Charlaquin
Goblin Queen (She/Her/Hers)
With the release of Tasha’s Cauldron and the new class feature variants, I’m putting some serious thought into which features I want to allow and which ones I don’t. And I’d love to hear other folks’ thoughts on the matter. If you’re a DM, which variant features are you planning to use, or to ban, and why? Are you considering any special rules surrounding them (e.g. you can only select one variant feature, or you can take variant features but they replace certain other features?) If you’re a player, which variant features are you most excited to try?
Personally, I like most of the variant features, but I don’t like the idea that they come at no cost. For example, the rogue’s Steady Aim feature is really cool, and seems perfectly fair in a vacuum. But it feels to me like it obviates the main reason to play a melee-based rogue. I don’t want to tell players who want to play ranged rogues they can’t take it, but I also don’t want players who want to play melee rogues to feel like they’re risking their skins for no reason when they could get sneak attack just as easily at range. Or for another example, the monk’s Dedicated Weapon feature seems really cool for players who want to play a monk that uses a longsword (or whatever), but could make players who want to play a Kensai monk feel cheated because one of their subclass’s most interesting features is now freely available to anyone.
Accordingly, my current thinking is that I might make these features available through rewards and/or specialized training. Instead of getting these features automatically at the listed levels, the levels become prerequisites to acquire these features, which might be granted as Boons or learned during downtime. I kind of like the idea that yes, your monk can train to use a longsword as effectively as other monks might use a quarterstaff, but you have to spend X weeks and Y gold training with it to do so, while the Kensai gets it for free. Your ranged rogue can spend their time between adventures doing target practice to perfect their aim, while melee rogues can spend that time carousing. That feels to me like the best way to make these features available to players who want them, while being fair to players whose builds aren’t served by them.
Of course, features that replace existing class features, like the ranger’s Favored Foe and Primal Awareness wouldn’t have this same restriction. You’d just choose which feature you want when you reach the appropriate level.
Personally, I like most of the variant features, but I don’t like the idea that they come at no cost. For example, the rogue’s Steady Aim feature is really cool, and seems perfectly fair in a vacuum. But it feels to me like it obviates the main reason to play a melee-based rogue. I don’t want to tell players who want to play ranged rogues they can’t take it, but I also don’t want players who want to play melee rogues to feel like they’re risking their skins for no reason when they could get sneak attack just as easily at range. Or for another example, the monk’s Dedicated Weapon feature seems really cool for players who want to play a monk that uses a longsword (or whatever), but could make players who want to play a Kensai monk feel cheated because one of their subclass’s most interesting features is now freely available to anyone.
Accordingly, my current thinking is that I might make these features available through rewards and/or specialized training. Instead of getting these features automatically at the listed levels, the levels become prerequisites to acquire these features, which might be granted as Boons or learned during downtime. I kind of like the idea that yes, your monk can train to use a longsword as effectively as other monks might use a quarterstaff, but you have to spend X weeks and Y gold training with it to do so, while the Kensai gets it for free. Your ranged rogue can spend their time between adventures doing target practice to perfect their aim, while melee rogues can spend that time carousing. That feels to me like the best way to make these features available to players who want them, while being fair to players whose builds aren’t served by them.
Of course, features that replace existing class features, like the ranger’s Favored Foe and Primal Awareness wouldn’t have this same restriction. You’d just choose which feature you want when you reach the appropriate level.
