New Feat idea

[T2334]

Hi all, let me know what you think of this Feat idea:

Feat: Psychic Leech
Prerequisite: psychic ability of any kind

You use your psychic abilities to harness powers from your team. Over the period of one day, you get to mimic one ability from one player in your party.
If it is a spell, you can only cast up to a level you are able to, otherwise it’s a first level spell. You may use this ability once per day without expending a spell slot. You use the modifier of the person whose spell it is.
You may use this feat to become proficient in one skill another player is.
You may use this feat to mimic another feat from a player provided you are eligible and meet the prerequisite.

After a long rest, you can change what ability it is. Abilities granted to players from magic/attuned items cannot be mimicked from this feat

[Toadkiller]

Each day you can take the most unique and useful thing from another player’s character sheet and use it for your own?

[Cikomyr2]

I have to second what's said above. Taking another player's shtick and repeating is getting in their niche.

[Segev]

Avoiding stealing people's schticks can be done by making it a willing creature sharing something with you. Alternatively, you could make the feat allow allies to use their own features "as if standing at your location."

[Jerrykhor]

What is an ability? Wildshape? Divine Intervention? Paladin capstone? Too broken if someone can just steal it like that.

[Kuulvheysoon]

"Ability" is way too vague, and not all things are equal. Should you steal Stealth from a teammate, or Sharpshooter from that same ally? Stealing the ally's spellcasting modifier is kinda broken as well, not gonna lie.

Add additional commentary about how stealing from other people is kinda stealing their Thing, maybe add a lie about willing targets?

What defines "psychic ability of any kind"?

[Catullus64]

Avoiding stealing people's schticks can be done by making it a willing creature sharing something with you.

That's not really the issue. The feat puts pressure on other players to let you steal their unique tricks and flair. Now they have to be the jerk by saying "no, you can't do my cool thing instead of me."

[Segev]

That's not really the issue. The feat puts pressure on other players to let you steal their unique tricks and flair. Now they have to be the jerk by saying "no, you can't do my cool thing instead of me."

True. Which is why I proposed the second option of letting others use their features as if they were at your location.

[Toadkiller]

Even that has a pushy element to it. “I moved all the way over here. Now you have to do your thing or it’s a big waste!”

It’s probably best to not meddle in the characters of others that much.

[T2334]

What about a stipulation of being able to use their thing once/long rest. This makes it so that even if they do mimic it can’t be overdone.
Was thinking that’s something like this, while cool, is very limiting and dependent on what other players have and it only being able to be used once/long rest doesn’t really allow that player to be reliable for one thing

[Greywander]

I see what you're trying to do, but as others are saying, this is just too open ended and too strong. How about something like this as an alternative?


Copycat
You've learned how to study the actions of others and replicate what you see, sometimes with uncanny accuracy. When another humanoid creature you can see takes an action or bonus action, you may use your reaction to memorize that action. On your next turn, you may replicate that action or bonus action using your own action or bonus action. If that action or bonus action is a spell, you must expend a spell slot of the same level to replicate it. Once you use this feature, you must finish a long rest before you may use it again.

In addition, when another creature you can see performs an ability check, you may use your reaction to memorize their competency in that skill. Once during the next hour, when you make an ability check that uses the same ability score and skill proficiency (including no skill proficiency, if applicable), you may replace your bonus to that roll with the bonus of the creature you memorized. You must finish a long rest before you can use this feature again.

This is still pretty strong, but I've reigned it in considerably.

You can only mimic humanoids, so no dragon breath or ghost possession or the like.
Mimicking spells requires a spell slot. So while you can mimic a 9th level spell, you have to spend a 9th level slot to do so. You'd also have to have a 9th level slot, so half-casters and non-casters need not apply.
Someone else has to use the ability first. This can be good for turning an enemy's ability against them, but if mimicking an ally, then if the first one didn't get the job done, a second might not be so helpful.
You must use it on the very next turn. If you could use it later, you could wait until the opportune moment to get the most use out of it, but alas, you cannot.
It uses both a reaction and either an action or bonus action. A smart opponent who knows you can do this can block either of these to prevent you from using it.

Otherwise, I'd suggest looking at the Arcane Trickster, specifically their Spell Thief feature. If you like the idea of a character who steals abilities from others, this would be one way you could realize that concept while sticking to RAW, though it is limited to spells.

[Anymage]

If it's just limited to skills or feats it strikes me as okay. Most skills and feats don't stack if you have more than one instance in the party. The skills that do (mostly stealth and perception) you're likely to have picked up from a background anyways, and the feats that do (mostly the -5/+10 ones) are ones you could have picked up anyways by just investing the feat slot you're using for this. Add in that you won't necessarily have your stats in the right place to capitalize on this and that it's highly dependent on party comp, it doesn't get me too upset powerwise.

Adding spells into the mix makes me raise an eyebrow, because it makes it much easier for someone with the feat to poach something like Find Greater Steed or any other spell with a lasting effect. Outside of that one interaction being able to spend a feat for a single (floating, and potentially out of class) spell known isn't too bad, although it does make this feat unintentionally much more powerful in the hands of a spellcaster than not. That interaction still makes me a little leery.

If class features are also allowed, this feat is many headaches waiting to happen.

Most importantly, though. This feat strikes me as a character's core shtick. Other feats can support a character's main shtick (see GWM/PAM being massive damage enablers), but the "heavy weapon guy" shtick is entirely possible with just existing classes. Such a definitional ability should be, if not the character's primary class, than a subclass for sure. Being a chameleon seems more like a focused rogue subclass than a feat open to psychic characters. So while I wouldn't necessarily bat an eye at a version that only allowed the skill or feat copying effects, it would seem misplaced enough as a feat effect to not make sense.

[Segev]

Even that has a pushy element to it. “I moved all the way over here. Now you have to do your thing or it’s a big waste!”

It’s probably best to not meddle in the characters of others that much.

By that reasoning, any form of cooperative mechanics is "pushy." In my experience, the more likely thing would be for the two players to collaborate on where to position the one with the feat.

[T2334]

I see what you're trying to do, but as others are saying, this is just too open ended and too strong. How about something like this as an alternative?


Copycat
You've learned how to study the actions of others and replicate what you see, sometimes with uncanny accuracy. When another humanoid creature you can see takes an action or bonus action, you may use your reaction to memorize that action. On your next turn, you may replicate that action or bonus action using your own action or bonus action. If that action or bonus action is a spell, you must expend a spell slot of the same level to replicate it. Once you use this feature, you must finish a long rest before you may use it again.

In addition, when another creature you can see performs an ability check, you may use your reaction to memorize their competency in that skill. Once during the next hour, when you make an ability check that uses the same ability score and skill proficiency (including no skill proficiency, if applicable), you may replace your bonus to that roll with the bonus of the creature you memorized. You must finish a long rest before you can use this feature again.

This is still pretty strong, but I've reigned it in considerably.

You can only mimic humanoids, so no dragon breath or ghost possession or the like.
Mimicking spells requires a spell slot. So while you can mimic a 9th level spell, you have to spend a 9th level slot to do so. You'd also have to have a 9th level slot, so half-casters and non-casters need not apply.
Someone else has to use the ability first. This can be good for turning an enemy's ability against them, but if mimicking an ally, then if the first one didn't get the job done, a second might not be so helpful.
You must use it on the very next turn. If you could use it later, you could wait until the opportune moment to get the most use out of it, but alas, you cannot.
It uses both a reaction and either an action or bonus action. A smart opponent who knows you can do this can block either of these to prevent you from using it.

Otherwise, I'd suggest looking at the Arcane Trickster, specifically their Spell Thief feature. If you like the idea of a character who steals abilities from others, this would be one way you could realize that concept while sticking to RAW, though it is limited to spells.


Cheers for that- this edit works and keeps in mind exactly what I was thinking. I liked the idea of being able to mimic/copycat someone for some more variety but you’re right my original version was too open ended. Thanks again.