At certain levels, Dungeons & Dragons players can opt to have Feats instead of Ability Score Improvements (ASI). In terms of character progression, D&D characters have a choice of plugging in extra points to Attributes courtesy of ASI, which improves their overall statistics. Meanwhile, Feats give special perks and abilities akin to Class Features. Some players give their characters Feats in order to further diversify their arsenal in battle. However, which Feats should they get?
At first glance, certain Feats seem standalone choices for any type of character. However, players might want to take a second look at some "meh" Feats that could end up making their characters into powerhouses. Which underrated Feats can become of great use to any character?
10 Athlete
Despite its straightforward nature, the Athlete Feat can benefit most characters that prefer to be more mobile in combat. Thanks to its inherent benefits, nimble characters like the Monk or Rogue can become more maneuverable on the battlefield. Meanwhile, heavier characters such as Fighters and Paladins become more stable thanks to this Feat.
Athlete gives STR+1 or DEX+1 depending on the player's choice. Prone will also now only cost 5ft of movement instead of half. Likewise, climbing will no longer have movement costs and running long/high jumps become accessible while moving within five feet and not ten. Despite the rather specific nature of these abilities, the Athlete Feat makes characters extremely capable of navigating past physical traps and hostile natural environments or even rushing to the aid of those who need healing Spells.
9 Charger
Melee combatants who want to dominate the battlefield early know that they need to make a strong entrance. Chances are, these combatants in the form of tanks or melee DPS would usually rush in head-first to grab the attention of enemies. The Charger Feat adds a twist to this combat approach. After all, Charger allows characters to follow up a Dash with a bonus action in the form of a shove or a melee attack.
In terms of specifics, taking the Charger's bonus action feature allows charging players to either get +5 to their follow-up attack's damage roll. Likewise, they can choose to end a Dash by shoving their target up to 10 feet away. A successful Dash-attack can overwhelm an enemy quickly, while a successful shove can force a strong enemy creature to become prone.
8 Dungeon Delver
Unfortunately, not all adventurers become experts in exploring dungeons. Sometimes, someone will trigger a trap or summon a creature. With the Dungeon Delver Feat, players can become much more careful when navigating dungeons. Essentially, Dungeon Delver gives its wielder an advantage on INT (Investigation) and WIS (Perception) checks to detect secret doors.
Furthermore, Dungeon Delvers receive an advantage on Saving Throws to resist or avoid traps. Likewise, they get resistant to trap-based damage. Dungeon Delver serves as a solid addition to any explorer's arsenal of Feats, especially if they're dealing in a world where dungeons are abundant.
7 Elemental Adept
Despite its straightforward nature, an Elemental Adept can turn the tide of battle for spellcasters. It lets all Spells cast by its wielder to ignore resistance on their chosen damage type (Thunder, Lightning, Fire, Cold, Acid). Furthermore, all ones in the damage dice for Spells of that damage type become treated as 2s, avoiding any botched damage rolls. Lastly, players can choose Elemental Adept as a Feat more than once, allowing their Spells to circumvent various elemental resistances.
Granted, maximizing this Feat requires an absurd amount of research, as players might end up fighting enemies that aren't resistant to their element in the first place. However, characters headed to a particular battlefield might want to get the perks of Elemental Adept to face these foes better.
6 Grappler
Players who want to add spice to melee combat might want to consider grappling as a means to restrain opponents. Most of the time, players can use this maneuver to force enemy leaders into submission or end battle without slaughtering everyone. Thanks to the Grappler Feat, players can have more advantages when pulling off these maneuvers.
For instance, Grapplers get an advantage when they need to make an attack roll against their grappled creature. Moreover, they can use their action to roll another grapple check and pin the enemy down. If they succeed, the creature remains restrained until the Grappler ends the grapple. This technique, in itself, doesn't seem particularly helpful, but it does make for interesting roleplay options outside combat.
5 Martial Adept
Thanks to their Maneuvers, Battle Masters (BMs) can spend Superiority Dice to perform complex tactics that can turn the tide in combat. These can include position changes, adds to checks and rolls, or even more complicated moves. However, the Martial Adept Feat allows non-BMs to learn some of the BM's prized Maneuvers.
At its core, Martial Adept adds two BM Maneuvers of the player's choice to their arsenal, with a D6 Superiority Dice. BMs themselves can use Martial Adept to maximize their Maneuvers list, as a non-Martial Adept BM can only have around nine Maneuvers by 15th-Level. Meanwhile, combat specialists like the Ranger and the Rogue can use Maneuvers to quickly get out of the battlefield. Likewise, spellcasters can use some Maneuvers to give themselves added protection in combat.
4 Weapon Master
Thanks to the versatility of Classes in D&D, almost every one has "preferred" weapons and armor that become added to their Proficiencies. In turn, their attack rolls include their Proficiency Bonus for as long as they're using these weapons. Logically, certain melee Classes like the Fighter specialize in almost all weapon types. Meanwhile, non-weapon-reliant Classes such as the Wizard only specialize in certain kinds of weapons.
Thanks to the Weapon Master Feat, characters gain Proficiency with four weapons of their choice, of martial or simple variant, and a +1 DEX or +1 STR. Despite the rather underwhelming perk, Weapon Master can give a considerable edge for Classes who want more defensive options.
3 Savage Attacker
Melee specialists such as the Barbarian, Fighter, Monk, Ranger, and Rogues rely on an intricate set of combos in order to unleash hell on their enemies. These moves become more specific by the time they gain their Extra Attacks, as well as more complicated movesets with Magic Items and Weapons. However, a botched damage roll can ruin the potential of a game-breaking combo. Luckily, Savage Attacker can change all of that.
This Feat allows a player to reroll damage for a melee weapon attack once per turn. They can then use either total as a result. Granted, this move still holds the risk of making another botched roll or resulting in a score lower than the initial roll. However, the Feat's perk does enable players to make that extra push to pull off that attack properly.
2 Skilled
In D&D, combat determines what kills most armies and powerful NPCs in the game. However, players should also take note of Skills that function out of combat, as these can very well help them form meaningful relationships and even forge reliable alliances. With the Skilled Feat, players can make this more possible by adding into their Proficiencies.
The Skilled Feat allows players to become Proficient in a combination of three Tools or Skills of their choice. For Intelligence-reliant characters, perhaps dialogue or physical Skills become important. Meanwhile, brawny characters should probably invest in Skills that utilize their Intelligence or Charisma. That way, the Proficiencies in these Skills can lessen the impact of negative Ability Modifiers.
1 Spell Sniper
Players who want to go pew-pew with their spellcasters might opt for the Spell Sniper Feat, which doubles the attack range of roll-based spells. Furthermore, ranged spell attacks will now ignore three-quarters and half cover whenever Spell Snipers make the attack.
Even non-spellcasters can get the Spell Sniper Feat. After all, characters who acquire this Feat needs to choose a Cantrip from the spell lists of the Wizard, Warlock, Sorcerer, Druid, Cleric, or Bard. And in the case of non-spellcasters, having decent Intelligence (Wizard), Wisdom (Cleric, Druid), or Charisma (Bard, Sorcerer, Warlock) allows them to maximize their spell-sniping.