How Does the Observant Feat Work in Dungeons & Dragons 5e?

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Everything you need to know about the Observant feat in D&D 5e

Co-authored by Legends of Avantris and Glenn Carreau

Last Updated: October 18, 2023 References

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• What is the Observant feat?
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• Rules
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• Is Observant effective?
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• Which classes should use Observant?

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Are you trying to create an ultra-perceptive D&D character with superb sleuthing skills? In that case, the Observant feat may be exactly what you need. Observant can be extremely useful in the right situations; it’s not ideal for all D&D characters, but it’s invaluable when you want to maximize your player character’s passive Perception and Investigation abilities. Read on for a complete overview of the Observant feat, including how it works and which classes will most likely benefit from it!

Things You Should Know

• The Observant feat is a perk that gives PCs a +5 bonus to their passive Perception and Investigation scores.
• The feat also grants a +1 bonus to your PC’s Intelligence or Wisdom ability score and the ability to read lips (when they understand the language).
• The Observant feat is a good feat for D&D campaigns that incorporate passive scores, particularly campaigns with lots of espionage or political intrigue.

Steps

Section 1 of 4:

What is the Observant feat?

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1. 
   The Observant feat is an optional perk for PCs in D&D 5e. Feats are available periodically when your player character (PC) levels up. Anytime your PC is allowed to take a feat, you get to choose between a variety of different perks, each intended to enhance your PC’s skills in some way. The Observant feat is specifically designed to improve a PC’s wisdom-based skills.

   • Feats generally become available at levels 4, 8, 12, 16, and 19 (although the pattern differs for rogues and fighters).
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Section 2 of 4:

How does the Observant feat work?

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1. 
   The Observant feat turns PCs into skilled investigators and detectives. Upon taking the Observant feat, your PC gains 3 benefits. First, you can choose to increase your PC’s Wisdom or Intelligence ability score by 1, to a maximum of 20. Your PC also gains a +5 bonus to their passive Perception and passive Investigation scores. Finally, your PC can read lips and interpret what creatures are saying from afar so long as they know the language being spoken.

   • Passive Perception measures a character’s unconscious awareness of their surroundings. It’s based on your PC’s Wisdom ability score modifier.
   • Passive Investigation measures your PC’s ability to notice hidden details in the environment. It’s based on their Intelligence ability score modifier.
   • Intelligence (INT) and Wisdom (WIS) are ability scores; the higher they are, the higher your PC’s Perception and Investigation skills get. Wisdom measures a PC’s practical knowledge, while Intelligence measures their analytical ability.

Section 3 of 4:

Is Observant effective?

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   Observant is a little niche but provides decent skill bonuses. While Observant may not be an ideal feat depending on which skills you want your PC to specialize in, it does offer a great deal of utility if you’re looking to create a PC with top-notch detective capabilities! The ability to read lips may come in handy if you’re playing a campaign with lots of espionage or political intrigue, and a +5 bonus to passive Perception and Investigation is always useful.

   • Both passive Perception and Investigation can be used to detect things like traps, clues, and ambushes, making them helpful for adventuring, traveling, and exploring dungeons.
   • Finally, a +1 bonus to either WIS or INT can be a helpful buff if you’re playing a character that relies on either stat. For example, druids depend on having high WIS, while wizards rely on INT.
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   Consider checking in with your DM before taking the Observant feat. Because the rules for passive scores in D&D are a little more fluid, some DMs use them a lot—but others don’t use them at all. Since a bonus to your PC’s passive Perception and Investigation skills are the main benefits of this feat, it might be a good idea to make sure your DM plans to use those passive scores during gameplay.

   • If your DM plans to use passive scores (especially in a campaign emphasizing investigation, solving mysteries, or political espionage), this could be a great feat for your character!
   • However, if your DM lets you know that they don’t plan to use passive scores very often, the Observant feat might not be the best choice for your PC.
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Section 4 of 4:

Which classes get the most from Observant?

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   Artificer Artificers are spellcasters who specialize in crafting unique magical inventions. The Observant feat could be a smart choice for artificers, mainly because they rely on their Intelligence score for spellcasting. Buffing their Intelligence score with the feat can, in turn, improve their spellcasting and tinkering capabilities!

   • Beyond that, passive Perception and Investigation can also help with an artificer’s tinkering skill—or if they need to scout for the party.
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   Barbarian Barbarians are primal warriors who rely on rage and hardiness to defeat enemies. They don’t need a high Wisdom or Intelligence score to be effective, so this feat probably isn’t a top choice for them. Furthermore, barbarians have an ability called Danger Sense which helps them detect traps—so a bonus to passive Perception or Investigation isn’t really needed.
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   Bard Bards are Charisma-based spellcasters that channel the power of music and song. You could potentially make use of a bonus to passive Perception and Investigation if you want to play a perceptive bard (like a minstrel spy, for example). Still, unless it’s your bard’s specialty, this class already gets so many skill bonuses (including a Jack of All Trades feature that gives half proficiency in all skills) that the Observant feat is rarely necessary.
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   Cleric Clerics are divine spellcasters who gain power through their faith in the gods. A cleric character may find the Observant feat handy, especially since Wisdom is their spellcasting ability! Extra WIS is never a bad thing for clerics—but consider the specific cleric build you’re aiming for first.

   • If your cleric has a combat-oriented subclass (like the War domain), other feats may be more helpful than the Observant feat.
   • If your cleric has more of a support build (like the Life or Light domain), Observant may be a good choice.
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   Druid Druids are divine spellcasters who gain power through their love of nature. The Observant feat is ideal for druids! They use Wisdom as their spellcasting ability, so a bonus to WIS is helpful. Because druids (with their Wild Shape ability) also make fantastic scouts for the party, a hefty bonus to passive Perception can improve their scouting skills and help them catch any dangers in the party’s path.
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   Fighter Fighters are warriors who use physical weapons (and battle tactics) to overcome foes. Most fighter characters probably won’t get much utility from the Observant feat since Intelligence and Wisdom aren’t important parts of a fighter build. However, if you’re playing an Eldritch Knight subclass fighter, this feat may be a little more appealing because Eldritch Knights use Intelligence to cast spells.
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   Monk Monks are martial artists who specialize in hand-to-hand combat, and they can get a surprising amount of use from this feat. Wisdom is important for some of the monk class’s abilities (including Unarmored Defense, which relies on Wisdom and boosts a monk’s armor class score). So, if you’re making a monk character and want them to be super in tune with their surroundings, the Observant feat could be an obvious choice.
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   Paladin Paladins are holy warriors whose power comes from their sacred oaths. While paladins have a few spells, they rely on Charisma—not Wisdom or Intelligence. Therefore, the Observant feat isn’t really useful for paladins, especially with so many other combat-oriented feats that would be more effective (like the Sentinel feat, which enhances opportunity attacks, or the Polearm Master feat, which strengthens any attacks with polearm weapons).
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   Ranger The Observant feat is a stellar choice for ranger characters. Rangers are masters of survival and traversing the wilderness—and, therefore, can be effective scouts for the party. Taking the Observant feat will make your ranger character more alert and particularly skilled at spotting ambushes. Furthermore, rangers rely on Wisdom for their limited spellcasting skills, making a WIS bonus super helpful.
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    Rogue Rogues are often responsible for finding (and disarming) traps, spotting ambushes, and spearheading any subterfuge in a D&D party—which makes the Observant feat handy for most rogue characters. The ability to read lips is especially valuable to rogues (since they also tend to be stealthy and can spy on enemies more effectively from the shadows).

    • A bonus to WIS or INT isn’t particularly valuable for rogues, but it’s not necessarily a bad thing, either.
      • If your rogue has the Scout subclass or Arcane Trickster subclass (which has INT-based spellcasting), this feat’s ability score bonus is definitely more desirable.
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    Sorcerer Sorcerers are Charisma-based spellcasters who gain powers through their bloodlines, so a bonus to INT or WIS won’t mean much for your sorcerer character. Your sorcerer character also likely won’t need investigative skills—especially when traveling with other, more watchful party members. Plus, sorcerer spells that can boost Perception and Investigation checks (like Enhance Ability) make the Observant feat fairly unnecessary.
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    Warlock Warlocks are Charisma-based spellcasters who gain power through a pact with a powerful entity, so they have very little need for the Observant feat. Like sorcerers, warlocks generally aren’t in charge of investigating areas or finding traps; other party members (like rangers or rogues) are much better at it. So, unless you have a specific reason for your warlock to have the Observant feat, it’s probably not the best choice.

    • Utility isn’t the only reason to give your character a particular feat; if you have an RP reason, there’s nothing wrong with giving a PC an ability that they wouldn’t ordinarily need.
    • For example, if you’re playing a warlock who used to run with a thieves’ guild as a child or who used to be a spy, the Observant feat might be a logical choice for them!
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    Wizard Wizards are masters of the arcane arts who learn through intense study. The Observant feat can be an unexpectedly smart choice for wizards, primarily because they’re Intelligence-based spellcasters, so an INT bonus may help raise their spellcasting ability modifier. Furthermore, a bonus to passive Investigation can help a clever, analytical wizard solve tricky magical puzzles or dismantle arcane traps in dungeons.
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