I had an idea for my campaigns, which was something along the lines of: "What if I added slight buffs and intricate roleplay addons to my characters?".  Ok, so it wasn't completely like that.  I was kind of looking for a way to involve some of my players more, and make sure that something sets them apart from other NPC adventurers which they happen to run into often, which lead to battles, trade, and near total-squad kills (insert evil-dungeon-master-laugh.wav here).  Back to the topic, I am going to create a bunch of feats that grant slight buffs depending on the roleplay effects added, for example:  A player choosing the Druid class, while leveling up, gets certain small bonuses, for example, at level 6 they get a "bark-like" skin texture.  This, in turn, might grant them an unarmored AC of 14.  I will be making this for all official classes, starting with the druid, as that class was the class that inspired me to make this.  Further updates will be posted here. (It will probably take me a few days to make each class).  I will also add a ring that grants players one feat, which would be the respective "Intricate Roleplay" feat for their class.

Vote here for what class you want next!

I don't know which class would be the next to need but at the very least i could say the roleplay effects could be put to use in some kind of audience style meetings with the npc' adventurers so that they each have at least the same number of effects as a 5e background.

I am trying out different methods of how to make the abilities appear on the character sheet, but feats seem to not allow me to add effects that occur at higher levels, so I might make a whole different subclass that essentially is the druid, but with a few modifiers.

Are the abilities going to show up based on what level characters are? or maybe based on milestones? I still think the character background model works good because not only could the four effects be based on level or milestones they could have items that level up with the effects I.E item shard, npc shard, land shard, story shard. that maybe when the shards are put together into one crystal it makes the character into there class if your going to go that route. 

        The shards are a cool way to go because you can put limits on when people can level up the land shard passed 15  if you want people to be on the 10 th level  then they have to have the npc shard leveled up to 10 before they can level up the land shard to 18 if theres three new lands to explore. but they have to connect the land shard to the story shard before they can accomplish the main quest line up to level say 15 so they can have instead of 4 effects have 5 effects :)

I am trying to find out a way to make it auto-level the abilities, but I can't seem to find an option like that.  I will keep looking, but until I find out how to, I will be making them in feats.

to make it auto level just make it so you give a new one every three levels, imo its just giving three levels more content when you tell them oh your needing to get to level 10 to connect the level 5 story shard to the level 15 land shard so that theres another three lvels worth of content that you can gain another ability for. 

the planning for that is probably based on a list that you get the dc for accomplishing each encounter that's part of a three part quest which can either be simple list like going on a hunting trip if its not connected with the story crystal yet like free roaming or it can be part of the mystery of the missing king if its part of the main quest either way there could be a  ability gained if the three levels are accomplished 

that's all part of the dm's planning but whats interesting is what the players will do will they set out on a path of good through the challenges and if they succeed does that mean that they did good and if they fail and everyone dies or something bad happens does that mean they didn't do good see its got a fate in there

I am saddened that I did not think of that.  Thank you so, so much.  I owe you.  Whatever class you want next, you get.

cool I think a bard would be cool glad it was helpful

Bard is next then

Thanks again!

(p.s. Bard might take a bit longer as I am kind of unfamiliar with it)

ya i think the bard wont let you down i had a dream about a bard lol it involved running and hiding through a lot of different places but the bard escapes good from orcs. 

I have finished the "Druid: Levels 1-3".  It is now in moderation.  I also have made the ring which will grant you the feat.

Cool i actually think i made things to tough on you though because in my homebrew every 3 levels is a new effect so that at level 12 you can have 4 but only because 1 of the levels of dnd counts as three in my homebrew so after doing the math at 5 regular dnd levels = 15 levels and then people have 9 training points for 3 points for each 5 levels then when applying the fourth effect that adds 3 to the 9 training points making it equal 12 for the levels to have a background with 4 effects that can happen when someone has only needed to reach level 5 in regular dnd terms.

So apparently I am not allowed to make feats that change game mechanics, but I am not sure where else to publish them.  Any ideas?

can you make feats that increase stat points? because if strength is what defines your goal to hunt a wild bugbear maybe the new feat you make to for hunting bugbears is going to give a +3 strength instead of the usual increase the improved stat feat would give if there is one. the actual bonus isnt as important as that there is like a quest to learn that feat, since if you go hunt a wild bugbear and get access to learn that feat you should get the bonus that goes with that accomplishment and thus if you catch a giant fish quest next and maybe earn a feat with a +3 bonus to endurance because it seems to fit with trying to reel in a big catch like that. and if you outsmart a giant crocodile by running across its head to get across a river maybe a feat called outsmart a crocodile would give a bonus to intelligence. and thus with a series of feats maybe they would be a quest maybe tied to a custom background that could be called wild hunter.   SO im not sure if publishing them matters when you find people who want to play in a game like this they can share your creations if they are in the same campaign even if they are not published.

So what if you have a game where the person who shows they are the wildest hunter wins a trophy and lets say the dc for the first quest is 19 because you just add the three challenges together onto a base of 10 and so if your playing with other people they would add all the challenges that they get the feats done for towards accomplishing that quest thus a person who got all three done would only need to roll a 10 to get whatever bonuses they would win for doing that quest going on until they reach the final test to see who wins the trophy depending on the amount of over all points they would gain from learning your feats kind of like building a pyramid. But unlike a scheme I think when you build quests for people to achieve the feats you can implement choices they can pick that either gives them +3 strength for wrestling bugbears or maybe +1 wisdom for knowing that they would be better off playing dead. because its up to you as the dm to decide if its possible in your quest to choose to wrestle a bugbear or if someone doing so would be just plain suicidal. 

TLDR: I think the point is not to change the mechanics of the game but to use them with 2 different options one that is a major outcome and one that is a minor outcome  and that 

way when you decide if you want the major outcome choice (wrestle the bugbear) to give +3 strength then you are implying that the primary reward is that you get a feat for successfully wrestling the bugbear as opposed to if you decide you want the minor outcome choice (play dead) to give +1 wisdom to be the primary reward that you got a feat for being successful 

and if people picked the wrong one perhaps if you did it the second way then wrestle the bugbear might mean certain doom or at least getting beat up pretty bad and not getting any bonuses.

so let me know if this is helping any because I think even if you cant change the mechanics of the homebrew of items you could always just have people add their stats +3 or +1 depending on there choices.