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Fizban’s Treasury of Dragons might be the perfect choice. Let’s delve into the draconic gifts it bestows!
A wizard channels the power of metallic dragons
Alt text: A spellcaster with glowing wings emanating from their back, channeling metallic dragon magic.
Understanding the Gift of the Metallic Dragon Mechanics
The Gift of the Metallic Dragon feat offers two distinct benefits that enhance both your survivability and your capacity to support your party:
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Draconic Healing: This boon grants you the cure wounds spell, a classic healing spell in D&D 5e. Crucially, you can cast cure wounds once per long rest without expending a spell slot. This provides a valuable, free heal in a pinch. Furthermore, you retain the flexibility to cast cure wounds using your regular spell slots, adding to your magical versatility. When you select this feat, you choose your spellcasting ability for cure wounds – Intelligence, Wisdom, or Charisma – allowing for seamless integration with various character builds. This feature is particularly advantageous for classes that lack inherent healing spells, such as Sorcerers, Wizards, and Warlocks, granting them a much-needed emergency healing option.
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Protective Wings: Manifesting spectral wings, this reaction-based ability is your defensive trump card. When you or an ally within 5 feet is targeted by an attack, you can use your reaction to conjure these wings. They provide a bonus to the target’s AC against that specific attack roll, equal to your proficiency bonus. This bonus can be the difference between a hit and a miss, potentially negating damage entirely. You can use this protective reaction a number of times equal to your proficiency bonus per long rest, offering consistent defensive utility throughout your adventuring day without depleting spell slots or other resources. While the AC bonus applies only to a single attack, unlike the shield spell which lasts until your next turn, Protective Wings scales with your proficiency bonus. This means at higher levels, the AC bonus can match and even exceed shield, offering scaling defensive power that grows with your character.
Is Gift of the Metallic Dragon a Strong Feat Choice?
In the landscape of D&D 5e feats, Gift of the Metallic Dragon occupies a solid niche. While it may not be universally considered a top-tier power feat, it earns a respectable B Tier rating, signifying its potential to significantly enhance specific character builds and party compositions.
The true strength of Gift of the Metallic Dragon lies in its supplementary nature. It augments your character with valuable healing and defensive capabilities without demanding heavy resource investment like spell slots for its core features. If your adventuring party is lacking a dedicated healer, the free cure wounds spell can be surprisingly impactful, providing crucial in-combat or out-of-combat healing.
However, the feat’s effectiveness is not uniform across all character types. Martial classes, while greatly benefiting from the Protective Wings for enhanced defense, might find the cure wounds spell less synergistic if they have low Intelligence, Wisdom, or Charisma scores, limiting its healing potential. Conversely, spellcasters, especially those without readily available healing options, can leverage both aspects of the feat effectively, using cure wounds to patch up allies and Protective Wings to deflect incoming attacks for themselves or their companions.
Class Synergies: Who Benefits Most from Metallic Dragon’s Gift?
To better understand if Gift of the Metallic Dragon is right for your character, let’s examine its synergy with different D&D 5e classes:
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Artificer: While Artificers already have cure wounds, the free daily casting and the added defensive layer of Protective Wings are still valuable additions. The feat provides extra flexibility and reinforces their support role.
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Barbarian: Barbarians, often front-line combatants, will greatly appreciate the Protective Wings to bolster their defenses, especially when facing multiple attackers. Although cure wounds cannot be cast while raging, it offers out-of-combat healing utility.
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Bard: Bards, often versatile support casters, can seamlessly integrate both aspects of this feat. Protective Wings provides a much-needed defensive reaction akin to shield, while the free cure wounds enhances their healing repertoire.
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Cleric: Similar to Bards, Clerics gain a defensive boost from Protective Wings, as they typically lack access to shield. While cure wounds is less impactful due to their existing healing spells, the free casting is still a bonus.
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Druid: Druids, like Clerics, will find Protective Wings a useful defensive addition. Cure wounds is less crucial, but the feat offers overall enhanced versatility.
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Fighter: Fighters in melee combat will find Protective Wings invaluable for mitigating damage. The cure wounds spell, especially when combined with Action Surge, can allow a Fighter to act as a surprising burst healer in emergencies, adding a tactical dimension to their combat role.
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Monk: Monks, often perceived as fragile, will greatly benefit from the AC boost provided by Protective Wings, improving their survivability in close combat. Cure wounds offers additional healing utility for themselves and allies.
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Paladin: Paladins, already proficient in support and defense, find solid synergy with this feat. Protective Wings acts as a pseudo-shield, and while cure wounds might be less impactful compared to Lay on Hands, it adds a free spell option and spell slot flexibility.
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Ranger: Rangers, especially ranged builds, might find less immediate benefit from Protective Wings, as they ideally avoid close-quarters combat. However, melee Rangers or those facing frequent melee engagements can still utilize the defensive reaction. Cure wounds is less critical due to their existing healing spells.
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Rogue: Rogues already possess Uncanny Dodge for damage reduction. While Protective Wings offers a different defensive approach, it might be less impactful than other feat choices for Rogues focused on evasion and damage. Cure wounds alone is unlikely to justify this feat for a Rogue.
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Sorcerer: Sorcerers, known for their powerful but fragile nature, can significantly benefit from both features. Protective Wings provides crucial defense, mitigating their squishiness. The free cure wounds offers valuable healing without depleting their limited spell slots, enhancing their survivability and support capacity.
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Warlock: Warlocks, often resource-conscious spellcasters, find great value in the free cure wounds and the defensive utility of Protective Wings. They typically lack access to shield, making Protective Wings a significant defensive upgrade.
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Wizard: Wizards, similar to Sorcerers, are glass cannons that can greatly appreciate the added defense and healing. Protective Wings helps them avoid damage, and the free cure wounds provides emergency healing without consuming precious spell slots, improving their resilience and party support.
Exploring Related Feat Options
If Gift of the Metallic Dragon isn’t quite the right fit, consider these related feats that offer alternative defensive or supportive benefits:
Magic Initiate Guide 5e
Magic Initiate allows you to gain access to spells from other classes, potentially granting healing spells or defensive spells like shield, offering customization for your character’s magical abilities.
Lucky Guide 5e
Lucky is a universally strong feat that provides general resilience and the ability to influence dice rolls, offering a broad form of “defense” against unfavorable outcomes in combat and beyond.
Resilient Guide 5e
Resilient allows you to gain proficiency in a saving throw of your choice, bolstering your defenses against specific types of threats, making you more durable against spells and effects that target those saves.
Tough Guide 5e
Tough simply increases your hit point maximum, providing a straightforward way to enhance your character’s survivability and ability to withstand damage in combat situations.
Conclusion: Embrace the Metallic Dragon’s Gift?
Gift of the Metallic Dragon is a feat that rewards characters seeking to blend support and defense into their builds. While not a universally essential feat, it offers valuable and scaling benefits, particularly for classes that can leverage both the free cure wounds and the Protective Wings effectively. If you envision your character as a protector, a benevolent force on the battlefield, or simply someone who values enhanced survivability and party support, then the Gift of the Metallic Dragon is a worthy feat to consider. Embrace the power of metallic dragons and let their benevolent magic empower your adventures!
