D&D 5E Backgrounds

[BookBarbarian]

Agreed. Campaign-specific backgrounds help showcase aspects of the setting that may otherwise get glossed over, and help new players connect to the setting.

I find it fitting that my very favorite Background was adventure specific: The Haunted One from Curse of Strahd.

 

[Eltab]

I'm not sure enough people eat halflings to have skill in cooking them...

No no no, the Halfling IS the cook. (But you are otherwise not far off.)

 

[Staffan]

I've not found that Eberron really needs anything additional in terms of backgrounds beyond what the PHB already suggests. Swapping Arcana or Religion into your character's background to represent an Argonessen coast dweller or demon waste tribe for example.

Skills and character traits can be swapped around fairly freely, so it is really only the background Feature that is a unique mechanic.
What new Features do you think are necessary?

Well, I'm not the designer here. But the way I see it, if you're making a background that's similar to another, you can do that in two ways.

One is the method used in the PHB, where you for example have the Gladiator in a sidebar which says "Use the Entertainer background, but change X for Y." The other is the method used in the SCAG, which writes them from more-or-less scratch but sometimes have some references to the "base" background. I prefer the latter, because there's a big psychological difference between saying "I'm a Faction Agent, which means __________" and saying "I'm a Pirate, which is kind of like a Sailor except ___________". Sure, my preferred method takes up more pages, but setting books are not meant to just be collections of facts. They are meant to inspire, and seeing "Dragonmarked Scion" or "Korranberg Chronicler" as fully fleshed-out backgrounds would certainly do that.

 

[5ekyu]

Well, I'm not the designer here. But the way I see it, if you're making a background that's similar to another, you can do that in two ways.

One is the method used in the PHB, where you for example have the Gladiator in a sidebar which says "Use the Entertainer background, but change X for Y." The other is the method used in the SCAG, which writes them from more-or-less scratch but sometimes have some references to the "base" background. I prefer the latter, because there's a big psychological difference between saying "I'm a Faction Agent, which means __________" and saying "I'm a Pirate, which is kind of like a Sailor except ___________". Sure, my preferred method takes up more pages, but setting books are not meant to just be collections of facts. They are meant to inspire, and seeing "Dragonmarked Scion" or "Korranberg Chronicler" as fully fleshed-out backgrounds would certainly do that.

While i agree on the gaol stated at the end, we differ on the preferred approach.

i would be fine with and prefer if they said things like "unlike normal sialors a pirate's life focuses more on abc than def and so they get the following changes to the usual sailor..." and the same for say a formal "navy" vs the common merchant sailor.

i think this can be just as inspiring and relating the difference in background to the differences between areas or professions in a more explicit way.

Seeing each write-up as its own individual animal with its own separate list of bullet point features leads me to see them as a list of disconnected options on a menu and does not evoke in me the same degree of "what this means or where comes from" as would taking a baseline background and altering it, highlighting the differences both in terms of the bullet points and the lifestyle as linked elements.

"Soldiers in the ranks of the Ninth Order are often sent around to resolve lesser disputes over custom and law in outlying areas and so they gain proficiency in Insight and History as opposed to Intimidation and Athletics as they spend a lot of time adjudicating disputes and hearing pleas and cases."

 

[Ath-kethin]

No no no, the Halfling IS the cook. (But you are otherwise not far off.)

That's silly. Why would halflings be cooking halflings? Are they cannibals or something?

 

[Satyrn]

I agree. I think a slew of backgrounds would be an excellent way to present setting information to the players - something they have an incentive to read through, something that can directly impact them.

And I'm talking about even expanding on what's in the players handbook. Like, for example, the criminal background with its underworld contact feature. The setting book can list some criminal organizations and a few crooks, fences or the like, and maybe say "select one of these as your contact" or something like that.

Meanwhile, the ship's passage feature could mention the 3 great trading companies of the setting and require you choose one.

A great deal of varied info can be presented through the backgrounds in themed, consumable chunks.

 

[5ekyu]

That's silly. Why would halflings be cooking halflings? Are they cannibals or something?

Hmmm... Adds new dimension to the idea of family barbecues, doesn't it?

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[Jefe Bergenstein]

I'm not sure enough people eat halflings to have skill in cooking them be a common thing, but I like your enthusiasm.

In Soviet Dark Sun, halfling eat YOU!

(Also in regular Dark Sun.)

 

[Staffan]

That's silly. Why would halflings be cooking halflings? Are they cannibals or something?

Cannibals? Don't be absurd. That would be horrible. A halfling would never think of eating another halfling. A human who wandered into the Forest Ridge, now that's a different story...

 

[Henry]

Cannibals? Don't be absurd. That would be horrible. A halfling would never think of eating another halfling. A human who wandered into the Forest Ridge, now that's a different story...

If the Athasian halfling says he’s hungry... RUN.