D&D (2024) D&D Background and Origin Feat Article

[mellored]

How? Losing more hit points doesn't force a behavior change, unless that gives the monster the "dead" condition.

Dead monster behavior changes a lot.

 

[Parmandur]

Speculation on the associated feats (the answers might be out there already -- some certainly are.

• Acolyte - Healer
• Charlatan - Skilled? Alert?
• Artisan - Crafter
• Criminal - Tough? Skilled? Tavern Brawler?
• Entertainer - Musician
• Guard - Alert
• Farmer - Tough
• Guide - Healer?
• Hermit - Healer
• Noble - Skilled
• Merchant - Crafter?
• Sage - Magic Initiate
• Sailor - Tavern Brawler?
• Soldier - Savage Attacker? (Lightly Armored?)
• Scribe - Magic Initiate
• Wayfarer - Lucky

Happy to be corrected!

Guide is pretty certainly Magic Initiate: Druid Edition.

Scribe might be Skilled?

What we daw in UA1 (and these might be very conservatively idwntical on the PHB):

• Acolyte: Magic Initate (Divine): probably going to specify the Cleric spell list in the PHB
• Artisan: Crafter
• Charlatan: Skilled
• Criminal: Alert
• [Cultist]: Magic Initate (Arcane): maybe became the Scribe?
• Entertainer: Musician
• Farmer: Tough
• [Gladiator]: Savage Attacker...redundant with Soldier?
• Guard: Alert
• Guide: Magic Initate (Primal): probably specifies the Druid spell list in PHB
• Hermit: Magic Initate (Primal): so that's different?
• [Laborer]: Tough...redundant with Farmer?
• Noble: Skilled
• [Pilgrim]: Healer...merged with Hermit?
• Sage: Magic Initate (Arcane) probably specifies Wizard spell list in PHB
• Sailor: Tavern Brawler
• Soldier: Tavern Brawler
• [Urchin]: Lucky...became Wanderer

Looks like they did want a Backgrouns for all 20 Ability threescore, but it got too resundant...? Or maybe those will be in the DMG as custom examples...

 

[mellored]

Because the feat doesn't require them to do anything.

Neither does toughness, fire resistance, skilled, lucky, or alert.

 

[MonsterEnvy]

Because the feat doesn't require them to do anything.

Maybe you should wait until you see the actual text.

 

[Mistwell]

Proficiency with improvised weapons implies other characters don't have proficiency. In 2014 it was always "with the DM's permission". Maybe that's gone now?

It's the same rule as 2014. Same text as the 2014 feat.

 

[Micah Sweet]

Neither does toughness, fire resistance, skilled, lucky, or alert.

Ok, you are looking at this from a gamist perspective. They seem fine from that point of view. My concerns are about how well they represent what they're supposed to in the setting.

 

[Micah Sweet]

Maybe you should wait until you see the actual text.

I thought @Chaosmancer did give the actual text. Sorry.

 

[Charlaquin]

Speculation on the associated feats (the answers might be out there already -- some certainly are.

• Acolyte - Healer
• Charlatan - Skilled? Alert?
• Artisan - Crafter
• Criminal - Tough? Skilled? Tavern Brawler?
• Entertainer - Musician
• Guard - Alert
• Farmer - Tough
• Guide - Healer?
• Hermit - Healer
• Noble - Skilled
• Merchant - Crafter?
• Sage - Magic Initiate
• Sailor - Tavern Brawler?
• Soldier - Savage Attacker? (Lightly Armored?)
• Scribe - Magic Initiate
• Wayfarer - Lucky

Happy to be corrected!

In the UA, it was:

• Acolyte - Magic Initiate (Divine, presumably now Cleric)
• Artisan - Crafter
• Charlatan - Skilled
• Criminal - Alert
• Cultist - Magic Initiate (Arcane) seemingly cut
• Entertainer - Musician
• Farmer - Tough seemingly cut
• Gladiator - Savage Attacker seemingly cut
• Guard - Alert
• Guide - Magic Initiate (Primal, presumably now Druid)
• Hermit - Magic Initiate (Primal, presumably now Druid)
• Laborer - Tough seemingly cut
• Noble - Skilled
• Pilgrim - Healer seemingly cut
• Sage - Magic Initiate (Arcane, presumably now Wizard)
• Sailor - Tavern Brawler
• Soldier - Savage Attacker
• Urchin (seemingly now Wayfarer) - Lucky

Both of the backgrounds that grant Tough were cut, but Criminal and Guard double up on Alert so I would guess one of them picks up Tough, probably Criminal. Pilgrim was cut and Hermit and Guide double up on Magic Initiate (Druid) so I would guess one of them picks up Healer. No idea what the new Merchant and Scribe would get.

 

[Charlaquin]

Not sure why you think the character isn't doing anything.

Because they literally don’t have to do anything. The Feat just says they get a 20% discount on non-magical items. They can just go to a town they’ve never been to before, walk into any store they want, and ask the shopkeeper for the employee discount, and according to this feat they just get it. They don’t get advantage on checks to haggle, they don’t have a guild that supplies them materials to craft their own stuff cheaper than market price, they just get an automatic 20% off, no questions asked, carte blanche to tell the DM, “nope, that plate mail only costs me 1,200 gold, it says it right here on my character sheet.”

 

[Charlaquin]

Because they literally don’t have to do anything. The Feat just says they get a 20% discount on non-magical items. They can just go to a town they’ve never been to before, walk into any store they want, and ask the shopkeeper for the employee discount, and according to this feat they just get it. They don’t get advantage on checks to haggle, they don’t have a guild that supplies them materials to craft their own stuff cheaper than market price, they just get an automatic 20% off, no questions asked, carte blanche to tell the DM, “nope, that plate mail only costs me 1,200 gold, it says it right here on my character sheet.”

Following up on this, it’s the same problem the old Folk Hero’s rustic hospitality feature had. If you picked that background, the rules just told you the DM has to roleplay all poor people as liking your character. Doesn’t matter if you’ve ever met them before, or if you treat them like crap, you just have the thing on your character sheet that says they’ll always take in and feed you and five of your friends, treat you nice, and hide you from the cops if you need it.