Cohort of Chaos 5e

Published on October 3, 2023

The universe is chaos, and chaos is the universe. With this feat, you become one with the unpredictable forces of the cosmos, channeling them to wreak havoc on the battlefield.

A Cohort of Chaos channels the power of Pandemonium in battle.

Tyler Walpole - Wizards of the Coast - Rakdos Firewheeler

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What Is Cohort of Chaos 5e?

The Cohort of Chaos feat allows adventurers to channel the unpredictable forces of a chaotic Outer Plane, granting them both boons and banes in the heat of battle. This feat not only lets you increase an ability score of your choice, but it also introduces a layer of randomness with the Chaotic Flare feature.

How Does Cohort of Chaos Work?

On top of an ability score increase to any skill, you also get the Chaotic Flare feature. With this feature, whenever you roll a 1 or 20 on an attack roll or saving throw, you trigger a chaotic effect that can either aid or hinder you and those around you:

Battle Fury. Give a creature advantage on attacks but disadvantage on ability checks.
Disruption Field. Deal 1d8 force damage to each creature that starts its turn or moves within 5 feet of you.
Unbound. You can teleport your move speed.
Wailing Winds. All creatures within a 15-foot radius, including you, have disadvantage on Wisdom saving throws.

These effects last until the end of your next turn.

Prerequisite

This feat is a 4th-level feat and requires the Scion of Outer Planes (Chaotic Outer Plane) feat before you can pick it up. Luckily, you can get Scion of the Outer Planes for free at 1st-level by choosing the Planar Philosopher or Gate Warden background at character creation.

Is Cohort of Chaos Good?

We gave Cohort of Chaos a D Tier rating In our 5e Feats Tier List, making it an underwhelming feat in most cases.

While the Cohort of Chaos feat introduces a fun and unpredictable element to gameplay, its inherent randomness can be its downfall. The inability to control or predict the outcome of the Chaotic Flare can sometimes be detrimental, especially in critical situations. Compared to other feats that offer more consistent benefits, Cohort of Chaos is just not reliable enough most of the time.

Which 5e Classes Make the Most of Cohort of Chaos?

The color code below has been implemented to help you identify, at a glance, how good the Cohort of Chaos 5e feat is for a specific class/subclass.

Red isn’t going to contribute to the effectiveness of your character build at all
Orange Situationally good, but a below-average option otherwise
Green is a good option
Blue is a great option, you should strongly consider this option for your character
Sky Blue is an amazing option. If you do not take this option your character would not be optimized

Given its unpredictable nature, the Cohort of Chaos feat might not be the first choice for many classes. However, characters who thrive on randomness or those who have abilities to mitigate or capitalize on chaotic outcomes might find it appealing.

Artificer: Unfortunately, this is too unpredictable to be a efficient use of a feat.

Barbarian: Unfortunately, this is too unpredictable to be a efficient use of a feat.

Bard: Unfortunately, this is too unpredictable to be a efficient use of a feat.

Cleric: Unfortunately, this is too unpredictable to be a efficient use of a feat.

Druid: Unfortunately, this is too unpredictable to be a efficient use of a feat.

Fighter: Unfortunately, this is too unpredictable to be a efficient use of a feat.

Monk: Unfortunately, this is too unpredictable to be a efficient use of a feat.

Paladin: Unfortunately, this is too unpredictable to be a efficient use of a feat.

Ranger: Unfortunately, this is too unpredictable to be a efficient use of a feat.

Rogue: Unfortunately, this is too unpredictable to be a efficient use of a feat.

Sorcerer: Unfortunately, this is too unpredictable to be a efficient use of a feat. It could be fun to introduce even more chaos to your Wild Magic Sorcerer, though.

Warlock: Unfortunately, this is too unpredictable to be a efficient use of a feat.

Wizard: Unfortunately, this is too unpredictable to be a efficient use of a feat.

Mike Bernier

Mike Bernier is the lead content writer and founder of Arcane Eye. He is a Adamantine best-selling author of Strixhaven: A Syllabus of Sorcery on DMs Guild and is a contributing author at D&D Beyond. Follow Mike on Twitter.