Players who want a video gameD&D 5eexperience can rely onSolasta: Crown of the Magisterto give them an accurate take on the TTRPG’s mechanics. InSolasta: Crown of the Magister, players can create or use pre-made characters to save the world by creating a rare artifact. However, challenges players face throughout the game may need them to select the right Feats for their characters to overcome them.
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Similar toD&D 5e, Feats inSolasta: Crown of the Magisterallow characters to get special abilities or skills that let them become more optimized for certain builds and gameplay styles. However, just what Feats should players choose to improve theirSolastaexperience?
10Armor Master
Armor Class remainsa fundamental combat mechanic inD&D 5eandCrown of the Magister, where Attack Rolls have to exceed a target’s Armor Class to score a hit. Naturally, different Armors provide a set number of AC, with Heavy Armor providing a massive base AC at the cost of Stealth Disadvantages. With quite a limited way of permanently increasing AC, it makes sense why Shields and certain AC boosts become tempting for players to acquire, withArmor Masterbeing the prime example.
At first glance, Armor Master simply adds +1 AC to any armor its user is wearing. Its +1 AC might not mean much on paper, but this practically boosts the odds of enemies missing standard attacks by 1 out of 20. In turn, Armor Master can make tanks harder to push past against, DPS heavy-hitters who wear Medium Armor get additional defense, and squishy backline casters secure a +1 AC lifeline.
9Might Of The Iron Legion
It’s common forFeats inD&D 5eto give players room for progression in terms of the equipment they wear, andMight Of The Iron Legionis such an example. This Feat not only grants +1 Strength to its wielder, but it also grants Armor Proficiency (Heavy Armor) and Weapon Proficiency (Longswords, Greatswords, Battleaxes), provided its user is already Medium Armor Proficient. While thisD&DFeat doesn’t seem useful for heavy hitters such as the Fighter and the Paladin, this poses a lot of benefits for spellcasters.
As a Feat, Might Of The Iron Legion can benefit a full-spellcaster party, especially if their designated frontliner already took the Sellsword (Background) to secure Medium Armor Proficiency anyway. The access to Heavy Armor and the extra Weapon Proficiencies ensures there’s no need to grind for high Dexterity for better standard armor.
8Follow Up Strike
Bonus Actions inD&D 5eallow charactersto do smaller actions that don’t need their full attention but can still make meaningful changes to combat. For the likes of the Wizard, Monk, and Ranger that have a variety of combat options, Bonus Actions can pave the way for a lot of versatility or even sheer DPS. This is something thatSolasta: Crown of the Magistergameplay demonstrates with its integration of the Bonus Action mechanic, further cementing the likes of the straightforward Fighter and Paladin as traditional tanks.
However,Follow Up Strikecan become a godsend to melee combatants. When making an Attack with a 2H-Weapon, its wielder can use a Bonus Action to make a quick follow-up that deals 1d4 + Strength Bonus damage of the same type. Although the 1d4 isn’t as useful to most other melee fighters, this Feat becomes the sole reason why a 2H-Weapon Paladin can stand up to their deadlier Ranger companions. With enough Spell Slots, a Paladin can transform the mere 1d4 damage into 1d4 + 2d8 Radiant Damage - translating to almost enough damage as a standard Attack.
7Raise Shield
Keeping itsD&D 5eroots close to its heart,Crown of the Magisteralso follows the trend of spellcasters being squishy folk due to their lack of defenses despite their sheer threat on the battlefield. While it’s a go-to strategy to keep casters like Wizards and Sorcerers in the backline, a busy frontline can leave them rather vulnerable not just to melee attacks but also ranged attackers as well. WithRaise Shield,spellcasters get the most out of their defensive options without always needing a bodyguard.
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At its core, Raise Shield grants its users proficiency with Shields, immediately giving a +2 to +4 AC boost to spellcasters. Not only that, Raise Shield users can use their Reaction to get +3 AC until the end of the attacker’s turn if their ranged attack is about to hit the person in question. While other shield users can benefit from Raise Shield in the long term, vulnerable spellcasters may want to get this as soon as possible.
6Uncanny Accuracy
Long-ranged attackers such as the Ranger and bow-totingD&D 5eClasses like the Bard can deal damage from the safety of distance, at least until they encounter cover. In bothD&DandCrown of the Magister, Half Cover and Three-Quarters Cover give AC boosts to creatures hiding behind them, making it quite a challenge for bow users to penetrate. WithUncanny Accuracy, even certain covers don’t hide creatures from the cunning eye of a bowmaster.
When equipped, not only do its users enjoy +1 Dexterity but also fully ignore Half Cover and Three-Quarters cover. The way this Feat practically disables non-full cover AC bonuses can transform long-ranged attackers into snipers, making this an ideal 4th-Level option for characters who want to stay as strict ranged combatants compared toFighters and other melee attackers.
5Take Aim
One of the more prominent rules of ranged combat inD&D 5eis that using a long-ranged weapon at melee range forces Disadvantage on an Attack Roll, andCrown of the Magisteruses the same mechanic to explain how impractical using a bow becomes in real life. However, some players can imagine a John Wick-like scenario where a dextrous-enough archer could theoretically force a point-blank shot with a bow or a crossbow, be it to aim at a foot or some weird angle. This visualization is whatTake Aimtries to achieve for ranged attackers.
When equipped, Take Aim costs a Bonus Action to use and allows ranged attackers to bypass both Advantages and Disadvantages they may incur until the end of their turn. At first glance, this Bonus Action seems extremely situational. However, thisD&D 5eFeatbypassing any condition means players don’t suffer Disadvantage when attacking on melee. A bow user like a Ranger with high enough Dexterity can deal quite a lot of damage when cornered up close thanks to Take Aim, which practically provides them with an emergency melee option without worrying about Disadvantage.
4Rush To Battle
WithD&D 5egameplay taking place on a grid, characters ofCrown of the Magisterfollow separate grids for both movement and attack, ensuring players think strategically regarding both party placement and attack patterns. Since the game also follows an initiative order, enemies who get to jump the gun on the party’s weaker spellcasters before frontline defenders get to protect them can debilitate a team’s strategy. In that regard,Rush To Battlemay be a Feat that tanks and melee DPS warriors should secure as soon as possible.
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Thanks to Rush To Battle, its users can spend a Bonus Action to boost their movement up to three squares at the cost of -2 AC until the start of their next turn. The -2 AC can seem too steep a cost for a mere three squares of movement, but this can spell the difference between life and death when protecting teammates or rushing toward a threat. Remember, it’s more practical for a tank to risk the possibility of the enemy bypassing their -2 AC since they’re built to sponge damage. Moreover, even if the tank skips Rush to Battle, this is still an entire attack opportunity wasted on an opponent they can potentially kill or heavily damage in one strike.
3Eager For Battle
Common to both the combat systems ofD&D 5eandCrown of the Magisteris the initiative order, a Dexterity Check that determines the order of creatures when it comes to taking action in combat. In bothSolastaandD&Dgameplay, it’s often the person with the highest DEX that secures the first turn and dictates the flow of combat. In turn, theEager For BattleFeat that adds +1 Dexterity on top of Advantage to initiative rolls can help players take better control of their combat encounters.
While DEX-reliant Classes such as the Ranger and Monk don’t necessarily need this Feat, spellcasters who often have low DEX can become standouts in combat thanks to thisD&D 5eFeat. On top of +1 Dexterity, the Advantage mechanic that allows players to roll twice and get the higher result means spellcasters have a higher chance of going first in combat. This can be extremely advantageous to spellcasters, as their access to AOE and other control spells can be crucial in debilitating the enemy’s advance even before they start their turns.
2Flawless Concentration
Concetration is one of the coreD&D 5emechanics thatSolasta: Crown of the Magisteradds to its gameplay, essentially forcing spellcasters to roll a Constitution Save when hit while casting a spell. This adds a mechanical aspect to the idea that powerful spells need the full attention of spellcasters, which unfortunately meansClasses like the Warlock, Sorcerer, and the Cleric are sitting ducks while their more potent spells take effect. The only exception here is Battle Clerics and Spellblades, who can use swords and shields while casting spells.
In turn,Flawless Concentrationis a must-have for most other spellcasters to bypass the Concentration mechanic. At its core, Flawless Concentration gives spellcasters Advantage on Constitution Saves to avoid breaking Concentration, which in itself boosts the survivability of squishy casters. However, the Feat also states that should the character take less than 10 damage, they don’t even need to roll for a Constitution Save - further adding to the usefulness of this Feat.
1Hard To Kill
Players are almost alwaysheroes inD&D 5egameplayand much more so inCrown of the Magister, with Death Saves giving a mechanical justification as to why their characters are tough to kill. Thanks to Death Saves, players need three successes to stabilize their dying character, allowing their allies to give them much-needed healing. With the suspense of having to rely on a d20 for a character’s survival, it’s a generally-accepted rule not to get characters at 0 Hit Points. With theHard To KillFeat, players at least have a better shot of surviving even the most devastating of hits.
With the Hard To Kill Feat, players get Advantage to their Death Saves that allow them to roll twice every time and get a higher result. At three successes, they don’t just become “healable” at 0 HP but rather get 1 Hit Die they can use for quick healing. On a Critical Roll on their Death Save, they get 2 Hit Die instead. That means players who should’ve died can roll their Hit Die to get that mad dash of emergency HP to either run away or go out guns (swords) blazing with one last hurrah against the enemy.
Solasta: Crown of the Magisterwas released in 2020 on PC, Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S
