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?

 

[UngeheuerLich]

I think it may be time to allow doubling up on skills at character creation be the default. If you happen to have a background that gives you the same skills as your class you may double proficiency bonus. I don't see a reason why a religious priest should not have expertise in religion. And since you only have so few skills, dpubling up is a heavy investment.

 

[FormerlyHemlock]

Oof. A lot of these feats use the same design space as my feats book on the DMsGuild. That's cool for me (my ideas were worthy of inclusion in a book) but man does it devalue something I wrote.

Condolences.

 

[dwayne]

I am all for racial feats, so I'm keen on this. Also, Blink Elves are back!

I assume this line: "These feats don’t assume that multiclassing is used in a campaign.", means that the two playtest documents were developed separately and haven't been checked for compatibility. Without feedback from the playtests, they don't know which, if any, they'll move forward with.

As for feats that cause physical changes, I think it depends on the race. Stories abound of demons unlocking further power that alters their physical form. I'm comfortable with such feats for deeply magical races like Tieflings or Dragonborn. But I do agree that it can come across as strange and might need a little more lore to back it up.

Well this is where being a DM with an imagination comes in. Maybe he did a ritual to get in touch with his heritage more or what ever the feat is a game mechanic the result is an effect in game that is defined by the game master.

 

[Yunru]

Dragon Hide is obviously for the Barbarian and Sorcerer. 14+Dex(+Shield potentially) AC? Yes please.

 

[cbwjm]

Dragon Hide is obviously for the Barbarian and Sorcerer. 14+Dex(+Shield potentially) AC? Yes please.

Also the monk, although I guess you'd have to decide on the d4 slashing damage on the martial arts die bludgeoning damage. I'd probably allow either/or if a dragonborn monk took it.

 

[dave2008]

Need more of these, where is the feat that makes halflings good at throwing stuff & with slings, the feat that helps dwarves and gnomes avoid attacks from Giants - these feats enable DM's to make the races like they were in their favourite edition.

Yes, that would be a good use of these feats (and feats in general IMO), to enable you to tailor the game to a certain edition or style.

 

[Bitbrain]

Reads through new UA.

I really like this idea.

 

[Curmudjinn]

Now, I want to houserule giving every PC one free skill feat and one free racial feat!

We give out a skill feat per character, but they have to take a flaw that gives them disadvantage on a suitablely opposite skill in the same stat group. Physical or mental.

 

[Tales and Chronicles]

I like most of those (the feat for Tinker Gnome is a thing of nightmare, tho), it reminds me of the ''racial-feat'' from Adventure in Middle-Earth where Dwarves could get fragments of old magic based around secrecy or a pet raven and Hobbits could start every encounter considered as Hidden.

Fingers crossed that the next UA will be on Backgrounds feats, allowing us to make races and backgrounds more than just a lvl 1 thing.

 

[Yunru]

the feat for Tinker Gnome is a thing of nightmare, tho

Ironically that's my personal favourite.