A Player's Guide to Feats - Magic Initiate
Only a few classes don't have access to spells, and they usually hit so hard they can do without them. That doesn't mean there aren't times when they envy the wizard. Watch them cast a magic missile while they stand in the back, well away from danger as stabbed in the face, and you'll start to wish you could cast spells. You see, the problem with being able to hit hard is that you get hit hard, too. After a while, no matter how tough you are, the constant pummeling takes its toll. If only for a round, the fighter/barbarian/rogue/monk probably thinks how nice it would be not to be in harm's way.
The Magic Initiate feat solves that problem. With this feat, anyone can cast magic. They may not be the most powerful of spells, but who cares? You're casting magic! It could be shooting a bad guy in the face with a magic missile or casting a healing spell on yourself to get back in the fight. However you want to use your newfound magic is up to you, so have at it.
As I discussed in the previous article, I'll also be looking at the new D&D (5.5e?, 6e?, just Dungeons & Dragons? I'm still not quite sure what to call it) version of the feat and how it compares to the 5th edition version. I have yet to decide on the formation, so your thoughts, dear readers, are appreciated.
What is the Magic Initiate Feat
5th Edition
Choose a class: bard, cleric, druid, sorcerer, warlock, or wizard. You learn two cantrips of your choice from that class’s spell list.
In addition, choose one 1st-level spell to learn from that same list. Using this feat, you can cast the spell once at its lowest level, and you must finish a long rest before you can cast it in this way again.
Your spellcasting ability for these spells depends on the class you chose: Charisma for bard, sorcerer, or warlock; Wisdom for cleric or druid; or Intelligence for wizard.
Player Handbook (2014)
New Edition
Origin Feat
You gain the following benefits.
Two Cantrips. You learn two cantrips of your choice from the Cleric, Druid, or Wizard spell list. Intelligence, Wisdom, or Charisma is your spellcasting ability for this feat’s spells (choose when you select this feat).Level 1 Spell. Choose a level 1 spell from the same list you selected for this feat’s cantrips. You always have that spell prepared. You can cast it once without a spell slot, and you regain the ability to cast it in that way when you finish a Long Rest. You can also cast the spell using any spell slots you have.
Spell Change. Whenever you gain a new level, you can replace one of the spell you chose for this feat with a different spell of the same level from the chosen spell list.
Repeatable. You can take this feat more than once,you must choose a different spell list each time.
Player’s Handbook (2024)
Dissecting the Feat
The 5th edition version was pretty straightforward. Pick a spellcaster type. Take two cantrips from their spell list. Then, take a 1st level spell and be able to cast it once per long rest. Eldritch blast is always a favorite cantrip for people to take. Magic missile, cure wounds, and for the lonely hero, find familiar are popular spells. If you're already a spellcaster, you get an extra spell to add to your list, which you can cast once for free.
This is an Origin feat in the new edition. If you don't know what that is, don't fret, I'm here to tell you. Now, everyone gets a starting feat. Your Background determines what feat it will be. The Origin feat is pre-set, so you don't get to pick from a list. In addition, your Ability Scores are now tied to your Background.
The Acolyte, Guide, and Sage start with the Magic Initiate feat. It makes sense, as the Acolyte is, for all intents and purposes, a cleric background, the Guide a ranger or druid, and the Sage a wizard. It's a little disappointing that it's not a background feat for a non-spell caster, but that symmetry wouldn't make sense.
The new edition taketh away, but you also get something in return. The bard, sorcerer, and warlock spell lists are no longer available via the feat. Sorry everyone, no more eldritch blast. What you do gain is the opportunity to swap out one of the spells at each level. It doesn't seem like much on the surface, but it can be pretty effective if used correctly.
For example, let's say your party is noticeably lacking in the power of healing. You can swap out whatever cleric spell you took from that list and grab cure wounds, or if you're picking from the druid list, there's the healing word spell. Sure, it's not much in the way of healing, but every little bit helps, especially when it doesn't cost you a precious spell slot. No matter what the edition, most people will not choose from the wizard spell list. We all know that Intelligence is people's go-to dump stat except for the wizard. It's hard to justify putting points into an ability you'll never need. Hopefully, you won't encounter creatures with psychic attacks.
The Magic Initiate Useability by Class
Artificer: The artificer is no more in the new edition. But if you’re playing 5e, it’s still not worth taking.
Barbarian: God, I wish I could recommend this feat to the Barbarian. It would be hilarious to see them drop their rage to cast the friends cantrip. Unfortunately, it makes no sense to tell you it’s a good choice because:
a. Barbarians can’t cast spells when raging, which is sorta of their thing.
b. There are a lot of other feats better suited for this class.
c. Constitution & Strength are where they dump all their ability points.
Bard: The jack-of-all-trades Bard could use the feat to augment their own spell list. While I wouldn’t say no outright, it’s far down the list of feats the bard should consider.
Cleric: In the new edition, they may want to consider taking the Acolyte as their background, therefore obtaining the feat during character creation. Beyond that, it feels kind of meh.
Druid: Same as the cleric, but if you took the Guide background.
Fighter: There are, for sure, better feats for a fighter to take, but you should give the Magic Initiate feat a look. As I’ve discussed above, cure wounds from the cleric and druid spell lists should always be under consideration. Healing word is a bonus action, so you can still hit someone or something with your sword. Longstrider, a criminally underused spell, lasts an hour and lets you get face-to-face quicker. Finally, the best reason for the fighter to take the feat is the shield spell. You don’t have to worry about any type of spell-casting ability check. It gives you +5 AC till the start of your next turn and is a Reaction. I love everything about that, as should you.
Monk: There’s some definite appeal here, but it’s less than the fighter and much less than the rogue. Unless you want to drill down to figure out how to complement your punching power with magic, it’s not worth taking.
Paladin: You’ve already got a bunch of cool spells. Not worth taking.
Ranger: Not worth taking.
Rogue: One spell is all I need to believe this is a good to great feat for the rogue. Entangle is a fantastic spell to take. A 20-foot radius of potential restrained victims should make you drool with the possibilities. There’s also the command spell (fall prone on your suggestion), expeditious retreat (run away), fog cloud (hide), and sleep (unconscious and soon to be the victim of a sneak attack).
Sorcerer: Sure, you get more spells, but is it worth taking? It is not.
Warlock: See Sorcerer
Wizard: You’ve already got most of the most powerful spells in the game at your fingertips. Don’t be greedy. Not worth taking.
Conclusion
Is the Magic Initiate feat worth taking? It will probably not be in either edition. There needed to be more than the changes made to push it into a feat worth taking, regardless of your class. But remember, if your barbarian really wants a familiar, this gives you the ability for them to have a little frog friend.
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Art Credit - WotC
