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

[Charlaquin]

The discount just assumes they craft a few things in their downtime.

I don’t see the connection. Why would crafting a few things in your downtime result in Thiollier the poison broker being willing to sell you antitoxin on the cheap?

But I still understand your concern.

 

[UngeheuerLich]

I don’t see the connection. Why would crafting a few things in your downtime result in Thiollier the poison broker being willing to sell you antitoxin on the cheap?

They do not. But if you buy a list of things, if you make them yourself, you don't have to buy them. As I said, In a specifoc scenario lile you described, the discount would not have worked.
So I'd really like to see the final text in the book.

 

[Paul Farquhar]

The issue isn't the luck, it's that your decision to use it needs to happen after you are targeted, but before the roll is made and the outcome known. That's the problem. It interrupts the flow of play.

But the point is, the character does not make the decision to use it. The character does nothing. The concealed assassin is about to snipe the lucky character with their crossbow when a flock of birds suddenly flies up disrupting their aim.

 

[Jefe Bergenstein]

Those are the names of an ability you roll to resolve uncertainty in the outcomes of actions, and skills that modify such rolls. What do you mean when you say they’re “universal?”

Getting a 20% universal discount is no more absurd than getting the same +X to persuade a beholder, elf, or awakened mongoose. If you can accept one, the other should be easy enough.

 

[DarkCrisis]

Maybe you take part in the wrong forum then. You seem to hate the game.

It’s like broccoli. Might not enjoy it as much as other veggies but you have to eat it once in awhile. Especially when it’s the only option available.

 

[Charlaquin]

But the point is, the character does not make the decision to use it. The character does nothing. The concealed assassin is about to snipe the lucky character with their crossbow when a flock of birds suddenly flies up disrupting their aim.

I think the two of you are raising different issues with the ability. Yours is that it’s a player decision rather than a character decision. @Jefe Bergenstein is fine with that, but takes issue with the timing of the ability - that the player must decide before the roll is made rather than after.

 

[Paul Farquhar]

I think the two of you are raising different issues with the ability. Yours is that it’s a player decision rather than a character decision. @Jefe Bergenstein is fine with that, but takes issue with the timing of the ability - that the player must decide before the roll is made rather than after.

Lots of things work like that. It is a part of the normal flow of play.

 

[Charlaquin]

Getting a 20% universal discount is no more absurd than getting the same +X to persuade a beholder, elf, or awakened mongoose. If you can accept one, the other should be easy enough.

That doesn’t follow. The bonus makes you *more likely to succeed on an ability check,” it doesn’t guarantee any specific outcome. It’s also contingent on an ability check actually being made, which requires engagement with the action resolution mechanics.

 

[Lanefan]

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.”

While I agree with your point, one can argue that the character doesn't have to do anything for Toughness either. It's a passive feat, just like this one.

As opposed to Lucky, which IMO is worse than both of these as it has has nothing to do with the character whatsoever. It's pure metagame.

 

[Charlaquin]

Lots of things work like that. It is a part of the normal flow of play.

Far fewer things work like that in the revised rules we’ve seen so far than did in the 2014 rules. Indeed, even by Tasha’s far fewer things were working that way than did in early 5e. It just makes for smoother play to have the decision to reroll come after a roll has actually been made, which is why we started seeing more abilities designed that way later in 5e’s lifecycle and why almost all abilities where you had to decide before the roll have been changed to be after the roll in the revisions. Lucky seems to be a conspicuous exception.