Weirdest D&D Feats For Niche Character Builds

Dungeons & Dragons is all about creating a unique character, whether that be with an expansive backstory or the careful selection of strengths and weaknesses. While some players choose to make their characters as powerful as possible, others are more interested in building a character that is interesting and best fits their overall story. Although feats in D&D are usually meant to provide an advantage to a character during gameplay, there are some that are better off being saved for characters with unique quirks or builds.

Improvised weapons in D&D aren’t always the best choice, but they certainly add some more personality to combat. Whether fighting with frying pan or a chandelier, everything is an option for the player in Dungeons & Dragons. Although improvised weapons are never really optimal, players can select the Tavern Brawler feat in D&D in order to make them work a little better. The Tavern Brawler feat allows a player to use their proficiency bonus with improvised weapons, and also lets them grapple after making an attack. Playing an unconventional brawler character isn’t uncommon in D&D, and this feat makes doing so more practical.

Far from the best D&D feat, Linguist provides a character with 3 additional languages known. Since most character only begin with two languages, this can be a major boost when communicating with different groups, although essentially useless in any sort of fight. In addition, there are a number of magical options that allow for reading and communicating in other languages, all of which can be achieved without a feat. One additional aspect of the Linguist feat in Dungeons & Dragons is characters can create written codes that are difficult to decipher, so it could make sense for more stealthy characters such as Rogues or some Bards. All in all, this D&D feat should really only be considered for roleplay purposes, but is perfect for a character that is well-traveled.

The Chef and Mounted Combatant Feats In Dungeons & Dragons

Introduced to D&D in Tasha’s Cauldron of Everything, the Chef feat is surprisingly useful for the party as a whole. Similar to the Bard feature Song of Rest, Dungeons & Dragons characters with the Chef feat are able to provide their party with additional healing during Short Rests. While the healing isn’t overly impressive, extra health will always be welcome during the adventure, and it doesn’t cost anything (other than cooking supplies) to benefit from it. The feat also allows a character to create treats that provide temporary hit points, which could be useful before an important battle.

Mounts aren’t usually a major part of a Dungeons & Dragons campaign, but that won’t stop some players from building a character around them. Whether they prefer a horse or something more unconventional, the Mounted Combatant feat makes them much more effective. The feat provides advantage on attacks made against unmounted creatures, as long as the character is mounted themselves. The feat also helps Dungeons & Dragons players keep their mount out of harms way, something crucial if they intend to constantly ride into battle.

The ultimate goal of feats in D&D is to help players create the character that’s right for them, so it makes sense that some of them are a little less “optimal” than others. Dungeons & Dragons is more fun when playing a character with personality, rather than just the strongest one, and these feats will go a long way in helping a player build their character’s identity.

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