Feats are an optional Dungeons and Dragons rule, but are used by most adventuring groups. They allow you to specialize your characters and make them stronger or more role-playable. So D&D Feats help you build exactly the character you want!
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How do I get feats in D&D?
Most classes have the option to either increase their attributes by two points or choose a feat (talent) when leveling up to level 4, 8, 12, 16, and 19. Additional Feats can be obtained by choosing the Human (Variable) race or by playing the Fighter class. Of course, you can always talk to your Dungeon Master to get feats in other ways.
The rules for D&D Feats can be found for the most part in Chapter 6 of the Player’s Handbook π. In addition, Xanathar’s Guide to Everything π introduces race-specific feats. As the name suggests, you can only choose these feats if you have chosen the appropriate race. But you can also find more feats in other books like Tasha’s Cauldron of Everything π and even in some of the adventure modules.
Which D&D feats are best?
Of course, it depends on what you want to achieve when you choose your D&D feats. If you want to be especially strong in combat, for example, you can choose weapon feats like Polearm Master, Crossbow Master, or even Sharpshooter. These make your character especially deadly with this type of weapon, but then also limit you a bit, since of course you don’t get a bonus to other parts of your character.
If you’re more into roleplaying, feats like Actor, Poisoner, Telekinetic, or even Skilled are a good choice. With these you can get mechanical bonuses as well as roleplay options that allow you to make your character more interesting.
Often there are also situations where you can increase one of your attribute values to the next round number, improving your bonus. Observant, for example, is a feat that gives you +1 to Wisdom. If you already have 13 Wisdom (which is a +1 bonus), you can choose it to have 14 (which is a +2 bonus) while still having the interesting effects of the Feat.
If you can’t decide, but also don’t want to increase your attributes, there are some D&D Feats that are almost always good. Lucky, Skill Expert and Mobile can make almost any character better, as they are very flexible to use.
List of D&D feats
Feat | Requirement | Description | Source |
---|---|---|---|
Actor | – | +1 in Cha., advantage on Deception and Performance checks, mimic the speech of a person or the sounds made by a creature. | Player’s Handbook π |
Alert | – | +5 to initiative, you can’t be surprised, and creatures you don’t see don’t gain advantage on attack roll against you. | Player’s Handbook π |
Artificer Initiate | – | You learn one cantrip and one 1st-level artificier spell (cast without slot), proficiency with one type of artisan’s tools. | Tasha’s Cauldron of Everything π |
Athlete | – | +1 in Str. or Dex., you stand up and climb more quickly, and you can jump with only a 5-ft run. | Player’s Handbook π |
Bountiful Luck | Halfling | You can let an ally within 30 ft of you to reroll a 1 on a d20. | Xanathar’s Guide to Everything π |
Charger | – | As part of the Dash action you can make a melee attack with a +5 bonus if you move at least 10 ft before. | Player’s Handbook π |
Chef | – | +1 in Con. or Wis., proficiency with cook’s utensils and cook special food to regain hp. | Tasha’s Cauldron of Everything π |
Crossbow Expert | – | You ignore the loading property of crossbows and don’t have disadvantage for being in contact with a creature when you shoot. | Player’s Handbook π |
Crusher | – | +1 in Str. or Con., 5 ft extra move when you hit (bludgeoning) and attacks with advantage after a critical hit. | Tasha’s Cauldron of Everything π |
Defensive Duelist | Dexterity 13 or higher | You can add your proficiency bonus to your AC if you are wielding a finesse weapon, in reaction to a melee attack. | Player’s Handbook π |
Dragon Fear | Dragonborn | +1 in Str., Con., or Cha. and your Breath Weapon can frighten instead of inflicting damages. | Xanathar’s Guide to Everything π |
Dragon Hide | Dragonborn | +1 in Str., Con., or Cha., your AC becomes 13+Dex. modifier and your retractable claws deal 1d4+Str. modifier slashing damage. | Xanathar’s Guide to Everything π |
Drow High Magic | Elf (drow) | – | Xanathar’s Guide to Everything π |
Dual Wielder | – | +1 to AC if you’re wielding a melee weapon in each hand, two-weapon fighting with non-light weapon, draw two weapons. | Player’s Handbook π |
Dungeon Delver | – | Advantage to Perception and Investigation checks, to saving throws vs traps, and search for traps at normal pace. | Player’s Handbook π |
Durable | – | +1 in Con. and for each Hit Dice you regain a minimum of hit points equals to 2 x your Constitution modifier. | Player’s Handbook π |
Dwarf Fortitude | Dwarf | +1 in Con., and you can spend one Hit Die to heal yourself taking the Dodge action. | Xanathar’s Guide to Everything π |
Eldritch Adept | Spellcasting or Pact Magic feature | You learn one Eldritch Invocation. | Tasha’s Cauldron of Everything π |
Elemental Adept | The ability to cast at least one spell | Your spells ignore resistance to a damage type (acid, cold, fire, lightning, or thunder) and treat any 1 in damage as a 2. | Player’s Handbook π |
Elven Accuracy | Elf or half-elf | +1 in Dex., Int., Wis., or Cha., and you can reroll one attack roll if you have advantage. | Xanathar’s Guide to Everything π |
Fade away | Gnome | +1 in Dex. or Int., and you can use your reaction to become invisible if you take damage. | Xanathar’s Guide to Everything π |
Fey Teleportation | Elf (high) | – | Xanathar’s Guide to Everything π |
Fey Touched | – | – | Tasha’s Cauldron of Everything π |
Fighting Initiate | Proficiency with a martial weapon | You learn one Fighting Style option from the fighter class. | Tasha’s Cauldron of Everything π |
Flames of Phlegethos | Tiefling | +1 in Int. or Cha., reroll any 1 on fire spell damage, and cause flames to wreathe you if you cast a fire spell. | Xanathar’s Guide to Everything π |
Grappler | Strength 13 or higher | You have advantage on attack rolls when grappling, and can try to restrained a creature grappled by you. | Player’s Handbook π (SRD) |
Great Weapon Master | – | Extra attack after a melee critical hit and you can choose to take -5 to attack roll to add +10 to damage with an heavy weapon. | Player’s Handbook π |
Gunner | – | +1 in Dex., proficiency with firearms, ignore loading property of firearms and no disadvantage to attacks within 5 ft. | Tasha’s Cauldron of Everything π |
Healer | – | You can stabilize a creature and restore it to 1 hp, or restore [1d6+4+its number of Hit Dice] hp to it. | Player’s Handbook π |
Heavily Armored | Proficiency with medium armor | +1 in Str. and you gain proficiency with heavy armor. | Player’s Handbook π |
Heavy Armor Master | Proficiency with heavy armor | +1 in Str. and bludgeoning, piercing, and slashing damage are reduced by 3 if you are wearing an heavy armor. | Player’s Handbook π |
Infernal Constitution | Tiefling | +1 in Con., resistance to cold and poison damage, and you have advantage on saving throws against being poisoned. | Xanathar’s Guide to Everything π |
Inspiring Leader | Charisma 13 or higher | Up to 6 creatures within 30 ft of you can gain temporary hp equal to your level + your Cha. modifier. | Player’s Handbook π |
Keen Mind | – | +1 in Int., you know which way is north, when is the next sunrise/sunset, and recall any events within the past month. | Player’s Handbook π |
Lightly Armored | – | +1 in Str. or Dex. and you gain profociency with light armor. | Player’s Handbook π |
Linguist | – | +1 in Int., you learn three languages, and you can ably create ciphers. | Player’s Handbook π |
Lucky | – | You can reroll one d20 or force to reroll an attack roll against you (3/long rest). | Player’s Handbook π |
Mage Slayer | – | You can use a reaction to make a melee attack against a spellcaster and advantage on saving throws against spell within 5 ft. | Player’s Handbook π |
Magic Initiate | – | You learn two cantrips and one 1st-level spell from one class. | Player’s Handbook π |
Martial Adept | – | You learn two maneuvers from Battle Master archetype and gain one superiority die (d6). | Player’s Handbook π |
Medium Armor Master | Proficiency with medium armor | No disadvantage to Stealth checks wearing medium armor and Dexterity bonus max to +3 instead of +2. | Player’s Handbook π |
Metamagic Adept | Spellcasting or Pact Magic feature | You learn two metamagic options and gain 2 sorcery points. | Tasha’s Cauldron of Everything π |
Mobile | – | Your speed increase by 10 ft, you can Dash on difficult terrain without malus, and don’t provoke opportunity attacks in melee. | Player’s Handbook π |
Moderately Armored | Proficiency with light armor | +1 in Str. or Dex. and you gain proficiency with medium armor and shields. | Player’s Handbook π |
Mounted Combatant | – | Advantage on melee attacks against unmounted creature and force an attack to target you instead of your mount. | Player’s Handbook π |
Observant | – | +1 in Int. or Wis., you can read on lips, and you have a +5 bonus in passive Perception and passive Investigation. | Player’s Handbook π |
Orcish Fury | Half-orc | +1 in Str. or Con., add one of the weapon’s damage dice, and use a reaction to attack after using Relentless Endurance. | Xanathar’s Guide to Everything π |
Piercer | – | +1 in Str. or Dex., reroll one damage dice when you hit (piercing) and one additional damage dice in case of critical hit. | Tasha’s Cauldron of Everything π |
Poisoner | – | Proficiency with poisoner’s kit, apply as a bonus action and your attacks ignore resistance to poison damage. | Tasha’s Cauldron of Everything π |
Polearm Master | – | You can make an extra attack with a polearm weapon, and make an opportunity attack if a creature enter your reach. | Player’s Handbook π |
Prodigy | Half-elf, half-orc, or human | You gain proficiency with one skill, one tool or one language, and you gain expertise with one skill. | Xanathar’s Guide to Everything π |
Resilient | – | +1 in one ability and you gain proficiency in saving throws using this ability. | Player’s Handbook π |
Ritual Caster | Intelligence or Wisdom 13 or higher | You have a ritual book with two 1-st level ritual spells from one class and you can later on add other ritual spells you found. | Player’s Handbook π |
Savage Attacker | – | You can reroll melee weapon attack damage once per turn. | Player’s Handbook π |
Second Chance | Halfling | +1 in Dex., Con., or Cha., and you can force a creature to reroll its attack roll if it hits you. | Xanathar’s Guide to Everything π |
Sentinel | – | A successful OA reduce creature’s speed to 0 for this turn and possibility to make an OA even if the ennemy take Disengage. | Player’s Handbook π |
Shadow Touched | – | – | Tasha’s Cauldron of Everything π |
Sharpshooter | – | Your ranged attacks ignore some cover, no disavantage at long range, and possibility to take -5 to hit for +10 on ranged damage. | Player’s Handbook π |
Shield Master | – | Attack also allows to shove, shield bonus to Dex. saving throws againts spells, and no 1/2 damage on successful saving throw. | Player’s Handbook π |
Skill Expert | – | +1 in one ability, proficiency in one skill and expertise in one other in which you have proficiency. | Tasha’s Cauldron of Everything π |
Skilled | – | You gain proficiency with three skills or tools. | Player’s Handbook π |
Skulker | Dexterity 13 or higher | Ranged weapon attack doesn’t reveal your position and possibility to hide in a lighlly obscured area. | Player’s Handbook π |
Slasher | – | +1 in Str. or Dex., reduce target’s speed by 10 ft when you hit (slashing) and target has disadvantage on attacks rolls. | Tasha’s Cauldron of Everything π |
Spell Sniper | The ability to cast at least one spell | Offensive spell’s range doubled, these spells ignore some cover, and you learn one offensive cantrip. | Player’s Handbook π |
Squat Nimbleness | Dwarf or a Small race | +1 in Str. or Dex., your speed increases by 5 ft, and proficiency and advantage to escape with Acrobatics or Athletics checks. | Xanathar’s Guide to Everything π |
Tavern Brawler | – | +1 in Str. or Con., proficiency with improvised weapons, d4 for unarmed strike, and grapple with a bonus action. | Player’s Handbook π |
Telekinetic | – | – | Tasha’s Cauldron of Everything π |
Telepathic | – | – | Tasha’s Cauldron of Everything π |
Tough | – | Your hit point maximum increases by an amount equal to twice your level then by +2 at each level. | Player’s Handbook π |
War Caster | The ability to cast at least one spell | You have advantage on saving throws to maintain concentration and you can cast some spells as part of an OA with a reaction. | Player’s Handbook π |
Weapon Master | – | +1 in Str. or Dex. and you gain proficiency with four weapons. | Player’s Handbook π |
Wood Elf Magic | Elf (wood) | – | Xanathar’s Guide to Everything π |
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