D&D 5E Unearthed Arcana: 16 New Feats

"Today’s Unearthed Arcana presents a selection of new feats for Dungeons & Dragons. Each feat offers a way to become better at something or to gain a whole new ability."

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The feats include Artificer Initiate, Chef, Crusher, Eldritch Adept, Fey Touched, Fighting Initiate, Gunner, Metamagic Adept, Poisoner, Piercer, Practiced Expert, Shadow Touched, Shield Training, Slasher, Tandem Tactician, and Tracker.

 

[ZeshinX]

I’d make it different from normal sneak attack, like add proficiency to damage on any attack that would benefit from SA [shorthand], and make it 1d6+proficiency if you already have sneak attack.

Certainly many ways to go about it, and my own is hardly gospel. Making it different from SA would be a different feat (to me anyway). My intent is to offer SA to those without it as a class ability, and to enhance those with SA as a class ability (without going overboard on damage or conditions).

One could also explore a feat that alters SA by trading off damage dice for a few specific effects like a Battle Master's maneuvers. Hell, a whole Rogue subclass could be built around that concept.

A good number of those UA feats feel like "MC'ing lite", which I rather like the idea of. The one I suggest merely (again, to my own mind) sticks to that feel in as simple a way as possible.

Your suggestion does have the gears in my mind whirring though!

 

[Xeviat]

I like most of these. Eldritch Adept and the Fighting Style one don't quite feel good enough. Maybe Eldritch Adept is fine, maybe it deserves a stat up. Fighting Style is definitely not worth a whole feat: Archery is the only one that's close, but +2 Dex gets you +1 to hit, damage, AC, Initiative, and skills; Defense is +1 AC and plenty of feats give +1 AC and a little bit extra.

These make me want a feat subsystem where you get feats in your character progression, in addition to ability increases. Maybe turn all the feats to half feats, remove the ASIs from the half feats, and give a feat every even level. Variant human would need a little extra, and challenges would need to be adjusted upwards.

 

[ZeshinX]

These make me want a feat subsystem where you get feats in your character progression, in addition to ability increases. Maybe turn all the feats to half feats, remove the ASIs from the half feats, and give a feat every even level. Variant human would need a little extra, and challenges would need to be adjusted upwards.

So...3.x, basically?

 

[cbwjm]

I feel offering Sneak Attack as an optional feat isn't stealing the Rogue's thunder. Rogues are great at lots of things other than SA. Sure, they're the undisputed masters of SA (and this feat would augment that mastery if taken by them), but precision/sneaky-styled damage is hardly something I'd say should only be limited to them. Perhaps something like this:

Precision Adept
Prerequisite: Proficiency with a finesse or a ranged weapon

You have martial training that teaches techniques in subtle precision strikes and capitalizing on an opponent's distraction, allowing you to perform a Sneak Attack.

• Once per turn, you can deal an extra 1d4 damage to one creature you hit with an attack if you have advantage on the attack roll. The attack must use a finesse or a ranged weapon.
• You don't need advantage on the attack roll if another enemy of the target is within 5 feet of it, that enemy isn't incapacitated, and you don't have disadvantage on the attack roll.
• If you already have the ability to deal Sneak Attack damage, you instead add 1d6 to your existing Sneak Attack damage.

This doesn't strike me as broken or unreasonable. It doesn't offer any way to enable the SA. Sure, using the variant Human rule might allow other classes to perform SA's as well as a Rogue of 1st/2nd level...perhaps drop the damage to 1d4 but let a Rogue (or any class that has SA as a feature) simply add another d6 to their existing SA.

*Edit: I've changed it from offering 1d6 to 1d4, but Rogue's instead gain an extra 1d6 to their existing SA. So offers SA to others, but Rogues are still the masters of it, and always better at it (damage-wise).

I'd leave it at 1d6. For a non-rogue, unless the player wants to eke out every little bit of damage they can, I don't think this would be worthwhile picking up or at least when I look at it, I don't think I'd bother even for a 1d6 damage boost. I do think something like this would be good for all of the non-rogues who use finesse weapons but it feels like it needs something else.

 

[Levistus's_Leviathan]

I feel offering Sneak Attack as an optional feat isn't stealing the Rogue's thunder. Rogues are great at lots of things other than SA. Sure, they're the undisputed masters of SA (and this feat would augment that mastery if taken by them), but precision/sneaky-styled damage is hardly something I'd say should only be limited to them. Perhaps something like this:

Precision Adept
Prerequisite: Proficiency with a finesse or a ranged weapon

You have martial training that teaches techniques in subtle precision strikes and capitalizing on an opponent's distraction, allowing you to perform a Sneak Attack.

• Once per turn, you can deal an extra 1d4 damage to one creature you hit with an attack if you have advantage on the attack roll. The attack must use a finesse or a ranged weapon.
• You don't need advantage on the attack roll if another enemy of the target is within 5 feet of it, that enemy isn't incapacitated, and you don't have disadvantage on the attack roll.
• If you already have the ability to deal Sneak Attack damage, you instead add 1d6 to your existing Sneak Attack damage.

This doesn't strike me as broken or unreasonable. It doesn't offer any way to enable the SA. Sure, using the variant Human rule might allow other classes to perform SA's as well as a Rogue of 1st/2nd level...perhaps drop the damage to 1d4 but let a Rogue (or any class that has SA as a feature) simply add another d6 to their existing SA.

*Edit: I've changed it from offering 1d6 to 1d4, but Rogue's instead gain an extra 1d6 to their existing SA. So offers SA to others, but Rogues are still the masters of it, and always better at it (damage-wise).

I feel like that's too much of a rogue thing. I think we're fine without having rogue-dip feats, as we already have the Expertise feats, and Skulker, Alert, and other feats that fit.
This isn't broken, but I don't think I would allow it at my tables. If I did make this feat, I would make it compatible with Sneak Attack, so if a Rogue takes it, their sneak attack attacks deal an additional 1d4 damage along with however much their sneak attack would normally do.

 

[Benjamin Olson]

I feel like that's too much of a rogue thing. I think we're fine without having rogue-dip feats, as we already have the Expertise feats, and Skulker, Alert, and other feats that fit.
This isn't broken, but I don't think I would allow it at my tables. If I did make this feat, I would make it compatible with Sneak Attack, so if a Rogue takes it, their sneak attack attacks deal an additional 1d4 damage along with however much their sneak attack would normally do.

I think everyone should always get 1d6 (or whatever) sneak attack damage if they actually catch someone with a sneaky attack, such as a backstab. Being able to do it consistently and much better should be the Rogue hallmark. It always seems a little odd when the party decides to kill some enemies in their sleep and most of those who aren't Rogues can't do enough single hit damage (even with the autocrit) to just kill them.

 

[ZeshinX]

I'd leave it at 1d6. For a non-rogue, unless the player wants to eke out every little bit of damage they can, I don't think this would be worthwhile picking up or at least when I look at it, I don't think I'd bother even for a 1d6 damage boost. I do think something like this would be good for all of the non-rogues who use finesse weapons but it feels like it needs something else.

Well the change to d4 was to not step into the realm of being just as good as a rogue at sneak attack (damage-wise) at 1st and 2nd level (after that it's a non-issue). The only real instance (as written in the PHB) that could happen would be with the variant human rule and them taking the feat as their bonus feat at 1st level. It is such an outlier (and short-lived at that) that leaving it at d6 seems reasonable.

I do agree it could use a little more "oomph" to it. Not in damage or easier enabling of a sneak attack....but definitely something, like a rider effect of some kind delivered on a successful sneak attack. Tricky bit is to avoid making it so good a Rogue would be foolish not to take it and avoid making the rider particularly complex or conditional (a successful sneak attack is enough of a condition to trigger any rider in my estimation).

I mean it could just be a half-feat and provide a +1 Dex along with the 1d4 sneak attack damage, but I think a rider would be more interesting and/or flavourful. Perhaps preventing the target from taking reactions until the end of its next turn or something.

 

[Levistus's_Leviathan]

Well the change to d4 was to not step into the realm of being just as good as a rogue at sneak attack (damage-wise) at 1st and 2nd level (after that it's a non-issue). The only real instance (as written in the PHB) that could happen would be with the variant human rule and them taking the feat as their bonus feat at 1st level. It is such an outlier (and short-lived at that) that leaving it at d6 seems reasonable.

I do agree it could use a little more "oomph" to it. Not in damage or easier enabling of a sneak attack....but definitely something, like a rider effect of some kind delivered on a successful sneak attack. Tricky bit is to avoid making it so good a Rogue would be foolish not to take it and avoid making the rider particularly complex or conditional (a successful sneak attack is enough of a condition to trigger any rider in my estimation).

I mean it could just be a half-feat and provide a +1 Dex along with the 1d4 sneak attack damage, but I think a rider would be more interesting and/or flavourful. Perhaps preventing the target from taking reactions until the end of its next turn or something.

1d6 is kind of a bit too powerful, because a Variant Human or a character allowed a feat at level 1 will be powerful, as you could get quite a bit of damage at level one. A Ranger, for example, with Favored Foe from Class Feature Variants could do 1d8 + 2d6 + Dexterity modifier damage with a longbow, or 3d6 + Dexterity modifier damage, and a bonus action to do 2d6 damage while dual wielding scimitars or shortswords.

This is quite a lot at level one, and might be a bit too powerful.

 

[ZeshinX]

1d6 is kind of a bit too powerful, because a Variant Human or a character allowed a feat at level 1 will be powerful, as you could get quite a bit of damage at level one. A Ranger, for example, with Favored Foe from Class Feature Variants could do 1d8 + 2d6 + Dexterity modifier damage with a longbow, or 3d6 + Dexterity modifier damage, and a bonus action to do 2d6 damage while dual wielding scimitars or shortswords.

This is quite a lot at level one, and might be a bit too powerful.

I do prefer the damage at 1d4 for my suggested feat and adding a not-ridiculous-but-useful rider to a successful hit, like denying reactions to the target for a turn.

Ultimately, it might just be easier to add a +1 Dex to it with it's 1d4 damage (or extra 1d6 for a Rogue) and call it a feat.

 

[humble minion]

My problem with feats like Chef - while I love the ... ahem ... flavour, it kinda does make growing your character organically a mechanically second-rate option. If I have proficiency with cook's utensils from character creation and i take this feat as i advance in level, then it nicely represents that I've been honing my skills over time. However, the mechanically optimal way of doing things is to take a different proficiency at character creation, and then take Chef at level 4 (or whatever), then all of a sudden bang, I'm a wonderful cook, but I've also got an additional proficiency.

Feats like this should allow substitution of any bonus proficiencies they award if the PC is already proficient (perhaps from a limited list - a Chef could perhaps substitute brewer's tools or vintner's tools?). Or else they should have a prerequisite of proficiency in the tool, and replace tool proficiency with another bonus in the feat benefits.