Best Feats in Dungeons & Dragons
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An optional rule for DMs to consider in Dungeons & Dragons is the rule of feats.
Normally, at certain levels, players are given the opportunity to increase their characters’ ability scores. For most classes, this happens at levels 4, 8, 12, 16, and 19, although some classes give more frequent ability increases, such as rogue or fighter.
However, many games include the choice of increasing ability scores or taking something called a feat.
A feat is an additional feature, usually something that can’t be achieved normally by a character.
In Dungeons & Dragons, feats might give an otherwise non-magical character a couple of spells, better ways to utilize favored weapons, or enhanced interactions.
- Fey Touched
- Great Weapon Master
- Gunner
- Lucky
- Magic Initiate
- Metamagic Adept
- Sentinel
- Sharpshooter
- Skill Expert
- War Caster
Fey Touched
Source: Tasha’s Cauldron of Everything
Prerequisite: None
This feat has a few good aspects. It allows you to increase your Constitution, Intelligence, or Wisdom score by 1.
Additionally, it gives you access to the spell misty step, and one other first-level spell of your choice.
The spell you choose must be from the divination or enchantment schools of magic, but you still have plenty of good options.
Fey Touched is a fantastic feat for spellcasters and martial characters alike.
Great Weapon Master
Source: The Player’s Handbook
Prerequisite: Wielding a two-handed melee weapon
Great Weapon Master’s benefits are easy to use, and beef up the damage from two-handed weapons by quite a lot.
It’s a great addition for barbarians and fighters who are swinging around a giant sword or warhammer because it gives you the ability to automatically add 10 points of damage to every hit.
Also, if you score a critical hit, this feat lets you use your bonus action for yet another strike.
The only downside is that you have to call the hit before you make it and reduce your roll by five, possibly making the attack miss.
Gunner
Source: Tasha’s Cauldron of Everything
Prerequisite: None
Firearms are not included in every D&D campaign, so ask your DM for permission before taking this feat!
In addition to giving you proficiency with guns, it also increases your Dexterity score by 1, lets you fire ranged weapons within five feet of an enemy without disadvantage, and allows you to ignore the loading property of firearms.
Never worry about reloading or running out of bullets!
Lucky
Source: The Player’s Handbook
Prerequisite: None
Of all the feats in Dungeons & Dragons, this might be the best.
Every day, your character has three luck points that can be used in a variety of amazing ways.
The best part is that you can choose to use your luck after seeing the roll, so you won’t end up wasting your advantage.
With one luck point you can either give yourself advantage on an ability check, saving throw, or attack roll, or give an opponent disadvantage in those same areas.
Magic Initiate
Source: The Player’s Handbook
Prerequisite: None
For martial characters who otherwise wouldn’t have access to magic, this feat is a great introduction to spellcasting.
With it, you choose a spellcasting class, two cantrips, and one first-level spell from that class.
Just remember that your spellcasting modifier is based on the ability score for that class—which means Intelligence for wizard, Wisdom for cleric or druid, and Charisma for bard, sorcerer, and warlock.
Metamagic Adept
Source: Tasha’s Cauldron of Everything
Prerequisite: Must have the ability to cast at least one spell
Previously limited to sorcerers only, Metamagic Adept allows other spellcasters to take advantage of the metamagic options that twist spells, in order to better meet their needs.
This feat gives two sorcery points and two metamagic options. Depending on your preferred spells, different options may work best for you.
Also useful for sorcerers, this feat provides additional sorcery points and metamagics to choose from.
Sentinel
Source: The Player’s Handbook
Prerequisite: None
Sentinel is a feat that enhances the ability to make opportunity attacks.
Although any martial character would benefit from it, it works best against humanoid enemies who might try and run away.
With Sentinel, a character can reduce a foe’s speed to 0 and stop them from leaving if they succeed at their opportunity attack. What’s more, you can attack if they target an ally within 5 feet of you.
As a bonus? Even if your opponent is a rogue who uses the disengage action to get away from you, they can’t escape from the power of your Sentinel prowess. You can still make an opportunity attack.
Sharpshooter
Source: The Player’s Handbook
Prerequisite: Must wield a ranged weapon
This feat is the ranged equivalent of Great Weapon Master, perfect for rogues, rangers, and possibly artificers.
It allows characters to attack at long range without worrying about disadvantage and ignore half or three-quarters cover.
Also, it lets you add 10 points of damage to hits from ranged weapons.
Like the Great Weapon Master, however, you have to call the shot before you make it and reduce your roll by five, possibly making the attack miss.
Skill Expert
Source: Tasha’s Cauldron of Everything
Prerequisite: None
With the popularity of the Prodigy feat, Wizards of the Coast decided to make a feat that was available to everyone, not just human characters.
Skill Expert allows a character to take another skill proficiency, expertise in another skill (meaning that you can add double your proficiency bonus to rolls), and increase an ability score by 1.
War Caster
Source: The Player’s Handbook
Prerequisite: The ability to cast at least one spell
For many classes, like warlocks and clerics, juggling weapons—and the hands needed to perform the somatic elements of a spell—can be tricky in a battle situation.
Normally, a character must have one hand free for a spell. With this feat, you don’t need any hands free.
Plus, it gives you advantage on Constitution saving throws to maintain concentration on a spell, as well as the ability to attack with a spell when an enemy provokes an opportunity attack.
No more making feeble unarmed strikes when the bad guy runs by.
Whether you’re a sorcerer, artificer, monk, or any other class, it’s worth taking the time to review with you DM if there are any feats that have been established for your quest. But if all this seems new or gibberish, be sure to review the complete beginner’s guide that will hopefully get you up to basic running speed.
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