The role of a support character may not be the most glamorous one in Dungeons & Dragons, but it is incredibly important in increasing a party’s odds of survival. Using all the abilities, spells, and feats at a character’s disposal is key to getting the most out of this role as well as making it more fun to play.
While class abilities and spells tend to make up most of a supporter’s repertoire, there are a few feats available that can either bolster those elements of the character or provide additional options that can be particularly useful in certain situations.
8 Slasher Can Reduce The Target’s Moving Speed
Dealing damage may not be the role of a typical support character, but hindering the enemy can be. Slasher is a feat that gives a bonus to characters wielding slashing weapons that allows them to reduce a target’s movement speed by 10 feet on a successful hit, as well as giving them disadvantage on attack rolls if they are struck by a critical hit.
This feat might do just as well in the hands of a more combat-focused character, but for a sword-wielding cleric who helps hold the frontline, it could still come in handy. Weakening and slowing the enemy can often mean the difference between a good and bad round of combat, so feats and abilities of this nature shouldn’t be completely overlooked for support characters.
7 The Healer Is An Essential Role
One of the most important roles in any party, and often the one thought of first when discussing support characters, is that of the healer. In D&D, characters are almost certainly going to take damage throughout the campaign, and there might not always be enough time to take a short or long rest to deal recuperate those hit points.
The Healer feat can mitigate this somewhat, granting the character a few extra bonuses when using Healer’s Kits. While this might not compare to magical forms of healing, it is a nice option if the party doesn’t have a dedicated healer, though its usefulness does taper quickly at higher levels.
6 Bountiful Luck Is A Halfling Boon
A halfling’s Lucky ability is something that can certainly come in handy, particularly for character builds that aren’t built for toughness. Being able to reroll 1’s can make a big difference at key moments, even in campaigns that don’t use critical fail homebrew rules.
The Bountiful Luck feat essentially allows a Halfling to provide this bonus to their allies using their reaction, which can make the difference between a failed save and potential doom, or a successful strike that slays an enemy. Unfortunately, it is only available to Halflings, but for any support character that fits that prerequisite, it is certainly an option to consider.
5 Sentinel Provides Crucial Support
While the Sentinel feat may be geared more towards combat characters, for supporters who also fight in melees, such as a heavily armored Cleric or Paladin, this is also a great option. In the end, a support role is meant to bolster and protect allies, and this feat can provide that ability.
This feat essentially allows the character to ground any incoming enemies and prevent them from getting past. Why this is particularly useful for support characters is that its main abilities are used as reactions, leaving their actions free on their turn to provide healing or buffs to their allies.
4 Inspiring Leader Provides More Than Appears At First Glance
While morale might not necessarily feature in the mechanics of a typical Dungeons & Dragons game, it can play a large part in the roleplaying elements of the game. Inspiring Leader is a feat that brings the two together, offering a leader-type character the chance to roleplay their position while also offering a mechanical advantage for their party.
The basis of the feat is that during a short rest, a player can provide a rousing speech that gives up to six creatures temporary hit points equal to the player’s charisma modifier plus their level. This bonus can be greater than it might appear at first glance, potentially providing hundreds of extra hit points throughout a typical adventure, even at lower levels.
3 Martial Adept Makes For A Strong Ally
It might seem counterintuitive that a feat based around a Fighter class ability would be a strong option for support characters, but Martial Adept’s access to maneuvers allows for some powerful bonuses to any supporting role.
Some of the standout maneuvers useful for a support character are Rally, Commander’s Strike, Bait and Switch, and Distracting Strike. Using these abilities provides another option in combat as well, potentially saving spell slots and bolstering a character’s allies to the detriment of their enemies.
2 Magic Initiate Is A Versatile Feat
Magic Initiate as a whole is among one of the best feats in the game, not necessarily because it is powerful but because of its incredible versatility. Allowing any character to select two cantrips and a 1st-level spell from any of the main spellcaster classes, the possibilities to work this into almost any build are endless.
Support characters can make great use of this feat as well, allowing characters who already have access to magic to draw on spells from other classes, and non-casters to add a few bits of magic to their own abilities. There are dozens of incredibly useful support cantrips and 1st-level spells, so finding something to complement any particular build should be no trouble.
1 War Caster Provides A Helping Hand
Key to any support character that uses magic is their ability to maintain concentration, which many buffing and battlefield control spells require. For casters using these types of spells, the War Caster feat is one of the best options available.
The main advantage of this feat is granting advantage on Constitution saving throws to maintain concentration, which can make a huge difference in battle. The added bonus of being able to cast spells with weapons or a shield in both hands is also quite useful, as is the ability to use a spell instead of a melee attack when a creature incurs an attack of opportunity.
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