D&D 5E How They Should Do Feats

[the Jester]

I realize you won't agree with my assessment and that is ok. If you give it some thought though I think you will agree that this is a superior method regardless of which edition it was initially developed in.

You make it sound like there's an objectively better choice rather than a matter of playstyle preference. I couldn't disagree more.

Personally, I would much rather have more class features so that my fighter has lots of FIGHTER!!! to him and less feats, which I can use to add some Archer! to him, but again, it's a matter of taste.

 

[Halivar]

You make it sound like there's an objectively better choice rather than a matter of playstyle preference. I couldn't disagree more.

Personally, I would much rather have more class features so that my fighter has lots of FIGHTER!!! to him and less feats, which I can use to add some Archer! to him, but again, it's a matter of taste.

I don't know. Archer! with just one capital letter and one exclamation mark seems underpowered. The game needs to prevent you from accidentally making a sub-optimal FIGHTER!!!

;P

 

[Sadrik]

You make it sound like there's an objectively better choice rather than a matter of playstyle preference. I couldn't disagree more.

Personally, I would much rather have more class features so that my fighter has lots of FIGHTER!!! to him and less feats, which I can use to add some Archer! to him, but again, it's a matter of taste.

This is a sound point. You want lots of little programmed abilities that are class specific. I get that. Your play style. It makes more sense to me to have fewer more meaningful abilities and then move the less meaningful abilities to just options. I think feats are the best spot for that but I suppose you could do alternative class features. I think that would be a redundant level of complication though. Feats are already there and could do that.

I think they went triple feats because they wanted to condense each specialty into a single selectable block rather than break out the abilities gained over several levels. I think I liked them as specialties better. As a designer they can be broken apart into smaller bits and then bundled together in specialties to make things interesting. Ymmv.

 

[the Jester]

I think that the reason they've buffed feats up so much is that they're balancing them against ability increases. Which is a fine thing, except that I would rather ability increases be far less common, personally. I prefer the old days of "OMG, this magic pool gave me +1 Str!!!!!!" instead of the expectation that it'll happen that we have these days.

 

[Dausuul]

Feats are great as they are.

I agree. I was pretty skeptical about the new feat system when I first heard about it, but I am now very much on board, and I love the "big feats" approach. One of the things I hated about pre-5E feats was how small and fiddly most of them were.

It makes more sense to me to have fewer more meaningful abilities and then move the less meaningful abilities to just options.

To me, that's the exact opposite of how it should be. "Option" means I'm making a decision. I don't want the system to demand a lot of inconsequential decisions about a lot of little minor features. I do want the system to demand a few decisions about big important features that will have a large impact on my character.

 

[KiloGex]

Remember the smaller feats are paired against a +1 stat boost. So if characters got 8 class features and 12 feats over 20 levels a novice player would only have to deal with 8 class features and 12 stat pumps.

So with this method, a fighter could also choose to never take a feat and instead bump their Strength to 32 without a single bonus from equipment.

Personally, I would much rather be able to adjust my class abilities with a pick & choose, instead of having a dozen minor feats to select. Again, I don't think that minor choices every other level are necessarily a good sign of "customization" for your character. I would much rather make a major decision every 3-4 levels than a small one that MIGHT add up to a large one every single level.

 

[KiloGex]

Each feat gives you a +1 to either a physical or mental ability score based on the feat.

Introduce a new feat that gives +1 to two different ability scores. If your DM chooses not to use feats this is the default, you should still get this every X levels.

Wait. So you want to give feats AND have them boost stats? So basically, you want your character to be a god by level 20?

 

[KiloGex]

I think creating builds is now a major piece of D&D, whether old timers like me like it or not. If the rug was pulled out, I think many would not see the game as something they would want to play and continue on with PF, 3.x or 4e even. Character customization should not be eschewed as a bug.

And I think that a lot of people now are ever in search of more rules light systems to get away from the minutia and number-crunching that D&D has evolved into between 3.x and 4. I don't know many people who have played either edition and have said "I really like the system, but I wish there were more numbers, choices, and general mechanics to juggle." Nearly everyone I know or have talked to wants this parred down and more simple system that they can have more creativity in within the gameplay itself. Eventually, too many mechanics and numbers takes you out of the character and onto the sheet; and when you have abilities from a dozen different feats all intertwining and you have to read over your sheet every time you want to swing your sword just to make sure that something isn't triggering, then everything slows down and you are no longer your character but a bunch of numbers and words.

 

[Sadrik]

So with this method, a fighter could also choose to never take a feat and instead bump their Strength to 32 without a single bonus from equipment.

No, there is a 20 limit. Also a +12 to stats through this and with the current system you get +2 x the number of feats you have... it is in the ballpark depending on how many feats your class has.

Personally, I would much rather be able to adjust my class abilities with a pick & choose, instead of having a dozen minor feats to select. Again, I don't think that minor choices every other level are necessarily a good sign of "customization" for your character. I would much rather make a major decision every 3-4 levels than a small one that MIGHT add up to a large one every single level.

Ok so if that is how you feel then perhaps we are on the same wavelength, class features and feats are pretty much the same (a little ability or benefit characters get). You want selectable list of class features. I could get behind that. I like having those be a little more open and that way redundant abilities are not rewritten for more than one class. Also they are much more extensible with subsequent splat books.

And I think that a lot of people now are ever in search of more rules light systems to get away from the minutia and number-crunching that D&D has evolved into between 3.x and 4.

I agree rules light is very popular. It is my preferred play mode. This edition has a lot going for it in these areas. Low scaling and less calculations. The core of the game is what is going to make it complex not necessarily the bells and whistles. The problem is restraint there was none in 3.x and 4 they made way too many stupid and redundant feats. Mearls mentioned he wanted to make one feat or spell for a concept and not have a whole bunch that did the same thing slightly differently. He was challenging himself and his design team to get it right after one pass. Not to add another version of the same concept in the next splat book. If they can accomplish that, it would really be a great thing for both players and the longevity of 5e.

I would rather ability increases be far less common, personally. I prefer the old days of "OMG, this magic pool gave me +1 Str!!!!!!" instead of the expectation that it'll happen that we have these days.

Yup!

 

[Dausuul]

And I think that a lot of people now are ever in search of more rules light systems to get away from the minutia and number-crunching that D&D has evolved into between 3.x and 4. I don't know many people who have played either edition and have said "I really like the system, but I wish there were more numbers, choices, and general mechanics to juggle." Nearly everyone I know or have talked to wants this parred down and more simple system that they can have more creativity in within the gameplay itself. Eventually, too many mechanics and numbers takes you out of the character and onto the sheet; and when you have abilities from a dozen different feats all intertwining and you have to read over your sheet every time you want to swing your sword just to make sure that something isn't triggering, then everything slows down and you are no longer your character but a bunch of numbers and words.

Agreed. Builds became a major part of 3.X and 4E because how you built your character had a big impact on how effective you were. I spent plenty of time honing my builds in those editions, but that doesn't mean I want to keep doing it in 5E.