The new backgrounds in Dragonlance: Shadow of the Dragon Queen have a unique feature for fifth edition (5e): they offer players the chance to take on an additional feat at first level. It looks, from the playtest material, like this is going to become a normal part of character creation.
BUT, in the Dragonlance book there are only two options for characters to choose if they don’t choose one of the world-specific flavored ones:
- Skilled (allowing you to become proficient at more skills
- Tough (making you harder to kill)
That’s it.
Given I always feel that my characters aren’t complete until I have at least one feat, I wanted to offer my players more options to get them into 1st level play. As always, I run Eberron, so a couple options are specific to that setting.
Rules
I created a few rules for myself when developing this list:
- The feat cannot add more damage to attacks (unless it utilizes a bonus action).
- The feat cannot increase an ability score. (With a few exceptions.)
- The feat cannot give resistance or immunity to a type of damage or allow the character’s damage to ignore a target’s resistance or immunity.
- The feat cannot gain advantage, prevent disadvantage, or give target advantage or disadvantage on attacks or saves.
- The feat cannot allow the character to ignore cover with attacks.
- All other prerequisites must be met for the feat to be chosen.
- A feat might be a choice only if the character has a certain background as an additional prerequisite.
- The feat cannot increase movement unless it is locked behind a prerequisite.
- The feat cannot be Lucky. No.
The Expanded List
Here is my expanded list of player options for feats as found in the Player’s Handbook (PHB), Xanithar’s Guide to Everything (Xan), and Tasha’s Cauldron of Everything (Tash).
- Aberrant Dragonmark. (Eberron) Let’s start with the Aberrant Dragonmark, the feat from Eberron which already breaks my “no ability score improvements” rule. This is because the Aberrant Dragonmark has several downsides in play, in role play, and is integral as a possibility to the setting.
- Alert. (PHB) Though it is supposed to be given as a bonus 4th level feat in Dragonlance, I think giving characters the chance to be in combat earlier and have some more defensive capabilities is great, especially for squishy level 1 characters. This is also flavorful as a choice: your character is paranoid and always on watch for the bad things. If you wanted to, you could lock this choice behind a background prerequisite: the character must be a soldier or urchin.
- Artificer Initiate. (Tash) Similar to magic initiate below, it gives a little versatility and flavor to a character.
- Bountiful Luck (Xan) As a racial feat, it alters the halfling’s lucky trait. I’m generally for giving all the racial feats as options at first level as long as they don’t increase an ability score.
- Charger. (PHB) You might have wondered about the addendum to the “feat cannot add more damage to attacks (unless it utilizes a bonus action). This is the reason for that addendum. I love charger. It helps promote the martial classes getting right to the front of combat and getting to do a little extra damage from the start– or just shove the enemy. They already have to move in a straight line and use a bonus action to do it, so I don’t mind giving this as a starting option.
- Chef. (Tash) One of the notable exceptions to my “no ability score improvements” rule. I like the idea of the non-adventurer coming on the adventure with some skills. As much as healer would be helpful, so would a chef. You gotta eat.
- Crossbow Expert. (PHB) I would probably lock this one behind choosing the Folk Hero, Soldier, or Spy background or having combat be a specific part of their backstory, but this is an excellent choice for those who plan on using a crossbow.
- Defensive Dualist. (PHB) Great for noble backgrounds especially, this is a feat that is all about adding defense. It’s the kind of feat I would hope some would chose out of self-preservation if nothing else).
- Drow High Magic. (Xan) Some extra spells for drow.
- Dual Wielder. (PHB) THE choice for those who want to use two weapons.
- Dungeon Delver. (PHB) I would leave this to some specific backgrounds because it is probably one of the strongest feats on this list. A character ought to have backgrounds with facing traps and hidden passages, so criminal or spy would make a lot of sense.
- Eldritch Adept. (Tash) There’s enough caveats to this feat that giving a character a free eldritch invocation isn’t a bad thing.
- Fighting Initiate. (Tash) Another way to give some martial classes some power: give them more fighting styles.
- Grappler. (PHB) I’ve always felt like grappling in D&D was a little weak, so giving this buff makes it a more viable choice for your combat-oriented characters– and could give a way to find a peaceful solution out of it.
- Healer. (PHB) This is another choice that probably gets overlooked a lot, but having a character who used to be a doctor or town healer would mean that they should have this feat– and would mean that there is some specific healing among the party at the start, even without spell slots.
- Magic Initiate. (PHB) While adding some cantrips and a free spell may sound powerful, and it is, it also allows some characters a little freedom in choosing a non-magical class, but still having access to some magic without locking themselves into a subclass. I imagine rogues especially would love to choose mage hand.
- Martial Adept. (PHB) While it’s a little powerful, it adds more options for the martial-focused classes, which I’m always trying to give some more power to. Being able to do some cool moves with your character from the start helps you feel like you made an interesting choice.
- Medium Armor Master. (PHB) Provides a +1 to AC if you have a 16 or higher in Dexterity. There’s enough “you must build a character this way” to make it worth having at first level.
- Mobile. (PHB) Having all this movement and the additional buffs could be too much for level one. For my Eberron game, I specifically lock this one behind being a Mark of Passage human. (If you’re going to be fast, you’re going to be FAST.)
- Mounted Combatant. (PHB) Another choice that I think goes overlooked. Choosing this feat means you’re not only more likely to get a horse, but use it.
- Polearm Master. (PHB) Adds some tactics to your opportunity attack and an extra attack as a bonus action if you’re proficient with and using a polearm weapon.
- Prodigy. (Xan) So that the human-blooded get some skill proficiency and expertise.
- Revenant Blade. (Eberron) The last exception to the “no ability score improvements” rule is the other feat from Eberron. The revenant blade is a great detail to the wood elves who use them; I want to give them access to the ability to use it well as soon as possible.
- Ritual Caster. (PHB) Adds an option for those who have spells that are better when not using a spell slot.
- Shield Master. (PHB) For those who want to really use those shields!
- Skilled. (PHB) Because it’s still a great choice.
- Skulker. (PHB) To allow characters to make the sneaky choice.
- Tough. (PHB) Because it’s still a great choice, too.
- War Caster (PHB) Because what’s the point of having those spell slots if you can’t use them? Plus, the spell can only target that creature.
- Wood Elf Magic. (Xan) Gives the wood elves a few more spells.
Also, depending on the campaign, I might add the draconic feats from Fizban’s or the giant feats from Glory of the Giants.
Thank you for reading!
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