D&D 5E Has anyone made feats into tiers?

[Gladius Legis]

At low levels, you both have few attacks and your chance is low per attack; so it is less useful. But I think it does plateau.

Those "low" attacks become a lot of attacks if there's several of them and they're all attacking you. Then your chances of using it increase again.

Then, at high levels, threat coming in the form of saves starts ramping up. So by the time you get a high +6 modifier, lots of the fights it is near useless.

Even at high levels, threats in the form of saves are typically once per encounter or recharge, so in rounds outside of those it is still useful.

 

[TaranTheWanderer]

Observation from what I read above. to make it easier:

After you divide feats into 'Powerful Feats(tier 1)' and 'Less Powerful Feats'(tier 2), why not do this:

Leave the Acquisition of Feats as is, based on Specific Class Level: those levels are the purview of the 'Powerful Feats.'(Tier 1)
-So a 4th level Wizard could get a 'Powerful feat', But a Wizard2/rogue2 could not.

Have the second tier of Feats be based on TOTAL Class level. (for instance 3rd, 6th, 9th etc..)
- So a 4th level wizard would have a Tier2 feat at 3rd and a Tier 1 feat at 4th
-A Wizard2/Rogue2 would only have a tier 2 feat at lvl 3


Edit: I posted too early and edited the post.
Edit2 : I'd also argue that Dungeon Delver is more useful than Observant.

 

[MostlyHarmless42]

Powerful (generally considered OP by themselves)

• Great Weapon Master
• Sharpshooter

Useful (any character can benefit from)

• Alert
• Lucky
• Resilient
• Skilled
• Tough

Defining (specializes a character)

• Crossbow Expert
• Dual Wielder
• Elemental Adept
• Healer
• Heavy Armor Master
• Inspiring Leader
• Mobile
• Mounted Combatant
• Observant
• Polearm Master (often also placed in Powerful)
• Sentinel
• Shield Master
• Spell Sniper
• War Caster

Garbage (generally trap options)

• Athlete
• Actor
• Charger
• Defensive Duelist (could be defining, but weak)
• Dungeon Delver (could be defining, but weak)
• Durable
• Grappler (could be defining, but weak)
• Heavily Armored
• Keen Mind
• Lightly Armored
• Linguist
• Mage Slayer (could be defining, but weak)
• Magic Initiate
• Martial Adept
• Medium Armor Master
• Moderately Armored
• Ritual Caster
• Savage Attacker
• Skulker (could be defining, but weak)
• Tavern Brawler (could be defining, but weak)
• Weapon Master

This post highlights the exact problem with trying to rank certain feats in strength or usefulness is that many are subjective depending on player creativity or specific campaign. I mean no disrespect to this poster, but I completely disagree with more than half of his "garbage" list and have had numerous players take many of them often to great character defining effect. As an example it's downright surprising if any sort of deceptive character in our gaming circle doesn't take Actor, and heavy armor master has saved the lives of quite a few tanks in our group (that little bit adds up over time). Skulker is also pretty much labeled a "must have" for any sneaky character with us, and we've had quite a few characters take both Tavern Brawler and Grappler (often both to great effect with combined or also with rage). Perhaps our games use far more grappling and social situations? shrug

About the only feats I've deemed a bit too weak are weapon master, the armor proficiency feats, and maybe Keen Mind, but that last one is only weak at our table because we have generous DMs who don't screw players over for not taking notes or care to not let players know what time it is in a game. And I've still had no less than three PCs take it. I've seen just about every feat hit our tables on at least one character and while some or more situational, I'd hesitate to say any (again weapon master and the armor proficiency feats excluded) are garbage.

For the aforementioned weapon/armor feats, I just made a homebrew feat to replace them, giving the person a choice between two of the following:
1) Proficiency with all weapons
2) Proficiecy with all armors and shields
3) Any one fighting style
4) +1 to strength or dexterity.

 

[Khelon Testudo]

Moderately Armoured is useful if you're a dex-based rogue with an odd-numbered dex. It gives you +1 AC from the stat boost, and +2 AC for shield, for a +3 AC for one feat. (Don't bother actually using Medium Armour.)

 

[David Morgan2]

I have been toying the last couple of weeks with an idea to tweak the feats system entirely. Take them away from ASI, and give them out every 3 levels (not class levels, total levels). I would also work in 2 other variables. An ability to train for a feat, and a leveling of feats.
Training for a feat would be much like learning a language or other downtime activities, and I would draw from those rules for a system.
Leveling would balance the feats a bit more. For example Great Weapon Master 1 would become a simple -1 to hit and +2 on damage. This wouldn't affect the game so much at lower levels, and you can train to get that up to the -5/+10 that exists now.

I really like some of the ideas presented in this thread as well.

 

[David Morgan2]

Duplicate deleted

 

[Kobold Stew]

Garbage - these ones aren't worth +2 to your primary ability (and many aren't worth +2 to your secondary ability). Many consider them trap options, and they will simply never get selected except under strange circumstances. I've tried making them better, to the point of combing the ability of 2 of these, and they still never get chosen.

I'm interested in which ones make this list.

I think I've never seen a character choose: Charger, Dungeon Delver, Linguist, Skilled, and (of course) Weapon Master.

 

[Shiroiken]

I'm interested in which ones make this list.

I think I've never seen a character choose: Charger, Dungeon Delver, Linguist, Skilled, and (of course) Weapon Master.

Charger, Durable, Grappler, Keen Mind, Linguist, Medium Armor Master, Savage Attacker, Toughness, and Weapon Master. Raising Con by 2 is better than Durable or Toughness. Tavern Brawler stepped on Grappler and took its stuff, not to mention just having +2 Str is overall better. Savage attacker only works on a single attack, so the damage benefit is lower than +2 to Str/Dex. Keen Mind and Linguist could in theory be useful, but the benefit would come up so rarely that it may as well not exist. Weapon Master and Charger are just bad. Medium Armor Master is a trap since it looks good, but to get the full benefit you either have to already have the 16 Dex (meaning you were better off with light armor and +2 Dex) or you gain the benefit before you can use it (i.e. your next ASI). The only possible use of MAM would be a variant human who could start with 16 Dex.

I've seen Dungeon Delver and Skilled used, but there's some caveats. I'd houseruled Dungeon Delver and use expanded travel rules for smaller locations (e.g. dungeons) which made it much better. Skilled isn't quite as bad as some might think, since there's no other way in the game to gain skills, but it's not overall that great.

 

[abirdcall]

Feats are going to be difficult to place into tiers as they can have different purposes and fulfill different goals.

If we are talking combat then SS is the top of the list followed by GWM.

I don't play with those.

PAM and CBE are also very good if playing with GWM and SS (and even more powerful with magic marts).

Resilient Con and Warcasting have a huge influence on the game. Remove them and spellcasters are very different. Suddenly Sorcerers get a lot better comparatively.

 

[Yaarel]

Basically you allow more of the weaker feats, but restrict the stronger feats?

An official example of this is the Epic Boons in the DMs Guide. They are sorta like superpowerful feats that only epic characters can qualify for.

It seems to me useful to divide the tiers, each with four levels.

• 1-4
• 5-8
• 9-12
• 13-16
• 17-20
• 21+ (Epic Boons)