Origin Feats in D&D 5e 2024

Extra abilities for every character at level 1 with origin feats!

All origin feats

Origin feats are based on 2014 feats, but have had tweaks to balance them into appropriate level 1 abilities. Feats like lucky (which was very powerful) gets better power scaling (it’s worse at lower levels but improves at higher levels even if the ability as a whole is a little worse). We also get access to brand new feats like crafter to make use of the updated crafting rules.

Below I’ve explained the main changes coming into play and how these feats can be used effectively. I’ve also scored each feat based on how good I think it is. Of course, some feats being good or not depends on the character build you’re creating (what’s good for one character may not always be good for another):

Alert – 3/5

Good for: Characters that benefit a lot from going first in combat. Most characters will benefit from this anyway, but the likes of a barbarian may want their rage switched on from the beginning of combat for instance. Spellcasters with nasty AoE spells might also want to launch this early in combat before martials get in the way.

Ability: Add your proficiency bonus to your initiative score. You can also swap your initiative with a willing ally.

Changes from 2014: This gets some changes, likely due to how surprised is changing as well as balancing for lower levels. The bonus to initiative is now lower, matching your proficiency score instead of a flat +5. Preventing being surprised isn’t that big a deal with the rule changes here so has been removed (and doesn’t really make sense with these new rules either). They’ve also removed preventing advantage on attacks from an unseen enemy. Overall, the feat is worse, but remains a good option for an origin feat.

Tactics: Enjoy getting the jump on your enemies by striking them earlier in combat. This is a decent one for barbarians so they can get their rage in early and spellcasters that want to drop some early AoE spells before the barbarian gets in the way (like a fireball).

I’d actually avoid this feat for classes with early combat benefits like the assassin as they have their own features helping them to get a high initiative roll anyway. Of course, an ally could take this as an insurance policy for their assassin as you can do an initiative swap too. And there are other ways you could get tactical with this particular aspect of the feat.

Crafter – 2/5

Good for: Those good at tool skill checks and that want to access crafting abilities and tool proficiencies.

Ability: Gain proficiency with 3 sets of artisans tools (tools get beefed up in D&D 2024 with better and clearer use cases so this is more useful than it seems). Get a 20% discount on non-magical items and craft a temporary item from a fast craft table that lasts a day (presumably you work so fast that this item wasn’t built to last). This is probably a mechanical practicality to prevent stockpiling.

Changes from 2014: This is a brand new feat and is likely here to take advantage of the new and improved crafting rules making a crafty character more worthwhile.

Tactics: This tends to be better at lower levels when money is tight and cheaper equipment will be really helpful. Your best options are being able to brew healing potions and create spell scrolls. But you could make other things to sell and turn a profit. Again, this is mostly only worthwhile at lower levels.

Healer – 2/5

Good for: Any party without access to magical healing.

Ability: Using a healing kit will actually heal your ally some hit points, not just prevent them from dying. It will require an action though. You add your proficiency bonus to a roll of their hit die to determine how much the target is healed by and can reroll 1s.

Changes from 2014: This actually works out as less hit points healed, but the calculation is simpler (so that’s kind of a bonus). Again, this is likely for the purposes of balancing this for a level 1 feat.

Tactics: Healing for anyone at the expense of a healing kit use could be the difference between life or death. The healing isn’t huge so I’d save it for moments when an ally is knocked to 0HP and you need them back in the fight and not dying on you. Healer’s kits are cheap enough that you could use this between encounters too if there’s no time for a short rest or someone needs more healing. It’s not as good as something like healing word which only requires a bonus action and has a 60ft range (though does less healing and requires a spell slot). It’s also far cheaper than using a potion of healing.

Having said that, a feat is an expensive price for healing when there are many other routes to access it. I’d only recommend this one if you don’t already have access to healing in the party. Healing is essential to a party’s dynamics, but you can spare yourself a feat if you can access it in other ways. Plus, most healing like this only costs a bonus action making this a strain on your action economy.

Lucky – 4/5

Good for: Anyone! But especially those with many crucial d20 rolls to make (a rogue trying to land sneak attacks and skill checks comes to mind).

Ability: Gain luck points equal to your proficiency bonus which can be used to grant advantage on your own d20 rolls or disadvantage on someone else’s d20 rolls. This pot of luck points gets replenished every long rest.

Changes from 2014: This was a very powerful feat and is appropriately less effective now. You used to get a flat set of 3 luck points (this is now worse at low levels but better at high levels). But previously, this was a reroll so you could decide to use it after you rolled the dice, now you just gain advantage so need to choose to use your luck points before you roll the dice.

Tactics: Use it in important moments when you look to land a big blow on a nasty enemy, or desperately need them to succumb to a nasty condition. You can also use it for things like your own saving throws or skill checks in precarious moments.

Magic initiate – 3/5

Good for: Anyone with decent wisdom, intelligence or charisma. There’s a case to be made for giving this to half casters that might not ordinarily get cantrips or to beef out a spellcaster’s repertoire with handy spells from another class.

Ability: Gain access to 2 cantrips and a level 1 spell from either the cleric, druid or wizard spell lists. The level 1 spell can be cast for free once per long rest and use spell slots after that. You can take this feat more than once but must choose a different spell list each time.

Changes from 2014: This feat gets slightly worse as you can’t choose from the bard, sorcerer or warlock spell lists any more, which isn’t a big deal. Fortunately, you don’t have to use the spellcasting ability of the class you take the spell list from which makes it easier to cast spells effectively.

Tactics: There are so many spell options that this can be tricky, but You could get non-spellcasters involved in healing with healing word or give frontline martials word of radiance for some AoE damage.

Musician – 5/5

Good for: Anyone, but is slightly better on charismatic characters with performance proficiency.

Ability: Gain proficiency with 3 musical instruments and apply heroic inspiration to a number of allies equal to your proficiency bonus every short or long rest (that’s a lot of heroic inspiration)!

Changes from 2014: This is a completely new feat.

Tactics: This is an excellent buff and ensures your party are kept stocked with d20 rerolls for most encounters. Basically, just dish this out every time you rest and make sure you prioritise those characters with high importance d20 rolls to make (like rogues trying to land a sneak attack).

This is similar to the lucky feature except better, as heroic inspiration can not only reroll any dice roll, but can also be used after the roll of your dice. This means that if you’re feeling selfless, this is the superior feat!

Savage attacker 3/5

Good for: Martials with high damage attacks.

Ability: Once per turn, when you hit a target with a weapon, you can roll the damage dice twice and choose which roll you take.

Changes from 2014: This feat has had a slight wording change to broaden it to all weapon attacks, not just melee weapon attacks. This means it works on ranged attacks too.

Tactics: Use for attackers with high damage dice as you’re more likely to make better use of the reroll when rerolling a d12 than when rolling a d6. You’ll also want to make sure you use it on characters that tend to use their action for attacks. This makes it better for martials, especially those wielding two handed weapons like a greataxe. Even better, if you can use it for a critical hit for even greater damage.

Skilled – 3/5

Good for: Parties needing to fill skills gaps.

Ability: Get proficiency in 3 skills or tools of your choice. This can be taken again to gain more proficiencies.

Changes from 2014: This remains exactly the same as it was in the 2014 PHB (though you can now take this feat again).

Tactics: Use this for filling skills gaps in the party. Rogues and bards should normally have enough proficiencies, but a paladin or sorcerer might use this to bump up their face skills for example if their background isn’t sufficient for this.

Tavern brawler – 2/5 or 4/5

Good for: Unarmed strikers like monks and dance bards.

Ability: Unarmed strikes cause 1d4 + your strength modifier in damage (1s for damage can be rerolled), proficiency with improvised weapons and, when making an unarmed strike, once per turn you can push your opponent back 5ft.

Changes from 2014: You no longer increase your strength or constitution by 1. And now, instead of a grapple when you strike someone, you push them 5ft away instead. These feel more like balancing changes to keep them in line with other 1st level feats.

Tactics: This is a tricky one. Unarmed strikes for most classes tend to be sub-optimal, even with this feat and the unarmed fighting style. If you are desperate to play a brawler, this becomes essential but it likely won’t be an ideal build. Features and spells do accommodate unarmed strikes a little better now meaning this is a bit more feasible now for a paladin or ranger who can use smites with unarmed strikes for example, but weapons remain superior.

You might argue this works great for times when you’re without a weapon, which is true, but such occasions are rare.

However, it does work for unarmed classes like monks and dance bards. Your unarmed strike damage will already cause more damage than this, but being able to push an opponent away is ideal for the hit and run tactics that these classes thrive on. It means no opportunity attacks and doesn’t cost your bonus action as other methods of disengaging might.

Rerolling 1s on damage die is a small benefit. It won’t happen a huge amount, but monks do make a lot of attacks and each time it does happen, you’ll average the following extra damage:

• D4: +1.5
• D6: +2.5
• D8: +3.5
• D10: +4.5
• D12: +5.5

The odds of benefitting decrease as your damage die increases, but you’re likely also landing more attacks per turn and the extra damage also increases.

All of this makes tavern brawler really tough to rate. I think it’s poor for most classes, but pretty solid for a monk or dance bard.

Tough 4/5

Good for: Tanks and martials that need some toughening up, so the likes of monks in particular, but rogues, clerics and martial bards can all benefit here too.

Ability: Your hit point maximum is increased by double your level and when you increase levels from now on, you gain an extra 2 hit points.

Changes from 2014: This feat is exactly the same as it was in the 2014 PHB.

Tactics: Just enjoy being tougher.

Spotlight on D&D 2024

All the latest updates on what’s changing with the 2024 rules revision.