To say that character creation in Dungeons and Dragons is everything, may be a bit of an understatement. (In most cases) We take our time, we pour our hearts into a concept we came up with, or were inspired by. We try to nail down as many little details as possible, crafting our character sheet into a "living, breathing" avatar of our expectations. As with time, D&D has evolved, and character generation has never been more detailled or involved.
Feats. Perks. Benefits. An advantage following from a job or situation. But with the VAST list of feats in the D&D universe, what are the TOP ones (in MY opinion, please hold nerdrage for 2d6 minutes after reading, roll for save vs holding your breath if you disagree) for each class? No one asked, and the universe answers....
This will pertain to D&D 5e, if there was any question, and while you are free to debate these choices, no one can ever hear the sound of one hand clapping. Seriously, ever.
Barbarian
Do you find yourself pissed off at everything and anything? Do you tend to resolve disputes by completely flattening an area with the largest object you can wield? Do you enjoy the benefits of copious amounts of hit points? Then you, are indeed a Barbarian. Rage, raw power and devastation. These are the hallmarks of the class, and to, that goes perfectly paired with...
Great Weapon Master
(Stop it, don't cry, don't do it.) For the LOW, LOW, price of a -5 attack penalty (COME BACK HERE, I'M NOT DONE), you can add +10 damage to your next attack roll. And not to mention if the Barbarian has advantage, the penalty pretty much disappears, plus add your Rage to all this, and you have some serious damage output that scales at higher levels. I can hear the sounds of thousands of (non-Barb) triggered players, crying out in pain, somewhere....
Bard
The Swiss Army Knife of D&D characters. When built correctly, can literally fill the role of any other class in the party. Plus add in some sweet tunes, and a penchant for getting into romantic debacles (your RP may vary), and you have what I believe is the most versatile class in the game. So what feat could possibly tower over all the others, to lend itself to this title?
Inspiring Leader
(Yes, yes, the boos, I LOVE IT) You grant your party additional temporary hit points by inspiring them for 10 minutes. Choose 6 party members within 30 feet (including yourself, calm down), that can see or hear you and understand you. Everyone then gets additional HP equal to you level plus your Charisma modifier. And then, after the party takes a short rest, you can do it again!
Cleric
Skilled in combat and the use of divine magic, the Cleric is a vessel of their deity's benevolance /malevolance in the D&D universe. Each Cleric's spells and equipment are heavily dependent upon their deity. Choosing this feat, far easier than choosing a deity to follow, just sayin....
War Caster
(This is likely cheating for purposes of the list, but I think veteran Clerics might agree)While this is really geared more toward combat-driven Clerics, few can argue that the CON save to keep your concentration while casting isn't valuable (Because in reality, people love to argue about EVERYTHING. I digress). This also works well with their cantrips. Not to mention that if, say, one was get another feat named Magic Initiate, and then perhaps picked up the cantrip Booming Blade, you get some sweet damage, early on (YOU KNOW YOU LOVE IT, OP OR NOT!).
Druid
Originally a sub-class of the Cleric, the Druid has "wildly" evolved into its own class. Considering themselves as extensions of nature, and/or the deities associated with it, the Druid class can be near-forces of nature themselves, or choose to take on traits of various members of the animal kingdom. Neutral doesn't mean ineffective. Sure, they may be smelly, irrational hippies, but they're effective, smelly, irrational hippies, and you will learn to respect their authority (#Cartman).
Natural Spell
This stands out to me, probably more so than any other feat for this class. Most likely because it allows you to cast spells while in a wild shape. No, you can't cast every single spell you'd want, but there is a nice list. And say if you had the Eschew Materials feat as well, you could broaden the utilization further, you freaking majestic, spell-casting Giant Eagle, you. 'MURICA!
Fighter
Your staple combat class. So many options, so many directions to go in, and all the weapons, ALL OF THEM!!! Plus as little or as much armor as you want (Don't be bashful, just bash). The Day One, OG, combat mamma jamma. The sheer diversity surrounding this class is going to make Feat selection a little more varied (I don't need your adoration, I just need your attention).
Durable
What does everyone really need besides a Dancing Vorpal Blade of Protection +5 and an Undead Beholder mount? More hit points, obviously – this feat allows you to increase your CON by 1 up to 20, AND when you roll die for healing you gain the roll plus TWICE your CON modifier (for a minimum of 2). Without getting more class/kit specific, this is your generic best kids, tell your dad. Also ask him about getting you that sweet Undead Beholder mount....
Monk
Masters of unarmored and unarmed combat, don't be fooled by their spirituality, they will mess you up. Monastic traditions just completely take this class and make them so much more fun to play/RP. And, if your party is thrown in prison, there may be no better individual suited to breaking you out, than one that needs no real equipment to kick ass (Spellcasters, Druids and Rogues (I don't care where you hid that lockpick) are gonna hate, but they have to acknowledge the truth).
Tough
If you didn't learn from the Fighter entry, when we're talking generic class Feats that benefit across the board, for my money, here it's Tough. Your hit point maximum increases by +2 per level. This applies retroactively, as well as to every level you gain afterward. Think about it, if you're Monking, you know it's the right choice – step into my dojo!
Paladin
Powered by their commitment to justice, as well as their deity, Paladins are THE holy warriors in D&D. With access to a great many weapons and armor, coupled with spell-like abilities, Pallys are both a challenging and rewarding class to play. And while I'm mad that my DM would never let me play as an Anti-Paladin, I won't take that out on you here, or the stupid feat....
Heavy Armor Master
Pretty straight forward choice here for the Holy Steamrollers. Gain +1 to STR to a max of 20. AND THEN...when you actually wear heavy armor, you take 3 less damage from all bludgeoning, slashing and piercing damage from non-magical weapons. Is there a better choice? I'm not slapping "Lucky" on every class here....
Ranger
Hunters, trackers, guides and Robin Hood evolution, Rangers are the first line of defense against outlying threats in the frontier. With combat skills suited to match their chosen enemies, Rangers are a formidable edition to any party. Throw in some spells to assist in their arsenal, and it's clear why Rangers are such a force to be reckoned with.
Mobile
Yes, Mobile. Your speed increases by 10'. When you use dash, difficult terrain does not cost extra action. When you make a melee attack against a creature, you don't provoke opportunity attacks from that creature for the rest of the turn, whether you hit or not. If you don't think closing that gap between you and your prey quickly isn't 100% Ranger stuff, what are you even doing.
Rogue
Oh, you amazing, greedy, sneaky, murdery effers, you. The epitome of stealth and a veritable wealth of skills that no party should ever be without, much like, you know, A HEALER... Rogues enjoy being a staple to every party, but what is THE staple feat that makes the class that much better?
Lucky (YEAH YEAH, YOU KNEW IT WOULD BE SOMEWHERE)
You have 3 luck points. Whenever you make an attack roll, ability check, or saving throw, you may spend 1 luck point to roll an additional d20. You can use this ability after the original roll, but before the outcome is revealed. You choose which of the d20s is used for the attack roll, ability check, or saving throw.You can also spend one luck point when an attack roll is made against you. Roll a d20, and choose whether the attacker's roll uses their d20 roll or yours.If multiple creatures use a luck point on the same roll, they cancel out, resulting in no additional dice.You regain expended luck points when you finish a long rest.
Sorcerer
Sorcerers are more or less beings of magic, whereas other classes learn over the course of a lifetime, Sorcerers have always been magical. Then there's that sweet, sweet Metamagic. Between cantrips, spells and the customization of Metagmagic, Sorcerers may be the 'cool kids' of the casting classes.
Spell Sniper
When you cast a spell that requires a ranged attack roll, the spell's range is doubled.Your ranged spell attacks ignore half cover and three-quarters cover.You learn a single cantrip that requires an attack roll based on your CHA (your primary stat). Just increase your badassery and trust me here.
Warlock
By creating a pact with a powerful entity, Warlocks skipped ahead in the learning process in exchange for a level of servitude. They have a more limited amount of spell slots, so choose wisely. For me, this is one of the best classes that has RP built into it.
Warcaster (YES AGAIN, DON'T QUESTION ME, JUST READ)
You have advantage on Constitution saves that you make to maintain concentration on a spell when you take damage.You can perform the somatic components of spells even when you have weapons or a shield in one or both hands.When a hostile creature's movement provokes an opportunity attack from you, you can use your reaction to cast a spell at the creature, instead of making an opportunity attack. The spell must have a casting time of only 1 action and must target only that creature. It just helps to keep that concentration, no matter what.
Wizards
Wizards are supreme magic-users. They can conjure elementals from other planes of existence, glimpses the future, or turns slain foes into shambling zombies. Some of their best spells change one substance into another or alter a creature’s form, open pathways to other planes of existence, or even kill with a single word. When you think magic-user, it's not racist, but we know you mean Wizard....
Warcaster (OH MY GOD, ARE YOU SERIOUS??!?!?)
It's not a lazy choice. If you really don't believe that having advantage on Constitution saves that you make, to maintain concentration on a spell when you take damage, isn't helpful to a spellcaster, have you even played one? If you really don't believe that performing the somatic components of spells, even when you have weapons or a shield in one or both hands, isn't incredibly helpful, are you wasting the time to put the stuff away, or do you just throw things to the ground alot? And finally, help ME understand, that it's not amazing that when a hostile creature's movement provokes an opportunity attack from you, you can use your reaction to cast a spell at the creature, instead of making an opportunity attack. Yes. It's on here 3 times, and it's justified, based on basic class performance enhancement.
