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

[Scott Christian]

Ya, it’s this picture. This is the mystery background we don’t know.

Maybe scholar?

 

[GarrettKP]

Maybe scholar?

Possibly. But that just feels like a Sage to me?

 

[Ruin Explorer]

Again, not really. Is that urchin a little less smart. Well yes, if the point buy can't exceed 15. They will be a +1 behind the top most optimized. Might they gain something else from the street urchin background that makes them unique, and dare I say, even better than that +1 optimizer? The answer is yes.

The answer is probably not imo, given how often that +1 will come into play over the course of a campaign, and that they'll be behind other characters for a very long time, and effectively down a Feat even when they do keep up (or at least a half-Feat).

I think there is an in between that most people use, and I think the system they created will suffice for most of those that fall in between.

I think most people will absolutely fall between the two, in exactly the sense of "falling between two stools". The extreme optimizers won't care that they have to use the same exact background for every Cleric, or every Warlock or whatever. The extreme roleplayers won't care that their character is obviously suboptimal and has dull Skill choices and a dodgy Feat. But most people are in-between and that's the group who are likely to be most stuffed here.

That said, I think we need to see the exact details before we can discuss this much further, because we've been over the theoretical points as far as they go.

There is definitely a range as to how bad this problem could be. If they've designed the Backgrounds really exceptionally well, it may be there are very few "duds", and thus most classes have say, 3-4 "reasonable" choices which fit into that "middle ground" pretty well. On the other hand, it seems pretty plausible to me that there's only one or two "reasonable" choices for each class, and that there may even be a couple of classes which don't have any backgrounds that work well with stats, Skills, and Feat.

 

[Belen]

If we look at it honestly - there's pretty much one plausible goal here - forcing to people to buy more books to get more backgrounds, and those backgrounds are more optimal and/or cooler. Then they can wave the books at the DMs, and the exact sort of DMs who aren't keen on Custom backgrounds are likely to be fine with stuff that's from books.

I honestly can't really see any other rationale - it's flying against how D&D has been played for 5+ years, and it's actively making the game less compatible. I can see another reason - not a rationale - simple bad design, without understanding the consequences, but I'd almost prefer that they were trying to sell books, because that's just depressing.

This is probably the case but there is another explanation: simplicity.

The new backgrounds reduce choice so it is more plug 'n play.

 

[mellored]

WIS is only strong or useful at all if you ALSO have access to:

A) Perception (and preferably but less importantly Insight)

B) Proficiency in WIS saves.

No.

Having 12 Wis compared to 10 is going to give you let you resist hold person 5% of the time.

Having +7 to save compared to +6 is going to give you let you resist hold person 5% of the time.

It's not like Stealth where you just won't attempt it if your bad at it. Perception and Wis saves will happen no matter what.

If we look at it honestly - there's pretty much one plausible goal here - forcing to people to buy more books

The other plausible thing is you failed your Perception check to not see the real answer, and follow it up with a failed Charisma save to not be upset about it.

If only you had +2 to those instead of taking +2 Dex, which does nothing for online form combat.

But again. You are welcome to ban the backgound from your games if it's existence upsets you this much.

 

[CreamCloud0]

Ya, it’s this picture. This is the mystery background we don’t know.

Scribe perhaps?

 

[Parmandur]

If we look at it honestly - there's pretty much one plausible goal here

I think the plausible abd probable goal is helping prevent analysis paralysis gor new players. Keep a simple suite of narrative lyrics intuitive options that signpost hiw they are used...butcleave it wide open gir customization once the table has a handle on hiw it works.

 

[Parmandur]

So this made me go back and check something. The picture I link here shows some feats, and Blind Fighting from Tasha’s is clearly on the chart. But Blessed Warrior isn’t!

So I think you’re right, I think they left off the Blessed Warrior and Druidic Warrior fighting styles. This would make the 11 Tasha’s feats (to go with the 64 playtest feats):

Blind Fighting
Eldritch Adept
Fighting Initiate
Intercepter
Meta Magic Adept
Poisoner
Superior Technique
Telekinetic
Telepath
Thrown Weapon Fighting
Unarmed Fighting

Crawford listed all the Fighting Style Feats coming over in the Fighter video just now, the Class specific ones are still Tasha's exclusives.

 

[Scott Christian]

Possibly. But that just feels like a Sage to me?

I agree. To split the two might be a bit pedantic. But maybe they can create a new version of each for me. I'm open to it, but it does feel like they are the same.

 

[Scott Christian]

There is definitely a range as to how bad this problem could be.

Those are very true words.