Tag: feat

  • Turning 5e Background Features into 5.5e Feats

    Turning 5e Background Features into 5.5e Feats

    Much of the flavor of the 2014 version of 5e Dungeons & Dragons backgrounds was within their features. These mild mechanics usually made some element of either the social or exploration pillars of the game.

    They’re gone, replacing both story and the two minor pillars with a Feat in 2024 D&D. It’s a shame.

    Many of my own custom backgrounds sit dormant, because the story was a key part of why they existed. And adding power through a Feat that offers more combat utility is silly.

    There’s a solution. The example comes from the Realms books. The Feats there ooze flavor in ways the Player’s Handbook does not.

    How can I do that at scale for the 20+ backgrounds I’ve created?

    Borrow from themes

    Find the origin feats (or talents) that are most similar to the desire and calibrate from there. Skilled, Musician and Crafter are the ones in the 5.5 Player’s Handbook I’ll lean towards. Black Flag expands the calibration in similar ways to the Realms books. Psychanist, Ritualist, Athletic, Polyglot, Scrutinous, and Trade Skills will be referenced as well. Having a bank of ten feats and talents to calibrate against should help.

    Walkthrough

    Let’s start with the clothier/weaver, which by design leans into tropes around various fictional cults that use threads to see futures.

    The original feature with mild mechanics.

    Feature: As the Wheel Wills

    You have a certain comfort and understanding that you aren’t always in control. You have advantage on saves against fear, charm and other enchantments after the first round in these conditions.

    Additionally, you are able to find and protect secrets. When using Insight or Sleight of Hand to keep or discover secrets you do so with double proficiency.

    Making it modern

    From mild mechanics to direct mechanics is a first step. The second is to calibrate versus similar feats and talents. As the Wheel Wills feels like more of a social feat with hints at magic, but not spell craft. Ritualist, Musician and Athletic have some of the heft I’ll use.

    As the Wheel Wills for 5.5e

    Due to your understanding of the wheel you have advantage on saving throws against fear and charm after being under the condition for one round. (This is somewhat similar to Athletic)

    Also, your experiences understanding that weaving is a physical representation of the connections between peoples you have expertise with one of Insight or Sleight of Hand. (Removing the more situational impact from the previous version).

    Another example – Cabbie/Ferien

    The Cabbie is an attempt to capture some Shadow & Bone, Narnia, Bridgerton, Gilded Age vibes.

    Feature: Talk too much

    You are a skilled conversationalist that frequently goes on and on. These long talks are often consuming and distracting. Some cabbies and feriens may have allies who use that speech as a distraction to pick pockets or similar events.

    Additionally, you pick up the streets, rivers or flyways of a new city quickly almost never getting lost in natural urban areas.

    Let’s convert that

    Origin Feat: Talk Too Much

    When talking to creature with which you share a language (or culture) you are able to distract a non-hostile creature. An ally attempting use Sleight of Hand, Stealth, or Deception against that creature has advantage in the current minute.

    Additionally after spending an hour in a bar, market, restaurant or other third place in a new non-magical urban area you are unable to get lost.

    Moving forward

    For some reason, unlocking this process within my mind is fuel to move forward with the backgrounds that are necessary to move forward with Uprising & Rebellion into the 5.5 era.

    Converting 20 was overwhelming until these thoughts. Plus, with the idea that an Origin Feat can be a General Feat with the addition of an attribute bonus that helps advance the three pillars I’m most interested in — Social, Exploration, Scheming. Because a few of these backgrounds and their newly associated Feats will unlock crafting, business management or militia actions.

    Fediverse Reactions
  • Using Feats to expand your setting: Church of Quar

    Using Feats to expand your setting: Church of Quar

    In the new Forgotten Realms books, Strixhaven, 5e Dragonlance and a recent Unearthed Arcana official D&D is using Feat trees/chains. Every published instance so far is a set of two.

    While there are mechanical reasons to have tiered Feats every expression to this point also leans quite heavily into the story elements added. In Strixhaven the feat-taker goes from early student to late in the class. In Dragonlance a squire becomes a knight. In the Realms you are early in a Faction and then a powerful member of it.

    The Feat helps tell the story in ways that a subclass wouldn’t because in all cases the feat has two expressions in Tier 1 available where a subclass gets a single expression. By the end of Tier 2 a subclass gets two expressions while a Feat chain can be up to four. There’s more space for story.

    An initiate becoming an expert is the most common example. The chain (I prefer that to tree as the published versions are two options linked) naturally fit this.

    Let’s explore how a Feat chain could tell a story in my homebrew world by looking at three feats connected to the Church of Quar.

    In the Six Kingdoms of the World of the Everflow the Church of Quar is a hybrid church-healing center-merchant guild. It controls access to the healing waters of the Everflow at the Font of Two Paths in Telse. Their tongue became the common language of the Six Kingdoms because of the strong influence of their healing elixir in a world without magic.

    No faith, no kingdom, no magic school after magic returned to the land has the influence of the Church of Quar. They’re in every town. That does not mean that every town has an Acolyte, a formal role represented by a member of the faith who is becoming a hero.

    The following three feats expand the story of the Church of Quar for heroes (and villains) using the Feat system.

    Acolyte of Quar

    Origin Feat

    You gain the following benefits.

    Cultured. You learn an additional culture (or language).

    Balm of rest. During a Short Rest you create a balm using a Healing Potion that removes one level of exhaustion and grants the creature advantage on a saving throw versus one condition with a save.

    Blessing of the Everflow. When you administer a Healing Potion to a creature they may use a Hit Die to heal as well as gain the benefits from the Healing Potion.

    Minister of Quar

    Feat (prerequisites: Acolyte of Quar, 4th+ level)

    You gain the following benefits.

    +1 to Charisma or Wisdom

    Oratory. You have Advantage when using Influence Action with Indifferent or Friendly peoples with which you share a culture or language (and Hostile creatures who are members of the Church of Quar).

    Lord of Life. You learn the Aid spell and may cast it one time a day without using a spell slot. It becomes a known spell for you.

    Lord of Rivers. You know how to create a Healing Potion (vial of Everflow) with only water and herbs. This lesser potion costs only 5 gp and can be created during a Short Rest. This potion is only half as effective as a standard Healing Potion. Sharing this concept is forbidden.

    Free Minister of Quar

    Feat (prerequisites: Acolyte of Quar, membership in the Reformed Church, 4th+ level)

    You gain the following benefits.

    +1 to Charisma or Constitution

    Rivers and Roads. You learn two cultures or languages and the Religion skill (or another skill if you are already proficient). You have Advantage on Constitution checks brought about by Environmental Effects.

    First Aid: Taking one minute you can grant a Hit Point to a stabilized creature. They are also subjected to Blessings of the Everflow if you have a Healing Potion available.

    Together these dual Feat chains tell the story behind the Orthodox and Reformed Churches of Quar.

    In just the tiniest bits of flavor text you see examples of how two branches of the faith are different, not just in their ability to be heroes, but what is expected from their most ardent believers.

    Where a subclass gains features at 3rd, 6th and 10th level (mostly). Classes have feats at 1st, 4th, 8th, 12th (mostly). By 8th level a member of Quar’s faith could take all three faith feats, going on a journey from being part of a merchant-church to dedicated hedge healer.

    This story doesn’t need to be connected to a class because they aren’t spellcasters. Plus, in the fiction inspiring the game contains people who are faithful without being clerics or druids or paladins.

    Maybe another feat deals with Quars pantheon. After being an Acolyte of Quar the individual is a Devotee to Belsem the Untamed (leaning into animal companionship?) or a Teacher (adherent to Glight becoming an expert at knowing things). These would emphasize branching, which fits the pantheon.

    The other pantheons may start dispersed and then unify (The Siblilngs) or emphasize bonding (Az and Sel) or only be about fellowship (Mehmd’s faith).

    Maybe an aspect of your world is a military organization and feats could be ranks or branches. Does your world lean into magical schools like Strixhaven? A feat chain from underclass, to senior student, to teacher, to dean could work. A setting that anchors the horrors of the environment could use feats as a way to describe various paths to survival (water, shelter, food, community).

    Feats are a discreet, light space that empowers all classes to carry bits of lore that connect to the world mechanically.

    Fediverse Reactions
  • Born to be Wild: A Feat of Wild Magic

    Born to be Wild: A Feat of Wild Magic

    Within the literature that inspires Dungeons & Dragons we see many tales of those born to magic. Some of these peoples are untrained, their magic barely controlled. In 5th edition D&D these are represented by Wild Magic Sorcerers. Not all fit the narrative around Sorcerers, because they are more than just an in-born mage. They have hints of spellcasting, but because it is born rather than learned control is not there.

    Yes, multiclassing can solve this. So can a Feat.

    The desire with Born to be Wild is to capture the feeling of those who have a tiny bit of innate magic in their bodies, but no control. Their magic sparks bizarre occurrences that range from helpful to destructive. Maybe they get trained someday. Maybe they are a warrior who can heal an ally, or a thief that can blast with missiles of power. Whoever they are, they struggle with innate powers and the impact of casting.

    Photo by Max Aquino

    Born to be Wild

    • Choose a cantrip from the following list: Prestidigitation, Thaumaturgy, Druidcraft. [This represents that you have innate minor powers]
    • Choose any 1st level spell. You may now cast this spell once per short rest, but when you do you roll on the Wild Magic Surge table of the Wild Magic Sorcerer. This spell may be added to your spell list, but whenever cast does cause a surge. [There is a temptation to have the player roll on the table twice and let them choose the better effect.]
    • Your spellcasting ability for these spells is Constitution. [This is to represent that the magic courses through your body.]

    Design notes

    The intent here is to be similar in power to Magic Initiate, but to embrace the chaos of the Wild Magic Sorcerer. Dropping one cantrip and upping the usage of the spell is similar to the Artificer Initiate. Adding Metamagic would give the holder of the Feat control, which is in opposition to the intent.