July’s Unearthed Arcana introduces a variety of new feats for player characters. Feats are an optional mechanic in D&D. When you level up and get an Ability Score Increase, you can choose to instead take a feat. It’s up to your Dungeon Master whether your campaign will use these. Feats can help you customize your character according to your vision for them.

Let’s take a look at these new feats!

Class-inspired feats

There are four feats presented here (Artificer Initiate, Eldritch Adept, Fighting Initiate, and Metamagic Adept) that grant access to features normally reserved for a particular class. For example, Artificer Initiate grants a cantrip and spell off the artificer’s spell list and proficiency with artisan’s tools, and Eldritch Adept grants an Eldritch Invocation from the warlock class. Both Metamagic Adept and Eldritch Adept require the character to have Spellcasting or Pact Magic.

The Tracker feat doesn’t call out a specific class, though it does grant use of the hunter’s mark spell. This spell is normally reserved for rangers (or the Oath of Vengeance paladin subclass).

These feats allow characters to grab specific features during their normal class level progression instead of multiclassing. This could be especially helpful if you, for example, wanted to grab a Metamagic option but didn’t want to go a couple levels into the sorcerer class. It seems like you could also use these feats to, say, grab an additional fighting style while already a fighter.

I have mixed feelings about these class feature feats, mostly for the same reasons I have mixed feelings about multiclassing. I think you can come up with unique ideas for characters using these feats. But since classes are based on archetypes, introducing other class features to the mix will naturally muddy that original archetype (so it’s not usually something I’d do). I’m curious to see if we’ll get these sorts of feats for class features of other classes.

Tools, planar influences, and more

The other feats in this UA offer boosts to certain tools, damage types, and other various game mechanics.

We have the Chef, Gunner, Poisoner, and Shield Training feats, which help your character make good use of the associated tools/weapons. For example, one of the benefits of Shield Training allows your character to use a shield as a spellcasting focus. The Poisoner feat makes your poison damage ignore resistance and makes it easier for you to create and use poisons in battle. The Chef feat is pretty exciting, as it allows you to cook food for your party that can either make a short rest more helpful or grant temporary hit points!

The Fey Touched and Shadow Touched feats reflect that the character has been influenced by either the Feywild or Shadowfell, respectively. They grant two spells, one predetermined by the feat (misty step or darkness) and one you can choose with certain restrictions. You can also boost one of your mental stats—Wisdom, Intelligence, Charisma—with these feats.

The Crusher, Piercer, and Slasher feats help your character when they deal a certain type of damage: bludgeoning, piercing, or slashing. These feats seem like they would suit a character who prefers a specific weapon.

The Practiced Expert feat grants a +1 to any ability score, proficiency with one skill or tool, and double proficiency with a skill or tool proficiency. This feat isn’t super flavorful or flashy, but its mechanical effects can be incorporated into a variety of different character concepts. Expertise is quite nice and emphasizes that your PC is very good at what they do.

Tandem Tactician looks fun for support types. It allows you to Help as a bonus action and boosts the action’s range when you help attack a creature. The Help action doesn’t get used a lot, but teamwork is awesome and advantage is so fun to give someone else in the party! This feat also allows you to Help two allies so long as they’re targeting the same creature.

What do you think of these new feats? Have you gotten the chance to use them in a game? I’d love to hear your thoughts!