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Bjarkmundur
2019-04-30, 03:58 AM
I have a custom Feat rule in my game. This is done for many reasons, which mostly boil down to personal preference.

The goal of this change is to have smaller feats which add options, decisions, versatility and variance to the characters being played, and get rid of the 5e feats, which I personally dislike. A big goal of mine is to enable as many character concepts as possible.
For that reason you do not have to worry about redundancy with class features, this is done deliberately.

I wanted to share with you how smaller feats can still be effective in changing how a character works, without greatly increasing a character's power level. I also wanted to ask you if there is a playstyle-enabler I'm forgetting, if any of these feats are poorly worded, and if any of these Feats are wildly out of line with the others regarding power level.

I will also note that right now these feats are only seeing play in the first 10 levels of the game, so most characters are only able to stack 2 or 3 of these options. These are used in a game where Multiclassing is not allowed. This is also done deliberately, to try to playtest these feats in a traditional environment.

I will later add "Multiclass feats" which allow characters to borrow limited versions of specific class features from other classes, to further increase the number of possible character concepts. I will also be adding proficiency bundles which, like Multiclassing, costs a level and can give players armor, weapon and skill proficiencies, or spellcasting, not normally available to his class.

Feats whose design intent is obvious have simplified wording, to make them easier to read.

Feats and Ability Score Increases
At levels where you would gain ability score increases you can increase your ability scores as normally, and gain one of the following feats.

Combat Feats

Warcaster
When wielding a weapon or a shield, it counts as both a somatic and mundane material component for casting spells.

Mage Slayer
You can make an Opportunity Attack against a creature that begins to cast a spell within your reach, potentially causing that creature to lose the spell if the attack hits and they fail a Concentration saving throw.

Grappler
When you take the Attack action with at least one free hand, you can use a bonus action to grapple the target. In addition, when you make an Opportunity Attack, you can choose to grapple the target instead.

Defender's Mark
Whenever you hit or miss an enemy with attack, he has disadvantage to attack rolls against creatures other than you until the end of his next turn.

Mobile
When you make a melee attack against a creature, you don't provoke opportunity attacks from that creature for the rest of the turn, whether you hit or not.

Crossbow Expert
You ignore the loading property. You are able to use light ranged weapons as well as light melee weapons when Two Weapon Fighting.

Burst of Concentration
When you cast a spell that would require your concentration, you can instead have it last until at the end of your next turn, and automatically succeed on all concentration checks to maintain the spell. You are still considered using your concentration for the spell.

Shield Master
When you take the Attack action while wielding a shield, you can make a Shove attempt as a Bonus Action.

Elemental Adept
Choose one of the following damage types: acid, cold, fire, lightning, or thunder
Spells you cast ignore resistance to damage of the chosen type
When you roll damage for a spell you cast that deals damage of the chosen type, you can treat any 1 or 2 on a damage die as a 3

Extra Attack
Starting at 5th level, you gain the Extra Attack class feature. If you already have the Extra Attack feature, or get it from another source, this feat does nothing.

Magical Recovery
When you finish a short rest, you can recover expended Spell slots. The Spell slots can have a combined Level that is equal to or less than half your level (rounded up), and none of the Spell slots can be 6th Level or higher. Once you use this feature, it can’t use the feature again until you finish a long rest.

Durability Feats

Dungeon Delver
You have advantage to saving throws to resist the effects of traps, and you gain resistance to damage dealt by traps.

Durable
Your maximum hit points are increased by a number equal to your level. Whenever you gain a level your hit points are increased by 1.

Defensive Duelist
When you are wielding a weapon, and another creature hits you with a melee attack, you can use your reaction to add your proficiency bonus to your AC against that attack, potentially causing it to miss.

Saving Throws
You gain proficiency with one saving throw of your choice.

Lightly Armored
You become proficient with light armor.

Moderately Armored
Prerequisite: Light Armor Proficiency
You become proficient with medium armor and shields.

Heavily Armored
Prerequisite: Medium Armor Proficiency
You become proficient with heavy armor.

Weapon Master
You gain proficiency with any number of weapons of your choice.

Utility Feats

Linguistic
You understand any language spoken to you, and you understand any language you see written, as if you were under the effects of a Comprehend Languages spell.

Superior Crafting
When crafting, any crafting time and material component is reduced by half, rounded down.

Crafting Recipes
You learn three additional recipes that you meet the requirements for.

Healing Hands
When you use a healer's kit as an action to tend to a creature, the target can regain a number of 1d10 equal to half your level, rounded up. A creature cannot benefit from this effect again until it finishes a short or long rest.

Inspiring Leader
During a short or long rest you can inspire up to six friendly creatures that can understand you. These creatures gain temporary hit points equal to your level, which last until their next short or long rest.

Composure
As a bonus action, before you roll an attack, ability check or saving throw you can choose to gain advantage on the roll. Recharges on a short rest.

Versatile Spellcaster
Choose a class spell list (Bard, Cleric, Druid, Paladin, Warlock or Wizard). You can add two spells from your list of choice to your spell list. The spells must be of the same school, and you can cast them using your spellcasting ability score.

Grod_The_Giant
2019-04-30, 09:25 AM
At levels where you would gain ability score increases you can increase your ability scores as normally, and gain one of the following feats.
Okay. So your power goal here is... what, about a half-feat's worth of abilities?


Warcaster
When wielding a weapon or a shield, it counts as both a somatic and mundane material component for casting spells.
I... don't meant to start off sounding harsh, but this reminds me of the worst sort of 3.5 feat--it's not adding something new to your character, it's just removing a penalty that really didn't need to be there in the first place.


Mage Slayer
You can make an Opportunity Attack against a creature that begins to cast a spell within your reach, potentially causing that creature to lose the spell if the attack hits and they fail a Concentration saving throw.
By RAW, taking damage doesn't disrupt casting a spell. It's a good mechanic; just make it clear that it's an additional thing granted by the feat.


Grappler
When you take the Attack action with at least one free hand, you can use a bonus action to grapple the target. In addition, when you make an Opportunity Attack, you can choose to grapple the target instead.
Nice. Still, I'd like to see a way to make grabbing more effective once you've got the target.


Defender's Mark
Whenever you hit or miss an enemy with attack, he has disadvantage to attack rolls against creatures other than you until the end of his next turn.
Hmm... it's a fun ability, but it's also granting anyone access to the Cavalier's main schtick.


Mobile
When you make a melee attack against a creature, you don't provoke opportunity attacks from that creature for the rest of the turn, whether you hit or not.
Solid.


Crossbow Expert
You ignore the loading property. You are able to use light ranged weapons as well as light melee weapons when Two Weapon Fighting.
Boring-but-necessary feat for anyone using heavy crossbows, and still strong for hand crossbow wielders... provided they go with the "bow in each hand" option, which is arguably too goofy.


Burst of Concentration
When you cast a spell that would require your concentration, you can instead have it last until at the end of your next turn, and automatically succeed on all concentration checks to maintain the spell. You are still considered using your concentration for the spell.
Interesting. I'm not sure how often it would be useful, but it's an neat option.

Shield Master
When you take the Attack action while wielding a shield, you can make a Shove attempt as a Bonus Action.


Elemental Adept
Choose one of the following damage types: acid, cold, fire, lightning, or thunder
Spells you cast ignore resistance to damage of the chosen type
When you roll damage for a spell you cast that deals damage of the chosen type, you can treat any 1 or 2 on a damage die as a 3
Solid.


Extra Attack
Starting at 5th level, you gain the Extra Attack class feature. If you already have the Extra Attack feature, or get it from another source, this feat does nothing.
So, uh... anyone can now get Extra Attack? Rogues and Clerics included? I'm inclined to think this is a bad idea.


Magical Recovery
When you finish a short rest, you can recover expended Spell slots. The Spell slots can have a combined Level that is equal to or less than half your level (rounded up), and none of the Spell slots can be 6th Level or higher. Once you use this feature, it can’t use the feature again until you finish a long rest.
It's not a new ability, it's just a raw power upgrade that'll probably be the first feat taken by any spellcaster, ever. To me, that says "bad design."


[INDENT]Dungeon Delver
You have advantage to saving throws to resist the effects of traps, and you gain resistance to damage dealt by traps.
Ehh... in most games, I can't imagine anyone taking this.


Durable
Your maximum hit points are increased by a number equal to your level. Whenever you gain a level your hit points are increased by 1.
So... +2 Con, roughly. I guess since it comes alongside an ASI it's probably okay.


Defensive Duelist
When you are wielding a weapon, and another creature hits you with a melee attack, you can use your reaction to add your proficiency bonus to your AC against that attack, potentially causing it to miss.

Taking out the finesse requirement is a good idea.


Saving Throws
You gain proficiency with one saving throw of your choice.

Lightly Armored
You become proficient with light armor.

Moderately Armored
Prerequisite: Light Armor Proficiency
You become proficient with medium armor and shields.
All solid.


Heavily Armored
Prerequisite: Medium Armor Proficiency
You become proficient with heavy armor.
I'd add shield proficiency to this feat--there are a couple ways you could have medium armor, but not shields.


Weapon Master
You gain proficiency with any number of weapons of your choice.
So "all simple and martial weapons," in other words.


Linguistic
You understand any language spoken to you, and you understand any language you see written, as if you were under the effects of a Comprehend Languages spell.
Crazy useful.


Superior Crafting
When crafting, any crafting time and material component is reduced by half, rounded down.
Good.


Crafting Recipes
You learn three additional recipes that you meet the requirements for.
Are you using homebrew crafting rules?


Healing Hands
When you use a healer's kit as an action to tend to a creature, the target can regain a number of 1d10 equal to half your level, rounded up. A creature cannot benefit from this effect again until it finishes a short or long rest.
Very strong-- I'd probably go down to 1d6/2 levels.


Inspiring Leader
During a short or long rest you can inspire up to six friendly creatures that can understand you. These creatures gain temporary hit points equal to your level, which last until their next short or long rest.
Good.


Composure
As a bonus action, before you roll an attack, ability check or saving throw you can choose to gain advantage on the roll. Recharges on a short rest.
It's like Luck, only crappier! I'd remove the action cost.


Versatile Spellcaster
Choose a class spell list (Bard, Cleric, Druid, Paladin, Warlock or Wizard). You can add two spells from your list of choice to your spell list. The spells must be of the same school, and you can cast them using your spellcasting ability score.
!
Aaaand here we have a second obligatory pick for spellcasters of all sorts. This is the Lore Bard's signature ability, and it alone makes the subclass worth taking. At the very least, this shouldn't let you pick off the Paladin or Ranger lists (also, why can Paladin unique spells be poached, but not Ranger?). But more likely it shouldn't exist.

Bjarkmundur
2019-04-30, 10:29 AM
THE Grod is giving me advice on how to brew better. This is amazing!
I'm most likely going to follow all of your advice. I have a couple of questions though.

You're saying 5e War Caster's strength comes more from the reaction and the concentration, rather than being able to cast Spells without a free hand? I want to enable the archetype, I'm just unsure how to do it without making the feat an auto pick. There are many classes who'd love being able to go sword-and-board without loosing spell prowess. How do I show these archetypes some love?

I was trying to avoid the concentration advantage, hence the weird Burst of Concentration feat. It has always looked as an autopick to me, and I already included 'resilient'.

Yeah, there were a few in there that I knew where over the top. I usually include broken ideas in my homebrew posts when I have no idea how to remake them. Like with these, I knew they were to strong, but either I didn't understand why, or I didn't understand how to make them less powerful. Heck, I didn't even realise Rogues didn't get Extra Attack normally.

I'm trying to avoid Prerequisites, and rather have a small solid selection of feats that enable many different archetypes. One of the archetypes I wanted to show some love are 1/3rd casters, by giving them a spell boost. Magical Recovery and Versatile Spellcaster were made with EK in mind, but are obviously too strong (and I forgot the Ranger was a class). I though "Hey, it says regain expended spell slots, so EKs can't abuse that".
My logic was that a EK or AT should just as well be able to take some spell-boosting Feats as they could combat-boosting Feats. Am I wrong?

How would you go about granting extra spell slots? Just say "When you have no spell slots remaining, you can use an action to gain one 1st Level Spell slot"?

What about spell selection? I feel Magic Initiate is one of the most picked Feats in 5e, so just copying it would probably make it too strong for my half-feat esque powerlevel. I thought limiting them to being from the same school and same list was enough, and removing the cantrips. Should I limit the level also? 2nd level?

I've also heard the "paladin special spell list" comment before. Is it really that strong in the wrong hands?
I probably need to go rewrite some potions if that's the case xD

You say Crossbow Expert is boring and useful. Can I make it more fun, without necessarily making it much stronger? It is an archetype enabler, I've just never seen or played that archetype, so I don't know what kind of player plays it, or what he enjoys about it. Are they usually snipers? I could give them some stealth buff, if that's the case.

All other suggestions I'll take and use. Thank you so much for your insight :)

Bjarkmundur
2019-05-02, 04:39 PM
Typed in the changes. I think I've come up with the magic initiate half-feat I was looking for.


Magic Initiate
Choose a class spell list. You can add one 1st level spells from your chosen spell list to your list of known spells. It uses the same spellcasting ability score as it’s associated class. You can cast the spell once per long rest. If you already have the spellcasting feature and, choose spells from your own spell list, you can cast them using your own spell slots.
Alternatively, you can gain one 1st level spell slot.