So now that we have LU, time to dig in and create controversy! Lets start with feats, what feats knocked it out of the park, which ones didn't make it out of the nest?
This is right now a pure read analysis, playtime may change my experience, but lets see how the feats "feel" upon initial read.
Also note, not all feats are listed here. I am only highlighting feats that I think are especially good or notably bad. Feats that are just solid are not noted.
Winners
Bladechanter - A pretty solid buff to this MC combo that I think invokes the "bladesinger" concept in a very good way.
Combat Thievery - Whether your a mist and shade user or just a rogue looking to be more "handsy", this is a fun feat that opens up some new niches and is one where the DM and player can work together to create some neat scenes.
Deadeye (Sharpshooter) - I think this was a solid way to adjust what some consider an OP feat in original. You gain more range without making it ridiculous, and you get a damage boost but not to the extent of the original. So on that alone you might go "well damn this just a nerf". However, I think the introduction of the ricochet free maneuver brings it back, that is a cool and fun way to add more oomph back into the feat without OPing it, and so the final result is a solid package. This is fixing feats done right.
Hardy Adventurer (Tough): Tough was always on the edge of a really good feat, and this little bump brings it up a solid notch. This is now the ultimate "I want to be tough" feat, its simple and awesome.
Martial Scholar - I feel like this will quickly become a go to feat for many characters, just on the fact it increases your exertion pool by ~50%. The fact you get two new maneuvers on top is gravy.
Mystic Arcanist - The ability to adjust your spell list on the fly (ESPECIALLY for the sorceror) is so freakin cool and amazing that this feat becomes solid gold. Its so good I honestly wish the sorc had something like this as a default, as that alone could have singlehandedly saved the class for me.
Spellbreaker (MageSlayer) - This was a decent feat before, but this updated version adds some nice benefits. First, you can now use reach weapons with this ability (a silly oversight of the OG version to me). But the real gem is that you get advantage on spells cast within 30 feet of you. That is a major boost from the 5 feet one before, and suddenly gives them feat a lot more general utility.
Surgical Combatant - this is both a neat flavored feat, and gives a solid skill benefits that is boosted by a very nice combat boost.
Losers
Brutal Attack (Savage Attacker) - This one is generally considered a weak feat in O5e and it has gotten no love in LU, its still just not enough oomph to justify a feat slot.
Fear Breaker - The flavor of this one is cool, and I like the idea of augmenting an existing manuever. That said, this is still a very niche scenario (fear effects tend to be a 1st round hit most of the time, so how often will a character get to crit and apply the bonus to a fear save that will occur later in the round....I think that will be rare). Removing Rattled seems nice...but most of the effects I have seen so far this doesn't happen all that much. I think this feat is just a little too niche, and when I have precious few feats to take something like this goes to the bottom of the line.
Grappler - A weak feat in O5e made even weaker as this feat doesn't provide the "large creature can no longer auto escape grapples" protection.
Keen Mind - This feat is at the bottom of the O5e totem pole to begin with, and now unless you have an 18 or better int, its actually even weaker!
Monster Hunter - This is a grab bag feat that I think is almost there, but the douse manuever is a problem. Its a fine maneuver, but it feels weird with the rest of these abilities, and I think that removes a slot that could have gone to rounded up this feat and making it solid. So the result is a feat that feels clunky when its so close to being good.
Arcanum Master - The ability to choose what type of damage your spell deals is nice.....but not as the capstone of a 3 feat chain. The only reason I see to use this feat is to make everything force or radiant so you can use pure arcanist with it. I mean that's solid, but its not a full feat worth. The other half of this feat pure ribbon and frankly its bad ribbon...becomes what cold hearted DM doesn't allow a player to specify the appearance of their spells? This feat could use some love.
Powerful Attacker (Great Weapon Master) - GWM is commonly cited as an example of an OP feat, one that gives feats a bad name because its so commonly taken. And frankly I think this feat blows GWM out of the water. Now I can cleave whenever I want for free, no crit or drop to 0 required. You do lose the ability to double hit an enemy, but I think this version is just so much more generally useful. Further, the +10 damage is still there but now with disadvantage. The thing is there are so so many ways to negate disadvantage in the game. The old -5 attack was always felt, but its much easier to deal with the penalty in the current version. This feat is on the loser list for still being OP (maybe even more OP) than the original version. Frankly if this just gave the manuever for free (which is an expensive 2 exertion maneuver) that is probably enough.
Stalwart (Durable) - Considering the improvement to tough, was hoping to see some love for Durable, but this feat is still just ho hum.
Street Fighter (Tavern Brawler) - Another weak feat just begging for some improvement, another missed opportunity.
Oddities
In this section I'm just noting some things that seem strange but didn't cause any real power adjustments to feats.
Bladechanter - This slightly implies that seen spell components still require a free hand (they don't according to the book). It just implies it never outright states it.
Newborn - You could cut the language of this feat in half if you just say the Bite is a finesse weapon. The feat just uses sentences to describe the bite....as a finesse weapon. We have those keywords for a reason, no reason not to use them.
This is right now a pure read analysis, playtime may change my experience, but lets see how the feats "feel" upon initial read.
Also note, not all feats are listed here. I am only highlighting feats that I think are especially good or notably bad. Feats that are just solid are not noted.
Winners
Bladechanter - A pretty solid buff to this MC combo that I think invokes the "bladesinger" concept in a very good way.
Combat Thievery - Whether your a mist and shade user or just a rogue looking to be more "handsy", this is a fun feat that opens up some new niches and is one where the DM and player can work together to create some neat scenes.
Deadeye (Sharpshooter) - I think this was a solid way to adjust what some consider an OP feat in original. You gain more range without making it ridiculous, and you get a damage boost but not to the extent of the original. So on that alone you might go "well damn this just a nerf". However, I think the introduction of the ricochet free maneuver brings it back, that is a cool and fun way to add more oomph back into the feat without OPing it, and so the final result is a solid package. This is fixing feats done right.
Hardy Adventurer (Tough): Tough was always on the edge of a really good feat, and this little bump brings it up a solid notch. This is now the ultimate "I want to be tough" feat, its simple and awesome.
Martial Scholar - I feel like this will quickly become a go to feat for many characters, just on the fact it increases your exertion pool by ~50%. The fact you get two new maneuvers on top is gravy.
Mystic Arcanist - The ability to adjust your spell list on the fly (ESPECIALLY for the sorceror) is so freakin cool and amazing that this feat becomes solid gold. Its so good I honestly wish the sorc had something like this as a default, as that alone could have singlehandedly saved the class for me.
Spellbreaker (MageSlayer) - This was a decent feat before, but this updated version adds some nice benefits. First, you can now use reach weapons with this ability (a silly oversight of the OG version to me). But the real gem is that you get advantage on spells cast within 30 feet of you. That is a major boost from the 5 feet one before, and suddenly gives them feat a lot more general utility.
Surgical Combatant - this is both a neat flavored feat, and gives a solid skill benefits that is boosted by a very nice combat boost.
Losers
Brutal Attack (Savage Attacker) - This one is generally considered a weak feat in O5e and it has gotten no love in LU, its still just not enough oomph to justify a feat slot.
Fear Breaker - The flavor of this one is cool, and I like the idea of augmenting an existing manuever. That said, this is still a very niche scenario (fear effects tend to be a 1st round hit most of the time, so how often will a character get to crit and apply the bonus to a fear save that will occur later in the round....I think that will be rare). Removing Rattled seems nice...but most of the effects I have seen so far this doesn't happen all that much. I think this feat is just a little too niche, and when I have precious few feats to take something like this goes to the bottom of the line.
Grappler - A weak feat in O5e made even weaker as this feat doesn't provide the "large creature can no longer auto escape grapples" protection.
Keen Mind - This feat is at the bottom of the O5e totem pole to begin with, and now unless you have an 18 or better int, its actually even weaker!
Monster Hunter - This is a grab bag feat that I think is almost there, but the douse manuever is a problem. Its a fine maneuver, but it feels weird with the rest of these abilities, and I think that removes a slot that could have gone to rounded up this feat and making it solid. So the result is a feat that feels clunky when its so close to being good.
Arcanum Master - The ability to choose what type of damage your spell deals is nice.....but not as the capstone of a 3 feat chain. The only reason I see to use this feat is to make everything force or radiant so you can use pure arcanist with it. I mean that's solid, but its not a full feat worth. The other half of this feat pure ribbon and frankly its bad ribbon...becomes what cold hearted DM doesn't allow a player to specify the appearance of their spells? This feat could use some love.
Powerful Attacker (Great Weapon Master) - GWM is commonly cited as an example of an OP feat, one that gives feats a bad name because its so commonly taken. And frankly I think this feat blows GWM out of the water. Now I can cleave whenever I want for free, no crit or drop to 0 required. You do lose the ability to double hit an enemy, but I think this version is just so much more generally useful. Further, the +10 damage is still there but now with disadvantage. The thing is there are so so many ways to negate disadvantage in the game. The old -5 attack was always felt, but its much easier to deal with the penalty in the current version. This feat is on the loser list for still being OP (maybe even more OP) than the original version. Frankly if this just gave the manuever for free (which is an expensive 2 exertion maneuver) that is probably enough.
Stalwart (Durable) - Considering the improvement to tough, was hoping to see some love for Durable, but this feat is still just ho hum.
Street Fighter (Tavern Brawler) - Another weak feat just begging for some improvement, another missed opportunity.
Oddities
In this section I'm just noting some things that seem strange but didn't cause any real power adjustments to feats.
Bladechanter - This slightly implies that seen spell components still require a free hand (they don't according to the book). It just implies it never outright states it.
Newborn - You could cut the language of this feat in half if you just say the Bite is a finesse weapon. The feat just uses sentences to describe the bite....as a finesse weapon. We have those keywords for a reason, no reason not to use them.
