Race Feats while Advancing

[Yaarel]

I am mulling the gaining of race feats while advancing across the tiers. This is so race continues to be a meaningful decision point beyond level 1.

A thread quotes tweets by Crawford that mention only a minority of players use feats. A number of posters lamented how difficult it is to acquire feats at the lower tiers because ability score improvements are so important until maxing out at 20. The addition of race feats would give some access to feats at the lower tiers, at least the feats that are to some degree pertinent to the flavor of the race.

Gaining race feats at higher tiers increases the design space for the kinds of races available, including powerful races. Unrestricted fly speed, teleport speed, huge size or larger, regeneration, powerful magical abilities, and so on become doable race features − at higher tiers when they can balance. Feats can level prerequisites according to tier.

Let one race feat be available at level 1 as part of character creation, possibly as an option to swap out a default race feature for a race feat. It helps to give flavorful access to more feats, for the sake customizability.

Different classes have different schedules, but probably the third level of each tier can handle a race feat. Higher level innate spells such as Drow magic, can be designed as race feats.



[Race feat during character creation]

Levels 1, 5, 9, 13, 17: proficiency bonus
Levels 2, 6, 10, 14, 18: class specialization feature
Levels 3, 7, 11, 15, 19 20: [race feat]
Levels 4, 8, 12, 16, 20 19: ASI or free choice of feat

Note, I subscribe to a five tier system, correlating with the proficiency bonus. Apprentice tier levels 1-4, professional tier 5-8, master tier 9-12, leader tier 13-16, legend tier 17-20.

At each tier, the character continues to develop a notable race trait.

 

[Horwath]

I already went with 1,5,9,13,17,20 for racial/UA skill feats/and "bad" tier PHB feats.

 

[Wednesday Boy]

I like the idea. I think the difficult part would be developing 5+ racial feats/features that were thematic, interesting, and fit into 5th Edition's design strategy.

FFG had a 3.5 setting called Dawnforge that had some mechanic for gaining additional racial traits/feats/features to make them more of a paragon of their race your character progressed. It's been ages since I looked at it but I recall thinking at the time it was pretty neat. I bet if I looked at it now it would be mostly uninsipiring minor bonuses to skills but that's a blind guess. Either way, it could serve as some form of inspiration.

 

[jaelis]

Xanathar's has I think two racial feats for each race. A simple thing would be to give those out to everyone for free, at levels based on how far you expect the campaign to go. I don't think a feat at level 1 is necessary, you have the base racial features there. If you expect to make it to level 12, maybe give a feat at level 4 and level 8.

 

[CubicsRube]

I bought asventures in middle earth recently and one thing i like is that theyve done exactly that.

Your race is actually broken down to cultures. So instead of just human, they have men of bree, woodmen of the wilderland, etc. And your culture gives you access to feats at asi/feat levels that only people from your culture can choose.

I love it. Its thematic and makes culture choice something that matters over the course of your characters career