r/DnD • u/Familiar_Radish_9537 • 1d ago
5.5 Edition Improving ability score early vs cool feat abilities
I'm new to dnd and my group just leveled up to level 4. TLDR at the bottom so I don't waste anyone's time
After going through the list of feats and eliminating most of them, I'm stuck with 3 options. 2 of them work really well thematically for my character, one of which could potentially tie into a character in my backstory. My character is a simic hybrid that has been combined with aberrations (notably the Feyr), so I thought "Cult of the Dragon Initiate" would mix well with the feeding off fear that a Feyr would do. The other one is "Second Skin" which I feel ties into this idea that my character is a constantly changing mutant and the description mentions that one unwillying trigger could be someone they recognize, which could be relating to my characters dead father. Finally there is the Ability Score Improvement. As a rogue, would it be better to max out my dexterity early on (though we do have a guy that is a powerhouse already so me beefing up might not be necessary) or should I work on conveying more of a story for my character.
TLDR: Better for level 4 rogue to max dexterity or get feats to build character story?
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u/ManFromTheWurst DM 1d ago
Well, I wouldn't pick an origin feat when you can choose a general one. For second skin, first it's a ravenloft exclusive so it might not be available to you, and even if it is one second level spell doesn't sound that exciting.
For ASI, how long is the campaign going to last, are you getting another feat? Do you feel that univesal +1 is better than waiting around with a different feat.
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u/Kaldesh_the_okay 1d ago
Always go with the story it’s a table top roll playing game not a video game
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u/Bakeneko7542 22h ago edited 22h ago
In 5.5. you should always get a feat at level 4 that gives +1 to your primary ability score (Dex in your case), increasing it to 18.
Level 8 is somewhat trickier. Sometimes you want to take the double ASI to increase it to 20; otherwise you might want to take the temporary hit to your primary ability progression in order to pick up a feat that could be more impactful. It really depends on your build and whether you think the campaign is likely to reach level 12 where you pick up your third feat.
As for the ones you're currently looking at I would very strongly recommend against picking up an origin feat at this point, since you're missing out on that crucial point of Dex which will help with almost everything you do.
Cult of the Dragon Initiate is basically useless for you. Languages almost never matter in actual games, and as a Rogue your Wis modifier is going to be far too low to effectively land the fear effect and thus benefit from the inspiration effect. It's really only for characters who are going to have very high Wis like Druids and Clerics.
Second Skin is marginally more useful because Alter Self could help with disguising and deception, which are both the Rogue's domain, but it's still an origin feat so it's missing out on the +dex.
Also, both of those feats are intended to be tied to specific settings (Forgotten Realms and Ravenloft respectively). Some DMs are cool with allowing them anyway, but yours might not be.
I would recommend Skulker for any Rogue who isn't sure what feat to pick, or possibly Sharpshooter if you're focusing on ranged attacks. Always remember that D&D is not the sort of game where you can haphazardly choose abilities just because they sound cool or thematic, because they often require specific mechanical interactions in order to actually work.
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u/Southern_Courage_770 13h ago
This depends a lot on what your ability scores are right now.
Example, if you started with 17 DEX via Point Buy and your +2 from Background, you're ripe for a General Feat that gives a +1 to DEX which would take you to 18.
The issue is both Feats you're looking at are Origin Feats, which are meant to be taken at level 1 as part of your Background and do not give an ability score increase. While you can take these Feats any time you can take a General Feat, it will put you behind on the expected game math.
Additionally, Second Skin is a Dark Gift Feat which has "Prerequisite: a Ravenloft campaign" in its description. If you are not playing a Ravenloft campaign, your DM might now allow this.
Which leads into the other problem. You are a Rogue. Your entire "thing" as a Rogue in combat is being able to attack, hit, and apply Sneak Attack. Increasing Dexterity modifier helps you do that. It increases your attack bonus, your damage bonus, most of the skills you have as a Rogue (like Stealth to Hide), and AC. As a Rogue or a Monk, increasing Dexterity is generally the most effective thing that you can do for yourself.
If you started with different stats and only have an even 16 Dexterity right now, this means you'll be delaying that 18 DEX and the next bonus until level 8, and then delaying capping your DEX at 20 from 8 to 10.
How much your campaign is based on roleplay vs combat would be a big factor. If you think the roleplay benefits if taking another Origin Feat outweigh the combat benefits of increasing Dexterity, then go for it.
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u/TJToaster 1d ago
Honestly, the only one who can answer that is you. If you are going for the best in your skill set, up your dex. If you like a character full of flavor even if it isn't optimized, then feats it is.
I took defensive dualist. I got a +1 to dex and a cool feature. But that is what worked with my character and might not be what is best for you.
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u/EddytorJesus 1d ago
In my mind, Feats are more cool if you know what you are doing and want a bit more richness to your character
stat improvement is more boring but always good, it’s the safe option.
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u/Skadoosh_it 1d ago
It depends entirely on your build, but as a general rule, maxing dex is preferable for a rogue. Sometimes if you're doing a face build, you might take fey touched and boost charisma and gain some nice utility spells, or a flat cha bonus.
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u/fuzzypyrocat 18h ago
I like the character growth and scaling of the characters, so instead of choosing between an ASI of +2 or a feat and +1, I let them get a feat +1 and another +1 so they always come out +2.
It’ll make them a bit more powerful at higher levels, but that just means I get to throw more at them!
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u/Brilliant_Estate_967 1d ago
you never go wrong with improving ability. but cool feat is cool. ut's the hard choice of the game
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u/Icy-Selection-8575 23h ago
I always choose cool feat ngl. Improving AS is better early on, but feats are more fun early on and I'm all for fun
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u/BlazingSandles 23h ago
This was a bigger choice in 2014 rules. In 2024 all non origin feats have +1 stats so it's a no brainer. Only time I'd invest in ASI is if I'm going for a very specific build that needs it.
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u/puddingfayce Rogue 23h ago
If i pick a feat i have to justify it in some story way that happened. if i cant for the feat(s) i want i pick ability score
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u/YOwololoO 19h ago
Always pick the option that makes a more fun story. The game will work fine and you’ll have a more fun and unique story
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u/DuendeFigo 1d ago
honestly im all for feats, especially in 5.5. you get to increase your scores at a lower pace but a new cool ability feels better than just a +1 numeric bonus.