Story Feats

A story feat reflects a goal, often an all-consuming one, that shapes your life. Each story feat incorporates a trigger event (which comes from either a campaign occurrence or your background), an immediate benefit, a goal, and a completion benefit for achieving that goal. Each feat has at least two possible prerequisites, representing conditions most likely met during play or a background that fits the feat (see Backgrounds). You need to meet only one of these prerequisites. Anytime you gain a new feat, you may take a story feat, but you can have only one uncompleted story feat at a time. Unlike typical feats, story feats have nebulous prerequisites, and you should chose one only after talking with the DM. This will allow them to weave a story feat into the greater story of the campaign and even adjust it as needed to fit the campaign’s long-term goals and the specifics of your background. Story feats should work organically within the story of the campaign, rather than be chosen purely for their mechanical benefits. Like the prerequisites, the completion conditions for a story feat might require DM adjudication; Establishing a meaningful story arc is more important than adhering to the letter of the feat. Because a story feat represents both your motivation and character development, elements related to the feat will be incorporated into the ongoing campaign. These can be direct elements, like the appearance of a villain or hated creature, or indirect elements, such as rumors of the fate of a lost relative or NPCs who are impressed by a PC’s artistic endeavors. In most cases, allies can assist in completing a story feat. At the DM’s discretion, if you do not take a leadership role in tasks or conflicts related to your own story feat, you might need to complete additional goals to resolve the story feat, or might even be denied completion altogether.

Common Rules

Many story feats share similar terminology in their prerequisites and completion conditions. The following terms have special meanings when used in story feats. Appropriate Number: This number can vary significantly depending on many factors, such as the relative challenge of the creatures to you, or the prevalence of that creature in the world. This number will ultimately be up to DM discretion, but you should be given a rough idea of scale when the feat is taken. Challenging Foe: This is a foe or group of foes who represent a significant challenge to the party, regardless of level, and is often well beyond the expected capabilities of a low level party. Decisively Defeat: You overcome a foe in some way, such as by killing the creature, knocking it Unconscious, or causing it to be taken prisoner. You must be a significant participant in the conflict to defeat the opponent, even if another strikes the final blow. Whether or not merely causing the enemy to flee qualifies is up to the DM. Generally, driving off an enemy while causing little actual harm does not qualify as a decisive defeat. Slay: Slaying a foe includes killing it, destroying it, turning it to stone, banishing it to the Abyss, or otherwise eliminating it in a fashion reversible only by powerful magic. Unless otherwise noted, you must deal the final blow yourself to slay a creature. Thwart: Distinct from defeating a foe, thwarting a foe involves disrupting its plans in a substantial and essentially permanent fashion. Deposing a lord, bringing down a priest’s temple, or banishing a sorcerer to the depths of Hell all qualify as thwarting. You keep any benefits gained by thwarting a foe even if it survives defeat and returns more powerful than before. You must be a significant participant in the events that lead to your foe being thwarted for your actions to count toward fulfilling a story requirement.