D&D 5E Remove feats and replace as magic items

[Guest 6801328]

I guess I'm used to games where magic items are generally easy come, easy go. (in the session I ran tonight I blew up a couple, one of which was a rather costly loss)

Yeah, we just have different preferences on this one.

Which is something I rather dislike about 3e-and-newer D&D: too much focus on planned-out character building.

Or, you've just got to adapt to suit whatever special abilities you might end up with.

This one, too. I don't like character building to be too much of a mini-game (e.g. last couple of editions) but I do like to have some conscious choices. I'm slightly more in agreement about the "planned out" part, but for the most part the planning in 5e is just an intellectual game; you don't actually make the decision until those ASIs, or other choices, roll around, and rarely (never?) does an early choice commit you to a later choice. It's not like having talent trees and heavy prerequisites, where you must plan early to get the good stuff later.

(Drifting off-topic, but I do like the UA with "class options", including the ability to change Fighting Style. It kinda sucks to commit to one fighting style and then, for whatever reason, to want a different style. I know some people think the commitment is just part of the game, but in my opinion it doesn't add anything to the game in this case.)

 

[Eyes of Nine]

I do like that finding magic items feels more "in-fiction" than the sudden acquisition of a feat. I have never heard of nor played in a 5e game where someone said "I am practicing with a 10' pole during the hour I'm awake of my long rest, and I'm specifically practicing doing a 'come-around' move so I can also bash my opponent with the butt end of the pole; oh yeah and I'm also practicing catching people if they enter a space adjacent to me or even within the reach of my 10' pole" (player trying to train to become a pole-arm master for example). Especially because we also allow leveling "instantly", wherever people are.

It makes more sense to find a magical halberd that grants a bonus action to attack and do d4+STR damage; etc.

 

[Nebulous]

I do like that finding magic items feels more "in-fiction" than the sudden acquisition of a feat. I have never heard of nor played in a 5e game where someone said "I am practicing with a 10' pole during the hour I'm awake of my long rest, and I'm specifically practicing doing a 'come-around' move so I can also bash my opponent with the butt end of the pole; oh yeah and I'm also practicing catching people if they enter a space adjacent to me or even within the reach of my 10' pole" (player trying to train to become a pole-arm master for example). Especially because we also allow leveling "instantly", wherever people are.

It makes more sense to find a magical halberd that grants a bonus action to attack and do d4+STR damage; etc.

I agree, especially with such feats as Sharpshooter, where you instantly become Robinhood with no practice. Anyway, it will be an experiment, the PCs will be 4th soon and I think I will seed a few feat-items into the game while they're still late 3rd.

 

[Nebulous]

I've been looking at Dragonix's books of Talents on DMsG and they are also a really great resource if one wanted to adapt talents as magic items. They're essentially half-feats in 5e, and if you include all three books there's over 800 talents, although many of the latter are for high level multi-class builds. These books sure make 5e feel more like 3e.

Character Options: Talents (5e) - Dungeon Masters Guild | Dungeon Masters Guild

Character Options: Talents (5e) - Talents are extraordinary aspects of a character’s abilities, background, personality, physique, proficiencies, and f

www.dmsguild.com

 

[TwoSix]

This one, too. I don't like character building to be too much of a mini-game (e.g. last couple of editions) but I do like to have some conscious choices. I'm slightly more in agreement about the "planned out" part, but for the most part the planning in 5e is just an intellectual game; you don't actually make the decision until those ASIs, or other choices, roll around, and rarely (never?) does an early choice commit you to a later choice. It's not like having talent trees and heavy prerequisites, where you must plan early to get the good stuff later.

I don't agree with @Lanefan on much, but I do agree that the game could benefit from more randomness and sense of discovery during play. I'd rather see character customization all be done at 1st level, and after that the character grows organically based on discoveries made in the narrative.

In my ideal world, I'd like to see that most new crunch that's released not require starting a new character to make use of it. And the best way to do that is if the crunch portion of the game is focused on modular options that are external to the character; i.e., magic items.

 

[Guest 6801328]

I do like that finding magic items feels more "in-fiction" than the sudden acquisition of a feat. I have never heard of nor played in a 5e game where someone said "I am practicing with a 10' pole during the hour I'm awake of my long rest, and I'm specifically practicing doing a 'come-around' move so I can also bash my opponent with the butt end of the pole; oh yeah and I'm also practicing catching people if they enter a space adjacent to me or even within the reach of my 10' pole" (player trying to train to become a pole-arm master for example). Especially because we also allow leveling "instantly", wherever people are.

It makes more sense to find a magical halberd that grants a bonus action to attack and do d4+STR damage; etc.

I’ve certainly seen players just announce “I take great weapon master” but I’ve also seen players narrate it as something that happens during downtime. More importantly, I see players emphasize the aspects that they plan on choosing, so that when they get the feat it’s no more strange than “suddenly” getting a 2nd attack or something.

What I do find strange is the idea of picking up a magical polearm that causes you to wield it in a new way. (E.g. attacking with the butt end as a bonus action.)

To each his/her own, I guess.