Awarding an extra feat to the players

[ChiefBigFeather]

Dear Community,

I will be running a campaign soon. It will probably end when the characters are about level 15, they will start at level 3. Many of my players will probably play classes that benefit heavily from putting their level 4 and 8 ASI into their primary stats. All in all, this might mean play variant human or not see feats until near the end of the campaign.

To ease this, I would like to award the players an additional feat. I hope this shifts the focus away from the variant human a little and may incentivize players to look past the usual build defining feats/ASIs and take something we haven't seen that often. There are two strategies to go about this:

1. Give characters an additional starting feat. This would allow my players to plan with the feat. They may be more inclined to not play variant human and could tie the feat into their backstory. I would probably ban feats that increase ability scores or feats that have too much synergy (Sentinel+PAM) in this scenario.

2. Award the feats at level 7, when the characters made a major milestone. This would make for a cool reward and could probably be tied into the story nicely. Players with certain builds requiring a feat would still be bound to variant humans though.

What do you think?

[JNAProductions]

I'd just give an extra feat at level 1. It makes people a bit better, but nothing too crazy, and allows players to fully have their build online at the start, for the most part.

[McSkrag]

In my home campaign I gave my players a free feat at level 3 (ASI not allowed) because they all were new to 5e. It's given them a chance to explore character builds and playing styles.

They loved it and have more fun playing more powerful characters.

As the DM, I tune up the encounters a bit to keep them challenging, but that's not a big deal.

Overall it's added to everyone's fun and enjoyment.

[Wildarm]

If you want to encourage picking Feats early, the house rule I use is your ASIs can only be +1/+1.

Effects:

- More feats picked at 4th/8th level vs ASI
- More consideration of half feats as for a SAD build, they are superior to a +1/+1 in some cases
- Races which can start with 17 in a stat were found to be more enticing.

Have not seen a noticeable drop in character capabilities from this change and I'm finding it's making for a lot more diversity and creativity in the player mix.

Another thing I've seen is the DM to award a special story award via a magic buff. +1 to a single stat for each player. Stat chosen can't be duplicated in the party. An interesting play and essentially a free half feat for all the characters though the Bard and the Warlock had to argue over CHA/CON. Interesting in itself. The compromise was fiat first choice of magic items at some later point in the campaign for the one who lost out on the primary stat boost.

[nickl_2000]

It's pretty common for DMs to give a free feat at level 1 to let the PCs develop their characters a little more.


Sometimes when they do that they will restrict the feats that can be taken at level 1 to remove GWM, PAM, SS, XBow Expert,

[strangebloke]

I always give a free feat at level 1.

The optimizers love it.

The newbies just (at my direction) take tough and it gives them a bit of a buffer when they'd otherwise die.

Plus, it makes lower-level play more fun, which is good because 3-8 are my favorite levels of the game as a DM.

[noob]

I always give a free feat at level 1.

The optimizers love it.

The newbies just (at my direction) take tough and it gives them a bit of a buffer when they'd otherwise die.

Plus, it makes lower-level play more fun, which is good because 3-8 are my favorite levels of the game as a DM.

Tough seems to add significant amounts of hit points.
So sad it is not like in 3e where you can expect to gain the ability to gain temporary hit points equal to your level at each round as a swift action for a feat.(it was one of those reserve feats)

[ChiefBigFeather]

Sometimes when they do that they will restrict the feats that can be taken at level 1 to remove GWM, PAM, SS, XBow Expert,

Yes, I was thinking about something like that. This would pigeonhole some of those builds into variant human again though.

[nickl_2000]

Yes, I was thinking about something like that. This would pigeonhole some of those builds into variant human again though.

That is very true, but these are people that would do it either way. If you are going to open it up completely I would suggest you ban variant human as an option. Getting SS and XBE at level 1 is just a little to powerful.

[ChiefBigFeather]

That is very true, but these are people that would do it either way. If you are going to open it up completely I would suggest you ban variant human as an option. Getting SS and XBE at level 1 is just a little to powerful.

I'm not overly worried about that as my players start at level 3. SS is strong till level 20, but most of the really unbalanced stuff comes from having some feats at level 1.

[nickl_2000]

I'm not overly worried about that as my players start at level 3. SS is strong till level 20, but most of the really unbalanced stuff comes from having some feats at level 1.

Then just let them go nuts and open it up to all feats as a freebie. The worst that happens is that you need to up the encounters a little bit. Also, watch the players who don't optimize as much, you my need to boost them a little bit with better equipment.

[MilkmanDanimal]

In a current campaign where a feat was awarded with the ASI at level 4. Giving it a bit later allows players to figure out some details of their character and orient appropriately. The guy who decided to be the tank went Sentinel, the self-appointed leader took Inspiring Leader, the guy who decided he wanted to be the utility helper took Bountiful Luck. Getting it after you were a few levels in made it feel a bit more organic, you know? Kind of feel like giving it at 1st level leads people to start thinking about optimization immediately as opposed to waiting a bit, where it might fit the concept that's developed.

[strangebloke]

Tough seems to add significant amounts of hit points.
So sad it is not like in 3e where you can expect to gain the ability to gain temporary hit points equal to your level at each round as a swift action for a feat.(it was one of those reserve feats)

It's a big deal at level one to have 13 hit points instead of 11, and that difference feels bigger and bigger as they level. "Not Dying" is terrible optimization advice, but it's the best advice if you find yourself unable to have fun in the game because of how weak you are.

For casters, I told them to go for resilient:Con. Simply and good.

[Sception]

If granting a bonus feat at level one, I wouldn't allow variant humans at all. Though I would buff up regular humans a bit, at the absolute least giving them the variant human's bonus skill proficiency.

Or maybe something weird and unique, like a second background choice, so a human could be a noble and folk hero (think robin hood), or a soldier and a spy, or a sailor and a merchant, or a scholar and an artisan, or a criminal and a charletan, etc. Any pairing so long as the player can reasonably justify it. This would help characterize human society as more hectic, complicated, and interlayered than the more rigid, slower changing, and less socially mobile societies of the other races. Mechanically, it gets humans two extra skills, some extra starting gear, and an extra background feature, which are usually useful without being too combat relevant, and that might be enough to make humans a bit more appealing without the bonus feat.

[Angelalex242]

I go crazier with it. You now get feat AND ASI at every ASI point.

Yes, Fighters and Rogues still get the doubling for their extras.

Nothing like both and to let people have some fun.

[Mad Nomad]

It's a big deal at level one to have 13 hit points instead of 11, and that difference feels bigger and bigger as they level. "Not Dying" is terrible optimization advice, but it's the best advice if you find yourself unable to have fun in the game because of how weak you are.

For casters, I told them to go for resilient:Con. Simply and good.

This might be a good approach. Give them a list of passive feats, such as Tough or Resilient, to choose from. Make them purchase any offensive feats normally.

[The Big Bear]

I like both options you put forth, although My suggestion would be to give a feat at level 6 instead of 7. 7 is right next to the ASI/feats at 8; putting it at 6 puts it more evenly in between the other ASI levels.

[Man_Over_Game]

I've considered something like this, to make VHumans more weak, but also see more unorthodox feats come into play.

I've just said that everyone starts with a half-feat. The only real problem comes in when some schmuck Warlock tries to cheese Elven Accuracy with Darkness + Devil's Sight, but that's it.

Then I removed the Variant Human, and rewarded the normal human with no limitation on feats, so they can start with any feat they want and still have a valid reason to be chosen.

It leads to everyone having somewhat higher stats, but not by much.

[ChiefBigFeather]

The more I think about it, the more I like it. I don't want to see elves with 18 dex and elven accuracy because of this, so I will ban half feats and combo feats. But I do not really wish to ban powerful feats SS because I want to enable the guy who would like to play a SS archer to look past variant humans. I think this is an indirect nerf to variant humans, I do not think they need further changes.


Or maybe something weird and unique, like a second background choice

I don't get this. Just give out more skills? If players want to be a noble folk hero, they can do so already, just make a custom background. I don't see anything that needs "allowing" here.

[djreynolds]

ASIs can be very boring, and by the time you max say intelligence as a wizard, at 12th you can take a feat.... that's more than half the game

I watched the sorcerer, at my table grab lucky at 4th, and it was fun. Rarely when he rolled badly was a +1 or +2 gonna help out.

He kept his charisma at 16, and 8th level grabbed another feat. If he rolled badly, he used lucky, or oh well I missed.

You could tell them, just take feats

[noob]

It is true lucky is quite valuable.
I wonder why so many people are convinced +2 to a stat is worth something as cool as lucky.

[Unoriginal]

The DMG proposes to give extra feats as reward, including training for them with a master or simply from getting a Boon.

Maybe you could have something like that for your PCs? An introductory one-session adventure where they would get that feat instead of XPs/treasures/levels?

[djreynolds]

You know, you could flip this.
Award ASI, even just a +1
Think about it this way, a fighter hones his strength, a rogue his dex, and wizard his intellect. We know this.
But for the wizard, who possibly gets injured a lot helping out the tank but survives... +1 con.
For a fighter, who's made some killer rolls on history checks, +1 to intelligence.
This way you award players for their accomplishments with the abilities they've showcased.
Villagers may not want to talk to the charismatic paladin or warlock, but the fighter is a simple dude, and the fighter has been handling social encounters, may he has a folk hero background, +1 charisma.

[HappyDaze]

What if all races except variant human gained a Feat at 1st level while variant human gained an ASI (in addition the the Feat they regularly have)?

[Ganymede]

Dear Community,

I will be running a campaign soon. It will probably end when the characters are about level 15, they will start at level 3. Many of my players will probably play classes that benefit heavily from putting their level 4 and 8 ASI into their primary stats. All in all, this might mean play variant human or not see feats until near the end of the campaign.

To ease this, I would like to award the players an additional feat. I hope this shifts the focus away from the variant human a little...

Variant human is an optional rule to begin with. If you feel there is too much focus on your players all being variant humans, you can always just bar access to that variant rule.

In either case, don't take for granted the idea that your players will feel compelled to pump up their primary stat at levels four and eight. That is absolutely not a given.

[The Jack]

Variant humans are good, and they're popular because they work with every class. They're not popular because they're broke and overpowered, they aren't, they're just versatile. There's no problems with the Variant human race.

[Floogal]

I don't want to see elves with 18 dex and elven accuracy because of this, so I will ban half feats and combo feats.
How about instead of banning half-feats for the first-level pick, you simply remove the stat-boost portion and let them pick two half-feats? So, for example, the first level fighter who wants to select Resilient (Wisdom) would also pick, say, Heavy Armor Master, but wouldn't get the Wisdom nor the Strength boost from the feats.

[Nidgit]

Do both, but limit the starting feat to one of UA's skill-based feats to tie into backstories. Then at 7, any feat is fair game.

It kind of depends on how much of optimizers your group is. Heavy optimization? Don't give them a starting feat. Moderate or light optimization? A starting feat won't hurt.

Part of the appeal of a starting feat is to make the first few levels more interesting. If you're starting at level 3, everyone already has some tricks they can do and it's less of an issue.