Talk:Free Diver (5e Feat)

Quality Article Nomination

This article is a current quality article nominee as of 01:26, 7 February 2023 (MST). Quality articles exemplify D&D Wiki's very best work, and therefore must meet the quality article criteria. Please discuss the page's merits below.

There is a distinct lack of non-magical ways for characters to become effective at doing things underwater, and the magical ways aren't available at low levels. This feat could provide some much-needed flavor options for characters that spend a lot of time in/near the water, but are not of amphibious races. --Kappatechy (talk) 01:26, 7 February 2023 (MST)

• Support — I love how much this feat does to make you feeling like you are a better diver/swimmer and just better at being underwater in general. My only slight concern is that it provides a bit too much as a half feat, but really the effects provided are a bit niche, so it seems overall good.
• Support — Fills a fun niche with some interesting comboing with Control Water. Could probably do without the weapon proficiency, but that's just a wrinkle.--Ref3rence (talk) 18:22, 14 January 2024 (MST)

• Oppose — I like the flavor and the niche, but it feels a bit too overloaded. +1 ASI and four weapon proficiencies immediately puts it on the same level as weapon master (which, okay, I'm aware is widely regarded as bad), and then it gets three actually useful bullet features. Unless we're actively acknowledging a shift in the 5e feat design paradigm on the wiki, I'm going to oppose. --ZarHakkar (talk) 02:17, 17 January 2024 (MST)
  • While I can understand the comparison with Weapon Master, I do not feel that this feat is on the same level as that one. Weapon Master allows the player to choose which of two ability scores to give a +1 to, and pick out the best set of weapon proficiencies for their character. This feat grants a very specific set of proficiencies, half of which aren't even... good. Tridents are literally the same weapon as spears-- which most classes get proficiency with anyway-- only heavier, more expensive, and a little harder to be proficient with. And it's impossible to attack with a net without disadvantage. These specific weapon proficiencies are the same ones granted as a racial bonus to Sea Elves, who also get a full-blown Swim Speed (meaning none of their melee weapon attacks suffer disadvantage underwater, regardless of the weapon type) and can breathe both air and water (meaning they cannot drown, and can cast underwater just fine). The "three actually useful bullet features" are also only situationally useful, requiring the presence of water to even do anything, and all are outclassed by fairly low-level magic options. Alter Self is a 2nd-level spell that can grant the caster underwater breathing and a swim speed at the cost of concentration, while Water Breathing grants up to ten creatures the ability to breathe underwater for an entire day as a 3rd-level ritual spell. This feat really isn't that strong by comparison. It doesn't even grant a proper Swim Speed, it just removes the movement penalty for travelling through water. It was very carefully worded to not grant all the benefits a Swim Speed grants. --Kappatechy (talk) 02:58, 17 January 2024 (MST)