Feats remain an essential part of any Dungeons & Dragons build, as they endow characters with unique traits that help specific aspects of their playstyles shine. Oftentimes, it's the Feat that defines how powerful a build can get, as it's bonuses from these traits that give characters access to synergizing effects. Of course, this also means some Feats aren't built to "optimize" what players might consider meta builds, and they're more often forgotten as they're deemed a waste of character progression.
That is, unless players realize how some Feats could actually provide them with a much-needed crutch in tricky combat situations. Where a traditional Feat can fail to accommodate some aspects of combat due to how hyper-specific they are for builds, some Feats can compensate by providing quite an interesting power boost. Players need to do a double-take when looking at these Feats, as they might be the perfect encounter-ender for their builds.
Shield Master
Make DEX Saves Easier To Deal With
- Type: General
- Needs: Shield Proficiency
A lot of players hesitate to give their melee characters Shield Master because Fighting Style - Protection has a more accessible benefit, where a shield-wielder can impose Disadvantage to an attacker targeting an ally within five feet. On the other hand, Shield Master offers a +1 STR alongside a Shield Bash (5-foot Push or Prone on a failed Save) and Interpose Shield (can use a Reaction to auto-success a DEX Save for half damage, and only take half-damage for a supposed full-damage hit).
Despite how useful the Feat could get, its conditional properties certainly make other Feats more practical as soon as they’re acquired. However, Shield Master is a must-get when comparing its perks to the Rogue’s Evasion Trait. This lets a Rogue take no damage when succeeding a DEX Save for supposed half-damage. But Evasion is a 7th-Level Trait, whereas Shield Master lets a shield-toting Fighter access the same benefit as early as 4th-Level. In a campaign with pesky spellcasters, Shield Master can be a crutch for melee attackers who want to keep the team safe.
Athlete
Surprisingly Good With Snipers
- Type: General
- Needs: STR or DEX 13+
Athlete is what is considered a half-Feat in D&D, where one half is an Ability Score Increase (in this case, STR or DEX +1) and a set of effects. In the case of Athlete, it equalizes Climb Speed to base Speed (Climb Speed), only requires a 5-foot Movement requirement for a running High or Long Jump (Jumping), and only needs 5 feet Movement to get out of Prone (Hope Up).
Despite leaning into STR builds, Athlete can be quite the effective Feat when paired with a sniping character - like a Ranger. This is specifically tied to only using 5-feet worth of Movement to get out of Prone, as this little detail can guarantee the safety of sharpshooters from other ranged attackers. While attacking a Prone creature does have Advantage, ranged attacks actually have Disadvantage against them. When used with a Wildhunt Shifter, the character also blocks enemies from getting Advantage within 30 feet, greatly enhancing their defenses.
Defensive Duelist
Finesse Your Way Into Better Defense
- Type: General
- Needs: DEX 13+
The Duelist Fighting Style already rewards players using a Finesse weapon with a +2 AC bonus when fighting with just one weapon. On top of having a Shield, that's already a +4 AC bonus. Due to this easy access to the defense bonus, there really doesn't seem to be much use for Defensive Duelist. On top of DEX +1, the Feat lets players use their Reaction to add their Proficiency Bonus to their AC, as long as they're holding a Finesse weapon and they take a hit from an attack.
The common criticism towards Defensive Duelist is only being able to get this AC bonus against “one” melee attack. Since most enemies have multi-attack, this Proficiency Bonus to AC might not make much of a difference. However, the Feat can become an ace in the hole when deflecting an otherwise-killing blow, as this ensures the character can use their other Resources to reposition themselves or land hits instead of defense.
Mounted Combatant
Take Advantage Of An Underused Mechanic
- Type: General
- Needs: None
Players often attach the idea of a mount as something to travel with outside of combat, when mounts can “technically” be another creature to control in encounters. Considering how difficult it is to "traditionally" get them, and on top of mounted combat rules that generally just give a speed boost, there doesn't seem to be much to do with the idea of a traditional knight. So the Mounted Combatant Feat doesn't seem too "important" until one has an actual mount to work with. It grants +1 to STR, DEX, or WIS, and tries to expand mounted combat mechanics. For one, effects that can trigger half-damage on a DEX Save can remove it entirely on a success and half on failure (Leap Aside). And if the rider isn't Incapacitated, it can take damage meant for the mount (Veer).
What a lot of players overlook with Mounted Combatant is that a horse in D&D is classified as a Large creature, while most humanoids are considered Medium creatures. This immediately triggers its third effect, where attacks get Advantage against unmounted creatures at least one size smaller than the mount (Mounted Strike). This ensures a mounted knight on the frontlines can take care of heavy-hitters on the opposing side of the battlefield.
Heavy Armor Master
Maximize Heavy Armor Proficiency
- Type: General
- Needs: Heavy Armor Training
Armor Mastery isn't a new Feat classification in D&D, as they reward characters who commit to "mastering" the kind of gear they carry into battle. In the case of Heavy Armor Master, it can give +1 to STR or CON, and reduce non-magical damage equal to the wearer's Proficiency Bonus if the type is Bludgeoning, Piercing, or Slashing. But when Heavy Armor types already provide decent starting AC, it doesn't seem practical to "over-specialize" in this specific variant.
It’s easy to overlook Heavy Armor Master when its original version is rather lackluster, especially when its Revised Edition variant is actually a powerful defensive option. That is, if they can deal with the fact that this won’t do much for them at lower levels. However, with Proficiency able to get to as high as +5 in higher levels, just guaranteeing a -5 penalty to all non-magic attacks - as in, including every attack in a multi-attack - can vastly improve the survivability of a frontline unit.
Read the full article on GameRant
This article originally appeared on GameRant and is republished here with permission.
