D&D (2024) 2024 Player's Handbook Reveal: Feats/Backgrounds/Species

[Horwath]

You can say this about every single thing to play in the game.

Why does every Fighter have proficiency in all Simple and Martial weapons? Why does every Hobgoblin have Martial Advantage?

It's the way the game is designed. If someone doesn't like it, then they are free to house rule it. I mean I already know several things I'm already going to be house ruling even though the PHB hasn't even come out yet. But no biggie! That's the way we all play the game.

yeah, I agree with some of this, some should be fixed and some should be free to pick.

and Background was a very nice place to give players a part of character creation that they can pick without any limitations.

 

[SpellObjectEnthusiast]

Equivalent exchange: Feats are no longer an optional rule, but custom backgrounds are.

Perfectly balanced.

 

[Epic Meepo]

So custom backgrounds are no longer the default, and we lost at least three backgrounds from the playtest (assuming wayfarer is just a new name for urchin). That seems a bit regressive.

 

[Mirrorrorrim]

So much energy wasted on Backgrounds that could have been used better elsewhere,

Just do:

1. increase abilities by +2/+1 or +1/+1/+1
2. Pick two skills
3. Pick one feat

That's great for a quicksheet. But it's not necessarily a good book experience, or new player experience to inspire character concepts.

 

[Neonchameleon]

why?

should all guards have same background features(feat+skills)

Sure, if every guard is from some generic village, then yes.

but, maybe you are a royal guard or guard at a mage tower or guard for the underdark slave caravan?

surely those 4 positions would ask for specialized set of skills?

What do you think the Skilled feat (giving you proficiency in three skills of your choice) does other than gives you a specialised set of skills?

 

[Frozen_Heart]

Overall liking the new backgrounds. Especially how they handle the ASI's.

Not a fan of how all the species are looking visually in the art. Everyone is visually looking more like reskinned humans. Orcs are the most obvious, but it even seems to be the case for all the others too.

 

[Sir Brennen]

By making the ASIs a feat now, I wonder if that will cause players, especially newer ones, to consider taking a another feat instead more often than they do in the current rules.

In the end it's not really different choice than before, but by making an ASI "just another feat" - I'm guessing the language in the PHB is now "you get a feat at level X" - that clear cut option of A or B is gone, so will there be an impact on the thought process when leveling up?

 

[Parmandur]

Honestly, I think they saw the reaction to the backgrounds in that original UA and realized there would be a sizable part of the playerbase that wouldn't grock that they were just examples, no matter how much they called attention to it. So they made them a little more flexible, and made new backgrounds a "DM can say yes" thing.

It also allows every DM to get a practice bit at being a house ruling boss for their table, because this is easy peasy.

 

[Parmandur]

You'll have to see what the sidebar in the PHB says about incorporating species from other books into your 5E24 game. to find out.

It's probavly the same sidebar that was in UA 1. Simple stuff, really.

 

[mellored]

There are 20 combinations of ability score boost, and only 16 backgrounds.

Meaning a few combinations won't exist (i.e. Str/Int/Cha might be missing).