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.

 

[Sacrosanct]

When I was in the Peace Corps, my host family didn't understand that refrigerators had to be plugged in overnight to function correctly. So they would unplug their at night to save money.

Ok, first of all, mad props for being part of the Peace Corps. Secondly, you're anecdotal experience doesn't override science. And it's scientifically proven that bacteria growth grows exponentially on left out food.

Also, if you're hung up on the ice cream analogy, replace it with anything else. A perfectly cooked steak for instance. I'll certainly feel a lot better and more motivated after eating a perfectly cooked ribeye than I will a hot dog that's been sitting in luke warm water for a few hours.

 

[Marandahir]

Really, I just wish WotC returned to the fiction-first approach, as opposed to their new mechanics first approach.

Sometimes the fiction requires new mechanics to tell it.

I'd argue that 5e itself is a return to fiction-first, while still striving for some semblance of that glorious 4e balance. I do think that the non-1st level starting points for subclasses have created a lot of fictional headaches in the service of preventing mechanical ones, though.

 

[Levistus's_Leviathan]

When I was in the Peace Corps, my host family didn't understand that refrigerators had to be plugged in overnight to function correctly. So they would unplug their at night to save money.

That sounds like a joke from Dumb Ways to Die, but you seem lucky to not be dead. I've heard real life stories of people eating unrefrigerated food and dying because of it.

 

[WayOfTheFourElements]

Isn't in your mind the "temporary hit points from food" fictional?

Also, it seems to me that having a magical chef that serves healing food is very on par with fictional characters. Also, they don't "playtest fiction" in UA. They playtest mechanics.

To me, food doesn't equal healing (at least not in the short term). I could see it providing a morale boost, but D&D removed morale decades ago.

 

[Marandahir]

To me, food doesn't equal healing (at least not in the short term). I could see it providing a morale boost, but D&D removed morale decades ago.

Philosophical Question: what is HP if not morale? It's certainly not meat-bag points, though food would definitely assist you with that too (you need a lot of energy to self-heal injuries).

I'd argue that food is definitely something that CAN provide HP, and that THP is the best avenue to explore morale boosts in 5e D&D without getting into video-gamey ideas about actually getting sliced and pierced by weapons over and over again and yet not dying until you run out of HP.

 

[WayOfTheFourElements]

Sometimes the fiction requires new mechanics to tell it.

I'd argue that 5e itself is a return to fiction-first, while still striving for some semblance of that glorious 4e balance. I do think that the non-1st level starting points for subclasses have created a lot of fictional headaches in the service of preventing mechanical ones, though.

I agree that the PHB mostly returned to the fiction-first approach - which was wonderful. But the splat books seem less true to the fiction in comparison.

 

[Levistus's_Leviathan]

To me, food doesn't equal healing (at least not in the short term). I could see it providing a morale boost, but D&D removed morale decades ago.

Hit points in the PHB are a wide measurement of health, speed, luck, and a few other characteristics. Energy could very much be a part of that.
(Also, maybe the food is a placebo. It makes you feel better, so it works.)

 

[WayOfTheFourElements]

Philosophical Question: what is HP if not morale? It's certainly not meat-bag points, though food would definitely assist you with that too (you need a lot of energy to self-heal injuries).

Honestly, I don't think of HP as anything. Any attempts to explain HP lead to headaches. They simply make the game work - and I accept that.

 

[Marandahir]

I agree that the PHB mostly returned to the fiction-first approach - which was wonderful. But the splat books seem less true to the fiction in comparison.

Huh. I had a different take-away from VGM, XGE, and MTF, though it's okay to disagree.

 

[Minigiant]

Sugar rush being THP works for me.

"Before we fight this dragon, eat all these cookies."