D&D (2024) RIP, 2014 PHB backgrounds

[Cruentus]

I completely disagree. There is nothing (IMO) wrong with listing some quick-grab backgrounds while suggesting to people that they can swap out any bit they like. Does anyone complain about the equipment packages? I've never heard it. You can choose to buy your gear, too. Everyone seems to understand this.

As mentioned above, and IME, not everyone understands this. A lot of the complaints about the UA are "Why do farmers speak Halfling?" Or "That's stupid, why do Gladiators speak Orc? Is WOTC saying all gladiators are orcs?", etc. Its reviewers, "influencers", etc. as well. People don't get that its "optional" and that its supposed to be bespoke. WOTC will have to do it some other way, or somehow make it crystal clear.

Again, IME, when its written down, them's the rules, and people will use the "examples" as "this is how they work, and these are valid choices.", which in the UA, they're really not (they're supposed to be examples).

 

[Shiroiken]

Then the examples should demonstrate that.

They do in the UA. I agree this needs to be much clearer than they put in the 5E PHB, and a good method would be to refer to them as Example Backgrounds. Putting the customization in a sidebar made it seem like an optional rule, rather than standard.

 

[Azzy]

Then the examples should demonstrate that.

How? Putting the clear as day text that's already there in 14 pt bold, italicized, and underline print?

 

[Whizbang Dustyboots]

They also need to make creating custom backgrounds the default in D&D Beyond, which they are pushing more players to, not fewer. As it is, building anything custom in D&D Beyond is definitely for more advanced users.

I don't think there's even a way to create a custom background on the fly. You'd have to create a custom background as homebrew content, then connect it to your campaign, for it to even show up as an option to choose.

 

[Whizbang Dustyboots]

How? Putting the clear as day text that's already there in 14 pt bold, italicized, and underline print?

Take out the default languages and say "pick a language that makes sense for your character." (Or better yet, stop giving free languages to every background. Not every character needs to have picked up another language pre-adventuring.)

 

[FitzTheRuke]

They also need to make creating custom backgrounds the default in D&D Beyond, which they are pushing more players to, not fewer. As it is, building anything custom in D&D Beyond is definitely for more advanced users.

I don't think there's even a way to create a custom background on the fly. You'd have to create a custom background as homebrew content, then connect it to your campaign, for it to even show up as an option to choose.

This. Well, that and they should also make sure that if you choose to pick a sample one, you should be able to easily swap out any single element. The last thing I'd want is to have to make a whole "custom" farmer just so I can give it a different language proficiency.

 

[Kobold Stew]

As mentioned above, and IME, not everyone understands this. A lot of the complaints about the UA are "Why do farmers speak Halfling?" Or "That's stupid, why do Gladiators speak Orc? Is WOTC saying all gladiators are orcs?", etc. Its reviewers, "influencers", etc. as well. People don't get that its "optional" and that its supposed to be bespoke. WOTC will have to do it some other way, or somehow make it crystal clear.

Again, IME, when its written down, them's the rules, and people will use the "examples" as "this is how they work, and these are valid choices.", which in the UA, they're really not (they're supposed to be examples).

Even as examples, though, they are misleading.

They should just say choose any standard language for backgrounds, or, better, remove the association of bac kgrounds and language entirely.

 

[UngainlyTitan]

How? Putting the clear as day text that's already there in 14 pt bold, italicized, and underline print?

One as @Whizbang Dustyboots says in the post above but the other should be a initial section where they walk through an example of a character creating a custom background.
You know sort of like " Bob decided that his character had apprenticed to a village blacksmith and put +2 in Str and +1 in Con, he competed at hammer throwing at the village fair and took proficiency in Athletics and Animal Handling and Prof in Smiths Tools. ..... etc."

 

[Azzy]

Take out the default languages and say "pick a language that makes sense for your character." (Or better yet, stop giving free languages to every background. Not every character needs to have picked up another language pre-adventuring.)

What's the problem with sample backgrounds having all the options (including language) already filled out—that's their raison d'etre. And how does having a language filled out muddy the clarity that the sample backgrounds are just that—samples?

 

[Azzy]

One as @Whizbang Dustyboots says in the post above but the other should be a initial section where they walk through an example of a character creating a custom background.
You know sort of like " Bob decided that his character had apprenticed to a village blacksmith and put +2 in Str and +1 in Con, he competed at hammer throwing at the village fair and took proficiency in Athletics and Animal Handling and Prof in Smiths Tools. ..... etc."

I guess. But are the people that miss the part that says that you can build your own or customize the sample backgrounds going to miss reading that, too?