Tasha’s Cauldron of Everything introduced a ton of fey and psionic influences to the game. Fey Touched is a feat for those who were exposed to the magic of the Feywild… Which happens to be everywhere, so you don’t really need an excuse to take this! What you might need is a quick check-in to see if Fey Touched is worth it. If you want some ideas, check out our Fey Touched 5E guide!
How Does Fey Touched Work?
- Increase your Intelligence, Wisdom, or Charisma score by 1, to a maximum of 20.
- You learn the Misty Step spell and one 1st-level spell of your choice. The 1st-level spell must be from the Divination or Enchantment school of magic. You can cast each of these spells without expending a spell slot. Once you cast either of these spells in this way, you can’t cast that spell in this way again until you finish a long rest. You can also cast these spells using spell slots you have of the appropriate level. The spells’ spellcasting ability is the ability increased by this feat.
The Fey Touched Feat gives a +1 to Intelligence, Wisdom, or Charisma. In addition, you “learn” Misty Step and one 1st level Divination or Enchantment spell of your choice. You may cast Misty Step and that spell once per day without spending a spell slot. You can also cast those spells with your spell slots if you wish.
Is Fey Touched Worth It?
This is a pretty awesome feat! I’m fairly biased towards loving Misty Step. Being able to spend a spell to, as a Bonus Action, teleport 30 feet is just so good. With this feat, you get to Misty Step for free once, and then you’ve learned a spell that you have always ready… And Misty Step is always a good thing to have in your pocket!
How about the other spell? Are there many good 1st level spells in those categories? Well… Just a few… Like Hex, Hunter’s Mark, Tasha’s Hideous Laughter, Compelled Duel, Command, Dissonant Whispers, Heroism, Bless, Bane… Just to name a few! You have realistic options from this list. This is one of the few ways a Fighter can get Hunter’s Mark or Hex, for example! It doesn’t have any prerequisites, either. So a Barbarian can have access to Misty Step! That’s kinda cool!
Potential Downsides
Because of my biases, there aren’t too many! You’re losing an ability score improvement, which is huge. You’re essentially spending a +1 to an ability score to learn two spells. Instead of increasing your survivability, or dealing more damage… You learned Misty Step. After you reach 20 in your most important stat, this gets to be less of a con, but it’s still a little hard to swallow.
No other feat gives a 2nd level spell and the ability to cast it with your own slots. So in a way, this feat is far too unique to really be compared to other feats! Magic Initiate wishes it could do something like this!
Potential Builds
As was mentioned before, a Fighter can benefit a ton from this. An Eldritch Knight, for instance, can get a huge amount of damage from Hunter’s Mark or Hex, since the Fighter has 4 attacks naturally. They can also benefit from Misty Step, allowing them to reposition correctly to handle whatever situation comes.
Otherwise, it’s a pretty great feat on any class that doesn’t get Misty Step naturally… So, non-Sorcerer, Warlock, or Wizard types. Cleric comes to mind as getting fantastic value out of this ability, since they can teleport out of danger and then heal someone 60 feet away, or something like that.
Best Spell Options with Fey Touched
If picking up Misty Step wasn’t enough, this feat comes with a second spell of your choice. It must be a first-level spell, and it must come from either the Divination or Enchantment schools of magic. You have many spells to choose from, but making the right selection will depend largely on your build.
If you are playing a caster already, the sky is the limit with these spells. Assuming that the ability you increased with this feat has a decent modifier, you should be able to get some use out of spells like Tasha’s Hideous Laughter that requires a Wisdom saving throwing.
If you aren’t playing a caster, or the ability you selected isn’t your normal spellcasting ability, you should probably go for spells that don’t require saving throws at all. Thankfully, there are quite a few strong options available. Here are a few of our favorite spells that you could use with Fey Touched:
- Hex. Hex is my go-to option for Fey Touched when I take this feat as a melee character. The ability to tack on Hex damage to sneak attack damage with a rogue is a great option. While you have to maintain concentration, the effect applies without the need for a saving throw.
- Bless. Bless is a powerful buff spell that could turn the tide in a fight. If you don’t have a divine caster in your party, this is one of the few ways you can get Bless. This is arguably the best buff available with 1st-level spell.
- Command. This is a great spell, but it requires a failed Wisdom saving throw from your target. That means this is not a great option for non-casters. When successful, command is especially useful as it allows you to give one-word commands to creatures that you can see.
- Silvery Barbs. Most people consider Silvery Barbs to be one of the most broken spells in 5E. This low-level spell can force the strongest of monsters to make saving throws at advantage, which can quickly burn through legendary resistances or have conditions stack on opponents.
- Tasha’s Hideous Laughter. Another great spell, but another spell that requires a failed saving throw. This option works in similar ways to hold person, in that it can temporarily take a creature of of the fight.
- Hunter’s Mark. This option does not require a saving throw, making it useful for melee characters in the same way Hex is useful.
Who Should Take the Fey Touched Feat?
It depends on your style of play, but virtually any class or archetype could benefit from this feat. Martial characters get access to two very useful spells that they can cast without the need for spell slots. Casters get extra spells that don’t count as prepared and do not require a spell slot. What’s not to like? Whether or not this tradeoff is worth the loss of an ability score improvement is entirely up to you.
Some might say this feat isn’t great for barbarians. While you cannot case fey touched spells while raging, this feat is still potentially useful as there are some valuable non-combat spells available. If your party doesn’t have much in the way of casters, having a barbarian that knows a few out of combat spells isn’t a bad option.
Fey Touched FAQ
Have questions about maximizing Fey Touched? Here are some answers.
Can You Take Gift of Alacrity with Fey Touched?
When you take Fey Touched, you gain one 1st-level spell of your choice. The only limitation in the rules as written is that it must be from either the Divination or Enchantment school of magic. Gift of Alacrity is a divination spell, so it meets those requirements. However, whether or not this spell is available is a DM call. Gift of Alacrity is a spell originating from the world of Critical Role. In that setting, only a small number of wizards have access to this type of magic, known as dunamancy. It is up to your DM whether or not they will allow this spell.
Do Fey Touched Spells Count as Prepared Spells
You should treat the spells you add with the Fey Touched feat as if they were prepared. However, they do not count towards the total number of prepared spells you have available each day. This means you aren’t hampered in the number or spells you can prepare each day, but you can also use your spell slots to cast these spells as if they were prepared.
What Book is Fey Touched In?
Fey Touched is found in Tasha’s Cauldron of Everything .
Wrapping Up Our Fey Touched 5E Guide
Is Fey Touched good? We sure think so. Fey Touched is one of my favorite feats, just because it opens up so many kooky builds! Try it out on a class that doesn’t get Misty Step, and see how unlocking that spell benefits you. Just… try and make sure your character can handle not getting the bonus +1 of an Ability Score Improvement for a little while.
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