D&D 5E (2014) Why Should I Allow Feats

[transtemporal]

I'd tweak the monsters instead. If they're not challenging enough as written, make them more challenging. Increase their Dexterity, maximize their HP, give them a natural AC bonus or maybe use guerilla/spell-boosted tactics of their own. There's a lot you can do without significantly boosting the CR level. Or if they are over-powered for their level, throw them against encounters abover their level. I generally figure a 60%-65%chance of survival is a good norm for encounters. You may have to guess/estimate for a bit, but you will quickly zero in on what challenges your players.

What zardnaar is really saying is that an optimized parties
ability to output damage is probably broken because of the
sharpshooter and polearm master feats. Inflating monster stats and hp to address the problem
leads to grotesque solutions like CR 1/2 orcs with 50hp and 24str.

 

[transtemporal]

Might make them to good. -5/+10 but limited to once per round seems to be one of the better ideas I have seen mentioned.

Maybe once per turn, as per sneak attack? Makes it an interesting tactical feature.

I would save once per round for REALLY big damage.

Personally, I wouldnt look at this without thinking about similar class abilities and what effect this change would have on your game. On the surface, this would seem to simply change the game in favor of rogues and casters. In other words, changing this will just cause your group to change their min-maxing to sorlock with quicken instead of crossbow fighter...

 

[Joe Liker]

Start using monsters that have abilities similar to the ones you dislike in the players.

Put your ranged attackers behind cover.

Use more invisibility and stealth.

Use terrain and spells like darkness and fog cloud so they can't see their targets.

Weather such as strong winds will impose disadvantage on ranged attacks. An enemy druid mastermind who knows of the party's sharpshooter reputation might arrange for it to be all windy, all the time in a region.

Use wall spells to block line of effect.

Use the disarm action to take away their crossbows.

Use enemies with levels of monk to catch the arrows.

Invent an enemy group that outfits all of its soldiers with gloves of missile snaring (which are only uncommon).

Never design an encounter where none of the monsters have ranged attacks.

Dominate person is a lovely spell that allows you to turn any party's strengths against it.

For the love of all the gods, make them track ammo. If they are shooting several arrows or bolts per round, they are going to go through an enormous amount of ammunition. Don't let them use more than a quiverful before rummaging in their packs for more. Also, twenty arrows may weigh only one pound, but they take up quite a bit of space. Think about how many each character can realistically carry, along with all their other gear.

Characters such as the ones you've described are probably already legendary for their sharpshooting prowess. It is not at all unreasonable or unfair to have most of their intelligent enemies prepare specific defenses against that.

 

[DaveDash]

Joes advice unfortunately just leads to the DM vs player arms race. I also think you already know that Zard.
If I was an archer player and suddenly all the enemies had levels of monk, id pack up and leave the game. That would totally kill the suspension of disbelief.

 

[Psikerlord#]

My main suggestions are:

1) Dont allow the -5/10 feats
2) Or amend those feats to lose the -5/10, but wrap the Savage attacks feat into them (reroll damage dice once per turn, you choose which to keep - so they're doing more damage, like they want, but their damage is still capped at their normal max)
3) Just add more monsters. In my experience simply adding more monsters is massive in 5e. If your mixmaxed party slaughters single beholders, dont give them one beholder. Give them 2, or 2 and 10 grunts. On so on.

 

[was]

What zardnaar is really saying is that an optimized parties
ability to output damage is probably broken because of the
sharpshooter and polearm master feats. Inflating monster stats and hp to address the problem
leads to grotesque solutions like CR 1/2 orcs with 50hp and 24str.

...Bumping up the dex a bit to give monsters an extra point to AC, giving them max instead of average HP and using strategies and tactics allows you to make monsters a bit tougher without increasing their CR. It can also be done without going to absurd lengths.

...If you read my follow up post, you'd also see that I suggested altering those feats by changing the -5 and +10. Maybe make it a -5/+5. You could also make it scaleable. Something like a -1/+1 for every four levels.

...Yes, you can alter and ban feats, but there are other constructive ideas and solutions to be considered as well.

 

[The Myopic Sniper]

...If you read my follow up post, you'd also see that I suggested altering those feats by changing the -5 and +10. Maybe make it a -5/+5. You could also make it scaleable. Something like a -1/+1 for every four levels. Yes, you can alter and ban feats, but there are other ideas and solutions as well.

Maybe have it scaleable on a 1 per 1 basis up to your proficiency modifier so at first level you can do -1/+1 or -2/+2 and by 17th level you can get it anywhere from -1/+1 to -6/+6.

On the other hand, if you are going that route, you might as well treat it like Marking and the Cleaving DMG options as something anyone with proficiency can do without reference to feats. That still leaves you with a couple of incomplete feats at that point though.

 

[was]

Maybe have it scaleable on a 1 per 1 basis up to your proficiency modifier so at first level you can do -1/+1 or -2/+2 and by 17th level you can get it anywhere from -1/+1 to -6/+6.

That's a better idea. It gives it more of a 5th ed. feel

On the other hand, if you are going that route, you might as well treat it like Marking and the Cleaving DMG options as something anyone with proficiency can do without reference to feats. That still leaves you with a couple of incomplete feats at that point though.

But if you leave it as part of the feats, it still makes them significant. It also limits the option to those with a mastery in those weapons.

 

[transtemporal]

...Bumping up the dex a bit to give monsters an extra point to AC, giving them max instead of average HP and using strategies and tactics allows you to make monsters a bit tougher without increasing their CR. It can also be done without going to absurd lengths.

...If you read my follow up post, you'd also see that I suggested altering those feats by changing the -5 and +10. Maybe make it a -5/+5. You could also make it scaleable. Something like a -1/+1 for every four levels.

...Yes, you can alter and ban feats, but there are other ideas and solutions as well.

Sorry was, I didnt mean to sound so blunt. Just a bit leery of solving what is essentially a balance issue for min-max groups by making all monsters elite monsters.

I like the scaling idea. I think it should be something like -5 (throughout) and +2 per 4 levels. +10 per attack is too massive at low levels but +10 @ level 20 is more palateable.

 

[was]

Sorry was, I didnt mean to sound so blunt. Just a bit leery of solving what is essentially a balance issue for min-max groups by making all monsters elite monsters.

I like the scaling idea. I think it should be something like -5 (throughout) and +2 per 4 levels. +10 per attack is too massive at low levels but +10 @ level 20 is more palateable.

No worries, I realize us old folks can get a bit cantankerous at times.