5e Feats Rebalanced and Reworked

Have you ever looked at any of the feats and thought "wow, that sucks, why would I ever take that?" I feel this way about most of the feats in BG3. So, after completing my first playthrough, I wanted to make some changes.

This mod rebalances or reworks 28 out of the 41 "Base 5e Feats". For thse most part, these changes aim to increase viable player choice, since, in my opinion, the majority of the base game feats are far too weak to ever consider taking. So, I would consider almost every change I've made here to be a "buff". This might be an issue since BG3 overall is a pretty low difficulty game, but since you're here, I figure that if you want a harder experience, you'll just add other mods to accomplish that for you.

Additionally, for most reworks, I've tried to focus on buffing defense over offense. In my opinion, part of BG3's easy difficulty comes from the absurd degree to which players can stack offensive abilities, so when given the chance, I've focused on trying to make defense more appealing.

There are two specific exceptions to this policy where I've performed some nerfs: Alert and Tavern Brawler. For details on the specific changes, including my reasoning behind the nerfs, see below.

Full Change Set

Below, I've listed every feat, and, if I've changed it, the new text and effects for the feat. For original feat text and effects, see the BG3 Wiki.

Ability Improvement
No change. Techncially not a feat, but BG3 includes it in the list.

Notes: This is the baseline by which all Feats should be measured. If a Feat is always weaker than this, even in its "situational best", the feat needs to be buffed or reworked.

Actor
Added "You gain Musical Instrument Proficiency."

Notes: This feat is fine as-is - Deception is a major part of any party face, and gaining Deception in it is excellent. Performance, on the other hand, is rarely useful at best. Adding Musical Instrument Proficieny makes it marginally better.

Alert
Modifed to "You gain a +2 bonus to Initiative and can't be Surprised."
Added "During you first turn in combat, you have an amount of temporary hit points equal to your current level, and you have Freedom of Movement."

Notes:

• This is one of the nerfs, though this is more of a change. I've nerfed the Initiative bonus because BG3 does not follow DnD's initiative rules exactly. In DnD, Initiative is rolled as 1d20 + DEX + bonuses. In BG3, it's rolled as 1d4 + DEX + bonsues. This makes Alert roughly 5x more powerful in BG3. So, I've reduced the Initiative bonus. However, a +2 bonus for a feat feels pretty bad, so I added a couple of "first turn incentives" to compensate.
• If you use the compatibility patch, Alert remains at its base "+5 to Initiative", and also gains the additional features listed above.
  

Athlete
No change.

Notes: Jumping is pretty good in BG3.

Charger
Modifed "Charger: Shove" to only cost a Bonus Action, rather than an Action plus a Bonus Action.

Notes: After playing around with this feat, I'm actually pretty impressed. It's kinda like gaining Rogue's Cunning Action, but you also get a +5 bonus to damage rolls. However, the "Shove" variant was literally never better than Dash + normal Shove. This change actually makes it worth considering.

Crossbow Expert
Renamed to "Close Quarters Archery".
Modified effect to apply to all Ranged weapons, not just crossbows.
Added "When you make a Ranged weapon attack in melee, you gain 2 meters of movement, and you can move without provoking attacks of opportunity."

Notes: This is now very similar to Mobile, but is more focused on Ranged weapons instead.

Defensive Duelist
Added DEX modifier to the attack reduction.

Notes: For DEX focused characters, this is now a reaction-cost Shield spell for melee attacks, giving DEX-focused melee characters a decent defensive tool. In the lategame, you'll probably get +9 or +10 to AC against an attack once per round here.

Dual Wielder
No change.

Notes: Has some existing cool niche uses with stat sticks.

Dungeon Delver
Added "You can cast Knock without expending a Spell Slot once per Short Rest."
Added "You can cast Arcane Lock without expending a Spell Slot once per Short Rest."

Notes: This feat could honestly use a total rework. Based on the available modding code, I'm not actually sure it even does anything in the base game. Adding free Knocks basically removes the need for a lock picker in your party, which is a fine benefit, but this is still pretty boring overall.

Durable
Replaced existing effect with "Whenever you take less than 5 damage, you take no damage instead."

Notes: This works the exact same way as "Sturdy" or "Medium Toughness", just with a lower threshold. Meant to allow a defensive option against many small hits - for example, if you gain Force resistance and have this, Magic Missile, even Evocation-boosted, will likely deal 0 damage to you.

Elemental Adept
Added options for Radiant, Necrotic damage types.
Players can now choose 2 choices each time they take this feat instead of only 1.

Notes: Elemental Adept is one of those "yeah I guess it's fine" feats in the base game. Adding additional options allows it to have more niche uses (such as on a paladin), and lets it slot cleanly into a Tempest Cleric build.

Great Weapon Master
No change.

Heavily Armored
Renamed to "Well Armored".
Replaced existing effect with "Gain proficeinty to all armor types (not shields) and increase your STR or DEX by 1."

Notes: This brings the "Armored" feats closer in line to just starting your class progression at Fighter 1 rather than taking any class to level 12, where you'd just take a feat anyway. However, starting your progression at Fighter instead of another class is still an opportunity cost, so this feat has a place...just a very niche one.

Heavy Armor Master
Replaced existing effect with "Increases CON by 1. Whenever you take damage, gain 5 stacks of Fortitude which wear off at the start of your next turn. Each stack of Fortitude reduces all damage you take by 1".

Notes: Reducing all damage by such a high flat amount is very strong. The idea here is to provide a defensive alternative to GWM or Sharpshooter, while also still giving enemies opportunity to hit you. You can no longer take very high amounts of damage across multiple hits - enemies need repeated large hits across your turns to take you down.

Lightly Armored
Renamed to "Light Armor Master".
Replaced existing effect with "When you move, you take reduced damage until your next turn (1 flat reduction per 3m moved)."

Notes: Similar to Heavy Armor Master, but more focused on what lightly armored characters want to do - which generally, is a lot of movement and kiting. This can get absurb on rogues with cunning dashes, so this might be overtuned.

Lucky
No change.

Mage Slayer
Added "You gain the ability to cast Silence without expending a Spell Slot as a Bonus Action."

Notes: The base conditions on Mage Slayer are absurdly specific and happen rarely. Silence as a Bonus Action is powerful and fits thematically with this feat.

Magic Initiate: <All>
For every type of Magic Initiate:
Added "You gain a 2nd level spell".

Notes: First level spells always felt too low impact to me to consider taking any of these feats. Second level spells are significantly more impactful, but don't step on class identity too much, since most of the unique spells show up at 3rd level.

Martial Adept
Modified effect to "Learn two melee Battle Master manoeuvres from an abbreviated list. These manoeuvres do not cost Superiority Dice to use, but can be used only once per turn. This feat can be taken multiple times."

Abbreviated List:
- Commander's Strike
- Feinting Attack
- Manoeuvring Attack
- Riposte

Notes: This feat has always struck me as weird. It basically takes a very unique an interesting subclass feature and just straight up gives it to anyone. So, I wanted to modify the effect slighty to make it still worth taking on Battle Master. Gaining access to a subset of your manoeuvres with only Bonus Action cost is strong, and worth taking whether or not you are a Battle Master.

Medium Armor Master
Replaced effect with "When you deal damage to an enemy, gain 3 temp HP, stacking. Goes away at the start of each turn and combat."

Notes: Keeping in theme with the other "Armor Master" feats, this is really a way to reduce incoming damage in disguise.

Mobile
No change.

Moderately Armored
Renamed to "Unarmored Master".
Replaced effect with "Gain +1 DEX. While not wearing armor or shield and damaged in melee, gain a Dodge charge. You can spend this Dodge charge to cause an attack to miss, or to automatically succeed on a DEX saving throw.".

Notes: Keeping to the "Armor Master" theme of "thematically appropriate ways to reduce damage".

Performer
Added "Added unique aura to each song you play. One grants +1d4 damage. Another grants +1 to attack rolls. The third grants +1 to saving throws."

Notes: This is a bit janky. Performing music is a free action, so I couldn't add much power here. Performing is also removed if your character takes damage or if they become "Threatened". But I like how it fits with the theme of music as inspiration.

Polearm Master
Added "If you have the Sentinel feat, your opportunity attacks push targets back 5ft."

Notes: In DnD, Polearm Master + Sentinel is a classic combo. Hit a target as they approach you (10ft away), and they can't complete their movement to hit you. In theory this works in BG3, but BG3's reaction system often reacts too late, and enemies can hit you anyway. Adding a 5ft push solves this issue without reworking anything truly complicated.

Resilient
No change.

Ritual Caster
Added several unique rituals to the list which can only be obtained through this feat.
You can now take this feat multiple times.

Unique Rituals:
- Blur
- Chromatic Orb
- Create or Destroy Water
- Enlarge/Reduce
- Flame Blade
- Heroism
- Wrathful Smite

Notes: No, the unique rituals cannot be upcasted for free. Rituals are super fun and interesting, but require caution since they are resourceless. Still, I think there's design space left here, and I've taken the chance to add some special options which are a bit more combat-useful than the existing options.

Savage Attacker
No change.

Sentinel
Added "You gain an extra reaction."

Notes: I felt like Sentinel was just a bit on the weak side. I believe the only other way in the game to gain an extra reaction is with a legendary item, so this allows access to that resource for more builds.

Sharpshooter
No change.

Shield Master
Added "If you are attacked at range, you may use your reaction to reduce the attack roll against you by 5."

Notes: This is basically a magic-missile-less Shield spell on a reaction for Shield wielders.

Skilled
No change.

Spell Sniper
No change.

Tavern Brawler
Modifed effect to require some level of drunkenness in order to function.

Notes: The only true nerf in the entire set of changes. Tavern Brawler is noted in theorycrafting in a number of broken builds. Requiring drunkenness for it to function does a couple of things. First, it costs you a bonus action ever other turn (drunkenness is applied in stacks of two), which lowers damage considerably. Second, it actually gives a reason to carry all that alcohol you have lying around camp. And that's about it, actully.

Tough
Replaced effect with "If you are afflicted by a common status ailment, you gain resistance to all damage until the start of your next turn."

Notes: Player characters have very few interactions with status effects, so I wanted to give one. In a way, this makes some status effects more positive than negative, and you can apply common statuses (Acid, Burning) easily at the cost of one Attack and a Throwable. "Common" status effects are - Acid, Bleeding, Blindness, Burning, Charm, Disease, Frightened, Poisoned, Prone, Restrained, Stunned, Paralyzed, or Sleeping.

War Caster
No change.

Weapon Master
No change.

Notes: This feat sucks. I have some ideas for how to change it, but this mod was a lot of work, and by this point I just wanted to be done with it. So, this feat should be changed, but it isn't. Sorry :(.

Installation Instructions

For mod installation instructions, see the wiki. I performed all my testing using BG3 Mod Manager, and recommend installing the mod using that tool.

Compatibility Notes

Since this mod changes most feats from the base game, it will likely be incompatible with any mod that changes feats from the base game. However, you should be able to run those mods alongside this one without causing crashes or any other serious issues - just determine which mod you want to "win" using your load order. If you consider the other mods' changes more important, load them last. If you consider this mod's changes more important, load it last.

If you use any mod which modifies BG3 Initiative rolls to use a D20 rather than a D4, make sure to install both the base file and the Alert Compatibility Patch. Load the Alert Compatibility Patch after the base file.

Changelog

_2023-11-19 - 1.0.1.0_
- Added D20 Initiative compatibility patch
- Fixed a bug where the first chest in the Tutorial gained a bunch of (mostly useless) items.

2023-11-19 - 1.0.0.0
- Initial Release

My Other Mods
Elixir Rebalance - Battlemage, Bloodlust, and Giant Strength
Tempest Cleric - Thunderbolt Strike Toggle