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Message: <blockquote data-quote="redrick" data-source="post: 6615886" data-attributes="member: 6777696">Do you do the same with ability score increases? If a character takes a +2 to Dex and thereby a +1 to AC, do you automatically up the to-hit bonuses of all all monsters? Increase the AC by 1 to negate the to-hit bonus of the PC?I mean, obviously, monsters faced will get tougher as players level up, either because the DM always runs balanced encounters, or just because the PCs will get bolder in the opponents they're willing to fight. But the feat is just a sharpened version of the ability score increase. With a +2 in your prime stat, you get a little better at most of the things you do. With a feat, you get a lot better at something that you do sometimes. If the game is just allowed to function naturally, that player will feel the benefit of that feat in those specific situations, but also feel that their stats might not be keeping up as well as they face increasingly challenging monsters.(I'm a fighter and I get this really cool -5/+10 thing with my Greatsword, but the monsters are getting better armor and I still have a 16 strength...)Of course, this trade-off does break down if you use 4d6-drop-lowest ability rolls. Characters with rolled ability scores almost always start with a prime stat over 16 before species bonuses, so they can max out that stat much sooner, making the trade-off between a feat and a secondary stat more attractive. (Hell, characters rolling for abilities with the 4d6 method can easily have 20 in an ability at level 1 once their species mods kick in.)And what's wrong with character's adjusting their strategies once they learn a new skill? The rogue plays very differently once he hits level 2 and gets Cunning Action. Some casters will stick with mundane weapons over cantrips until they hit level 5 and the cantrips get another damage die. Maybe it's a bummer that your cleric took a defensive feat which makes him feel like he can wade into combat like a fighter, but maybe he'll be more cautious once he realizes that he still has fewer hp than the fighter and that things get a lot more tense when the cleric is the first character to get knocked unconscious.</blockquote>

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