Multiclassing comes with more then just a feat, it comes with profs. Mike Mearls said it made an issue for making new classes in the game and was what he calls a Tech Debt -- its a drawback that impacts the design of every class afterwards.Feats and Class/Subclass Features are basically the same thing.
Strange how they've never been really consistent with this. Back in the Xanathars says, we learned that the hexblade didn't meet the 70% threshold but got in anyway, and that the Shadow Sorcerer was less popular than ALL of the elemental sorcerers but they got cut. I just don't think WotC is the perfect decision making machine many people pretend they are.If it had been boarderline the would have included it in the new PHB playtest. The results were sufficiently cut-and-dried that there was no point.
WotC want the new rules to be as popular as possible in order to make the most money. Contrary to certain people's delusions, that means they closely follow the market research.
I agree with you, but the answer was towards making less feats to print, this does that, it takes two very similar feats and combines then into one generic feat.First off, that feat does not do the same thing as shadow or fey touched. It removes the limitations on the feat (ASI is a mental score, 2nd level spell if fixed, 1st level is limited to two school choices). FT is already powerful, and this feat is essentially a no brainier feat tax for anyone seriously playing a caster.
Which leads to the next part: where is the story? Fey and shadow touched both insinuate some connection to the closest planes in the Multiverse: feywild and shadowfell. The limitations encourage and enforce this flavor. Further, feats are always named as adjectives or descriptions; they describe a character by giving them an attribute like observant, tough, or keen minded. I want players taking feats because they describe their characters, not because they are strict (or necessary) power upgrades. In that regard, the more specific and niche a fast is, the better. I want people taking shadow touched because the thought of going invisible and using spoopy magic is a part of their identity, not because that's two free spells of your choice known and two free spell slots.
Feat: Do WhateverI agree with you, but the answer was towards making less feats to print, this does that, it takes two very similar feats and combines then into one generic feat.
I'm not sure what 4e used, but It certainly didn't help topping that choice off with the decision to drop 3.x style +N attribute modifying gear in favor of 2e style attrib=19 stuff without rolling back to 2e style usually near meaningless attributes with a comparably giant +0 deadzoneWe've never really recovered from the original sin of conflating ASIs and feats to begin with. It might have worked, if accuracy was somehow stripped out of the equation.
I honestly hope that they get rid of the "Level One" feats too and just have the background give you a feat, minus the +1 ASI. And balance the feats accordingly.The reason there are no level 8 feats is very simple. When they experimented with them in UA a year or two ago they met with a very strongly negative reaction. A majority of people who posted an opinion did not want them.
Mechanical differentiation is essential to me, or every fighter is the same....I think we'll disagree here.Mechanical differentiation is not essential...
...unless you are trying to sell a lot of books of the same game to the same groups of people for a decade.