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.
Keep this reference growing
If this page helped with your reading or game, you can support its upkeep or explore the curated books.
Explore the Bookshop — epics, classics and stories behind imagined worlds.