Unearthed Arcana Unearthed Arcana: Feats for Races

I find this line mystifying: "These feats don’t assume that multiclassing is used in a campaign."

What are they trying to say here? Do these feats become unbalanced when combined with multiclassing?

Also, some of the feats significantly alter a character's body. Barbed Hide, for example, endows a Tiefling with a barbed hide. That's not the sort of thing that you can acquire through training. Which gives rise to the question, "Why couldn't the Tiefling do this at level 1?" It's not like Pole Arm Master, where you can explain the acquisition of the new ability through practice and training. Either you were born with a barbed hide or you weren't.

Same with Dragon Wings: "You sprout draconic wings." I'm not well-versed in Dragonborn lore, but is that really something that just... happens during their adult life?

 

[Demetrios1453]

What is to prevent a dwarf with Dwarf Resilience from entering combat with a butterfly and dodging every round to heal up outside of real combat? Do they not want that to be available? Why not allow them to use unlimited healing dice one per action outside combat explicitly if they want to allow it?

How exactly would one enter "combat" with a typical (non-Mothra) butterfly?


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[zaratan]

I liked because humans get the bad feats. Thank God, we need thing to make human v a worse option.

 

[Chaosmancer]

On the whole, I like these a lot. Quite a few of them are the racial abilities from 4e.

Eladrin teleport, gnome fade away, human inspiration, orcish aggression, dwarvish healing.

Others are really cool, like the Dragon Roar. I want that at a table. I do agree that we'll need feats for everything at this point. Which, could be a lot of new feats, since most of these races have 3 feats (some overlap) and we've got a good 8 or 9 other races?


Some major concerns:

Bountiful Luck: Needs a limit. 3 per long rest, something. Cannot have this be an ability they can do all the time, everyday. Auto-fails still need to have some chance of happening I think, or those massive bonuses really do mean everything.

Everybody’s Friend: Does this give expertise to both if you have both skills? Not sure how I feel about that.

Wonder Maker: Couldn't they already make things like that? I thought the PHB explicitly said they could make other things beyond what they listed. And Calculator seems kind of worthless, especially since I think the PHB also says the device stops working after an hour or so, meaning they'd have to stop, build or fix the calculator, and then do the math... which the player already did by pulling out their phone and using the calculator. As a joke, ok, amusing, but as an ability worthless.

 

[phantomK9]

I liked because humans get the bad feats. Thank God, we need thing to make human v a worse option.

If I'm understanding you correctly, in that you are saying the Human feats are not good, then I would say I agree with you. Actually I don't think they are all that bad per se, it is just they seem rather boring and seem like they could be probably feats that anyone could take. Just call them "Determination" and "Prodigy" and put them in the skill feat line up.

 

[Gardens & Goblins]

How exactly would one enter "combat" with a typical (non-Mothra) butterfly?

With extreme prejudice.

 

[Istbor]

I like these. Adds some flavor to some of the races and might motivate players to do often overlooked ones. I'm looking at you halfling.

Also, had a player that wanted to try and get wings on his Dragonborn. Being the DM that I am, I wanted to give them to him, but couldn't figure out a good way to work that. This would have easily filled in that need.

I think these are probably more at home in a higher fantasy setting. Getting me excited for what is to come.

 

[jgsugden]

How exactly would one enter "combat" with a typical (non-Mothra) butterfly?

You've apparently never danced for 30 seconds trying to slay a moth that snuck in the back door. Moths get the dodge action as a bonus action each round.

 

[zaratan]

If I'm understanding you correctly, in that you are saying the Human feats are not good, then I would say I agree with you. Actually I don't think they are all that bad per se, it is just they seem rather boring and seem like they could be probably feats that anyone could take. Just call them "Determination" and "Prodigy" and put them in the skill feat line up.

Yes, is exactly this. Means for a human variant "dammit, I'll not burn my lvl 1 feat in any of those 'pieces of garbage'. Let me pick sharpshooter l, GWM, PAM, crossbow expert..."

I know they aren't garbage, but is what a powerbuilder will think. Human variant don't need another "must have" feat option.

I really like the idea of feats that me us think in unprobably builds like barbarian elf or monk dwarf.

 

[Mercule]

I know they aren't garbage, but is what a powerbuilder will think. Human variant don't need another "must have" feat option.

In that case, I propose the Variant Human Variant (VHV). The VHV is exactly the same as the VH, with the exception that they can only pick from one of the Human racial feats as their bonus feat.

 

[Satyrn]

'Critter Fiend?'

*double take*

Ah. No, ok. Well, that's less exciting, but it does make more sense..

That is a feat I'd take in an instant for my forest gnome battlemaster. I've been contemplating taking Magic Adept for 1/day speak with animals, while this feat gives it unlimited, and gives 1/day animal friendship. It is perfectly on point.

The other gnome feats, though, were meh.