D&D Feats Explained: A Beginner's Guide to Customization

You've reached level 4! As you level up in Dungeons & Dragons, your character doesn't just get more hit points; they get more powerful and specialized. One of the most significant ways to customize your hero is by taking a Feat.

What is a Feat in D&D?

A feat is a special ability that gives your character a unique capability or enhances an existing one. They represent specialized training, a natural talent, or a bit of supernatural luck. Feats are an optional rule in D&D 5e, but they are one of the most popular. Always check with your Dungeon Master first to make sure they're being used in your game.

At certain levels (typically 4th, 8th, 12th, 16th, and 19th), your class gives you an Ability Score Improvement (ASI). This allows you to increase one ability score by 2, or two ability scores by 1. When you get an ASI, you can choose to take a feat instead. This is the core trade-off: do you make your character generally better by boosting your core stats, or do you take a specialized ability that could define your playstyle?

Examples of Popular Feats

There are dozens of feats to choose from in the Player's Handbook and other sourcebooks. Here are a few examples to show how they can transform a character:

Great Weapon Master

Perfect for Fighters and Barbarians who wield two-handed weapons like greataxes or greatswords. This feat allows you to take a -5 penalty to your attack roll to deal an extra +10 damage on a hit. It's a high-risk, high-reward ability that lets you dish out incredible amounts of damage.

Sharpshooter

The archer's equivalent of Great Weapon Master. Sharpshooter allows you to ignore cover when making ranged attacks and lets you take a -5 penalty to your attack roll for an extra +10 damage. It makes Rangers and ranged Fighters deadly from a distance.

War Caster

Essential for spellcasters who find themselves in the thick of combat, like many Clerics or specialized Wizards. War Caster gives you advantage on Constitution saving throws to maintain concentration on a spell when you take damage. It also lets you cast certain spells as an opportunity attack.

Lucky

This feat gives you three "luck points" per day. You can spend a luck point to reroll an attack roll, ability check, or saving throw you make. You can even use it to force an enemy to reroll an attack roll they made against you. It's a powerful way to twist fate in your favor.

How to Choose a Feat

When deciding whether to take a feat or an ability score improvement, think about your character concept. Does the feat reinforce what your character is all about? A brawny, reckless barbarian would get a lot of mileage out of Great Weapon Master. A scholarly wizard who wants to protect their powerful concentration spells would benefit greatly from War Caster.

Feats are one of the best ways to make your character mechanically unique and to express their personality through the rules of the game. Choose wisely, and your hero will become even more legendary.