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

[mellored]

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.

Your seem to be unable to imagine any in-game reasons why a being skilled at crafting lets you make stuff for less than an unskilled crafter.

 

[Parmandur]

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.

Farmer is in the PHB, and gives Tough IIRC. Hermit gives Healer, so more merged with Pilgrim maybe.

 

[DrJawaPhD]

This is a PHB preview, snd Background customization was confirmed for the DMG

I didn't spot any in this article, but previously they've said the custom Background rules will be in the DMG. So I wouldn't expect info on that for a while yet.

Makes sense, thanks!

 

[Chaosmancer]

10% is usually easy to figure, then just double that.

It is easiest, IMO, to think of it was 1/10th x 2. 1/10th is supper easy, simple move the decimal point over 1. Then multiply that x2 and you get 20%

Sure, but will I think of that in the moment when the player remembers they have this feat after they just bought a bunch of stuff from six different stores?

 

[Chaosmancer]

And beyond just the math, it opens questions as to what happens if the players try to haggle. Do they get 20% off whatever price they talk a vendor down to? Is 20% off the base price the starting point from which you negotiate down? Or, what if a vendor is asking more than the base price? Do you get 20% off whatever they’ve jacked it up to? These aren’t difficult questions to answer, but they are annoying to have to answer because of an origin feat.

LOL was just thinking about how I would want to handle haggling.

 

[Parmandur]

Sure, but will I think of that in the moment when the player remembers they have this feat after they just bought a bunch of stuff from six different stores?

From what Crawford laid down in those recent interviews, there may be a whole streamlined shopping system in play thianGeat is interfacing with.

 

[Chaosmancer]

But the character isn’t doing anything in the universe to cause this warping. The DM is just obliged to change NPC behavior because the player selected a feature that says so.

True, but it is also something you can work in. I actually have a character who specifically wanted to be a business woman in a recent game, and she went to haggle with an NPC. I decided that, since she is a merchant herself, I would let her roll with expertise in persuasion (she already has proficiency) solely and only for haggling.

So, you could flavor this as "because you are a crafter, and you know the general mark-ups merchants give items, you can haggle a more effective price." though it is annoying when the player then doesn't RP haggling, but if this part of the feature is important to them as a player, you can likely set some ground rules for what is happening

 

[Chaosmancer]

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.

Farmer is still in.

 

[Chaosmancer]

From what Crawford laid down in those recent interviews, there may be a whole streamlined shopping system in play thianGeat is interfacing with.

That would be really neat.

And, in the list of possible concerns, this is like... third from the bottom. It is the game equivalent to walking out and seeing bird poop on the sidewalk. Just a mild annoyance that gets you grumbly.

 

[Dausuul]

"Can craft an item from a Fast Crafting table, which lasts until you finish another Long Rest."

What the hell is this crap? Fast Crafting tables? If I wanted to play a CRPG, I'd be playing a friggin' CRPG.

I was looking forward to 5.24, but I sure hope this is not representative of how the new rules regard the fictional world. It reminds me of all the stuff I hated about the Bastion system.

Edit: It finally occurred to me that "Fast Crafting table" probably refers to a tabular arrangement within the book rather than a physical table within the game world. I'm still not thrilled about mundane items that randomly disintegrate based on when their creator goes to bed, but that's not nearly as immersion-breaking and can be explained as "It lasts basically 24 hours, and for the sake of simplicity we just assume it's quit working by the time you get up the next day."