Aerial & Underwater Combat – New Feat Options

The many Realms of Veneon are diverse and unpredictable. They host all kinds of biomes and environments. From the deep seas of the Oceans of Contest to the wide open plains of The Golden Lands. It stands to reason then, that the people of Veneon have the potential to overcome these environmental challenges.

In this post, I’ll detail 4 feats that focus on aerial and aquatic combat, and techniques your character might pick up to turn the challenge into strength!

Aquatic Brawler

Many races throughout Veneon get a swim speed however there are some that live in highly aquatic realms that lack this trait. These races, if they commit themselves to training, have the potential to make their lives substantially easier by learning to swim well and overcome the challenges of fighting underwater.

Your character may take this feat to remove many of the negative effects of underwater combat.

When you take this Feat you gain the following features:

• When fighting underwater, you no longer have disadvantage when making melee weapon attacks.
• You gain a swim speed of 25 feet, plus any speed modifiers effecting you.

Controlled Fall

Verticality can play a big role in a location’s design. Cliffs, floating islands, towering cities, or even tall jungles can lead to situations where falling to your death can be a real danger. With so many races and creatures having access to climbing and flying methods, it can be easy to find yourself in a hazardous position. That’s why many people are taught how to effectively break their fall from a young age!

Your character can take this feat to reduce the risks of falling damage.

When you take this Feat you gain the following features:

• You gain proficiency in either Acrobatics or Athletics.
• When you take fall damage, you can make an Acrobatics or Athletics check to reduce the damage by half. The DC for this check is 5 + 1 for every 10ft fallen.

Heavy Weapon Momentum

When flying or swimming, wielding a heavy weapon can be difficult as the heft pulls you around. A master combatant can account for this unwieldy weight when battling in these situations.

Your character can take this feat to gain additional combat strategies when using a weapon with the heavy trait.

When you take this Feat you gain the following features:

• Increase your Strength score by 1, to a maximum of 20.
• While wielding a melee weapon with the heavy property and using either your fly or swim speed, the reach of the weapon is 15ft. When you make an attack using this extended reach, whether you hit or miss, you move within 5ft of the target.

Reactionary Grapple

When battling powerful, mobile enemies in their preferred environment, it can be difficult to keep up with them. As they swim or fly away, you can be left in a position where your prey has removed themselves from your blade. Those that know they are sometimes at a disadvantage when fighting quicker enemies can spend the time training to grab onto an enemy when they see the signs of it backing off.

Your character can take this feat to learn how quickly grab onto a retreating enemy and get pulled along with them.

When you take this Feat you gain the following features:

• Increase your Dexterity score by 1, to a maximum of 20.
• You gain a +3 bonus to initiative.
• When you make an opportunity attack against a creature within 5ft, you can choose to make a grapple check instead of a weapon attack. If you are successful and the creature was attempting to use either their fly speed or swim speed, instead of reducing their speed to 0, you can choose to hang on as they travel and remain within 5ft of the creature at the end of its movement.

Final Thoughts

Thanks for reading this post! I hope you enjoyed the content and can take something you like for your own games! I always try to add a healthy mix of lore and mechanics to these posts. These feats might not become relevant in every game but for a naval or exploration-heavy campaign I think you’ll get some good use from these feats options!

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