The One D&D service for Dungeons & Dragons was announced during the first-ever Wizards Presents showcase and it launched on the same day. The first thing available on One D&D was an Unearthed Arcana article, called “Character Options”, which features playtesting content for changes that will be made to the next iteration of D&D‘s Player’s Handbook in 2024. “Character Options” had a number of changes relating to Feats and how they will become part of the game in a more substantial way.
In the current version of D&D, Feats are an optional rule that are presented in the Player’s Handbook. A player can select a Feat at level four, in lieu of taking a +2 stat bonus. Feats provide unique character abilities and they let players branch out into abilities that their class normally wouldn’t possess. A lot of D&D groups use Feats in their games, so it’s not surprising to see them receiving more focus in D&D 5e.
The “Character Options” article revealed that all characters will now receive a Feat at level one, as part of the new customizable Backgrounds in the game. There are specific Feats that can only be selected at level one, which are intended to be used as part of Backgrounds. D&D‘s “Character Options” features several new Feats, as well as some familiar ones from the Player’s Handbook that now work differently.
Crafter & Musician Are New Feats In D&D
“Character Options” adds two new Feats that aren’t in the D&D 5e Player’s Handbook: Crafter and Musician. The Crafter Feat is intended for characters whose Backgrounds involved creating items and selling them, which would work for a custom Merchant Background. Selecting the Crafter Feat at level one grants tool proficiencies in three different artisan’s tools and crafting an item takes 20% less time than it would for another character. Possibly the most controversial aspect of the Crafter is the Discount ability, which grants an automatic 20% discount on nonmagical items that are purchased.
The reason this is controversial is that many DMs would prefer a player to roleplay when engaging with merchants, in order to earn a discount. Failing that, the player would normally be required to make a Charisma-based skill check, such as a Persuasion roll, in order to convince a merchant to provide a discount. Giving players an automatic 20% discount on nonmagical items feels more like a video game passive ability, rather than something that a D&D character would receive. Luckily, this is all still playtesting material, so it could be changed by the time the new Player’s Handbook is released.
The other new Feat is Musician, which is intended for characters whose Background involves musical training, and not necessarily just for bards. Selecting the Musician Feat at level one grants tool proficiencies with three different musical instruments. A character with Musician can play one of their chosen instruments when taking a short rest or long rest, which will give a number of allies equal to the user’s proficiency bonus a single point of Inspiration. This is a very useful Feat and it works well with the bard’s Song of Rest class ability.
Skilled & Lucky Feats Aren’t As Good In D&D Anymore
There are some Feats in “Character Options” that are technically worse than their version from the D&D 5e Player’s Handbook. The Skilled Feat now only lets the player select three skill proficiencies, whereas the original version of Skilled also lets the player select tool proficiencies. It’s unclear why this change was made, but it could be due to how customizable Backgrounds will make it easier for players to select the tool proficiencies that they need, so there was no reason to include them in the new version of the Skilled Feat.
The Lucky Feat is more of a mixed bag. In “Character Options”, the player gets a number of Luck Points equal to their proficiency bonus and they refresh upon a long rest. These Luck Points can be used to provide advantage on a d20 Test roll after the first dice have been rolled, or used to give an enemy disadvantage on a roll. In the D&D 5e Player’s Handbook, the player received three Luck Points out of the gate, but the advantage use of the Feat had to be declared before the dice were rolled. A D&D character only has a +2 proficiency bonus until they hit level 5, so they’re missing out on a Luck Point throughout the point in the game when they’re needed the most. Eventually, the character will get 4 Luck Points at level 9, but a lot of D&D games never get that far.
Alert, Healer, Magic Initiate, Savage Attacker, & Tavern Brawler Are Different
The Healer Feat has been altered to make it more appealing to characters with healing spells, as it was originally intended for D&D characters without healing magic. In the Player’s Handbook, Healer lets the character use a healing kit to stabilize a dying creature or heal 1d6+4+number of hit dice to a character. in “Character Options”, Healer lets the character use a Healer’s Kit on an ally, allowing them to use an unspent hit dice + Healer user’s proficiency bonus for healing, as well as letting the user reroll any 1s made when rolling dice for a healing effect, but only once per die.
The biggest beneficiary of the changes to Feats in “Character Options” is Alert. In the Player’s Handbook, Alert gave the player +5 to Initiative rolls, made the player immune to being surprised, and enemies didn’t get advantage from attacks made while hidden. The new version of Alert gives the player advantage on Initiative checks and lets the player swap Initiative scores with another character at the start of battle, which is an amazing ability that can potentially save the party.
The Magic Initiate Feat is similar in both “Character Options” and the Player’s Handbook. Both versions of Magic Initiate grant two cantrips and a bonus level one spell, which can be cast once per long rest. One D&D has broken spells into three categories: Arcane, Divine, and Primal. Arcane spells are used by artificers, sorcerers, warlocks, and wizards; Divine spells are used by clerics and paladins, and Primal spells are used by druids and rangers. The Magic Initiate Feat in “Character Options” is now broken into Arcane, Divine, and Primal versions, with the player able to pick from a larger selection of spells than before, as the Player’s Handbook version of Magic Initiate restricted the player to spells from one specific class list.
The Savage Attacker Feat has received a small change, as it can now be used with any weapon and not just melee weapons. The Tavern Brawler Feat has been overhauled, as the Player’s Handbook version of the Feat provided a free point of Strength or Constitution, and changed unarmed attacks, so that they dealt 1d4 damage, gave the character a free grapple attempt, and gave the character proficiency in their use. A lot of D&D players preferred to use weapons, but Tavern Brawler was at least an option. In “Character Options”, Tavern Brawler lost the stat points, and proficiency is now part of the Unarmed Strike option, along with the ability to choose between damage, a grapple, or a Shove. Instead, Tavern Brawler now gives the character one free Shove action attempt when striking, lets the character reroll the damage once per dice, and lets them wield furniture as weapons. It’s clear that Feats are going to be a big part of the new version of Dungeons & Dragons, with the level one Feats becoming a main mechanic in the next Player’s Handbook.
Source: D&D Beyond