D&D (2024) Real Character Generation in 2024 PHB

[Tonguez]

I had no issue with the 2014 backgrounds, I just acknowledged that some people viewed them differently. That, for example, a noble could get an audience with a local lord meant they could could get an audience with any noble anywhere because if they were at a location, obviously every noble in the vicinity was local to that location. To me, the benefits were always going to be somewhat situational and has to make sense in context of the current situation.

I think the same "fluff", so to speak, could have been covered by backstory which is what I generally do. Give me an idea of where you come from and I'll try to throw in benefits here and there when it makes sense. But if you didn't want to do that the old backgrounds gave you a starting point.

Yeah, the old backgrounds were a nice mechanism for both triggering backstory for those who cant find the inspiration to write their own and also a nice summation tool for DMs to build narrative.

I know that making my Barbarian to constrain his excesses, no longer just a savage rage monster, he was also a good soldier respecting chain of command and his role in a unit.

 

[Oofta]

Yeah, the old backgrounds were a nice mechanism for both triggering backstory for those who cant find the inspiration to write their own and also a nice summation tool for DMs to build narrative.

I know that making my Barbarian to constrain his excesses, no longer just a savage rage monster, he was also a good soldier respecting chain of command and his role in a unit.

Which is fine unless you want your barbarian to have been raised as part of "Viking" raiders and is now trying to make amends by fighting the good fight. In that case you could just take the "Soldier" background, ignore the soldier part and make up your own backstory.

The labels they put on the backgrounds are minimal and could have just been made as starting ideas for backstories. Then have all the benefits separate. That's effectively what we're doing.

 

[ECMO3]

Which is fine unless you want your barbarian to have been raised as part of "Viking" raiders and is now trying to make amends by fighting the good fight. In that case you could just take the "Soldier" background, ignore the soldier part and make up your own backstory.

The labels they put on the backgrounds are minimal and could have just been made as starting ideas for backstories. Then have all the benefits separate. That's effectively what we're doing.

So just ignore the background part of the background - my Monk lived in the desert 500 miles from water and he has the Sailor background?

I just don't understand why they didn't make it simple:
+2/+1 or +1/+1/+1 to any stats
pick an Origin Feat
Pick 2 tools
Make a story to tie it all together.
Then put some quick builds for specific classes like they did in 2014.

 

[Oofta]

So just ignore the background part of the background - my Monk lived in the desert 500 miles from water and he has the Sailor background?

But if the combination of feat, skills, tool doesn't make sense? Then what?

I just don't understand why they didn't make it simple:
+2/+1 or +1/+1/+1 to any stats
pick an Origin Feat
Pick 2 tools
Make a story to tie it all together.
Then put some quick builds for specific classes like they did in 2014.

Yeah, we made a custom generic background in DDB and we just let people build what makes sense.

 

[Yaarel]

Where the "origin" comprises both the "background" and the "species", the "origin feats" might in the future also supply feats that relate to the lifeform species. This can be useful for statting a species mix.

 

[Yaarel]

I just don't understand why they didn't make it simple:
+2/+1 or +1/+1/+1 to any stats
pick an Origin Feat
Pick 2 tools
Make a story to tie it all together.
Then put some quick builds for specific classes like they did in 2014.

I always prefer freeform customizability.

Speculation about why WotC made the backgrounds so rigid, include:
• background is a building block for DMs who homebrew their setting and its cultures
• the rules say the DM may offer new backgrounds, but empower the DM with control
• a faction of the fan base dislikes freeform and want stats to have baked in flavor

I am comfortable with the DM deciding what backgrounds exist in a setting. DMs who want to let the players freeform a customizable background, is also the DMs prerogative per the Rules-As-Written.

 

[Mistwell]

Y'all are just bugged the best background is Musician.

 

[Demetrios1453]

So just ignore the background part of the background - my Monk lived in the desert 500 miles from water and he has the Sailor background?

Me, as DM "That desert is just filled with sand boats and airships! In fact, many monasteries in that region are either on airships or are high on cliffs only accessible by them."

 

[GMMichael]

The chapter on Backgrounds lists the following parts of a Background:
Ability Scores: Increase three ability scores by +1, or increase one by +2 and another by +1.
Feat: One Origin Feat.
Skill Proficiencies: Proficiency in two skills.
Tool Proficiency: Proficiency in one tool.
Equipment: Package of equipment bought with 50 GP.

So no one's taking issue with these features being gratuitous?

The fluff part of the background is the only valuable part. Characters already get ASIs, feats, proficiencies, and gear from classes.

 

[ECMO3]

• a faction of the fan base dislikes freeform and want stats to have baked in flavor

This is the one that bothers me the most because the Backgrounds and bonuses don't actually do this and this makes no sense given the way they implemented it and the way you can distribute your ability scores.

For stats to have a baked in flavor you need to apply a minimum to choose a background. You need to do it the other way around.

For example you can get a +1 with sailor because sailors need to be strong given how they climb around the rigging and move cargo, rig the sails, work the capstain (sp). Yet most Monks and Rangers are going to dump Strength. Even if they made it a flat +1 across the board, you still have this. A lot of the Monks or Rangers are going to dump strength.