What Are Some Notable Feats in Dungeons and Dragons 5E – Quora

What Are Some Notable Feats in Dungeons
What Are Some Notable Feats in Dungeons

What Are Some Notable Feats in Dungeons

Before diving into the best ones, let’s quickly cover the basics.

  • Feats are special character upgrades you can take instead of an Ability Score Increase (ASI).

  • They let you customize your character, adding unique powers, bonuses, or playstyle tweaks.

  • Some are subtle (like better initiative), while others completely shift the battlefield in your favor.

Think of feats as the seasoning in a recipe—they’re not required, but they add flavor and make your character feel unique.

Combat and Damage-Oriented Feats

These feats are favorites for players who want to swing harder, shoot farther, and generally deal big damage.

Great Weapon Master

This is the “big hitter” feat. With Great Weapon Master, you can:

  • Take a -5 penalty to hit in exchange for +10 damage.

  • Gain a bonus action attack when you score a critical hit or reduce a creature to 0 HP.

For characters with high attack bonuses, that damage trade-off is worth it. In the right hands, this feat makes martial characters terrifying damage dealers.

Sharpshooter

The ranged cousin of Great Weapon Master. With Sharpshooter, you:

  • Ignore cover.

  • Eliminate disadvantage on long-range shots.

  • Trade -5 to hit for +10 damage with ranged weapons.

This makes bow and crossbow builds incredibly strong. A sharpshooting fighter or ranger can rain down damage from across the battlefield.

Polearm Master

Polearm Master changes the battlefield in your favor:

  • Lets you make a bonus action attack with your polearm’s butt end.

  • Triggers opportunity attacks against enemies entering your reach.

This feat is already good on its own, but it becomes downright broken when paired with Sentinel (we’ll get to that combo soon).

Sentinel

This is the ultimate control feat:

  • Enemies provoke opportunity attacks even when they disengage.

  • Landing an opportunity attack reduces their speed to 0, stopping movement.

  • You can attack a creature within reach that attacks an ally.

Combine Sentinel with Polearm Master, and you’ve got a lockdown build that can strand enemies before they even touch you.

Spellcasting and Magic-Boosting Feats

Magic users have their own set of powerful feats, many of which enhance concentration or expand spell lists.

War Caster

Essential for casters in melee combat. War Caster gives you:

  • Advantage on Constitution saving throws to maintain concentration.

  • The ability to cast spells as opportunity attacks.

  • Freedom to perform somatic components while holding weapons or shields.

This is one of the most popular feats for clerics, druids, and other front-line spellcasters.

Resilient

This feat gives you:

  • A +1 boost to any ability score.

  • Proficiency in saving throws for that ability.

For casters, boosting Constitution and gaining proficiency in Con saves is incredibly valuable for maintaining concentration spells.

Fey Touched

Adds flavor and power in one neat package. Fey Touched gives you:

  • +1 to Intelligence, Wisdom, or Charisma.

  • The Misty Step spell.

  • One 1st-level spell from the divination or enchantment schools.

Teleportation plus an extra spell slot? Hard to beat.

Shadow Touched

The shadowy cousin of Fey Touched. With this feat, you get:

  • +1 to Intelligence, Wisdom, or Charisma.

  • The Invisibility spell.

  • One additional 1st-level spell from the illusion or necromancy schools.

Great for rogues, warlocks, or anyone who loves a sneaky playstyle.

Telekinetic

For players who like battlefield control, Telekinetic offers:

  • A +1 boost to a mental stat.

  • A bonus action shove using telekinesis.

  • The ability to move objects with your mind.

It’s flavorful, fun, and surprisingly effective in combat and roleplay.

Utility and Versatility Feats

Not every feat is about damage. Some shine by keeping you alive, making you faster, or letting you influence the story in cool ways.

Alert

This feat keeps you one step ahead:

  • +5 to initiative.

  • You can’t be surprised while conscious.

  • Hidden attackers don’t gain advantage against you.

For characters who always want to act first, Alert is gold.

Lucky

Arguably the most infamous feat in 5E. With Lucky, you gain:

  • Three luck points per day.

  • Rerolls for attack rolls, ability checks, or saving throws.

  • The ability to force an enemy to reroll an attack against you.

Many tables ban it outright because it’s so powerful. Being able to bend fate three times a day is huge.

Mobile

Perfect for characters who like speed and hit-and-run tactics. Mobile gives you:

  • +10 feet of movement.

  • You ignore difficult terrain during dashes.

  • You don’t provoke opportunity attacks from creatures you attack.

It’s not broken, but it makes certain builds incredibly fun.

Tough

The “safe pick” feat. Tough simply gives you:

  • +2 hit points per character level.

That’s the equivalent of a +4 Constitution bonus without changing saves or skills. For frontliners, it’s pure survival fuel.

Telepathic

Adds a cool layer to roleplay while still offering mechanical perks:

  • Telepathic communication with any creature that knows a language.

  • Access to the Detect Thoughts spell.

  • +1 to a mental stat.

It’s not combat-heavy, but it can completely change how social encounters play out.

Broken Combos and Table-Breakers

Some feats are fine alone but get ridiculous in combinations.

Sentinel + Polearm Master

This is probably the most notorious combo in 5E. Here’s why:

  • Polearm Master lets you opportunity attack creatures entering your reach.

  • Sentinel reduces their movement to 0 on a hit.

Result? Enemies get stuck 5 feet too far away to hit you, often leaving them stranded and helpless.

Lucky

Lucky on its own is game-breaking. Add it to classes with rerolls (like Halflings with Halfling Luck) or features like Indomitable, and you’re bending probability in your favor constantly.

Half Feats and Balance Discussions

Feats in 5E are sometimes divided into full feats (big standalone powers) and half feats (smaller perks plus a +1 ASI).

  • Half feats: Crusher, Slasher, Piercer, Elven Accuracy.

  • Full feats: Great Weapon Master, Grappler, Lucky.

There’s ongoing debate in the community about balancing these. Some suggest combining two half feats (without the ASI) to make them worthwhile. Others argue certain half feats (like Elven Accuracy) are already stronger than full feats.

This kind of discussion is part of what makes feats so fun—they spark creativity and table-specific rules.

Not every feat in Dungeons & Dragons 5E is a showstopper. Some are small bonuses that help round out a character, and that’s fine. But the truly notable feats—the ones players talk about on Quora, Reddit, and around the table—are the ones that bend the rules, create unique playstyles, or even feel a little broken.

Whether it’s the raw power of Great Weapon Master, the versatility of Fey Touched, or the sheer chaos of Lucky, feats are part of what makes 5E endlessly customizable and fun.