D&D (2024) Bonus languages in One D&D backgrounds goes contrary to their other goals

[Charlaquin]

The will be treated as default and standard, even if WotC writes "EXAMPLE -- PLEASE MAKE YOUR OWN INSTEAD" in big bold letters before each entry.

But let's step back one level: If you were to design backgrounds for the 2024 PHB, would you include a free language by default for each and every one of them?

What’s the alternative, not giving languages?

 

[Charlaquin]

I'm fine with every background including a language, but that language should be the choice of the player.

It is

 

[Charlaquin]

I think it trivializes the idea of backgrounds and just makes it a bundle of characteristics with a collective label on it. If every background comes with a bonus language but they’re going to say “well of course you can swap out anything you like in your background if you decide your Guard doesn't know Dwarven,” why not just say everyone gets a bonus language, pick one? Why bother tying it in to background? They’re just saying “pick another language” in a more complicated way.

I think it would be a lot easier to say something like “everyone gets their race’s language and common, plus a number of languages equal to your intelligence modifier.”

Literally they are saying everyone gets their choice of one language. And one tool. And two skills. And a Feat. And a floating +2/+1. Then they are providing several pre-chosen sets of those things, for people who want to make one choice instead of seven.

 

[Ancalagon]

I too feel uneasy by some of these choices, and I'm also realising that this is a sensitivity that a lot of people don't have. As a minority language speaker, I have frequently witness the ... crass dismissiveness unilingual speakers of the dominant language (in NA, English) think and speak about other languages.

 

[MatthewJHanson]

Yeah, I agree.

If every background gets a free languages, it shouldn't be part of the background, it should just be under languages.

And in another thread I suggested that people who don't know what to pick should just roll on a random table.

 

[Charlaquin]

Yeah, I agree.

If every background gets a free languages, it shouldn't be part of the background, it should just be under languages.

There is nothing about background that everyone doesn’t get for free.

 

[Whizbang Dustyboots]

I don't think we actually know that, they're giving a lot of space emphasizing that they expect people to alter the example backgrounds to better fit their own character if needed. Why are we assuming that people won't alter them any as a default?

Because customized backgrounds are already a thing in the PHB, but are rarely used. The D&D ruleset is big and sprawling and most people never read it all (witness all the times someone wants a "new system" that's been in the DMG all along).

 

[Whizbang Dustyboots]

I'm fine with every background including a language, but that language should be the choice of the player.

I think giving a tool proficiency by default, with an option to swap to a language of the player's choosing, makes more sense.

Adding languages to backgrounds feels like a solution in search of a problem.

 

[Charlaquin]

Because customized backgrounds are already a thing in the PHB, but are rarely used.

Right, which is why they’re making it the default, and standardizing the components of background slightly more so that all of the examples fit the same structure.

 

[Charlaquin]

I think giving a tool proficiency by default, with an option to swap to a language of the player's choosing, makes more sense.

Adding languages to backgrounds feels like a solution in search of a problem.

You do know backgrounds already grant languages in the 2014 PHB, right?