Feats
As a DM, I tend to lean towards fun, light-hearted games where comedic elements are always welcome. Perhaps some of you are the same – or maybe you’d like to move your game in that direction? If so, these feats are for you!
Inspired by the website TVTropes.org (if you’re not familiar, you may want to avoid reading it: it’s a rabbit-hole far more addictive than Wikipedia), these feats play on a number of classic tropes that you see in fantasy stories and give your players an opportunity to recreate some of their favorite characters from TV, film and video games. They aren’t intended to be particularly serious, just a bit of fun to brighten up your day!
Big Damn Hero
Prerequisite: good alignment
You have taken it upon yourself to be the one who saves the day when all hope seems lost. You gain the following benefits:
- When in combat against a creature that has a CR higher than your level, you gain a +2 bonus to your AC.
- You have advantage on attack rolls against any creature that has reduced one of your allies to 0 hit points in the last round.
- If a hostile creature you can see takes a legendary action, you can use your reaction to intercede, preventing the legendary action from happening. Once you use this trait, you can’t use it again until you finish a short or long rest.
Cartoon Physicist
Sometimes, it seems like the laws of nature just don’t apply to you. You gain the following benefits:
- Increase your Charisma score by 1, to a maximum of 20.
- You are immune to falling damage.
- You can carry any amount of weight without becoming encumbered.
Combat Pragmatist
Your focus on survival at all costs has led you to develop a style of combat that many would consider dirty or dishonorable, but you know to be effective. On your turn, you can replace one of your attacks with a Dirty Trick against a creature within 10 feet of you. The creature has disadvantage on its next attack roll and can’t take reactions until the beginning of your next turn.
You can use this ability three times and regain all expended uses when you take a long rest.
Conservation of Ninjutsu
It is well known that a small band of plucky heroes is far more dangerous than a massive army of faceless goons. Taking this to its logical extreme, you have discovered that you are at your most powerful when you are alone. You gain the following benefits:
- When you and other creatures roll initiative and there are more hostile creatures than friendly ones, you have advantage on your initiative roll.
- When you make an attack roll against a target while none of your allies are within 5 feet of you or the target, you can reroll damage and take the higher result.
Ensemble Darkhorse
You are someone who takes special care to notice the contribution that everyone makes to your cause, right down to the most peripheral members of the team. This allows you to forge a special bond with your less prominent allies; each NPC hireling and follower you employ that does not have class levels gains the following benefits:
- Your ally’s maximum hit points is increased by twice your level.
- Your ally can use your proficiency bonus in place of their own, if it is higher.
- Your ally gains proficiency with two skills of their choice.
Fourth Wall Breaker
You look up and ask the GM why they let you take this feat. They respond that it gives you each of the following abilities:
- Increase your Charisma score by 1, to a maximum of 20.
- Your character can directly address other players at the table, including the GM. The players and GM aren’t obligated to respond, but they can answer questions and give advice.
- Once per day, you can reroll any die, claiming it was cocked.
A Level in Badass
Grizzled and probably wearing an eyepatch, you gain the following benefits:
- Increase your Strength score by 1, to a maximum of 20.
- You gain one Fighting Style of your choice from the following list: Archery, Defense, Dueling, Great Weapon Fighting, Protection, Two Weapon Fighting.
Overdrawn at the Blood Bank
It’s just a scratch! You gain the following benefits:
- Increase your Constitution score by 1, to a maximum of 20.
- Whenever a creature deals piercing or slashing damage to you, blood sprays out everywhere, causing the area within 10 feet of you to become difficult terrain.
- Even after hours of bleeding and gallons of blood, you can’t be killed via blood loss; you can only be rendered unconscious.
Seen Enough Hentai
You know where this is going. You gain the following benefits:
- Increase your Wisdom score by 1, to a maximum of 20.
- If you are grappled, you can use your bonus action to escape without making a grapple check.
- Whenever you deal damage to an aberration on your turn, you can use a bonus action to force it to make a Strength saving throw (DC equal to 8 + your Wisdom modifier + your proficiency bonus) or be pushed 10 feet away from you.
Wicked Cultured
Prerequisite: evil alignment
You are an intellectual, with sophisticated tastes and an enormous vocabulary. You gain the following benefits:
- Increase your Charisma score by 1, to a maximum of 20.
- You gain proficiency in one language, one musical instrument, one gaming set, and one skill from the following list: Arcana, History, Investigation, Nature or Religion. Your proficiency bonus is doubled for this skill.
- You can quote from memory from up to 10 pieces of classic literature, can recall any ancient myth you have heard, and can beautifully play a song on an instrument you are proficient in. You have advantage on Charisma (Performance) checks to perform one of these actions.
