Often depicted in books and movies, the uncanny accuracy of elves has been expanded upon in Xanathars Guide to Everything through the Elven Accuracy Feat.
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Elven Accuracy 5e
The accuracy of elves is legendary, especially that of elf archers and spellcasters. You have uncanny aim with attacks that rely on precision rather than brute force. You gain the following benefits:
- • Increase your Dexterity, Intelligence, Wisdom, or Charisma score by 1, to a maximum of 20.
- • Whenever you have advantage on an attack roll using Dexterity, Intelligence, Wisdom, or Charisma, you can reroll one of the dice once.
Is Elven Accuracy Worth It?
The feat provides three points to consider: restrictions, stat bonuses, and function. The combination of the three makes the feat serviceable in terms of balance but powerful for specific build types.
Elven Accuracy is limited to the Elf and Half-Elf race choices. This limits the chances of it coming up in multiple spots in any party but there is a chance. With the advantage to certain class builds this provides it is odd that the Half-Elf race was included.
When this feat is selected the character gains a +1 to their Dexterity, Intelligence, Wisdom, or Charisma. Most of the feats that provide a stat bump direct which stat to improve, or maybe provide two options. Elven Accuracy gives the player a choice of four indicating its flexibility within any Elven based build.
The function of the feat is what has the potential to throw off the balance of the character using it with the rest of the party. By rerolling on an attack that already has advantage, the success chance improves by almost 13%. Granted, the attack roll must use Dexterity, Intelligence, Wisdom, or Charisma. Dexterity is probably the most glaring issue here as all ranged weapon attacks use Dexterity. The opportunity to make ranged attacks at advantage can happen often for the right build.
Elven Accuracy Builds
The Rogue and Warlock classes stand out the most as benefitting from the Elven Accuracy Feat. Rogues are generally Dexterity based builds and Warlocks are Charisma based. They also have certain abilities that allow them to continue to have advantage by their own actions.
There are numerous ways to gain advantage. Spells, class abilities, and actions can all grant advantage to yourself or your companions. The easiest way to manufacture your own advantage in one of these classes is by being hidden. Being hidden means you are now an unseen attacker. An unseen attacker has advantage to attack creatures it can see.
Roguish Advantage
The Rogue class allows the character to hide as a bonus action. Firing a bow from a hidden location means the Rogue has advantage on the attack (unseen attacker) and is making a Dexterity based attack roll. If the Rogue is also within 30 feet, they gain sneak attack.
The Rogue rolls 2d20 for an attack with advantage and then rerolls one of the d20s because of Elven Accuracy. The third roll dramatically increases the chance for a hit or getting a critical hit dealing significant damage. The Rogue can then use a bonus action to hide again.
Warlock Powers
The benefits to the Warlock are the same as the Rogue. All Warlocks can hide and use Eldritch Blast (Charisma based attack roll) to gain the benefit of Elven Accuracy. The Warlock can’t hide as a bonus action so this takes an extra turn to set up.
Any clever Warlock has a trick at their disposal if they choose the right spells and Eldritch Invocations. Warlocks can cast Darkness to shroud themselves from attackers and targets. The Devil’s Sight invocation allows them to see normally in regular and magical darkness. The Warlock in the middle of their own Darkness spell is now unseen and therefore has advantage on every attack.
Summary
Elven Accuracy is not game breaking, but it can get awfully close. It is a feat that could be used to create a power build fairly easily. While not necessarily ban worthy, it is something DMs want to be aware of and players should try not to take advantage of.
