| Post/Author/DateTime | Post |
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| #1palinmazSep 21, 2014 22:30:21 | Feat Overview
Feats sorted in alphabetical order, rated by who they are best for
Red: Don’t take this, there is always something better. Either bad or outclassed Green: Situational choice. Only going to be good in specific circumstances
{Author's Note: This is my first attempt at a guide. Feedback is welcome to help make this more useful and informative.}
Alert – Perks: +5 to Initiative – Good to Great Summary: Almost all characters will appreciate the boost to Initiative, especially casters and front-liners. The defensive boost are situationaly dependent on how often your DM throws sneak attacks and surprise rounds at you. Overall:
Athlete – Perks:
Actor – Perks:
Charger – Perks:
Crossbow Expert – Perks:
Defensive Duelist – Prerequisite: 13 DEX or higher
Dual Wielder – Perks:
Dungeon Delver – Perks:
Durable – Perks:
Elemental Adept – Prerequisite: Ability to cast 1 spell Perks:
Grappler – Prerequisite: 13 STR or higher
Great Weapon Master – Perks:
Healer – Perks:
Heavily Armored – Prerequisite: Proficiency with medium armor Proficiency with heavy armor - Good
Heavy Armor Master – Prerequisite: Proficiency with heavy armor Damage reduction 3 from non-magic weapons – Solid to Great
Inspiring Leader – Prerequisite: 13 CHA or higher
Keen Mind – Perks:
Lightly Armored – Perks:
Linguist – Perks:
Lucky – Perks:
Mage Slayer – Perks:
Magic Initiate – Perks:
Martial Adept – Perks:
Medium Armor Master Prerequisite: Proficiency with medium armor
Mobile – Perks:
Moderately Armored – Prerequisite: Proficiency with light armor
Mounted Combatant – Perks:
Observant – Perks:
Polearm Master – Perks:
Resilient – Perks:
Ritual Caster – Prerequisite: 13 or higher INT or WIS Perks:
Savage Attacker – Perks:
Sentinel – Perks:
Sharpshooter – Perks:
Shield Master -
Skilled – Perks:
Skulker – Perks:
Spell Sniper – Perks:
Tavern Brawler – Perks:
Tough – Perks:
War Caster – Prerequisite: Ability to cast 1 spell
Weapon Master - Perks:
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| #2palinmazSep 22, 2014 18:02:20 | Feats With Ability Bonuses
STRENGTH Athlete Heavy Armor Master Lightly Armored Moderately Armored Resilient Tavern Brawler Weapon Master
DEXTERITY Athlete Lightly Armored Moderately Armored Resilient Weapon Master
CONSTITUTION Durable Resilient Tavern Brawler
INTELLIGENCE Keen Mind Linguist Observant Resilient
WISDOM Observant Resilient
CHARISMA Actor Resilient
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| #3palinmazSep 21, 2014 22:32:15 | Reserved |
| #4FluffyBunbunKittensSep 22, 2014 1:46:05 | Feats are specific optimization tools by their very nature, so I think you should redefine your approach. Too many feats will otherwise read 'solid gold if you are this niche, red crap otherwise', which is kind of obvious. |
| #5FluffyBunbunKittensSep 22, 2014 2:16:57 | Actually, for a format to mimic, look at this feat analysis: http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?370020-a-feat-analysis-first-impressions-of-a-wannabe-optimizer
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| #61eejitSep 22, 2014 7:17:57 | Some real clangers there.
How are the Heavy Armor feats rated Black for Barbarians or Monks? Mage Slayer is situationally useful for anyone in melee range, not defenders in particular. |
| #7ReaperAlexSep 22, 2014 7:58:41 | Dungeon delver is great if you expect to find a lot of traps with your face on any class. For that barbarian that can't resist the urge to kick a door in before a rogue has checked it over, or for the party that doesn't have a trapper (get a meat shield with shield mastery and resistance (DEX) paired with this for a walking, breathing 10ft pole). |
| #8SorxoresSep 22, 2014 8:02:04 | elemental adept is a feat tax on dragon bloodline sorcerer so should be golden since they specialize in a single elements, so being able to ignore resistance of monster is a most have. Since you don't have gold color, at least give it sky blue. |
| #9Demosthenes2054Sep 22, 2014 9:09:10 | Sentinel and Mage Slayer are both nice on Rogues for getting more attacks of opprotunity and thus sneak attacking outside your turn. |
| #10kitmanSep 22, 2014 8:21:15 | I don't think Grappler is great for grapplers... I think it's a terrible feat as written. |
| #11StrillSep 22, 2014 8:55:24 | I think you're undervaluing Magic Initiate. Ability mods don't matter for a lot of really important spells. For example, the Shield spell is absolutely amazing for all melee combatants, and doesn't require any attribute investment. It's even better for hybrid melee casters like Eldritch Knights, Arcane Tricksters, or Paladins, because taking the feat allows them to learn the spell and cast it with their normal spell slots. Magic Initiate is also great for Warlocks since it effectively gives them a bonus 1st-level spell slot.
Martial Adept might seem weak, but it becomes awesome if you have a rogue in the party, since you can use Commanding Shout to let them get their sneak attack damage in one more time. |
| #12melloredSep 22, 2014 8:53:16 |
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| #13StrillSep 22, 2014 8:57:49 |
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| #14YunruSep 22, 2014 9:00:13 | It does allow for the poaching of Shillelagh if you're really not keen on dipping.
I guess Hex 1/day could be good, especially on say a Fighter... Excuse me while I go make a Hex-using Eldritch Knight (hell, the name even fits). |
| #15StrillSep 22, 2014 9:11:35 | Another note for Resilient, it's a great alternative to War Caster, since it can give you advantage on ALL CON saving throws instead of just concentration saving throws. If you don't need the spellcasting focus benefit or the opportunity attack, resilient will give you much more overall.
Also note that War Caster synergizes VERY well with Polearm Master. A warlock built around these two feats can use Eldritch Blast on the opportunity attack, which knocks the enemy back and forces them to eat another opportunity attack when they charge back in. The warlock can then follow up with their full melee attack. This is one of the best DPR combos I've seen. |
| #16Demosthenes2054Sep 22, 2014 9:10:42 | Magic Initiate (and Ritual Caster) lets you grab Find Familiar. An Owl Familiar makes an excellent scout as it flies, has 120ft darkvision, and advantage on vision checks. Additionally fly-by attack allows it to Help you or an ally without provoking an attack of opprotunity. |
| #17Demosthenes2054Sep 22, 2014 9:18:13 |
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| #18melloredSep 22, 2014 9:20:05 | Resilient is better then warcaster for concentration saves. Paticularly at higher levels.
Of course, you can take both. |
| #19palinmazSep 22, 2014 9:37:44 |
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| #20melloredSep 22, 2014 9:40:41 | Durable IS good... IF you have high (17 or 19) Con and small (d6, or d8) hit dice. |
| #21JamwesSep 22, 2014 9:52:44 | Might be useful to have a sub-list of the feats organized by what stat they bump. Perhaps hiden in spoiler dropdowns so you don't clutter up the main post by reposting the feat names. |
| #22palinmazSep 22, 2014 10:03:44 | Question - I have been viewing the stat bumping in feats as average since you could have gotten a +2 to one stat, or +1 to two stats without a feat. I have been looking at them as what perks you gain from losing the other +1 to an ability of your choice. Am I being to hard on the ability bumps? |
| #23Rancid_RogueSep 22, 2014 10:36:26 |
Healer should be light blue for a Rogue Thief or -- depending on DM interpretation -- a Rogue Arcane Trickster. Keep the entire party on its feet at the cost of my bonus actions and some trivial materials expenses? Yes, please. It's not sexy but it would vastly improve party survivability. |
| #24GladiusLegisSep 22, 2014 10:46:50 | Savage Attacker is straight up red. It ONLY affects the dice from your weapon, so the characters who might have actually cared about this (Rogues, Paladins) wind up not. Making for a piddly damage increase in all cases. I'm shocked this didn't come with a +1 STR or DEX attached, because it's just so useless otherwise. |
| #257he_professorSep 22, 2014 10:52:09 | I believe you are highly under-valuing the Lucky feat. It's the most versatile feat printed so far. Literally every class can make use of it. It can be used offensively to ensure an attack roll succeeds, defensively to decrease the liklihood of being hit and increase the liklihood of a saving throw suceeding, or out of combat to ensure skill checks succeed. That's pretty incredible in my book.
Now, it is only 3/day, so I can see how people might prefer "always-on" feats, but the sheer versatility of this feat is unmatched.
Similar abilities (rerolls vs. rolling an extra d20, but basically the same thing):
Halfling's Lucky: reroll 1's Fighter Great Weapon Fighting: reroll 1's or 2's (once) on two-handed weapon damage Fighter Indomitable: Reroll a saving throw. (1/day @ 9th, 2/day @ 13th, 3/day @ 17th) Monk's Diamond Soul: 1 ki point to reroll a saving throw that you have failed Sorcerer Empower Spell: 1 Sorcery point to reroll damage dice Savage Attacker Feat: reroll weapon damage dice once/turn Wish spell: force a reroll of anything made last round
Either way... just my 2 cp |
| #26SquadSep 22, 2014 11:52:01 |
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| #27YunruSep 22, 2014 12:14:08 |
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| #28melloredSep 22, 2014 12:21:46 |
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| #29GladiusLegisSep 22, 2014 12:42:53 | The ONLY feats I'd consider gold at all, in any case, are:
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| #30KeendkSep 22, 2014 12:58:07 |
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| #31kitmanSep 22, 2014 13:04:10 |
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| #32Demosthenes2054Sep 22, 2014 13:58:21 |
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| #33Xaielao2Sep 22, 2014 14:17:14 | Dual Wielder – Perks:
Duel Wielder is a solid choice for Dex characters if Dex is already at 20 or you have Medium Armor Master and Dex 16. I wouldn't call it golden but it's should be at least black. |
| #34KeaerinSep 22, 2014 14:45:23 | Actor belive it or not is good on a moon druid as well, especially with thousand faces |
| #35palinmazSep 22, 2014 18:10:05 | I think I’ve included everyone's input. Thank you all for your help, and please let me know if there is anything else which needs addressing. |
| #36ZardnaarSep 22, 2014 19:15:14 | Healer should be blue or light blue. Consider.
Cure wounds heals 1d8+3 hit points at level 1 with a cleric being able to cast it twice. Healers kit is 1d6+5 at level 1 per person per short reast. You havemore or less doubled you parties healing with one short rest.
For the thief it should be light blue, probably for some cleric domains as well.
If you have more short reasts it is even better. I took it as a light cleric for example and more or less freed up all my spell slots as you need to short rest to use HD based healing anyway and the cleric is not going to be able to cast enough cure spells to matter at lower levels anyway.
More healing=more DPS due to durability and something like a light or tempest cleric can now start lobbing around spells almost as much as the wizard but has d8 hit dice and armor+ better weapons.
Its not sexy but gives more healing per gp than a wand of clw in 3.5. The only real downside is how many short rests you get. I think you are safe in assmuing you will get 1 short ret any more and it starts becoming absurd fast. If someone in the party sucks it up and takes the healer feat it is one of the biggest boosts to PC power in the game IMHO.
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| #37GladiusLegisSep 22, 2014 19:27:55 | I'd knock Shield Master's benefits all to dark blue. They are all very solid effects, but they also all have their limitations.
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| #38MistwellSep 22, 2014 19:36:31 |
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| #39GladiusLegisSep 22, 2014 19:48:05 | While I'm at it, I should probably note that Resilient should ONLY be for CON or WIS (whatever of the two you're not proficient in to start). Any other attribute is a waste. DEX is mostly just damage and maybe prone, in either case, not nearly as devastating as the typical effects of a failed CON or WIS save. |
| #40SpedGuySep 22, 2014 20:28:40 | I may be the only person who thinks so, but I like Defensive Duelist on an already defensive character. It only triggers once you are hit, so if you already have a good AC, then attacks should be missing you on a regular basis and the AC boost will cover one of those attacks that do slip through.
Lets say... 20 Dex, Studded Leather, Shield, and Defense Fighting Style... 21 AC. Someone with +12 to hit you (the most you are ever likely to see) will hit you on a 9+ (about 50% of the time for my lazy math); +6 AC from Defensive Duelist will take that to a 15+ (only 1/4 of the time) once a turn and only if you know they would hit anyways (and not on a natural 20, because it wouldn't matter anyways).
You can probably milk some more AC from other sources if you want to; and disadvantage on attackers (say... using the Dodge action when targeted by too many attacks for you to handle) boosts this even further.
Amazingly awsome? No... but probably not 'red' for the right build. |
| #41GladiusLegisSep 22, 2014 20:38:02 | Feats are a limited resource. Why spend a limited resource on Defensive Duelist, when I can think of five feats better to take at any time?
It's also redundant with class abilities of the two classes you'd most expect to take it. Rogues get Uncanny Dodge for free. Battlemaster Fighters get access to the Parry maneuver to do something similar; although it's kinda funny, since Parry isn't exactly the highest-rated maneuver as it is, and unlike feats, Battlemasters get so many maneuvers that it becomes diminishing returns, and yet Parry is STILL low on the totem pole.
That should tell you all you need to know about just how worthless Defensive Duelist is. |
| #42sadnewtSep 22, 2014 21:47:56 | Hey, for the heavily armored feat, you don't actually get heavy armor mastery with a fighter dip, and I'm guessing that's true for a Palladian too. It's in the section on multicasting, and there's a table saying what efficiencies you do get. |
| #43palinmazSep 22, 2014 22:08:45 |
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| #44KeendkSep 22, 2014 23:54:33 |
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| #45SquadSep 23, 2014 13:00:54 |
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| #46DanMathManSep 23, 2014 17:31:07 |
Unless there was an errata I missed neither multi class fighter or paladin give heavy armor proficiency. So unless you start as one the feat is the only way to get proficiency. |
| #47palinmazSep 23, 2014 17:58:10 |
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| #48MistwellSep 23, 2014 18:14:57 |
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| #49StrillSep 24, 2014 0:32:54 |
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| #50FluffyBunbunKittensSep 24, 2014 1:19:16 |
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| #51palinmazSep 24, 2014 12:00:36 |
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| #52palinmazSep 24, 2014 12:23:45 | Dual Wielder revision made. This feat is giving me such a headache. |
| #53melloredSep 24, 2014 12:59:33 | I think your underestimating defensive dualist. Using your reaction to make an attack miss is very good.
i.e. the enemy get's 3 attacks per round, 1 misses from your normal AC, 1 is blocked due to DD, and 1 hits. You've reduced the damage you take by 50%. That's better then rogues uncanny dodge (though, it doesn't stack, so not recommened for rogues).
Yea, it starts at +2 AC at level 1, but it grows to +6. If you max your dex with 4 and 8 first, and then take it at 12, it's awesome. Note that you don't need to use Dex either.
Heck, now i feel like building a gnome paladin, with a raiper + shield + HAM + defensive dualist + inspiring leader + 20 Cha. |
| #54PolarisSep 24, 2014 13:53:58 |
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| #55StrillSep 24, 2014 23:42:30 |
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| (Reply to #55)1eejit |
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| #57theTrueEdgeSep 25, 2014 6:08:37 | Grappler is pretty much regarded as a useles pick. But historically (sorry, I might end up on this trip more often in these forums) wrestling particularly armoured opponents is a staple skill. So, as a house rule I'm going to add this extra feature to the Grappler feat:
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| #58FluffyBunbunKittensSep 25, 2014 6:42:07 |
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| #59melloredSep 25, 2014 6:41:57 |
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| #60SquadSep 25, 2014 20:33:18 |
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| #61StrillSep 30, 2014 14:02:40 |
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| #62intentlyMay 19, 2015 9:29:58 | Thanks for this guide. Any chance it can get updated and added to the guide sticky? |