feat Ambidextrous
Ambidextrous (Background) (General)
You are both right- and left-handed.
Originally Posted by Shadowfoot of the Wizards Community forums.
- Prerequisites: Two hands and either Dexterity 18 when taken as a Background feat as a 1st-level character or Dexterity 21, Deft Hands feat, and Two-Weapon Fighting feat when taken any other time as a General feat.
- Benefit: You use your right and left hands with equal skill. You receive a +2 bonus to Sleight of Hand checks, and attack penalties to your offhand attacks are reduced by 4 (to a minimum penalty of -2).
- Special: You may normally only take Background feats as a 1st-level character.
What Ambidextrous Represents
Ambidextrous represents a character who can use the right and left hands with equal confidence. It is both a Background feat and a General feat, but the requirements depend on when the character acquires it.
How the Prerequisites Work
- As a 1st-level Background feat: the character must have two hands and Dexterity 18.
- When taken later as a General feat: the character must have two hands, Dexterity 21, Deft Hands and Two-Weapon Fighting.
- Background restriction: Background feats are normally chosen only by 1st-level characters, so characters who miss that route must satisfy the more demanding General feat prerequisites.
What It Changes in Play
The feat gives a +2 bonus on Sleight of Hand checks and reduces penalties on off-hand attacks by 4, to a minimum penalty of -2. It therefore helps both characters who rely on fine manual control and characters who regularly fight with an off hand.
Off-Hand Penalty Example
If an off-hand attack would normally take a -6 penalty, Ambidextrous reduces that penalty by 4, leaving a -2 penalty. If the penalty would normally be -4, the result is still -2 because the feat cannot reduce the penalty below that minimum.
Who Benefits Most
- Two-weapon characters who make off-hand attacks regularly.
- Characters who use Sleight of Hand for concealment, theft, tricks or delicate manipulation.
- Characters built around exceptionally high Dexterity who can meet the later General feat prerequisites.
Related Feats
Ambidextrous works naturally alongside Deft Hands and Two-Weapon Fighting. See the full Feats index for additional combat and background options.