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Forgotten Realms: Heroes of Faerun adds several new origin feats for players to select in their Dungeons & Dragons games. Origin feats are granted at the start of your character’s adventure and give a small boost that makes sense based on their background and origin before they become an adventurer.
These feats don’t increase ability scores like typical feats but offer various benefits to help your character explore Faerun and the wider Forgotten Realms. Heroes of Faerun introduces even more origin feat options, which we rank to highlight the most useful choices.
Each origin feat is assigned to a tier based on how practical it is. This depends on whether the feat can stand alone, if it requires pairing with a specific class, or if it’s worth considering at all.
S-Tier origin feats are the best options; they function well without prerequisites and are overall very useful.
A-Tier feats are good but require some effort to maximize. They may have strengths but also some drawbacks.
B-Tier feats are mediocre and usually not worth investing in unless in a particular situation; better options are often available.
S-Tier
These are excellent options regardless of your character or background. They work well with any build and provide strong starting benefits.
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Purple Dragon Rook: If you select this feat and don’t already have proficiency in Insight or Persuasion, gaining it is a big plus. Plus, you get a free Heroic Inspiration after each initiative roll, which can give your party a free reroll during combat depending on your proficiency bonus.
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Tyro of the Gauntlet: The ready action is often overlooked. With this feat, even without a trigger, attacks against you have disadvantage, and you can prevent an ally within 5 feet from being pushed or pulled. This can be lifesaving, and there are no negative aspects to this feat.
A-Tier
While these feats are generally good, they work better in certain scenarios. Some have minor unnecessary features but are still worthwhile overall.
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Emerald Enclave Fledgling: Speaking with animals is useful but can be achieved through other means. However, the ability to switch places with an ally using the Help action — without provoking opportunity attacks — is very valuable. This movement ability is limited to an ally within 5 feet and only activated when needed most.
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Lord’s Alliance Agency: Gifting Heroic Inspiration to an ally within 30 feet is helpful, but you only do so if you land a critical hit, which can be a drawback. Additionally, you gain advantage against an enemy if they have dealt damage to an ally within 5 feet, which is easier to trigger and is especially useful for melee characters.
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Zhentarim Ruffian: The ability to roll damage twice and pick the better result is powerful, particularly during opportunity attacks. Giving allies advantage on initiative rolls is also nice but requires Heroic Inspiration, and the prerequisites make this feat slightly less accessible.
B-Tier
These feats are modest and are generally less useful than other options in Faerun. They have some niche application but often are outperformed by better feats.
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Cult of the Dragon Initiate: Learning Draconic or another language is convenient but easily replaced. The ability to use a magic action to potentially frighten an enemy lasts only until the end of your next turn, and if the target succeeds on a saving throw, they are immune for 24 hours. Gaining Heroic Inspiration is a nice perk, but the feat itself isn’t particularly compelling.
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Harper Agent: Knowing Thieves’ Cant is interesting but redundant if your party already has a rogue. Instrument proficiency can be obtained elsewhere. The ability to use the Help action from up to 30 feet away, as opposed to 5 feet, is useful but not a huge advantage since it’s a common feature available at shorter ranges.
These rankings help players decide which origin feats best suit their characters, enabling more strategic choices when creating their adventurers in the Forgotten Realms.
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