D&D (2024) Just drop the backgrounds.

[Charlaquin]

With backgrounds being fully customizable, there is no need for them at all mechanically.
Keep them in description chapter of character creation as fluff.

Add 2 skills to you 1st level class proficiencies. Drop the class skills limit.
add choice of 2 languages/tool/weapons total to your 1st level class proficiencies.
Take one feat.

That is exactly how it works, except that also if you want to take a set of pre-selected options (called a “background”) instead of choosing them yourself, you can.

 

[Charlaquin]

I would leave the sample backgrounds in the book and let people that can make their own a way to do that. I can see the abuse of letting everyone free range make a background and each Turnip Farmer being skilled in Perception and Investigation/Thieves' Tools and martial weapons.

You can make your own. Or change any of the examples however you want (so yes, you can take the farmer background and swap the skills and tools for Perception, Investigation, Thieves’ Tools, and… I dunno, Celestial (background give one tool and one language, no way to gain weapon proficiency from them as-written).

 

[Charlaquin]

I would rather they get rid of the "fully customizable" aspect. Backgrounds were great; turning them into just a free selection of some stuff is a big retrograde step, IMO.

I mean, they’ve always been a free selection of some stuff, since the option to customize your background has always existed and never been an optional or variant rule. They’re just being more transparent about it now because they realize a lot of people didn’t know or didn’t believe that customizing backgrounds was a core option.

 

[Vael]

I mean, they’ve always been a free selection of some stuff, since the option to customize your background has always existed and never been an optional or variant rule. They’re just being more transparent about it now because they realize a lot of people didn’t know or didn’t believe that customizing backgrounds was a core option.

I remember a player getting upset that they wanted to play a Sage background Knowledge cleric, but wanted to change the Sage skills so they could get those skills with expertise from the subclass and were quite relieved when I told them they could do that. So, yeah, front loading that backgrounds are customizable is important.

Also, maybe it's from playing 13th Age and Fate, but now that backgrounds "expected" to be customized, I'm going for more evocative names. I drew up a character with the Lucky feat and said he was "Favoured by the gods". Don't say "Guard", say "Honest Cop drummed out of the Service". I expect a more Aspect, One Unique Thing style approach to making backgrounds in my One DnD games. That will bring back the more ribbon-y background features.

 

[dave2008]

That's a really cool idea. Do you choose stats first, or generate them when you pick a class?

Stats first. Not sure how you would play without stats, never thought of doing it any other way.

I do think there is a good argument for your class giving you a stat boost, but we haven't played that way.

 

[beancounter]

One thing for certain is that D&D is slowly but surely moving in the "anything goes" direction.

 

[SteveC]

If I were redesigning things, I'd make a general rule what backgrounds do mechanically and then take existing ones to use as examples.

I'm actually doing a redesign for 6SteveC edition, and that's how I'm doing it.

 

[Shiroiken]

Serious question: how often does the thematic background (which I also like!) come up in play?

In my group, the players usually play up what their background is. A noble acts like a noble, a folk hero talks to the peasants more often, etc. The feature background, however, is usually forgotten by both the player and DM. This is why I like the new feat setup, since it allows players the freedom for roleplay setup while giving a useful mechanical benef

Why is culture not considered relevant in D&D?

I think there's fear of backlash, just like they've experienced with race. Culture is another concept that people can be touchy about, even if it's not supposed to correlate with anything IRL. Unlike A5E, there's people out there looking for things to get offended about from WotC, so they have to be much more careful.

 

[Corinnguard]

In my group, the players usually play up what their background is. A noble acts like a noble, a folk hero talks to the peasants more often, etc. The feature background, however, is usually forgotten by both the player and DM. This is why I like the new feat setup, since it allows players the freedom for roleplay setup while giving a useful mechanical benef

I think there's fear of backlash, just like they've experienced with race. Culture is another concept that people can be touchy about, even if it's not supposed to correlate with anything IRL. Unlike A5E, there's people out there looking for things to get offended about from WotC, so they have to be much more careful.

Good point. D&D has 50 years of baggage to clear whereas A5e is the new kid on the block.

 

[gorice]

Logically you would pick stats first right? Even commoners who don’t have a class still have stats.

Maybe? If you pick stats first, you're limiting your class options down the road. And, stats could start at 10 and develop later based on your class training or whatever.