May 17

May 17 A Player's Guide to Feats - Infernal Constitution

I skipped Heavily Armored and Heavy Armored Master. They are simple and straightforward, so I moved on to Infernal Constitution.

Infernal Constitution is a tiefling feat. The name gives it away, given the whole infernal bloodline thing they have going on. The feat's name also gives you some clear insight into what the feat is about, mainly increasing a tiefling's Constitution. There's more to it than just a bump in their Constitution score, so let's explore the feat and determine whether or not it's worth taking.

What is the Infernal Constitution Feat

Prerequisite: Tiefling
Fiendish blood runs strong in you, unlocking a resilience akin to that possessed by some fiends. You gain the following benefits:
Increase your Constitution score by 1, to a maximum of 20.
You have resistance to cold damage and poison damage.
You have advantage on saving throws against being poisoned.
Xanathar’s Guide to Everything

Dissecting the Feat

As I mentioned earlier, the Infernal Constitution feat is unique to tieflings. It offers a +1 to your Constitution, a valuable boost, especially if your current score is an odd number. Remember, more hit points are always a plus. However, the real allure of this feat lies in its unique combination of benefits, making it a somewhat compelling choice for multiple classes.

Plenty of other feats grant, or have the option to, a +1 to Constitution; most notable is the Resilient or Durable feats if you want to compare them. Durable not only gives you a Constitution bump but a minimum number of hit points when you roll hit dice. Resilient is an even better comparison. You can increase one ability score by one point and gain proficiency in saving throws in said ability. This is handy for spellcasters, but we’re talking about the Infernal Constitution feat, so let’s move on.

Any type of resistance is a boon, and the Infernal Constitution feat provides just that. With cold and poison resistance, you gain a substantial edge over any number of hostile creatures. The advantage of a poison-saving throw further enhances your defensive capabilities. Together, these benefits significantly reduce your chances of facing disadvantage on attack rolls and ability checks. Coupled with your natural resistance to fire, you gain substantial protection from a wide range of damage types, letting you wade into combat without a care in the world.

I didn’t go through and count all the creatures that do fire, cold, or poison damage, but suffice it to say, it’s a lot. What I do know is that 35 spells can deal fire damage, 27 that deal cold damage, and 10 that inflict poison damage. GMs have a new task; figuring out different methods of attack against you. You know, like two-handed swords…

The Infernal Constitution Feat Useability by Class

Artificer: An Armorer who enhances his equipment and fights on the front line can benefit from the Constitution bonus and the damage resistances. This is doubly so for the Battle Smith as they may have to run to the front with their Steel Defender to bail you out of trouble.

Barbarian: All of the feat's benefits greatly help the Barbarian. Barbarians are about doing damage, so most of their Path features boost damage output, not protect them from harm. Storm Herald Barbarians can gain resistance to fire damage (Desert) or cold damage (Tundra). Tieflings may not usually play barbarians, but they make great Path of Wild Magic barbarians, so the feat is an excellent choice for them.

Bard: It might be worthwhile if you're a College of Sword or Valor bard, but even then, it's not worth taking.

Cleric: Not worth taking.

Druid: Not worth taking.

Fighter: You're not going to see many tiefling fighters. If you do, you'll probably take the Tough or Resilient feat before the Infernal Constitution feat.

Monk: Not worth taking.

Paladin: If you're a tiefling and want to hit things with a sword, paladin is the go-to option. The Infernal Constitution feat is a great option if this is the case. As stated before, the ability score increase may lead to more hit points, and any damage resistance is good to have.

Ranger: Not worth taking.

Rogue: A swashbuckler rogue should sacrifice the +2 ability score increase in Dexterity or Intelligence and grab this feat. You'll be doing more front-line fighting than any other rogue, and all the feat's features can come in handy.

Sorcerer: You shouldn't be anywhere near where swords are swinging. Not worth taking.

Warlock: A Hexblade may want to give up the Charisma increase since they should be the only primary spellcaster within the arms' length of a melee weapon. There are better feats, but the Infernal Constitution feat should be considered depending on how you play your character.

Wizard: See Sorcerer.

Conclusion

Throughout my research, I've found that the Infernal Constitution feat is a resounding "no" in most reviews. I understand the argument that you will see few tiefling clerics, fighters, or other classes who aren't Charisma-based. This may be true, but those not tied to those classes can benefit significantly from the Infernal Constitution. Sure, it's not a top-tier feat, but to say everyone should ignore it is wrong.

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