OSR Feats
I’ve been playing for almost a year with these OSR Feats. They add a little flavor to the game and give the players a lot more control as they level up. I grant one feat at every even level.
We play with the 5e-style Advantage/Disadvantage rules, but you could substitute a +4/-4 if you prefer not to.
I took pretty much everything here from the Class/Race/Feat sections of the 5e PHB and modified slightly to fit into an OSR system. They are definitely not all balanced or perfect, but none are too powerful and they make the game a lot more fun for my players–they actually look forward to leveling up their OSR characters !
FEATS
Choose one Feat starting at level 2 and then one additional Feat on each subsequent even level.
General Feats
Ability Score Improvement
You can increase one ability score of your choice by 2, or you can increase two ability scores of your choice by 1. As normal, you can’t increase an ability score above 18 using this feature.
Archery
You gain a +2 bonus to attack rolls you make with ranged weapons.
Charger
You can rush across the battlefield and crash into your opponents with great force, dealing double damage if your attack hits.
Defense
While you are wearing armor, you gain a +2 bonus to AC.
Dirty Trick
You try to throw your target off guard. Regardless of whether or not the attack hits, the next attack roll against the target has advantage.
Dueling
When you are wielding a melee weapon in one hand and no other weapons or shields, you gain a +2 bonus to damage rolls with that weapon.
Feral Instinct
You have advantage when you roll initiative.
Great Weapon Fighting
When you roll a 1 or 2 on a damage die for an attack you make with a melee weapon that you are wielding with two hands, you can reroll the die and must use the new roll, even if the new roll is a 1 or a 2.
Hardy
You gain a permanent bonus of +4 to one saving throw of your choice.
Healer
You have the healing touch, allowing you to mend wounds quickly and get your allies back in the fight. You gain the following benefits:
1. As an action, you can use a healer’s kit to tend to a creature and restore 1d4 hit points to it. The creature can’t benefit from this feat again until the creature completes a short rest or a long rest.
2. As an action, you can use a healer’s kit to attempt to resuscitate any creature that has been reduced to 0 or fewer hit points. If the creature makes a successful save vs. Death, you bring it back to 1 hit point. The creature will be unconscious and can’t benefit from this again until rested.
Heightened Senses
Your enhanced senses grant you +1 to all checks involving finding traps, secret doors, hidden enemies, etc. They also grant you a +2 to surprise checks and you can detect the invisible and detect poison on a 1-in-6.
Improved Critical
Your weapon attacks score a critical hit on a roll of 19 or 20. Taking this feat more than once will further lower the amount for a critical hit by 1.
Indomitable
All saving throws are made with advantage.
Loremaster
You gain the following benefits:
1. Increase your Intelligence by 1, to a maximum of 18.
2. You learn any three languages of your choice.
Lucky
You have inexplicable luck that seems to kick in at just the right moment.
You have 3 luck points. Whenever you make an attack roll, an ability check, or a saving throw, you can spend one luck point to roll with advantage.
You can also spend one luck point when an attack roll is made against you to make your opponent roll with disadvantage.
You regain your expended luck points when you complete a long rest.
Mobile
You can tumble and dash with skill. You gain the following benefits:
1. Your speed increases by 10 feet.
2. Opportunity attacks against you are always made with disadvantage.
Popular
All reaction rolls and Charisma checks are made with a +4 bonus to the roll. You also have a 1 in 6 chance of being able to communicate non-verbally with intelligent creatures that do not speak your language.
Protection
When a creature you can see attacks a target other than you that is within 5 feet of you, you can use your bonus action to impose disadvantage on the attack roll. You must be wielding a shield.
Reckless Attack
You can grant yourself advantage on melee attack rolls during your turn, but all attack rolls against you also have advantage until your next turn.
Spring Away
After striking your target, you can leap away. This movement does not provoke opportunity attacks, and you can move through the target’s space.
Stealthy
You are expert at slinking through shadows. You gain the following benefits:
1. You gain low light vision.
2. You can hide on a 5 in 6 when you are lightly obscured from the creature(s) from which you are hiding.
Thick Hide
While you are not wearing any armor or using a shield, add both your Dexterity and Constitution modifier to your Armor Class.
Thrown-‐Weapon Master
You can throw darts, blades, and other hand‐ held weapons with surprising deadliness. You gain the following benefits:
1. Attacking at long range doesn’t impose disadvantage on your ranged attack rolls.
2. If you have a thrown weapon in each hand, you can engage in two-‐weapon fighting to make a ranged attack with one or both of those weapons (the second attack will happen at the end of the round, will be made at -2 to hit, and does not receive Strength bonus to damage (unless negative)).
Tough
Your hit point maximum increases by an amount equal to your level, and whenever you gain a level, your maximum increases by 1.
Trip
On a successful attack, you deal half damage, but knock the target prone.
Two-Weapon Fighting
You may wield two weapons simultaneously, meaning that you may choose one of the following each round:
1. You can attack with both weapons. The second attack will happen at the end of the round, will be made at -2 to hit, and does not receive Strength bonus to damage (unless negative).
2. You can use the second weapon to parry attacks, which adds +2 to your AC.
Clerical Feats
Channel Divinity: Radiance of the Dawn (Once per day)
You can use your Channel Divinity to harness sunlight.
As an action, you present your holy symbol, and any magical darkness within 25 feet of you is dispelled. Once you use this feature, you must finish a short or long rest before you can use it again.
Channel Divinity: Revelation of Truth (Once per day)
You gain the ability to dispel illusions with your Channel Divinity.
As an action, you present your holy symbol, and any illusion spell within 25 feet of you is dispelled if its level is equal to or lower than half your cleric level. Once you use this feature, you must finish a short or long rest before you can use it again.
Channel Divinity: Guided Strike (Once per day)
You can use your Channel Divinity to strike with supernatural accuracy. When you make an attack roll, you can use your Channel Divinity to gain a +10 bonus to the roll. You make this choice after you see the roll, but before the DM says whether you hit or miss. Once you use this feature, you must finish a short or long rest before you can use it again.
Disciple of Life
Whenever you restore hit points to a creature with a spell, the creature regains an additional 1d4 hit points.
Divine Sense
As an action, you open your awareness to the divine. Until the end of your next turn, you know the location of any celestial, fiend, or undead creature within 50 feet of you, regardless of any intervening obstacles. Within the same radius, you also detect the presence of any place or object that has been consecrated or desecrated.
Divine Smite
When you hit a creature with a weapon attack, you can expend one spell slot to smite, dealing extra damage. The extra damage is 1d8 for a 1st level spell,
plus 1d8 for each spell level higher than 1st. If the creature is undead or a fiend, the damage increases by an additional 1d8.
Enhanced Spell Strength
You have stronger magic than before. You gain the following abilities:
1. All saving throws made against your spells are done at -1.
2. All spell effects that involve dice rolls gain an additional +1 to the result.
3. All spells that grant a bonus to checks gain a +1 to the amount.
Flare
When a creature that you can see attacks you, you can use your reaction to cause light to flare before the attacker. This light imposes disadvantage on the attack roll.
An attacker that cannot be blinded is immune to this feature.
Fighter/Elven/Dwarven/Halfling Feats
Action Surge (Once per day)
You can push yourself beyond your normal limits for a moment. On your turn, you can take one additional action on top of your regular action and a possible bonus action. Once you use this feature, you must finish a short or long rest before you can use it again.
Bow Master
Your mastery over the bow grants each of the following:
1. Your range with the bow increases by 50%
2. You take no penalty for attacking with a bow at close range.
3. When you attack with a bow you may either make one focused attack at +2 and with advantage or make two attacks normally.
Brutal Critical
Whenever you score a critical hit with a melee attack, roll one additional weapon damage die when determining the critical hit’s extra damage.
Cavalier
+4 to attack when mounted and you inflict double damage when attacking from horseback with a spear or a lance.
Extra Attack
You can attack twice, instead of once, whenever you take the Attack action on your turn.
Fencing Master
You excel at fighting with a single weapon. You gain the following benefits:
1. When you are wielding a one-handed sword and another creature hits you with a melee attack, you can use your reaction to add your Str. modifier to your AC, potentially causing the attack to miss you.
2. Once on your turn when you succeed in making a melee attack with a one-handed sword, you can make an additional attack against the same enemy with that weapon at -2 to hit. This effect is cumulative (-4, -6, etc.) until you miss an attack.
Great Weapon Master
You can let the momentum from a deadly attack carry your weapon into another foe. You gain the following benefits:
1. Once per turn when you score a critical hit with a melee weapon or reduce a creature to 0 hit points, you can make one additional melee attack as part of the same action.
2. When you make a melee attack with a heavy weapon, you can take a –5 penalty to the attack roll. If the attack hits, you can roll the weapon’s damage dice one additional time, add your Strength modifier, and add the total to the attack’s normal damage.
Heavy Armor Master
You can use your armor to deflect strikes that would kill others. You gain the following benefits:
1. You ignore any speed penalties from wearing heavy armor.
2. While you are wearing heavy armor, all non-magical damage you take from an attack is reduced by an amount equal to your Constitution modifier.
Polearm Master
You keep your enemies at bay with reach weapons. You gain the following benefits:
1. You treat the quarterstaff, the glaive, and the halberd as double weapons. The second attack will happen at the end of the round, will be made at -2 to hit and deals 1d4 damage with its secondary end.
2. When using a polearm, you may add ½ your level (rounded down) to your AC.
Second Wind (Once per day)
You have a limited well of stamina that you can draw on to protect yourself from harm. On your turn, you can use a bonus action to regain hit points equal to 1d8 + your level. Once you use this feature, you must finish a short or long rest before you can use it again.
Shield Master
You use shields not just for protection but also for offense. You gain the following benefits:
1. You can wield a shield as a melee weapon, dealing 1d6 bludgeoning damage with a regular shield and 1d4 bludgeoning damage with a buckler.
2. You can add your shield’s AC bonus to saving throws against projectiles and spells that target you.
Tactical Warrior
You exert control over your foes on the battlefield. You gain the following benefits:
1. When you make a melee weapon attack against a creature within 5 feet of you, you can mark that creature until the end of your next turn. A creature that is marked by you takes a −2 penalty to attack rolls against any creature it is not marked by.
2. A creature that moves while within 5 feet of you provokes an opportunity attacks from you, even if you have already used your reaction move.
3. When you hit a creature with an opportunity attack, that creature must stop moving for the rest of the turn.
Magic User/Elven Feats
Aura of Antipathy
You radiate a magical aura that causes nearby attackers to doubt their resolve to strike you. Any creature within 10 feet of you has disadvantage on melee attacks against you while you can take actions. Creatures that cannot be charmed are immune to this effect.
Enhanced Spell Strength
You have stronger magic than before. You gain the following abilities:
1. All saving throws made against your spells are done at -1.
2. All spell effects that involve dice rolls gain an additional +1 to the result.
3. All spells that grant a bonus to checks gain a +1 to the amount.
Sculpt Spells
When you cast a spell that affects other creatures, you can choose a number of creatures equal to the spell’s level + 1. The chosen creatures automatically succeed on their saving throws against the spell, and they take no damage if they would normally take half damage from the spell.
Thief/Halfling Feats
Taunt
You have an uncanny insight into the motivations and characteristics of other races, and you can use this insight to infuriate them. As an action, you can unleash a verbal barrage of sarcasm, insults, and crude comments against a creature. Make a Charisma check contested by the target’s Wisdom check.
If you win the contest, the target must use its next action to attack only you. If you are out of range, it must charge at you or, failing that, hustle toward you. The target attacks you with disadvantage during this action.
If the target wins the contest, it is immune to your Taunt for 24 hours.
What’s in My Pocket?
You constantly pick things up and pocket them, and then often forget about them. If you find yourself in need of a piece of non-magical equipment, there is a 25 percent chance you have it. Roll a d4. If you roll a 4, you find the item in your pocket, pack, or pouch. If you roll anything else, you don’t have such an item on you, and you can’t search again for the same item until you’ve spent at least one day in a town or city. Rummaging through your pouches, pack, and pockets in this way takes 1 minute.
Cunning Action
Your quick thinking and agility allow you to move and act quickly, so you can take a second action on each of your turns. This action can be used only to disengage, hide, or hustle.
Assassinate
You are at your deadliest when you get the drop on your enemies. After initiative is rolled for a combat, you have advantage on attacks against any creature that has not yet taken a turn in the combat.
In addition, if you attack and hit a creature that is surprised, you score a critical hit against that creature. If you use Backstab on such a critical hit, instead of rolling for your damage, use the maximum result.
Fast Hands
You can use the extra action granted by your Cunning Action to make Dexterity checks, use your thieves’ tools to disarm a trap or open a lock, or use an object in the environment.
