Urban Bounty Hunter from SCAG Courtesy of Extra Life

[MENTION=6748898]ad_hoc[/MENTION]: How do you keep finding these things? I've been looking and looking and refreshing and refreshing. Still nothing!

 

[Roger]

I kinda dislike the conceptual creep here, which is just my subjective preference.

I like my backgrounds to be strictly in the background -- it's stuff that you used to do, then stopped doing, all before you became the full-time adventurer you are today.

Dog, Urban Bounty Hunter, for me hints a bit too strongly toward 'no see you're an adventurer and also still at least a part-time hunter of bounties' which leaves a bad taste in my mouth.

It's kind of a subtle thing, but it still bugs me a bit.

 

[Psikerlord#]

I like this background a lot but cant remember how similar it is to the Criminal background. I love the "contact in every city" aspect.

I feel like there is some powercreep here (just as I feel about Greenflame blade and mastermind rogue). Don't you usually get 2 skills or 1 skill and 1 tool with a background, and in this case you're getting 2 skills + 2 tools?

I mean I don't mind more powerful backgrounds (I like the Thule "narratives" for example).

Who wrote this book? Is it internal from wotc team? Or contracted out similar to the adventure paths?

 

[Sword of Spirit]

You *always* get exactly 2 skills, plus a combination of 2 tools/languages. That plus an equipment package and a background feature is the mechanical definition of a background. The books tell the player's not just the DMs, that you can customize or make your own backgrounds using those components. The only thing you might even need DM permission for is if you want a feature that you can't pull out of an existing background.

So the only thing that could possibly be more or less powerful than any other background would be the feature or the equipment package. By the book, every player has exactly the same choices for skills and tools/languages.

 

[Psikerlord#]

Yep looking at my PHB, it says a backgrounds gives 2 skills, maybe one or more tools, and maybe additional languages. And then there is a special feature. Looking at the actual examples, they seem to be 2 skills and combination up to 2 tools/languages.

Hmm reading the old criminal background, the bounty hunter seems like a straight upgrade to me. More useful. Powercreep! (although,,,, does seem pretty similar in a way to the pirate sidebar special ability?)

 

[Larrin]

It could be that the choice in skills appears now in backgrounds because they are finding many players or DMs are using/requiring out of the book backgrounds. The idea seems to me that originally backgrounds were supposed to be heavily "Make your own" so little choice within a specific background wasn't needed. But if they found that people aren't making their own and sticking to only published backgrounds, then they would want to give backgrounds back the versatility that they are supposed to have, but people aren't using. (Pure speculation).

If that is the case, I can grudgingly accept it. If that is not the case, then I grumble grumble with the rest of the grumble grumble lot.

 

[Sword of Spirit]

Since everyone isn't familiar with the rule some of us have been referencing, I'll quote it here from the Basic Rules p.36.

"Customizing a Background
You might want to tweak some of the features of a
background so it better fits your character or the
campaign setting. To customize a background, you
can replace one feature with any other one, choose any
two skills, and choose a total of two tool proficiencies
or languages from the sample backgrounds. You can
either use the equipment package from your background
or spend coin on gear as described in chapter 5. (If
you spend coin, you can’t also take the equipment
package suggested for your class.) Finally, choose two
personality traits, one ideal, one bond, and one flaw.
If you can’t find a feature that matches your desired
background, work with your DM to create one."

(Note the complete absence of the 'Variant' or 'Optional Rule' notation found elsewhere, such as with variant humans or skill checks with different abilities. By default, this is the rule. Unlike multiclassing, feats, or gnomes, which are only in the game if the DM says they are, this is automatically in the game unless the DM says it isn't, like fighters or longswords.)

 

[Mistwell]

I kinda dislike the conceptual creep here, which is just my subjective preference.

I like my backgrounds to be strictly in the background -- it's stuff that you used to do, then stopped doing, all before you became the full-time adventurer you are today.

Dog, Urban Bounty Hunter, for me hints a bit too strongly toward 'no see you're an adventurer and also still at least a part-time hunter of bounties' which leaves a bad taste in my mouth.

It's kind of a subtle thing, but it still bugs me a bit.

Well the downtime rules allow you to spend downtime days practicing your profession. I think the intent was that you are still at least a part-time "background profession" sometimes.

Indeed, the Adventurer's League made me realize I had inadvertently ignored those downtime rules but their actually quite useful as minor rewards and can be applied in interesting ways. For instance I recall one AL adventure let you declare your PCs purpose for going on that adventure at the beginning (To find lost treasure, to seek out lost arcane knowledge, to explore an ancient temple, etc..) and at the end the PCs were allowed to spend X number of downtime days and roll percentage dice in pursuit of that original goal and see what they found with those days.

That's not a great example of using your profession, unless your profession relates to one of those activities, but it was a fun example of the downtime rules and their use as a minor reward. Practicing your profession to offset your living costs and make some extra money and a new contact or two is also a good use of downtime days you've earned through adventuring.

 

[Psikerlord#]

Are these kinds of AL ADventure downtime rules available for anyone to download? If not, that is a shame and a silly mistake.

Further downtime options are the kinds of useful additional/optional rules that I wish Unearthed Arcana would put out (not more variations of rangers, and prestige classes).

 

[AtomicPope]

Since everyone isn't familiar with the rule some of us have been referencing, I'll quote it here from the Basic Rules p.36.

"Crunch from PHB" Blah, blah, rules, blah...

(Note the complete absence of the 'Variant' or 'Optional Rule' notation found elsewhere, such as with variant humans or skill checks with different abilities. By default, this is the rule. Unlike multiclassing, feats, or gnomes, which are only in the game if the DM says they are, this is automatically in the game unless the DM says it isn't, like fighters or longswords.)

You are correct and this is why I feel the need to look down my nose at these new backgrounds, especially when this background is simply telling the player to pick their own skills and tools. The ONLY backgrounds I feel should be added are those that are campaign and world specific, because those would tie the players into the metaplot in ways a generic background couldn't. They've done this with Bonds in some of the campaign modules that were released and they work very well. I suppose some examples might be in the Dragon Lance campaign setting supplement back in 1e they had separate classes for the various Knights. The specific details of these knightly orders would be missing from the Knight background feature from the PHB core book. Without creating an entire class, a great deal could be resolved through a Dragon Lance specific Background where the fluff meets the crunch, allowing players and DMs to see how the two interact. What I like about this is it allows you to make a "Red Wizard of Thay" without creating an entire class or having a prestige class. This frees up the DM from the worry of "power creep" while it allows the player to make what they want and connect their character to a particular feature of the campaign setting.

Would some backgrounds be "better" than others? Of course, but since it doesn't grant combat features Background features are regulated through roleplaying, which is an aspect in DnD that many gamers feel isn't addressed enough. It's easier to reign in a runaway Background feature than it is a combat ability or Prestige Class.

 

[Mistwell]

You *always* get exactly 2 skills, plus a combination of 2 tools/languages. That plus an equipment package and a background feature is the mechanical definition of a background. The books tell the player's not just the DMs, that you can customize or make your own backgrounds using those components. The only thing you might even need DM permission for is if you want a feature that you can't pull out of an existing background.

So the only thing that could possibly be more or less powerful than any other background would be the feature or the equipment package. By the book, every player has exactly the same choices for skills and tools/languages.

(Note the complete absence of the 'Variant' or 'Optional Rule' notation found elsewhere, such as with variant humans or skill checks with different abilities. By default, this is the rule. Unlike multiclassing, feats, or gnomes, which are only in the game if the DM says they are, this is automatically in the game unless the DM says it isn't, like fighters or longswords.)

And, again, Adventurer's League rules are different from what I recall, and not every player can choose whatever they want. So I believe it's useful for them.