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.

 

[Undrave]

The problem with feats like Metamagic Initiate and Tracker is not only making classes that have several problems (like Sorcerers and Rangers) less unique, but also they do not create a true explanation of what is going on.

Do we need a paragraph long explanation of what's going on? That's up to the individual players. I like my mechanics to go straight to the point, I already feel Spells are too 'talky'.

I hope they would be coherent and make an Initiate for every existing class (Cleric, Wizards and Rogue are missing, for example)

For Cleric and Wizards you already have two: Magic Initiate and Ritualist.

 

[Chaosmancer]

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.

I agree, and without any real need to roll, expertise in chef's tools wouldn't even really be useful.

Maybe you could add something where it gives expertise and then there is an ability you can roll, making that prof vs expertise matter, but I don't know what it could be.

If you gain a skill or tool proficiency from two different sources, you can choose a different proficiency of the same kind (skill or tool). PHB 125

A lot of people are missing proficiencies.

I agree, but I think a lot of people assume that is only applicable during character creation, since it is buried in the backgrounds section and not the general section for proficiency.

In fact, if you go to the Index, page 125 doesn't even get listed (at least in the copy I looked at) under the heading for Proficiency.

 

[Worrgrendel]

I am currently playing a Fallen Aasimar Hexblade, Pact of the Blade/Shadow Sorcerer who is level 6/3 respectively. At level 4 Sorcerer I will max my CHA at 20 and take it to Sorcerer level 6 for the Hound of Ill Omen. After that I go back to Hexblade to at least level 12 Hexblade (for Lifedrinker), if we go that high. So any ASI/feats after my next Sorcerer level are wide open and Metamagic Adept is looking real good for my ASI/feat at level 8 Hexblade. It would give me 2 more Sorcery Points (for 8 total) and 2 more Metamagic options (for 4 total). I feel like that could be a real improvement over anything else I could take at that level. I was considering Resilient: Wisdom to get my 13 Wis to 14 and add proficiency to saves but that just seems "dull" in comparison to this feat and I could always take it later. +2 CON was the other option for the extra HP (feeling the drop off in the Sorcerer levels), but, again, "dull". Already have CON saves as I started Sorcerer and went to Hexblade for 6 levels then back to Sorcerer.

 

[Horwath]

I agree, and without any real need to roll, expertise in chef's tools wouldn't even really be useful.

Maybe you could add something where it gives expertise and then there is an ability you can roll, making that prof vs expertise matter, but I don't know what it could be.

expertise in tools is mostly in RP flavor. having expertise in cooking would mean that you could make royal meals.

maybe get advantage on Persuasion check on people that you make meals for.

Or make poison meal that would only take effect hours/days from ingestion and would still taste like normal meal.

 

[Chaosmancer]

expertise in tools is mostly in RP flavor. having expertise in cooking would mean that you could make royal meals.

maybe get advantage on Persuasion check on people that you make meals for.

Or make poison meal that would only take effect hours/days from ingestion and would still taste like normal meal.

Yeah, I see that as a flaw in the system. I really need to finish crafting a crafting and tool use system to make those things actually matter for players.

 

[Horwath]

Yeah, I see that as a flaw in the system. I really need to finish crafting a crafting and tool use system to make those things actually matter for players.

yes, lack of fixed DC's is a strength and a weakness of 5E.

I would like more lists of fixed DCs like;

perception for someone casting spells is I.E: DC 5

making a meal for royalty that will grant you favor: DC 20

acrobatics for moving without AoO is DC 15

etc...

 

[Weiley31]

Yeah, I see that as a flaw in the system. I really need to finish crafting a crafting and tool use system to make those things actually matter for players

Tools don't give advantage to rolls they are related too?

 

[doctorbadwolf]

expertise in tools is mostly in RP flavor. having expertise in cooking would mean that you could make royal meals.

maybe get advantage on Persuasion check on people that you make meals for.

Or make poison meal that would only take effect hours/days from ingestion and would still taste like normal meal.

That is one thing I love about the (Otherwise pretty edgelordy) Night Angel series. The main assassin in it does stuff like a poison that will cause a fatal stroke if the victim’s blood sugar rises too high, combined with a poison that decreases healthy sugar filtration, a week before the victim’s birthday.

 

[Leatherhead]

Tools don't give advantage to rolls they are related too?

Outside of thieves tools for disabling stuff, you don't really roll when you use tools.

 

[77IM]

All of these feats are weak-sauce. Except Chef. That one is awesome-sauce.