With the new feats that everyone gets at level one and people’s disagreements over Dragonborn and tieflings, should there be a tail feat for people who want one in one dnd?
What would such a feat even do? need a bit more detail on it, is it about having a prehensile tail? If so, just how much should such a feat give? I doubt anything more than an additional "use an object" to say pull out a potion or pull a lever is really going to work balance wise. This is since anything more will just break how equipped items work, basically it shouldn't be a 3rd hand that could hold another weapon or a shield, no.
But outside of a few rare use cases, "use an object" also feels pretty lackluster to be a feat by itself, I'd rather just do what I have done as a teifling and have it be something that can be RP'ed but not usable in battle (talk to DM to confirm they are good with that), since it's just adding complication to the mix where it doesn't need to be, in my opinion.
Making it a feat is unnecessary. Just make it a cosmetic choice Dragonborn get. Tieflings get to be highly variable in how they look. I think the ideal Dragonborn should have some variety in what draconic traits (tail, vestigial wings, claws, etc) they have. These don't need special mechanics to represent them as they're all cosmetic choices.
Flight via functional wings could be a good species feat to give your character. Or even just some kind of gliding mechanic if the feat must be taken at level 1. I'd totally play a Dragonborn named Goliath.
Sure, you do run into the whole "How do you tell Half-Dragons and Dragonborn a part?" problem, but frankly I always thought half-dragons should more closely resemble their mortal parent rather than bipedal lizards anyway. Something like a mostly human character with draconic horns and eyes with a human-skinned tail, as an example. Vaguely similar to a Draconic Sorcerer but with more obvious dragon traits.
But even if Wizards doesn't want to change the Half-Dragon design I don't see a problem with Half-Dragons being able to pass for Dragonborn. It could even be made into a neat lore detail where to the eyes of every other species Half-Dragons are identical to a Dragonborn with a tail, but to Dragonborn they are instantly recognizable and carry a sort of Uncanny Valley feel about them that makes Dragonborn uncomfortable. This plays into the Dragonborn's relationship with true dragons and gives the Dragonborn a little something extra in terms of differentiating them from other species. Sure, an elf might just see two big lizard people, but to a Dragonborn that Half-Dragon is like looking at a bad CGI rendering of a dead actor.
I mean, if it's only cosmetic then there's no particular need to codify it in the rules, beyond people wanting to aggressively attack the idea that Wizards is allowed to make anything at all "canon" for D&D, which doesn't seem like a particularly constructive point. Technically a player could already integrate their tail into Unarmed Combat, as it allows any plausible part of the body to be used for the attack, not just fists.
Wings are a better option for a feat, though honestly I'm not sure a flying speed alone is worth the investment. Plus they'd probably make it a 4+ feat; that both narratively reflects the idea that it's something the character is growing into and helps keep it back until the same neighborhood as the Levitate and Fly spells start coming online.
I would probably have something like mage hand with a range of 5 feet that you can use once per turn outside the actions, bonus actions you would get anyway. It would be an advantage, but not a massive one.
Someone more vested in lore, correct me, but are not the ones with tails the Half-dragons? Dragonborn do not have them? They are two completely different species as well just in case.
Baldurs Gate 3 made it a purely cosmetic choice for both races, and no one looks at you like you're a weird mutant for having or not having one. I don't see any problems with that approach. They're fantastic races, that's the least amount of variation I'd personally expect.
4th edition had at least two feats for Tieflings to take about their tails - one let you slide an adjacent ally 1 square when you shifted, the other allowed for stowing/grabbing small objects with the tail as a free action 1/round and make thievery checks with it.
Someone more vested in lore, correct me, but are not the ones with tails the Half-dragons? Dragonborn do not have them? They are two completely different species as well just in case.
Technically kind of setting dependent, the Dragonborn of Faerun generally do not but the Dragonborn(Draconblood) of the Wildemount setting have tails. In regards to Faerun, Dragonborn now refers to the people from Abeir that got displaced on to Toril but was also a name given to the Dragonborn of Bahamut, champions of Bahamut who underwent a ritual to imbue themselves with dragonic features, they also lacked tails. Overall, I don't think it really matters, a lot of people get their DM to approve of their dragonborns having tails that it probably should just be an optional thing.
Half-dragons usually have tails, but it's not a given as some half-dragons have lived their entire lives not even knowing they are half-dragon, thinking they are entirely of their other parents race.
Someone more vested in lore, correct me, but are not the ones with tails the Half-dragons? Dragonborn do not have them? They are two completely different species as well just in case.
Technically kind of setting dependent, the Dragonborn of Faerun generally do not but the Dragonborn(Draconblood) of the Wildemount setting have tails. In regards to Faerun, Dragonborn now refers to the people from Abeir that got displaced on to Toril but was also a name given to the Dragonborn of Bahamut, champions of Bahamut who underwent a ritual to imbue themselves with dragonic features, they also lacked tails. Overall, I don't think it really matters, a lot of people get their DM to approve of their dragonborns having tails that it probably should just be an optional thing.
Half-dragons usually have tails, but it's not a given as some half-dragons have lived their entire lives not even knowing they are half-dragon, thinking they are entirely of their other parents race.
Yeah saw some info on Dragonborns and their history as for what I initially recall of half dragon it was something as a reward transformation that turn u into one.
Feat-1 (requires being of a race/species/heritage/lineage that is known to have, or might have, tails): I like the 5ft "mage hand"-like benefit mentioned above (but be specific that it's not a spell that can be countered/dispelled). Can do the effects of "Mage Hand Legerdemain", but only with the tail (not with the Mage Hand spell). Maybe add Advantage on Acrobatics.
Feat-2 (requires Feat-1, requires 10th level or higher): fully usable as an appendage (that lacks the final motor abilities of having multiple & opposable fingers, but otherwise can do everything an arm and hand can do). Can do things with it via a Bonus Action. It can wield a light or finesse weapon that doesn't have the reach property. It can't wield a shield.
Feat-3 (requires Feat-1, requires 8th level or higher): your tail can be used to make parries if it has some form of protection (armor, natural armor, etc.), or Unarmored Defense, or is grasping a light or finesse weapon that does not have the reach property (without feat-2 you can't attack with that weapon, but you can still "hold" it). On your turn, you may use a Bonus Action to ready your tail to parry. One time before the end of your next turn, you may use your tail in the same manner as Defensive Duelist, without using a Reaction to do so.
Feat-4 (requires being of a race/species/heritage/lineage that is known to have, or might have, tails and heavy body platting): Your tail has a heavy club or spiked club like ending. You may use a Bonus Action to make an unarmed strike with your tail, that deals 1d6 bludgenong or 1d6 piercing damage. You may not use this tail with Feat-1, Feat-2, nor Feat-3. The heavy scales that make up this tail's weapon surface also protect your body. If you are not wearing armor, you may use an AC calculation of 14 + Dex Mod. Your tail also grants you advantage on Athletics checks, Grapple Saving Throws, and the Grapple DC for Saving Throws others make against your grapple attempts.
(imagine a Tortle with Feat-4, looking more like an Anklyosaur than a turtle)
I think there sould not be a feat you can take to get a tail. But a feat that is avaliable to races who have tails and make them usefull like hands would be cool
The monkey people in spell jammer have something like this but it says with their feet you can use a bonus action. It’s not a bad deal and you can easily replace it with a tail if you want instead. But I really like the 5’ mage hand. That sounds kind of fun, but deep down I would like to have some kind of more combat applicable like Nightcrawler from X-Men. Then again with the new rules that can pretty much be done with a Monk now
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With the new feats that everyone gets at level one and people’s disagreements over Dragonborn and tieflings, should there be a tail feat for people who want one in one dnd?
What would such a feat even do? need a bit more detail on it, is it about having a prehensile tail? If so, just how much should such a feat give? I doubt anything more than an additional "use an object" to say pull out a potion or pull a lever is really going to work balance wise. This is since anything more will just break how equipped items work, basically it shouldn't be a 3rd hand that could hold another weapon or a shield, no.
But outside of a few rare use cases, "use an object" also feels pretty lackluster to be a feat by itself, I'd rather just do what I have done as a teifling and have it be something that can be RP'ed but not usable in battle (talk to DM to confirm they are good with that), since it's just adding complication to the mix where it doesn't need to be, in my opinion.
Making it a feat is unnecessary. Just make it a cosmetic choice Dragonborn get. Tieflings get to be highly variable in how they look. I think the ideal Dragonborn should have some variety in what draconic traits (tail, vestigial wings, claws, etc) they have. These don't need special mechanics to represent them as they're all cosmetic choices.
Flight via functional wings could be a good species feat to give your character. Or even just some kind of gliding mechanic if the feat must be taken at level 1. I'd totally play a Dragonborn named Goliath.
Sure, you do run into the whole "How do you tell Half-Dragons and Dragonborn a part?" problem, but frankly I always thought half-dragons should more closely resemble their mortal parent rather than bipedal lizards anyway. Something like a mostly human character with draconic horns and eyes with a human-skinned tail, as an example. Vaguely similar to a Draconic Sorcerer but with more obvious dragon traits.
But even if Wizards doesn't want to change the Half-Dragon design I don't see a problem with Half-Dragons being able to pass for Dragonborn. It could even be made into a neat lore detail where to the eyes of every other species Half-Dragons are identical to a Dragonborn with a tail, but to Dragonborn they are instantly recognizable and carry a sort of Uncanny Valley feel about them that makes Dragonborn uncomfortable. This plays into the Dragonborn's relationship with true dragons and gives the Dragonborn a little something extra in terms of differentiating them from other species. Sure, an elf might just see two big lizard people, but to a Dragonborn that Half-Dragon is like looking at a bad CGI rendering of a dead actor.
I mean, if it's only cosmetic then there's no particular need to codify it in the rules, beyond people wanting to aggressively attack the idea that Wizards is allowed to make anything at all "canon" for D&D, which doesn't seem like a particularly constructive point. Technically a player could already integrate their tail into Unarmed Combat, as it allows any plausible part of the body to be used for the attack, not just fists.
Wings are a better option for a feat, though honestly I'm not sure a flying speed alone is worth the investment. Plus they'd probably make it a 4+ feat; that both narratively reflects the idea that it's something the character is growing into and helps keep it back until the same neighborhood as the Levitate and Fly spells start coming online.
Advantage on acrobatics checks and 10ft speed bonus I think. Bonus applies to walking and climbing speeds but only if you have the speed already.
I would probably have something like mage hand with a range of 5 feet that you can use once per turn outside the actions, bonus actions you would get anyway. It would be an advantage, but not a massive one.
Someone more vested in lore, correct me, but are not the ones with tails the Half-dragons? Dragonborn do not have them? They are two completely different species as well just in case.
Baldurs Gate 3 made it a purely cosmetic choice for both races, and no one looks at you like you're a weird mutant for having or not having one. I don't see any problems with that approach. They're fantastic races, that's the least amount of variation I'd personally expect.
4th edition had at least two feats for Tieflings to take about their tails - one let you slide an adjacent ally 1 square when you shifted, the other allowed for stowing/grabbing small objects with the tail as a free action 1/round and make thievery checks with it.
Technically kind of setting dependent, the Dragonborn of Faerun generally do not but the Dragonborn(Draconblood) of the Wildemount setting have tails. In regards to Faerun, Dragonborn now refers to the people from Abeir that got displaced on to Toril but was also a name given to the Dragonborn of Bahamut, champions of Bahamut who underwent a ritual to imbue themselves with dragonic features, they also lacked tails. Overall, I don't think it really matters, a lot of people get their DM to approve of their dragonborns having tails that it probably should just be an optional thing.
Half-dragons usually have tails, but it's not a given as some half-dragons have lived their entire lives not even knowing they are half-dragon, thinking they are entirely of their other parents race.
Yeah saw some info on Dragonborns and their history as for what I initially recall of half dragon it was something as a reward transformation that turn u into one.
Cosmetic only: Free
Feat-1 (requires being of a race/species/heritage/lineage that is known to have, or might have, tails): I like the 5ft "mage hand"-like benefit mentioned above (but be specific that it's not a spell that can be countered/dispelled). Can do the effects of "Mage Hand Legerdemain", but only with the tail (not with the Mage Hand spell). Maybe add Advantage on Acrobatics.
Feat-2 (requires Feat-1, requires 10th level or higher): fully usable as an appendage (that lacks the final motor abilities of having multiple & opposable fingers, but otherwise can do everything an arm and hand can do). Can do things with it via a Bonus Action. It can wield a light or finesse weapon that doesn't have the reach property. It can't wield a shield.
Feat-3 (requires Feat-1, requires 8th level or higher): your tail can be used to make parries if it has some form of protection (armor, natural armor, etc.), or Unarmored Defense, or is grasping a light or finesse weapon that does not have the reach property (without feat-2 you can't attack with that weapon, but you can still "hold" it). On your turn, you may use a Bonus Action to ready your tail to parry. One time before the end of your next turn, you may use your tail in the same manner as Defensive Duelist, without using a Reaction to do so.
Feat-4 (requires being of a race/species/heritage/lineage that is known to have, or might have, tails and heavy body platting): Your tail has a heavy club or spiked club like ending. You may use a Bonus Action to make an unarmed strike with your tail, that deals 1d6 bludgenong or 1d6 piercing damage. You may not use this tail with Feat-1, Feat-2, nor Feat-3. The heavy scales that make up this tail's weapon surface also protect your body. If you are not wearing armor, you may use an AC calculation of 14 + Dex Mod. Your tail also grants you advantage on Athletics checks, Grapple Saving Throws, and the Grapple DC for Saving Throws others make against your grapple attempts.
(imagine a Tortle with Feat-4, looking more like an Anklyosaur than a turtle)
I think there sould not be a feat you can take to get a tail. But a feat that is avaliable to races who have tails and make them usefull like hands would be cool
The monkey people in spell jammer have something like this but it says with their feet you can use a bonus action. It’s not a bad deal and you can easily replace it with a tail if you want instead. But I really like the 5’ mage hand. That sounds kind of fun, but deep down I would like to have some kind of more combat applicable like Nightcrawler from X-Men. Then again with the new rules that can pretty much be done with a Monk now