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Message: <blockquote data-quote="Gladius Legis" data-source="post: 7541966" data-attributes="member: 68748">V. FeatsRangers are pretty MAD overall, so they're likely going to limit themselves to one or two feats (maybe three if a Variant Human). So it's important to pick wisely.Crossbow Expert: Mandatory if you're using crossbows, especially hand crossbows. With hand crossbows, you get a bonus-action attack every round ... which just so happens to be another chance for Sharpshooter's damage bonus to happen. Ignoring loading means you can execute your full Extra Attacks (and even the Hunter’s Volley) with a crossbow, too. The damage can get outright obscene with this one. You also no longer suffer disadvantage for firing in the thick of melee, which applies on any ranged attacks, not just crossbows, also a tremendous benefit. Obviously, melees ignore.Great Weapon Master: Mandatory for great weapon Rangers; obviously, don't bother otherwise. If you don't plan on taking this feat, you might as well just go sword-and-board. This feat makes up nearly all of the damage advantage using a great weapon has, thanks to the -5/+10 hit/damage trade. You're most likely to use that when you have advantage or have your attack rolls buffed via Bless or similar, in which case your damage goes through the roof. Bonus-action attacks on crits or death blows are also good against BBEGs and hordes alike.Polearm Master: Mandatory if you’re going to use a polearm as a main weapon; no need to bother if you’re not. The butt-end attack adds your STR-modifier and makes for a better version of dual-wielding that’s compatible with Great Weapon Master’s hit/damage trade, and the opportunity attacks against enemies entering your reach makes this amazing when combined with Sentinel.Resilient (CON): Getting proficiency in CON saves, along with a +1 to CON itself, is as good a pick as any for you, especially if you’re melee. CON is targeted often and by some pretty nasty effects. And then there's concentration saves so you stand a better chance of keeping that Hunter's Mark or that Conjure Animals active when you take damage. Horizon Walkers will REALLY want this (and/or War Caster) to keep Haste up.Sharpshooter: For ranged weapon Rangers, it's a matter of when, not if you're taking this. And ignoring any cover short of full may have you taking this before your first DEX bump. Nixing disadvantage at long range is nice, too. And then there's the infamous -5/+10 hit/damage trade, which Archery Fighting Style substantially mitigates the negative effect of. Woo. Obviously, don't take if you're melee.War Caster: Like Resilient (CON), and perhaps even in conjunction with it, the advantage on concentration saves can really help you maintain spells like Hunter's Mark or Conjure Animals when you take damage. The ability to perform somatic components with both hands full is also very good for dual-wielders and shield-users; in fact, it’s mandatory if you’re one of those build types and are taking somatic reaction spells like Absorb Elements.Alert: +5 initiative is good for just about everyone. Can't be surprised is helpful, too.Defensive Duelist: Only DEX-melees need apply, this one stands a really good chance at turning melee hits against you into misses once every round once your proficiency bonus is around +4 or better. Obviously STR-Rangers and archers ignore. Gloom Stalkers and Horizon Walkers get a defensive reaction of comparable effect as their Lv. 15 features, so they don’t need it either.Lucky: THE can't-go-wrong feat of the bunch when you can't think of anything else to take.Magic Initiate: Taking Wizard with this feat and Find Familiar as your 1st-level spell is a good way to get a better animal companion than the Beast Master’s (certainly much easier to replace upon death), while still taking a much better Ranger archetype. Getting two cantrips with the deal is nice, too; there’s some useful and/or fun ones that don’t use your casting stat.Ritual Caster: Another good way to get Find Familiar (again, choose Wizard with this feat). WIS 13 is good for a Ranger to have in general, so it’s easy to qualify for, and you’ll generally just get a lot of utility without the cost of any of your spell slots.Sentinel: If you played the Fighter in 4th Edition, this will look very familiar; this is essentially the 4e Fighter's Combat Challenge and part of Combat Superiority packaged into one feat. And while Rangers aren't quite as well suited to playing a defender role as Fighters, Paladins and Barbarians, getting or threatening more damage is still pretty nice (especially if the DMG marking rules are in effect). If you're a Polearm Master build, the value of this goes way up, as it takes on a whole new meaning with its OAs stopping enemy movement and keeping approaching enemies possibly out of reach from you. Obviously, ranged builds ignore.Shield Master: One of the more controversial feats recently. The newest Sage Advice isn’t perfectly clear, either, but it at least seems to allow for you to bonus-action shove after making one attack with your action (and thus committing to taking an Attack action), and then making your other attack(s) after. Which makes this pretty good from Lv. 5 onward, as you can at least get one attack with advantage after shoving prone. Becomes even better if your DM rules that you can shove before all your attacks as long as you declare you’re taking the Attack action. Becomes rather third-rate if your DM rules you can only shove after making all attacks of your Attack action. The two DEX-save benefits are pretty nice, too, but let’s face it, that’s not what you’re really here for.Dual Wielder: +1 to AC while dual-wielding is pretty nice, and you now also get to dual-wield with weapons that aren't light (e.g. rapiers, longswords, battleaxes, warhammers, etc.) for an extra point of damage above the usual shortswords setup. Not a bad feat to take, for admittedly a suboptimal mode of attack to begin with.Mobile: Extra speed and free disengagement from enemies you attack. Decent.Healer: Good benefits for healing kit use, but this feat should typically be left to a Thief.Heavily Armored: Well, if you want to play a less-MAD version of the STR-Ranger (one that doesn’t need a 14 DEX), and you don’t want to start as a Fighter and then multiclass to Ranger, here you go. You won’t have any Stealth capability to speak of, though, which just isn’t very Ranger-like. You do get +1 STR for your troubles.Heavy Armor Master: If you somehow do opt for a heavy armor STR-Ranger (either via starting as a Fighter or taking the Heavily Armored feat), then the damage resistance is pretty nice. But again, going heavy armor as a Ranger has its own drawbacks despite the lesser MAD. And spending two feats on heavy armor use doesn’t sound like a very good idea, regardless. At least you get +1 STR here, too.Mage Slayer: Effective if you fight a lot of spellcasters, but you’ll likely have higher priorities.Mounted Combatant: Might be worth a look for a Halfling Beast Master riding their companion as a mount. For anyone else, meh.Observant: Bonus to passive Perception and Investigation. Also +1 to WIS or INT. You have higher priorities.Skilled: 3 more skill (or tool) proficiencies is nice, but you're feat and ASI-starved. Just no room to make this a priority.Tavern Brawler: +1 STR or CON, bonus-action grapple and better unarmed attacks. Interesting if you want to make a niche grappler build, but Ranger isn’t exactly the best class for that.Tough: ONLY take at all if you already maxed out CON at 20. Not before.Athlete: +1 STR or DEX and a few benefits you don’t really need. Pass.Actor: +1 CHA if you care. You’re not a Bard and Deception and Performance are likely not your thing. Pass.Charger: Beyond useless. Next.Dungeon Delver: Leave the trapfinding and trap handling to the Rogue.Durable: Just take +2 CON, or even Resilient (CON), instead.Elemental Adept: You’re not a Wizard or Sorcerer (and it’s not all that great for them, either).Grappler: Useless even for characters who actually grapple. Grapple + shove accomplishes everything this feat does but better. Pin is beyond worthless as written.Inspiring Leader: Great feat, but you won’t have the CHA to qualify.Lightly Armored/Moderately Armored/Weapon Master: You’re already proficient in the armor, shields, and weapons in question.Keen Mind: Boosts a dump stat with marginal benefits attached.Linguist: +1 INT, three languages and a secret writing code. Whatever.Martial Adept: A single d6 Superiority Die is weak. Multiclass 3 Fighter levels if you want maneuvers that badly.Medium Armor Master: A DEX-Ranger could get 1 more AC with this feat than from studded leather, but that’s hardly worth an entire feat.Savage Attacker: Damage reroll only applies to weapon dice, and it's just once a turn regardless. Weaksauce.Skulker: The first benefit post-errata is of questionable worth even for a Stealth-using character. And the rest of it is isn’t much better.Spell Sniper: Of the magic-granting feats this is easily the worst. Take Magic Initiative or Ritual Caster instead. You can’t get a familiar with this one.Racial Feats (XGTE)A new concept introduced with the XGTE, Racial Feats can only be taken by characters of a certain race. To be honest, only a few of these are really worth taking in general on their own merits (though many of them come with a +1 to an ability score that may be useful for rounding out your stats at even numbers).Elven Accuracy (Elf or Half-Elf): Good for DEX-Rangers (STR-Rangers need not apply), especially in parties where you can get lots of advantage. (Or a Lv. 14 ranged Ranger with Vanish.) It gives you a sort of “super advantage” when you have advantage on attacks with DEX. You also get +1 to DEX (or WIS, INT or CHA).Prodigy (Human or Half-Elf or Half-Orc): Free skill proficiency, tool proficiency, language and, the best part, Expertise of one skill. Can actually be a worthwhile pick, particularly Expertising Athletics for grapplers and Shield Masters so their craft can be that much more irresistible.Bountiful Luck (Halfling): Basically extend your Lucky trait to an ally. Eh.Dragon Hide (Dragonborn): Natural armor and natural weapons for unarmed strikes. Typically not worth it, but at least you get +1 STR, CON or CHA.Drow High Magic (Drow): Detect Magic at will and Levitate and Dispel Magic (CHA-based) with 1/day slotless casting. Still not really worth a feat.Dwarven Fortitude (Dwarf): +1 CON, and a modicum of healing attached to your Hit Dice and Dodge action. Hardly a staple, but if you need to even out CON at late levels, it’s there.Fade Away (Gnome): DEX-based Gnomes may appreciate the +1 to DEX (not INT), with a decent but hardly staple invisibility reaction.Fey Teleportation (High Elf): Misty Step 1/short rest, and also +1 CHA or INT and extra language. One of the better racial feats, but still not your thing, and the stat bonuses are worthless to you.Infernal Constitution (Tiefling): Resistance to cold and poison damage and advantage on saves vs. poison. Still not really worth a precious feat slot. +1 CON, too, which is nice at least.Orcish Fury (Half-Orc): 1/short rest modest damage boost and a highly conditional extra attack when you’re about to get KO-ed but use Relentless Endurance. Again, hardly a staple ability, but at least it also comes with +1 STR or CON.Second Chance (Halfling): 1/short rest make an enemy reroll an attack against you when you get hit. Not enough by itself, but coming with +1 DEX, CON or CHA helps.Squat Nimbleness (Dwarf or Small race): +1 STR or DEX, faster walking speed to match other races, free Athletics or Acrobatics proficiency and easier grapple escapes. Not really inspiring, but if you need to even out STR or DEX, you could do worse.Wood Elf Magic (Wood Elf): Free Druid cantrip and Longstrider and Pass Without Trace as slotless casts 1/long rest. Eh.Dragon Fear (Dragonborn): You won’t have the CHA to put this to good use, so don’t even try.Flames of Phlegethos (Tiefling): You don’t have that many quality fire spells, or fire spells at all, really.</blockquote>

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