So, finally got around to writing my Feat Balance Thoughts.
Anyway, I especially like that ASIs give a metric for balancing feats. A feat should be, roughly speaking, equivalent to +1 to hit/damage/save DCs, +1 save, and +1 to skills.
I’ve had a number of discussions here about the original PHB feats and which I thought were balanced or not. I’m also strongly considering dissolving some of the skill oriented PHB feats and just making them skill checks. But, what do I think of the new feats in Unearthed Arcana from July 2020?
Artificer Initiate
This seems balanced against Magic Initiate. You only get 1 cantrip, but you also get proficiency with an artisan’s tool and you can use that as a spellcasting focus. I still think using one 1st-level spell once per day is not worth a feat, and the Aberrant Dragonmark feat proved me right; I felt that Magic Initiate’s spell should recover on a short rest (this is also, in my opinion, to balance taking Magic Initiate and Cure Wounds against taking Healer or Inspiring Leader; those feats are still too good, regardless of that change). Taking a level of warlock grants a 1st-level spell that recovers on a short rest, plus other features, and feats are comparable to levels since ASIs are typically the only feature gained at a level.
Chef
Ok, Chef is cool. It’s a lesser healer and a lesser inspiring leader rolled into one. Since the healing value from the short-rest part doesn’t scale like healer does, would it be appropriate to up the healing at a certain point? Add proficiency bonus? It needs a little buff, since healer does 1d6+4+level/max HD. It should definitely be less healing, but no scaling? It will be very small compared to healer at higher levels. But it is a half-feat, and it has proficiency bonus temp HP daily to prof bonus allies (or just yourself), so it miiiiiiiiight be okay. I’d still add proficiency to the healing and reduce the die to a 1d6 or 1d4. It being less healing than healer and inspiring leader is a plus for me, since I'm adjusted those feats anyway.
Crusher
Ok, so I’m very happy to see weapon specialization stuff come back in. This is cool. Not quite sure if it’s balanced, but it doesn’t feel unbalanced. Wait, on second thought, why is Dex one of the options? Are there any finesse bludgeoning weapons? Nope, checked; at least in 3E, you could finesse light weapons. Should be Str or Con.
Eldritch Adept
I think this is too weak as it stands. Some invocations might be good enough, some aren’t. One invocation gives 2 trained skills, when the skilled feat gives 3 trained skills; that alone should prove my point. Make this a half-feat and couple it with a Charisma bonus, that will still limit it.
Fey Touched
Like I said before, I don’t think one 1st-level spell daily is good enough for a feat. This is a 1st and a 2nd level, and it’s a half-feat. That’s far more close to what I’d say feels like an appropriate feat, and really goes to say Magic Initiate and Artificer Initiate aren’t good enough (I don’t think learning cantrips is a huge thing, it’s just an increase in breadth, not depth of power).
Fighting Initiate
No no no no no this feat is weak. Defense for +1 AC? There’s multiple feats that grant +1 AC and something else, even weak feats like Dual Wielder. Medium Armor Master effectively grants +2 AC if you cared about stealth in the first place (as you probably do, if you’re considering medium armor master). Since +2 Dex is +1 AC, +1 attack/damage, +1 Dex saves, and +1 dex skills, +1 AC is not worth a feat. You might see people take it for Archery, and that’s it. Make this a half-feat.
Gunner
Seems good, I like it. It has the reasonable parts of crossbow expert without the potentially broken extra attack, and is a half-feat to boot. I just wish loading worked differently, since it’s only a penalty to Extra Attack.
Metamagic Adept
2 sorcery points and 2 metamagic options? What are the best uses for that? Twin Spell on a cantrip or 1st-level spell? So, what, at 17th level an increase of +4d10 twice a day? Yawn. Maybe I’m not being inventive enough, but 2 sorcery points is worth gaining a 1st-level spell, which I already said isn’t worth a feat. Then again, I think the Sorcerer is a little weak and probably deserves a rework of sorcery points so they’re a bigger part of their features.
Piercer
Hah, a rebalanced Savage Attacker. How much of a damage bonus is that reroll? Maybe +2? It gets better the more damage dice you have, because the bigger chance you have of rolling a 1 and thus getting the most out of the reroll. Either way, I like it.
Poisoner
I tend to use a lot of humanoid enemies and I usually don’t overload the game with undead, so poison immunity isn’t too common, but poison resistance shows up (yay dwarves and green dragonborn). This feat brings up some questions. Is the work to make the poison considered “strenuous” work, or can it be done during a short rest? I know they didn’t want to put a limitation on how often you could do it in a day, other than timing, but making it a during a short rest thing would help limit it. It definitely allows for a big boost in damage. I’d make the save DC scale with proficiency though, maybe even tie it to Int or Wis, but that’s just me, I like DCs to scale.
Practiced Expert
Yay, glad to see this.
Shadowtouched
Same I said about Feytouched. I like it better than Magic Initiate. A 2nd level and a 1st level spell each day as a half-feat feels better, since I consider a 1st level spell once per short rest more balanced (I actually think a level scaling 1st-level spell once per short rest is balanced, so the healing/damage scale appropriately, but that’s a different discussion).
Shield Training
Huh. Ok. Who is this meant for? I can’t see a fighter take it, except maybe an eldritch knight, or a valor bard (but I let them use weapons as focuses, since paladins and clerics get shields as focuses for free). Seems really niche.
Slasher
I like it. I like the differences between the three.
Tandem Tactician
Woah, will this make getting advantage easy. The only thing I don’t like is that it invalidates the Mastermind Rogue, it’s not as good of a feat on the Mastermind Rogue, and it’s very selective in which classes will want to grab it. Spellcasters have a lot of bonus actions around, so they’ll likely pass on it. Only specific rogues would want it. But for most fighters this would be a really good feat. Either way, for people it’s good for, I like it. A battlemaster fighter with specific maneuvers, tandem tactician, healer, and inspiring leader would be a decent warlord.
Tracker
Eh … still my same issue with one 1st-level spell per day feats.
I do have to say that I like the wording on the spell feats, since it’s not a slot that can be used with smite or other things that use slots.
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