Tasha's Cauldron of Everything did wonders to invigorate Dungeons & Dragons 5th edition with 15 all new Feats, several class options, and a pile of magical items. These options included the much-anticipated ability to customize racial abilities and an all-new take on the Artificer class. With all those changes came some fascinating new Feats, mostly designed to keep certain classes competitive and contributing to D&D's combat systems.
Tasha's Cauldron of Everything attempted to address some longstanding issues for the community, and in terms of expanding the potential for roleplaying, it succeeded in giving players and Dungeon Masters an entire new toolbox to work with. On the surface, Tasha's Cauldron of Everything focused on the ability to alter a characters origins. This meant altering class choices by introducing new subclasses, expanding upon player associations by allowing for group patrons, similar to D&D's Lifelong Companion Attribute, and removing racial restrictions, all of which can go a long way in helping players craft a truly unique party. Of course a liberal sprinkling of new Feats goes a long way to add spice to all these new additions.
All 15 Feats in Tasha's Cauldron of Everything are worth exploring. Each D&D Feat addresses one of the longstanding problems players had with certain classes and certain character builds. Some of the Feats might seem simplistic on the surface, and choosing them over the feats in the Dungeons & Dragons Player's Handbook might not always make sense, but there is something to be said about the value they add to roleplaying. Some of these Feats reflect that idea, while some are specifically designed to right a wrong found within a certain class. These Feats may not be D&D's best combat Feats, but there is a lot to be said for spicing up a campaign with them. Tasha's Cauldron of Everything offers a lot that can be used to create something truly special when the time comes to create a fresh character.
Every Feat In Tasha's Cauldron of Everything, Explained
Artificer Initiate: Artificer Initiate gives characters the ability to learns a cantrip, 1st-level artificer spell, and gain the ability to cast this spell without using a slot. In a flavorful addition, characters also gain proficiency with an artisan's tools. This D&D Feat is a good choice for players looking to add an air of efficiency to their character while gaining useful abilities.
Chef: The Chef Feat in Tasha's Cauldron of Everything is a lot of fun. Not only can players now cook up fantastic meals during rests, the Feat offers a tangible bonus to a character's constitution or wisdom. The Chef Feat gives players a tangential way to live out their fantasies of roleplaying Remy from Pixar's best film Ratatouille. Adding healing through food won't make any enemies in the party either.
Crusher: A good old fashioned combat Feat, Crusher grants a bonus to strength or constitution and adds a level of battlefield control. Once per turn a bludgeoning attack can move an enemy up to five feet, within size restrictions. Critical hits also grant advantage. Crusher harkens back to some of the more combat oriented abilities of D&D Fourth Edition, for good or ill.
Eldritch Adept: Tasha's Cauldron of Everything's Eldritch Adept Feat allows players to learn a warlock invocation of their choice, the only condition being that some invocations require the player to be a warlock and meet certain prerequisites. Giving warlocks more options is always fun, and the ability to but this can be used to add a flair of the occult to a non-warlock character as well.
Fey Touched: Exposure to the Feywild can manifest in a few ways. Fey Touched characters increase their Intelligence, Wisdom, or Charisma, and learn a Divination or Enchantment 1st-level spell plus Misty Step. The best part is that these spells don't take up a spell slot, only requiring a long rest in between uses. Fey Touched is definitely a good choice when heading into a D&D Christmas roleplaying session.
Fighting Initiate: If a character is already proficient with a martial weapon, they are a good candidate for the Fighting Initiate Feat. This D&D Feat allows characters to learn a fighting style option from the fighter class. Granting a character new combat abilities is never a bad thing, especially if it means roleplaying a master fencer turned artificer or some other similar fish out of water backstory.
Gunner: The Gunner Feat in Tasha's Cauldron of Everything increases a character's Dexterity and grants a proficiency with firearms. Additionally, characters don't have to worry about spending actions on reloads or exposing themselves when firing within five feet of an enemy. This is the perfect Feat to get a bit of wild west shooting into a character.
Metamagic Adept: Another for the magic users out there, Metamagic Adept allows players to alter spells. Characters gain two sorcery points that they can use to alter spells with a Sorcerer class Metamagic option. A good choice for those looking to make some fun combos and buff up the Sorcerer class in Tasha's Cauldron of Everything. Just avoid the total villainy of an Aberrant Mind Sorcerer.
Piercer: Piercer is another combat Feat, this time allowing characters to increase their Strength or Dexterity and reroll damage on a piercing attack. Situational at best, this Feat is only really good on a character that is already doing a lot of damage, or one that wants to roleplay The Princess Bride's Inigo Montoya.
Poisoner: Characters can become master poison makers with this Feat. Applications range from ignoring poison resistance to adding poison to a weapon as a bonus action. This D&D Feat fits in well characters who want to embellish their nefarious side and still contribute to combat. There are significant roleplaying doors opened by a character who is a master of poisons as well.
Shadow Touched: An increase to Intelligence, Wisdom, or Charisma is just the start. Characters with the Shadow Touched Feat in Tasha's Cauldron of Everything also learn Invisibility and one 1st-level spell. These also don't take up a spell slot, but must be either Necromancy or Illusion magic. Another Feat meant to buff up potentially failing characters, there are plenty of role playing options for the more ethereally-minded out there.
Skill Expert: Skills as far as the eye can see. Skill Expert boosts an Ability Score, grants a new skill, and adds proficiency to another one. This can be a very useful D&D Feat for broadening a character's playstyle or honing in on a set of skills a player wishes to master. Be sure to take Animal Handling or Nature when battling monsters in a cold-weather D&D campaign.
Slasher: Slasher increases Strength or Dexterity and again helps control the battlefield. This time a hit creature's movement speed is reduced and critical hits cause disadvantage for a turn. It's nice to see Wizards of the Coast give more control options to fighting classes. Rather than just doing damage, combat characters can now contribute to battlefield control like their spell wielding friends.
Telekinetic: Telekinetic increases Intelligence, Wisdom, or Charisma and grants the Mage Hand cantrip with some special bonuses. Being able to cast Mage Hand without any appearance of doing so can be a great boon and it works with D&D's most easily missed rule. The added bonus of the ability to shove creatures can make for some fun hijinks during roleplay. Perfect for the tormented psychic in the group
Telepathic: The Telepathic Feat grants the ability to mentally connect with other creatures, as well as boosting an ability score. Characters can speak with anyone they can see within a certain range, but there are limits to language and there's no ability for a return message. Still, this Feat comes packed with the Detect Thoughts spell, which can be a life saver during critical moments.
Each of the 15 new Feats in Tasha's Cauldron of Everything offer something unique or fun to spice up character creation and progression. The ability to create a new narrative for characters that highlights a unique past, a special skill, or a dark secret can really increase the bond between player and character. Whether these Feats are chosen to gain an advantage in combat, or to add credence to a Dungeons & Dragons player's roleplaying choice, Tasha's Cauldron of Everything has it covered.