It seems simple enough; be a Human, have a DM that allows feats and allows the human variant that starts with a feat at 1st level, and you're good to go. However the Fighting Initiate feat does come with the prerequisite that you need to have proficiency with a martial weapon. Many classes get this proficiency at 1st level but since we're talking about character creation you could make the argument that the character is effectively level 0 at this point and therefore doesn't have a class or any proficiencies yet. The Player Handbook states that you first pick a race and subrace and then a class. If you stick to this order than you would not meet the prerequisite for the feat at the point where you would have to pick it, since humans do not start with any weapon proficiencies. Is this the way you're supposed to do it or is every step done simultaneously?
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1\$\begingroup\$ I think that this has been already addressed in the linked question. \$\endgroup\$– EddymageCommented Nov 7 at 22:03
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Not RAW, but usually yes
I agree that by a strict reading of the rules you pick your variant human feat before your class and would therefore not meet the prerequisites for the feat. However, I've never met anyone who rules that way. Level 1 character creation is usually mashed together so that you pick everything at once. Multiple guides from well respected people also feature level 1 feats with requirements that are only fulfilled by having a class, such as War Caster. I have never heard anyone complain that it's invalid because you don't fulfill the requirements when picking your racial feat.
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3\$\begingroup\$ Interesting to note that in the 2024 rules, you now pick Class first. Obviously the OP is using 2014 rules, but I think this shows that it has been recognised that it makes more sense to pick Class first and its not like it would break anything (and I'm sure nearly every player starts a new character by deciding on their Class first anyway). \$\endgroup\$– PJRZCommented Nov 7 at 12:40
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6\$\begingroup\$ Agree with the "everything at once". To me it's submitting the form at the end and all required fields are filled. \$\endgroup\$– CatLordCommented Nov 7 at 12:56
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3\$\begingroup\$ One of the nice things about tabletop games is that you're playing with real people who can decide what is reasonable. It's hard to imagine a DM who wouldn't be OK with this. \$\endgroup\$ Commented Nov 7 at 16:37
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\$\begingroup\$ @CatLord: yeah, since you're never actually playing a lvl 0 character with racial features but no class levels. You could even interpret the racial bonus feat as being an extra thing the character learned while learning their class, i.e. as a bonus feat gained upon reaching first level. (Or narratively, at some point after meeting its pre-requisites, maybe while still learning some of the other class abilities of whatever you picked for 1st level.) \$\endgroup\$ Commented Nov 7 at 19:41
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\$\begingroup\$ @PJRZ: Of course, in the 2024 rules, the feat granted to humans as a racial feature is heavily nerfed (limited to Origin feats only), so Fighting Initiate (and all other feats aside from the 10 Origin feats published so far) isn't available anyway. \$\endgroup\$ Commented Nov 7 at 22:40