Unearthed Arcana Unearthed Arcana: Get Better At Skills With These Feats

The latest Unearthed Arcana from Jeremy Crawford and again featuring guest writer Robert J. Schwalb introduces a number of feats which make you better at skills. Each increases the skill's primary ability score, doubles your proficiency bonus, and gives you a little bonus ability. "This week we introduce new feats to playtest. Each of these feats makes you better at one of the game’s eighteen skills. We invite you to read them, give them a try in play, and let us know what you think in the survey we release in the next installment of Unearthed Arcana."

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[Arnwolf666]

This is exactly what I do not want feats doing. I don't want feats giving other classes expertise that belong to the Rogue or having feats in some of these cases doing things I already let PC's do with a skill check.

 

[Corwin]

...expertise that belong to the Rogue...

If you read the PHB, in order, expertise belongs to the bard first. So, really, the rogue is stealing it (pun intended) from the bard.

 

[Kobold Stew]

...and getting it earlier!

(eyeroll)

 

[BookBarbarian]

This is exactly what I do not want feats doing. I don't want feats giving other classes expertise that belong to the Rogue or having feats in some of these cases doing things I already let PC's do with a skill check.

Why should a Rogue have Expertise in survival, but not a Ranger, Druid, Barbarian? Why she should get it in Arcana, but not a Wizard, Sorcerer, or Warlock. Why should she have it in Athletics, but not the Barbarian, Fighter, or Paladin?

Even with feats like these Rogues (and Bards) would still have the most Skills Expertise by virtue of having more of them and getting them right out of the box, but Feats like these would allow any Character to be an expert in the things they are supposed to be experts in.

For example when it's better to dip one level into a Rogue to make a better Grappling Barbarian, there is a problem. Brawny fixes that.

 

[Arnwolf666]

I just don't think most classes need expertise. Now they will just raise the DC for checks so that you must have expertise to be good at a skill. Leave expertise where it is currently at. Just a feat tax to be good at a skill.

 

[Corwin]

I just don't think most classes need expertise.

No classes "need" it. Most classes still don't get it. These feats do not give classes expertise.

 

[BookBarbarian]

I just don't think most classes need expertise. Now they will just raise the DC for checks so that you must have expertise to be good at a skill. Leave expertise where it is currently at. Just a feat tax to be good at a skill.

By "they" do you mean DMs? I don't know what other people do at other tables, but this won't change the definition of what is Easy, Medium, Hard, Very Hard, or anything in between at my table.

 

[Arnwolf666]

I am basically saying it is just a feat tax. I don't want to go back to the days where you need maxed out skill points and a bunch of feats to be good at a skill. No thank you. You get 4 skills at first level (Rogue and Bards a little more). Make having those skills good without having feats to pump them up. I am just saying I don't like it. If you do then great. My vote for this UA is no for any feedback they want. Some, like the ability that comes with stealthy, are irrelevant because I don't use miniatures and I let players sneak from hiding place to hiding place without a feat.

 

[Corwin]

I am basically saying it is just a feat tax. I don't want to go back to the days where you need maxed out skill points and a bunch of feats to be good at a skill. No thank you. You get 4 skills at first level (Rogue and Bards a little more). Make having those skills good without having feats to pump them up.

Its only a feat tax if, as you imply above, DMs start houseruling to inflating DCs arbitrarily. 5e does not suggest doing so. In fact, it campaigns against it with bounded accuracy as a core system paradigm.

I am just saying I don't like it.

Fair enough.

If you do then great.

Cool.

Some, like the ability that comes with stealthy, are irrelevant because I don't use miniatures and I let players sneak from hiding place to hiding place without a feat.

I see nothing in the description of Stealthy that suggests it only works with a battlemat and not TofM. How you choose to rule on the use of the Stealth skill not withstanding.

 

[Arnwolf666]

I am saying my vote is against this for the feedback they want from Unearthed Arcana articles. Skills should be good enough on their own without a feat to be good at the skill.