D&D 5E Making certain Feats/Specialties more engaging

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Explorer
The feats in the current playtest are varied collection. Some of them offer complex rules, other are rather simple. Some are a remake of former feats, some are all new. I'd like to point out some mechanisms in the current feats I enjoy and will try to expand similar mechanisms to other feats.

A very nice mechanism is the combination of "proficiency" and "special effect" found in Open Lock and Disable Trap. Both feats offer proficiency with Thief Tools and a bonus to their specific area of expertise. Similar combinations can be found with the first Sharpshooter and Polearm feat.


Other feats could benefit from a similar approaches, like Climb Surfaces, Vault. We could collect these feats into an Athlete specialty. Adding Diver (add 5 turns to your drowning timer) and some other feat. Now these feats are obviously concerned with physical actions, but they lack coherence. I do not get better in Climbing, if I take also take Vault.

To solve this problem, all Athlete feats could get "once per day you can gain Advantage on a Strength check that is not an attack roll". (Climb Surfaces would loose standard advantage.) That way an Athlete gets better with all kinds of sports, even those that do not have a dedicated feat.


I'd completely redo metamagic feats. While the Metamagician fluff talks about a master of magic, all you get are those losey once per day abilities.

Distant Spell: Gain Mage Hand cantrip. You can use your hand to deliver touch spells. If you do, your Mage Hand ends.

Energy Admixture: Gain Presidigitation. Otherwise keep it the same.

Counterspell: Gain Detect Magic. When a spell resolves within 20 ft. of you, you can discard a spell slot of equal or higher level as a Reaction. The spell does not resolve and you do not take an action on your next turn.

Heighten Spell: Gain Resistance. When you cast a spell with an At Higher Level effect, you can treat the effect as one level higher. Take xx damage.
 

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