d30 OSR Shadowdark feats: Fighters

I love Shadowdark--it's lean, it's elegant, it's evocative.  Everything you need from a fungeon crawl, nothing you don't.  But coming to the OSR from a perspective of loving multi-classing (my favorite addition to ADnD) and CRPG talent trees, I was wondering if I could add some character customization back to Shadowdark without breaking the game.  

Feats seemed like a good place to start.  I checked out published OSR feats, but apart from the few I could find for OSE, most seemed overpowered for OSR play, adapted from DnD 3e and 5e without scaling the power back to mere-human OSR levels.

So, inspired by the number of potential feats across DnD- and OSR-dom, I came up with "badass normal", OSR-compatible feats for Shadowdark.  I noticed that when leveling up in Shadowdark, every other level you do not roll for a Talent.  In my games, I now allow players the option to take Feats every even level (2nd, 4th, 6th, 8th, and 10th).  PCs with Feats will be stronger than PCs without, of course.  Throw them in more trouble!

Optionally, players may substitute Feats for Talent rolls on level up (although Feats are generally weaker, by design). Feats may also be given out as a form of treasure.  

In designing these feats for Shadowdark, care was taken not to overlap existing base class abilities or spells.  These feats can be easily converted to other OSR games.

Below you will find 30 dangerous Feats for Fighters. Enjoy!

Feats followed by a * may be taken more than once. Any class restrictions on feats are included in the Feat name, with [Brackets].

Fighter Feats

1- Berserker: Enter rage on your turn: +1 to melee hit and damage, immune to fear and pain. Can’t heal or help allies; if an ally injures you they are an enemy during the rage. Lasts 1 minute. End it early with a Hard WIS check (DC 15).

2- Blind Fighter: In darkness, after an enemy hits you in melee, you have no penalty for your next melee attack against them if they stay in that location.

3- Combat Reflexes: Once per combat, make one free attack against a CLOSE foe who misses you in melee.  This attack can be on their turn.

4- Cry Havoc: Once per fight, make a CHA check vs foes’ Morale DC (Hard or Extreme). Success = all attacks vs terrified foes gain Advantage for 1 round.

5- Cleave: Kill a foe, or roll a Nat 20? Make a free melee attack on another Close enemy. 

6- Deflect Missiles: On your turn, pick one: A) Actively defend, gaining +1 AC vs ranged attacks you can see coming, or B) Focus, subtracting 1d4 from the damage of the first ranged attack to hit you each round.  

7- Desperate Strength: If you fall to half HP or less, gain +1 to damage until the end of combat.

8- Favored Enemy*: +1 to hit and damage vs a selected enemy type (Hobgoblin, Orc, etc).  May be taken again for a different enemy, or same.

9- Feint: 1/day, turn a hit on you into a miss. Next round, your melee attack gains Advantage.

10- Fight dirty*:  After a successful attack, you can make a DEX check to blind, deafen, trip, or disarm foes.  Succeed or fail, your initial damage is halved (round down).  Effects (determined by the GM) last until the end of the enemy’s turn unless they take an action or a move to end the effect. May be taken again for +1 on DEX check.

11- Focused Fire: Use your action to aim. If you don’t move after aiming, gain Advantage on your next ranged attack.

12- Guardian: If you are Close to an opponent you are attacking, they have -1 to hit targets other than you with melee attacks.  Once per fight, use your action to take a hit for an adjacent ally.

13- Improved Critical: You inflict critical hits on 19 or 20 with a weapon.

14- Inspiring Leader: All the fighter’s allies within Near gain a +1 bonus to Morale and fear checks.

15- Mounted Fighter: +1 to hit and damage while mounted.

16- Nobody Tosses a Dwarf: Throw any weapon to Near range, without penalty.

17- Off-hand Fighter: If your off hand is free to hold a second one-handed weapon, you may attack with it.  Make one attack like normal. Roll the damage dice for both weapons,  and take the higher number for your two-weapon attack damage.

18- Parry: If your off hand is free to hold a dagger (or other versatile weapon), parry with it. Each round, on your turn pick: +1 to hit or +1 AC.

19- Precision Strike: Take -1 to your damage roll to gain +1 to hit.   

20- Rapidshot: 1/round, on a natural 19 or 20, fire a second ranged shot. 

21- Reckless Attack: Take -1 to hit for +1 melee damage.

22- Second Effort: Once per fight, reroll damage on an attack.

23- Shieldwall: Gain shield use. If already trained, once per fight reduce damage by shield bonus + STR mod for 1 round.

24- Shields will be Splintered: Once per combat, you can destroy your own shield to block all damage from one melee hit.

25- Tactician: You and allies CLOSE to you get +1 on Initiative rolls.

26- Veteran’s Eye [Fighter]: Once per day, ask the GM what a foe’s tactics or weakness might be. If you get an answer, it’s true; if you don’t get one, use it again later.  

27- Weapon Expertise*: +1 to hit with a chosen weapon. Repeatable with different weapons.

28- Weapon Specialist*: +1 damage with a chosen weapon. Requires Weapon Expertise, repeatable with different weapons.

29- Whirlwind Attack: Hit all CLOSE enemies with one melee attack. Divide damage among them.

30- Wrestler: You are a wrestling madman: +2 to all STR or DEX checks to shove, pin, or restrain foes (or avoid the same).  

These feats have not all been playtested.  If you playtest them and/or have feedback, please email thorn@dreamshrike.com or comment below, and thank you!

Changelog: Deflect Missiles and Fight Dirty have been updated to be more dynamic and interesting.