Feats - Part 1 - Half-Feats
Duncehack Edition
So who are you?
Just some tosser with an over inflated sense of self importance.
Send verbal abuse via Minds.com
What is the Duncehack?
It emerged from a place of frustration. There's quite a number of areas where 5e could be improved but... it's not going to happen for various reasons.
The Duncehack is my attempt to fix these problems I have. Plan is to go through the whole game - all of it - and homebrew it into the game I think is should have been.
Feel free to disagree with me, but ultimately I think there's no harm in putting my thoughts out there, at the very least if even one DM decides to adopt these rules, then my job is done.
No DM Guild? No OGL Release?
I chafe under binding contracts and both of these are exactly that.
The DM Guild gives you more room to mess with established rules, but basically demands that all be under the service of flagship settings.
The SRD on the other hand gives more room for interesting settings but clamps down extremely hard on what established rules you're allowed to use. Their biggest contention is that they don't want someone to sell a sourcebook that removes the need for core books. Translation: they don't want Pathfinder to happen all over again.
More to the point, both assume money will change hands. I don't want money, I just want Wizards to fix their game.
Groundrules
Groundrules for the Duncehack are as follows:
No Nerfs: the goal is to bring weaker archetypes on the level of the stronger ones.
Remove Traps: incentives built into classes and archetypes should provide an active payoff, rather than be the suboptimal choice.
Frontload Agency, Backend Power: Generally speaking, people like having more options to do things, rather than more raw power. As a design rule: things that feel like core class features, or are defining class mechanics, should happen in the first ten levels, sheer numeric increases in power should come after that.
No money changed hands here
This is a passion project. I want to keep it that way.
I also want to avoid legal issues for self-evident reasons.
No UA?
Too much changes between UA and official release.
The fewer corrections I have the do between UA changes, the better.
Obligatory Natural Crit Plug
Someone else made a thing that lets me make homebrews without having to post them on pastebin or something. They deserve a lot of credit for that.
Obligatory /tg/ Plug
The feedback I got from various Anons on this helped me build it into something that wasn't bad and stupid.
I love you all in a way only abused spouse can possibly understand.
Special thanks to the anon who helped me out with the Storm Herald, I wouldn't have realised how much work it needed to be on par with the other archetypes had you not explained its failings, so thank you very much.
No Images?
Needed to get it under 8mb so I could upload it literally anywhere.
So what here needs fixing?
It's not world-ending level stuff, but there's a couple of choices that look great on paper but then you roll the dice and...
Then you ask your DM permission to 're-spec'.
This document is part 1 and covers Half-Feats.
Half Feats vs. Full Feats
So part of the problem with balancing feats is simply the opportunity cost for what a lot of them provide is too high. Most of the Half-Feats fit in this category.
What's a half-feat?
Anything with "+1 to (Ability Score)" in it's feature list.
So what's the deal?
Simply, I'm decoupling half-feats from their +1 and costing them as "only costs the player character 1 ability score increase". Want to buy +1 Strength and the Keen Mind bonus? okay. Want to buy Keen Mind and Observant without the Ability Score Point? okay.
What about Resilient?
I've thought about it, as under this rule it means by level 8 it's possible to get all 6 saving throw proficiencies. I'm none too fussed however, because ASIs are still an extremely finite resource. Ask a Monk player some time about how he spends his ASIs and they'll likely tell you that there just isn't enough given in the game.
What if I disagree?
Only allow them to take it once per ASI.
Could even extend that to all feats if it's a problem.
Optional Rule: Unique Half-Feats
If a player wishes to benefit from two half-feats when spending an Ability Score Increase, the player cannot pick the same half-feat twice.
The player is not restricted from picking that half-feat again in their next Ability Score Increase.
But will you be adding to these feats?
Where appropriate I will.
Weak Full Feats
Not all feats are equal, despite costing the same.
So here's a list of all full-feats (i.e. doesn't have a +1 bonus to an ability score increase) that I've kicked down to half-feats.
My justification for this is often that the features are situational enough that if they were a racial feature, they'd be considered a ribbon.
- Alert
- Dungeon Delver
- Elemental Adept
- Martial Adept
- Skulker
Depreciated Feats
These feats are removed because another rule or feature has superceded it.
Fighting Styles
These feats are removed because they're been rolled into my Fighting Style overhaul.
- Charger
- Grappler (reworked into a new feat of the same name)
- Heavy Armor Master
- Medium Armor Master
- Mounted Combatant
Half Feats
All of the following costs 1 of the two Ability Score Points when a character gains an Ability Score Increase.
If you woul gain a feat from another source (such as from being a Variant Human), you may select two half-feats instead.
Actor
Skilled at mimicry and dramatics, you gain the following benefits:
- You have advantage on Charisma (Deception) and Charisma (Performance) checks when trying to pass yourself off as a different person.
- You can mimic the speech of another person or the sounds made by other creatures. You must have heard the person speaking, or heard the creature make the sound, for at least 1 minute. A successful Wisdom (Insight) check contested by your Charisma (Deception) check allows a listener to determine that the effect is faked.
Source: PHB, page 165
Alert
Always on the lookout for danger, you gain the following benefits:
- You gain a +5 bonus to initiative.
- You can't be surprised while you are conscious.
- Other creatures don't gain advantage on attack rolls against you as a result of being unseen by you.
Source: PHB, page 165
Athlete
You have undergone extensive physical training to gain the following benefits:
- When you are prone, standing up uses only 5 feet of your movement.
- Climbing, Swimming and Crawling doesn't cost you extra movement.
- You can make a running long jump or a running high jump after moving only 5 feet on foot, rather than 10 feet.
Source: PHB, page 165
Defensive Duelist
Prerequisite: Dexterity 13 or higher
When you are wielding a finesse weapon with which you are proficient and another creature hits you with a melee attack, you can use your reaction to add your proficiency bonus to your AC for that attack, potentially causing the attack to miss you.
Source: PHB, page 165
Dungeon Delver
Alert to the hidden traps and secret doors found in many dungeons, you gain the following benefits:
- You have advantage on Wisdom (Perception) and Intelligence (Investigation) checks made to detect the presence of secret doors.
- You have advantage on saving throws made to avoid or resist traps.
- You have resistance to the damage dealt by traps.
- Traveling at a fast pace doesn't impose the normal -5 penalty on your passive Wisdom (Perception) score.
Source: PHB, page 166
Durable
When you roll a Hit Die to regain hit points, you regain a number equal to your the Hit Die Total + Twice your Constitution Modifier.
Source: PHB, page 166
Heavily Armored
Prerequisite: Proficiency with medium armor You have trained to master the use of heavy armor, gaining the following benefits:
- You gain proficiency with heavy armor.
- You gain proficiency in shields if you do not already have it.
Source: PHB, page 167
Keen Mind
You have a mind that can track time, direction, and detail with uncanny precision. You gain the following benefits:
- You always know which way is north.
- You always know the number of hours left before the next sunrise or sunset.
- You can accurately recall anything you have seen or heard within the past month.
- You gain a tool proficiency of your choice
Source: PHB, page 167
Lightly Armored
You gain proficiency with light armor.
Source: PHB, page 167
Additions
- Athlete: Swimming and Crawling speed.
- Durable: Now Double Con Mod. bonus, from double Con Mod. minimum.
- Heavily Armored: Shield proficiency
- Keen Mind: Tool Proficiency
Linguist
You have studied languages and codes, gaining the following benefits:
- You learn three languages of your choice.
- You can ably create written ciphers. Others can't decipher a code you create unless you teach them, they succeed on an Intelligence check (DC equal to your Intelligence score + your proficiency bonus), or they use magic to decipher it.
Source: PHB, page 167
Elemental Adept
Prerequisite: The ability to cast at least one spell
When you gain this feat, choose one of the following damage types: acid, cold, fire, lightning, or thunder. Spells you cast ignore resistance to damage of the chosen type. In addition, when you roll damage for a spell you cast that deals damage of that type, you can treat any 1 on a damage die as a 2.
You can select this feat multiple times. Each time you do so, you must choose a different damage type.
Source: PHB, page 166
Martial Adept
You have martial training that allows you to perform special combat maneuvers. You gain the following benefits:
- You learn two maneuvers of your choice from among those available to the Battle Master archetype in the fighter class. If a maneuver you use requires your target to make a saving throw to resist the maneuver's effects, the saving throw DC equals 8 + your proficiency bonus + your Strength or Dexterity modifier (your choice).
- You gain one superiority die, which is a d6 (this die is added to any superiority dice you have from another source). This die is used to fuel your maneuvers. A superiority die is expended when you use it. You regain your expended superiority dice when you finish a short or long rest.
Source: PHB, page 168
Moderately Armored
Prerequisite: Proficiency with light armor
You have trained to master the use of medium armor and shields, gaining the following benefits:
- You gain proficiency with medium armor.
- You gain proficiency in shields if you do not already have it.
Source: PHB, page 168
Observant
Quick to notice details of your environment, you gain the following benefits:
- If you can see a creature's mouth while it is speaking a language you understand, you can interpret what it's saying by reading its lips.
- You have a +5 bonus to your passive Wisdom (Perception), passive Wisdom (Insight) and passive Intelligence (Investigation) scores.
Source: PHB, page 168
Resilient
Choose one ability score.
You gain proficiency in saving throws using the chosen ability.
Source: PHB, page 168
Skulker
Prerequisite: Dexterity 13 or higher
You are expert at slinking through shadows. You gain the following benefits:
- You can try to hide when you are lightly obscured from the creature from which you are hiding.
- When you are hidden from a creature and miss it with a ranged weapon attack, making the attack doesn't reveal your position.
- Dim light doesn't impose disadvantage on your Wisdom (Perception) checks relying on sight.
- Opposing creatures attempting to find you do not benefit from any Darkvision they may have to do so.
Source: PHB, page 170
Weapon Master
You have practiced extensively with a variety of weapons, gaining the following benefits:
- You gain proficiency with four simple or martial weapons of your choice. Each one must be a simple or a martial weapon.
- You gain one fighting style of your choice.
Source: PHB, page 170
Additions
- Observant: +5 Passive Insight
- Skulker: Darkvision Resistance
- Weapon Master: Fighting Style
This Weapon Master is different to the one in your Fighting Styles?
That one assumes you're not using this feat overhaul.
New Half-Feats
Fortitude
You can endure hardships other cannot. Whenever you take the Dodge action in combat, you can spend one Hit Die to heal yourself. Roll the die, add your Constitution modifier, and regain a number of hit points equal to the total (minimum of 1).
This is modified by effects that would normally improve hit die usage, such as the Durable feat.
Isn't this Dwarven Fortitude?
Yeah, but it seemed wasted on a Dwarf. More to the point, hit dice manipulation is one of those things I'm iffy about locking to a particular race.
Here's the original writeup:
Dwarven Fortitude
You have the blood of dwarf heroes flowing through your veins. You gain the following benefits:
- Increase your Constitution score by 1, to a maximum of 20.
- Whenever you take the Dodge action in combat, you can spend one Hit Die to heal yourself. Roll the die, add your Constitution modifier, and regain a number of hit points equal to the total (minimum of 1).
Source: XGE, page 74
Nimbleness
You are uncommonly nimble for your race. You gain the following benefits:
- Increase your walking speed by 5 feet.
- You gain proficiency in the Acrobatics or Athletics skill (your choice).
- You have advantage on any Strength (Athletics) or Dexterity (Acrobatics) check you make to escape from being grappled.
You did it again, this is Squat Nimbleness without the race restrictions.
And there are far, far better ways to exemplify those races. Hell, for halflings along Xanathars did it much better.
Original writeup below.
Squat Nimbleness
Prerequisite: Dwarf or small race
You are uncommonly nimble for your race. You gain the following benefits:
- Increase your Strength or Dexterity by 1, to a maximum of 20.
- Increase your walking speed by 5 feet.
- You gain proficiency in the Acrobatics or Athletics skill (your choice).
- You have advantage on any Strength (Athletics) or Dexterity (Acrobatics) check you make to escape from being grappled.
Source: XGE, page 75