D&D 5E (2024) New Feats, avenues to diversity?

[ECMO3]

how are you increasing your ability score four points at fourth level?

Your background gets you +3 and your 4th level feat gets +1.

If you have both a background and a feat that do not augment your class that is 4 points you are behind compared to someone that does get those bonuses in abilities that matter for the class (or 5 points behind compared to someone who takes the ASI feat at 4th level).

I used +2 above, but in a worst case scenario it could actually be +3 across multiple abilities. For example a point buy War Domain Cleric who takes the cult of the Dragon background and Dragonscared feat is sitting at maximum 15 Strength and 15 Wisdom at level 4-7. The one who took Guard or Farmer and something like Warcaster or Fey Touched has a 16 Strength and 18 Wisdom at 4th level. His save DC on spells and Channel Divinity is 2 points better, his attacks and damage are 1 point better.

 

[TorgoTheWhite]

As far as I know the origin feat won't have much to do with ASI?

I'm not entirely sure. I adopted custom backgrounds pretty quickly, there are too many neat backgrounds my players were asking for that weren't fitting well into the molds. Bouncer for a wizard bar/cursed item black market/Xanadu refuge... just didn't work well with guard

 

[Horwath]

Backgrounds should give floating +2/+1 or +1/+1/+1 and all feats should give floating +1 ASI.
feat DC should be based around highest ability mod, or just 2×prof mod.
that will remove 90% of min-maxing.

 

[ECMO3]

As far as I know the origin feat won't have much to do with ASI?

The backgrounds provide +3 to your abilities at character creation and they are connected to Origin Feats.

I'm not entirely sure. I adopted custom backgrounds pretty quickly, there are too many neat backgrounds my players were asking for that weren't fitting well into the molds.

If you play with custom backgrounds then the part about the Origin Feat is a moot point. In the case of Dragonscarred though there is the issue that the 4th level feat does not boost the DC of the main ability of the origin feat it is coupled to.

 

[TorgoTheWhite]

The backgrounds provide +3 to your abilities at character creation and they are connected to Origin Feats.



If you play with custom backgrounds then the part about the Origin Feat is a moot point. In the case of Dragonscarred though there is the issue that the 4th level feat does not boost the DC of the main ability of the origin feat it is coupled to.

Oh sure. Yeah, alot of moot point for me then. The +2/+1 distribution is changed up for us. I haven't read into the Faerun limitations on origin feats with the more institutional ones that they present