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

[mellored]

I am not unable, but the rules widget lets you ignore the need for reasons.

How is it any different than advantage on Persuasion, which improves your chances by ~20%?

The DM can still set the base price / DC.

"The town just burnt down and the price of all wood is doubled" still applies

 

[Yaarel]

Here confirmed 2024 compares feats in the UA playtest.

2024 BACKGROUND	FEAT	UA ORIGINS
Acolyte	Magic Initiate: Cleric	Acolyte
Artisan	Crafter	Artisan
Charlatan	Skilled	Charlatan
Criminal	Alert	Criminal
Entertainer	Musician	Entertainer
Farmer	Tough	Farmer
Guard	Alert	Guard
Guide	Magic Initiate: Druid	Guide
Hermit	Healer	Hermit ≈ Pilgrim
Merchant	Tough?	≈ Laborer
Noble	Skilled	Noble
Sage	Magic Initiate: Wizard	Sage ≈ Cultist
Sailor	Tavern Brawler	Sailor
Scribe	Lucky?	?
Soldier	Savage Attacks	≈ Gladiator
Wayfarer	Lucky	≈ Urchin

Criminal versus Guard are like opposite ways of accessing Alert.
Noble versus Charlatan accessing Skilled.
Farmer versus Merchant accessing Tough. (Merchant makes "long journeys".)

Perhaps Scribe and Wayfarer are opposites for Lucky?
Scribe has something to do with attention to detail and catching errors. What feat besides Lucky associates this theme? Skilled already has two backgrounds. Alert is too combat oriented which feels off for a "scribe", and also already has two backgrounds. As far as I can tell only Lucky remains − where the "luck" comes from being detail-oriented.

 

[Remathilis]

BREAKING NEWS: DMs Upset They Can't Ignore Background Features Anymore Like They Did in 2014!

Seriously. When did anyone ever get access to a noble's ear, free passage on a ship, or free healing in a temple in the history of 5e? Folk heroes literally would have communities lie for you, but merchants getting a discount is martial mind control?

The 2014 features were mealy-mouthed, "DM-may-I" features that only worked if the DM designed their campaign to accommodate them and even if they tied to, they lost potency by level 5 at the latest. But let's be honest: if the player wanted to see the local lord, it was because there was a story reason and it was going to happen regardless if there was a noble PC or not. The best the sailor got was saving some gold on a ship ride (and if the players actually were sailors, ie owned a boat, that was useless). And good luck finding a friendly temple in Barorvia!

Yeah, sorry now you can't block a feature of my character anymore. Now, where's my senior crafter discount?

 

[mellored]

Yeah, sorry now you can't block a feature of my character anymore. Now, where's my senior crafter discount?

I still expect it to say

"You need 20% less materials to craft".
Not
"You can purchase items for 20% less"

 

[Charlaquin]

Maybe. I don't know that we have seen the full text, but I don't think it matters. I would assume the 20% savings comes from the fact that you are skilled at crafting and have less waste and therefore less cost to craft. That seems directly associated to me. Not that I care one way or the other, but that was my impression of the feat.

You seem to be assuming it’s a discount on the cost of crafting. It reads to me like a discount on the cost of buying things in shops. In support of my reading, that’s what the feat does in the UA.

 

[Charlaquin]

We actually haven't see the whole background entry from the books, this was just preview. However, I do wonder if these are gone myself. I have a feeling you are correct. My group never really used them, but I thought they were interesting and good for those that did.

They were gone in the UA.

 

[Charlaquin]

I'm bad a crafting. So I waste materials. Bent nails, broken tiles, splintered wood. Indeed it's normal to factor in the cost of spoilage into the estimate for a job. 10% is typical, but with me it's more like 50.

Yeah, if it’s the cost of crafting, that makes sense and is fine by me. But I’m pretty sure it’s the cost of buying things, that have already been crafted, and are being sold in a store or by a merchant.

 

[Parmandur]

They were gone in the UA.

And not present in the preview pages.

 

[Charlaquin]

How is it any different than advantage on Persuasion, which improves your chances by ~20%?

The DM can still set the base price / DC.

"The town just burnt down and the price of all wood is doubled" still applies

But the prices are all 20% less for one PC than they are for all the other PCs.

 

[mellored]

Yeah, if it’s the cost of crafting, that makes sense and is fine by me. But I’m pretty sure it’s the cost of buying things, that have already been crafted, and are being sold in a store or by a merchant.

I mean, it's called Crafter not Hagler.

Seems much more likely to apply to crafting cost IMO.