A Player's Guide to Feats - Bountiful Luck
The Bountiful Luck feat is fascinating and mighty, and you should always consider it. This does not mean it is a feat for everyone, as only a particular type of player will take it. Confused? Don’t be. While the feat is useable by every class, its full potential can only be realized in the hands of that unicorn player - the support.
What is the Bountiful Luck Feat?
The Bountiful Luck feat spreads the love, or should I say luck, that comes with being a halfling. Hopefully, this tempers some of the latent jealousy people feel towards the halfling’s innate luck and those that take the Lucky feat.
Your people have extraordinary luck, which you have learned to mystically lend to your companions when you see them falter. You’re not sure how you do it; you just wish it, and it happens. Surely a sign of fortune’s favor!
When an ally you can see within 30 feet of you rolls a 1 on the d20 for an attack roll, an ability check, or a saving throw, you can use your reaction to let the ally reroll the die. The ally must use the new roll.
When you use this ability, you can’t use your Lucky racial trait before the end of your next turn.
Xanathar’s Guide to Everything
Dissecting the Feat
The Bountiful Luck feat’s description is short and sweet, but there’s still much to unpack. First off, the feat requires you to play a halfling. It’s an obvious play on the halfling’s natural luck and makes total sense. I’ve read a few articles where people have an issue with the 30-foot range and that you must be able to see the character. I’m not sure what people are expecting. 30 feet is a standard range for any number of spells, so it’s the proper distance for the feat. Line of sight is always critical, forcing players to think about battlefield positioning. You’ll now have to turn the corner to help the barbarian with their death saves when you hear his dying scream as he falls to the ground. Neither of these should ever prevent you from taking the feat.
The feat requires you to use your Reaction, which is good. Reactions should be more utilized in the 5th edition, especially for a supporting character. One more use for a Reaction should always be viewed as a positive, and in the case of the Bountiful Luck feat, it’s a compelling way to use your Reaction.
What makes the feat so powerful is that you can decide to use it after seeing the roll. I can’t overstate how amazing this is. Whether using it to re-roll a potential killing blow or on a comrade’s death save, you can wait until a critical time to share your luck with a friend.
Using the feat negates your ability to use the halfling’s Lucky trait, which is why I’ve stressed this feat being primarily for the support role character. Given this limitation, it’s hard for many to get past the “me first” mentality that comes with wanting to hit things with a sword, and melee-focused players will scratch this feat from their lists. But there is the potential to be an even bigger rockstar because the possibility to use the feat twice in a round exists. Since you are using your Reaction, you must wait until your turn ends to use the feat again. However, if you go in the middle of the initiative, you could use the feat on someone at the beginning of the round, then after your turn has come and gone, use it again if all your friends are rolling like crap.
Something that could help make the feat more enticing in One D&D would be to include a stat bonus. A +1 to Dexterity would encourage more players to take the feat, regardless of their play style. This would also put it on par with the Luck feat in terms of its power, and we all know how much GMs love the Luck Feat.
The Bountiful Luck Feat Useability by Class
It's easy to say there isn't a single class where this feat is not worth taking. That's not totally true. In the right hands, the Bountiful Luck feat is uber good. In others, there are better options.
Artificer: A lot of potential here. The artificer can play a tank, a DPS, or a supporting character, so it will depend on the role you are fulfilling in the party. The feat can be used effectively even if you play a tank role and go the armorer route. You're built to take damage, so withstanding a barrage of blows can be done while saving your friend. The artificer does have a use for their Reaction, flash of genius, which they gain at the 7th level. Adding your Intelligence modifier to an ability check or a saving throw is nice, but when you know the bonus won't work when your ally rolls a 1, Bountiful Luck can be the difference between life and death.
Barbarian: Most barbarian paths have a use for their Reaction, and besides, the barbarian is there to hit things. They save their party by killing monsters, not through luck. Not worth taking.
Bard: Half of Bard colleges have a use for their Reaction. I still say the bard is a hard "YES" for this feat. Being the ultimate skill monkey class, the bard's flexibility and ability to do many things make it the Bountiful Luck feat, a perfect addition to the long list of bard skills.
Cleric: Unless you're going war cleric, you should seriously consider taking this feat. You may argue that I'm just piling on the poor cleric, giving the party one more thing to yell at them about, begging for heals being the first thing. But many players, myself included, play the cleric as the primary support. The Bountiful Luck feat is just one more way to help out the party.
Druid: Limited Reaction makes the druid a good candidate for the Bountiful Luck feat. While you may not be able to cast spells in Wild Shape, you can use the feat. It's an excellent option for every halfling druid out there.
Fighter: Not worth taking.
Monk: Their mobility makes this feat a good choice. Their heavy reliance on Reactions to effectively maximize the class makes it a poor choice. I'd opt against taking this feat and focus on punching a kicking your way to victory.
Paladin: Paladins should pass on this feat, focusing on making a melee attack, followed up with a smite, then using their bonus action to use a smite spell. It's all about the damage potential for these folks.
Ranger: A well-balanced ranger could benefit from this feat. Most of their archetypes already have a use for their Reaction, but keep that from dissuading you. Rangers aren't typically front-line fighters but are closer than the wizard, shooting off fireballs from 150 feet away. This allows them to use their Reaction from a safe distance while still being effective with their attacks.
Rogue: Another class that comes down to the role they decide to take. Rogues that love to get in, make a melee attack, then slink into the shadows will only want to use their reactions to save themselves. I don't blame them. A rogue who goes the sharpshooter path should consider the Bountiful Luck feat, as they can help someone without worrying as much about needing their Luck racial trait.
Sorcerer: Not worth taking. Too many ways to use their Reaction already.
Warlock: Some patrons provide their vassals with use for their Reaction, but only a few. A warlock will be standing in the back row next to the wizard casting eldritch blast, putting them out of range of the melee heroes who need the feat the most. It's a decent feat choice, but you'll probably want to explore other options.
Wizard: See Warlock, but cowering behind a boulder.
Conclusion
A fantastic feat that isn't given enough love, the Bountiful Luck feat is something every player should take a long look at. Could it be improved upon in One D&D? Possibly, but it's already quite powerful. Check out the feat when you have a chance, if for no other reason than to convince the halfling in the party to grab the feat as soon as possible.
If you like our articles, love Homebrew, and are looking for a fun and active community to talk about all things D&D, consider supporting us on Patreon. Below are some of the benefits we offer:
Access to our Homebrew Horde with over 500 items and counting!
Vote on upcoming Deep Deep topics
Step by Step assistance in creating your own homebrew
Early access to Deep Dive and Rewind Articles
Free download of every item in the Dump Stat Store
Exclusive audio from our new YouTube Deep Dive series
Art Credit - Larry Elmore, from the Mentzer D&D Basic Rules Set: Players Manual, TSR, 1983.
