I don't think true "Feat chains" will return. Most likely the prerequisites will be a single 1st level feat, similar to the UA of Dragonlance. I would recommend they list the connected feat with the 1st level feat, showing the future option.

 

[UngeheuerLich]

Feat chains that are 2 feats deep are ok, if the first feat already does the important thing and the second one only enhances it.

But anything more is bad. Remember whirlwind attack in 3.x?

Even worse though were feats as prerequisites for prestige classes.

I think Crawford is right when he does not want to overwhelm new players. In my experience, chosing feats without ever having played is not very easy, because they just don't know what is important.

In the same sense, it is also not easy for experienced players, as they often don't know what is important for this particular campaign. So if you notice, that a certain campaign is all about having unarmed combats*, you want to be able to take tavern brawler immediately and don't want to first take another feat.

On the other hand, if you want to be the best tavern brawler, I would not mind a second feat, that increases unarmed damage to d6 or d8 and gives some more benefits that are helpful. Maybe initialize a grab and do extra damage when grappling.

*just the first thing that came to mind.

 

[tetrasodium]

I hope to see feat chains. The complete absence of any meaningful prerequisites on basically anything means that any magic items I make need to be balanced against not just against an expected lath of progression the player states they are planning to follow but against any possible progression they could immediately jump tracks to while jettisoning their prior plans at no opportunity cost. Worse still is that because nothing has any prerequisites I need to balance against literally every current & future published option other than other archetypes of the same class where a player has already chosen an archetype to ensure that I must never give players anythong cool to aid their states plans before pc level 3.

 

[amethal]

Feat chains that are 2 feats deep are ok, if the first feat already does the important thing and the second one only enhances it.

But anything more is bad. Remember whirlwind attack in 3.x?

Whirlwind attack? They weren't even trying!

How do you like this feat from Pathfinder 1st edition, which basically allows you to ignore the penalties from Combat Expertise once per round when you parry? (Note that to use this feat to its full potential, you also need Combat Expertise, which is NOT one of its 7 prerequisite feats.)

Spoiler: Aldori Style Conquest

Prerequisites:
Aldori Style
Aldori Style Aegis
Alertness
Combat Reflexes
Exotic Weapon Proficiency (Aldori dueling sword)
Weapon Finesse
Weapon Focus (Aldori dueling sword)

Benefit: When you attempt to parry an attack using Aldori Style Aegis, you do not take any penalties on the attack roll incurred from using Combat Expertise or fighting defensively.

 

[Horwath]

If all feats get dropped to half-feat power level, and we get 2 feats at 1st level and then a feat every other level, I'm all for 2 or ever 3 long feat chains, otherwise not.

 

[UngeheuerLich]

If all feats get dropped to half-feat power level, and we get 2 feats at 1st level and then a feat every other level, I'm all for 2 or ever 3 long feat chains, otherwise not.

That would be terrible. I think the powerlevel of feats as it is now is perfect. As much as I would like more feats, I like the impact they currently have. I would not want them more granular.

 

[Horwath]

That would be terrible. I think the powerlevel of feats as it is now is perfect. As much as I would like more feats, I like the impact they currently have. I would not want them more granular.

we have lot's of half feats, just make all of them that way.
you can even split them into combat and non combat category and have separate resource pool for both.

 

[Frozen_Heart]

I personally love feat chains and feats locked behind higher levels. It allows them to be far more powerful and flavourful than feats available early on.

 

[UngeheuerLich]

we have lot's of half feats, just make all of them that way.
you can even split them into combat and non combat category and have separate resource pool for both.

I could live with giving noncombat feats at half strength at total characterlevels instead of class levels.
They could give a single skill proficiency and a little extra or something like that.

 

[MoutonRustique(Real)]

I personally love feat chains and feats locked behind higher levels. It allows them to be far more powerful and flavourful than feats available early on.

Feats don't need to be locked behind other feats in order to be powerful - they need to be locked behind levels to be more powerful. We can still have nice things without need of the 'plan/build-expertise-requirement'.