I love the flavourful racial feats added in Xanathar's Guide to Everything, but it's a shame that they have never been expanded to add racial feats for more races. One race I really like are the Aarakocra, and I've been trying for a while to think of some feats that might suit them.
One that I came up with a little while ago and think I'm happy with is as follows, but I'd love some feedback:
Aarakocra Aerial Agility
Flight doesn't just come naturally to you, it is an art form, granting you the following benefits:
Increase your Dexterity by 1, to a maximum of 20.
If while airborne you are forced to take a saving throw that, on failure, will cause you to become Restrained, Paralyzed or Prone, you may instead choose to make a Dexterity (Acrobatics) check in place of the normal saving throw.
You have advantage on Acrobatics and Performance checks taken while airborne during your own turn.
There's a little bit to unpack here; a plus one to Dexterity is always handy when you're trading away an ability score improvement. The second point gives you the option of taking what may be a better roll when faced with the prospect of being knocked out of the air. The third is straight up advantage to aerial acrobatics and performance, but only on your own turn, so it doesn't stack with part 2 unless you have to save as a result of something you're doing (like flying fast through a dangerous gap).
I think overall it's fairly balanced; most Aarakocra are probably going to be playing classes with proficiency in Dexterity saves, or will take Resilient (Dexterity) as a feat, so you won't be likely to need to swap Acrobatics if the save is on Dexterity, so really it's going to be used for Strength, Wisdom etc. saves, and it only applies while airborne, which dungeons may not allow in the first place. Advantage on aerial acrobatics and performance is going to mostly apply out of combat and I think is a fun boost, there is some slight potential for abuse with an Aarakocra Bard for example, but then Bards can use Enhance Ability to do the same thing anyway.
The only "exploit" I've really been able to think of would be a player getting Expertise in Acrobatics, as that could give them a huge bonus when swapping for a saving throw. I'm not sure if that's a major issue or not though? It's fairly specific case, and against specific effects, so the "exploit" really just makes you hard to shoot down, it doesn't stop you from being shot.
Former D&D Beyond Customer of six years: With the axing of piecemeal purchasing, lack of meaningful development, and toxic moderation the site isn't worth paying for anymore. I remain a free user only until my groups are done migrating from DDB, and if necessary D&D, after which I'm done. There are better systems owned by better companies out there.
I have unsubscribed from all topics and will not reply to messages. My homebrew is now 100% unsupported.
I love the flavourful racial feats added in Xanathar's Guide to Everything, but it's a shame that they have never been expanded to add racial feats for more races. One race I really like are the Aarakocra, and I've been trying for a while to think of some feats that might suit them.
One that I came up with a little while ago and think I'm happy with is as follows, but I'd love some feedback:
There's a little bit to unpack here; a plus one to Dexterity is always handy when you're trading away an ability score improvement. The second point gives you the option of taking what may be a better roll when faced with the prospect of being knocked out of the air. The third is straight up advantage to aerial acrobatics and performance, but only on your own turn, so it doesn't stack with part 2 unless you have to save as a result of something you're doing (like flying fast through a dangerous gap).
I think overall it's fairly balanced; most Aarakocra are probably going to be playing classes with proficiency in Dexterity saves, or will take Resilient (Dexterity) as a feat, so you won't be likely to need to swap Acrobatics if the save is on Dexterity, so really it's going to be used for Strength, Wisdom etc. saves, and it only applies while airborne, which dungeons may not allow in the first place. Advantage on aerial acrobatics and performance is going to mostly apply out of combat and I think is a fun boost, there is some slight potential for abuse with an Aarakocra Bard for example, but then Bards can use Enhance Ability to do the same thing anyway.
The only "exploit" I've really been able to think of would be a player getting Expertise in Acrobatics, as that could give them a huge bonus when swapping for a saving throw. I'm not sure if that's a major issue or not though? It's fairly specific case, and against specific effects, so the "exploit" really just makes you hard to shoot down, it doesn't stop you from being shot.
Anyway, would love to get some people's thoughts!
Update: This feat is now available, check it out here.
Former D&D Beyond Customer of six years: With the axing of piecemeal purchasing, lack of meaningful development, and toxic moderation the site isn't worth paying for anymore. I remain a free user only until my groups are done migrating from DDB, and if necessary D&D, after which I'm done. There are better systems owned by better companies out there.
I have unsubscribed from all topics and will not reply to messages. My homebrew is now 100% unsupported.
I think it is good and balanced. Enough said.
Also, additional accolades for awesome alliteration.
"Not all those who wander are lost"