D&D (2024) Did you make up your mind about 5.24?

[tetrasodium]

In the 2024, the choice of setting is where to find (official) flavor or to build (homebrew) flavor.

At least for my worldbuilding purposes, 2024 has so much flavor that is inspiring, even compelling. At the same time the setting gets out of my, and lets me be easily do things I want to do for the setting.

For example, I am interested in building an Arneson-esque Blackmoor regional setting in the 2024 Greyhawk, in "Arn". No problem! And I also want to create from scratch a 2024 version of a mythologically Norse setting. No problem. Because both settings are northerly, the respective regional settings can be each others neighbors. It works well.

I am excited about working with 2024 backgrounds for worldbuilding purposes. I feel the shift from "biological" species to "cultural" backgrounds is the correct one. Indeed, the old school mechanics that confused culture and species now looks idiotic in my eyes. For example, one version of Blackmoor counted Humans − common Thonians versus aristocratic Thonians − as two separate species, "races". Then the indigenous Peshwah were yet an other separate species. Idiotic. It is so much more helpful to understand these diversities as cultural backgrounds. Meanwhile, the 2024 background is such a substantial amount of design space, I am looking forward to working with it.

Especially for the Norse region, the concept of a person descending from more than one species is important. Even changing from one species to a different species can happen. Because of the narrative space and the free feat mechanics of the background, I am confident that everything I need to do, I can do via backgrounds. I dont need to wait for mixed-species mechanics. Creating feats that grant species traits is more than sufficient. In a Norse context, all of this makes.

I like the 2024 Elf species, and will continue use its three lineages. But there are certain Norse elven concepts that I want in play. At the same time, it is much more helpful to think elven diversity as cultural differences between magical cultures, rather than add yet another hundred and odd elven "races". Meanwhile, any species can become part of an elven community, participate in the collective magic, and take on elven traits. Oppositely, an elf can become part of a human culture and take on human traits. Like a mermaid living on land among humans and gaining humanity, this is an important possibility for the mechanics of a fantasy game to represent.

No.. Tone is the difference between Scream & Scary Movie. While one of those is a comedy, the other is rooted much more closely in reality.

 

[Clint_L]

I don't see much difference, but most of what I do see, I like. Nothing is ever going to be perfect, but the good significantly outweighs the bad, for me.

And on the overall design and layout, it's miles better. Especially the DMG - that's gone from a book that I wouldn't recommend to new DMs, to a book that I think is essential for them.

 

[Yaarel]

There is no Culture rules container in any way, and Backgrounds are not cultures.

D&D backgrounds are "learned", and by definition, are cultural in nature.

The 2024 rules, and the shallow extent that any kind of guidance is provided, does nothing from what I can see to aid or teach, world building at all.

If you want deep dives into setting lore, then purchase the coming soon Forgotten Realms guides. Or even use the Forgotten Realms guides from earlier editions. No problem!

Or purchase Eberron. Or Theros. Or Dragonlance. Or whatever flavor you enjoy most.

I myself am literally implementing setting content from Original D&D, 1e, 2e, 3e, even 4e, for my Blackmoor regional setting.

Are the Gods detailed?

Heh, as you might know, I hate Forgotten Realms gods any way. It is impossible for me to take them seriously, and difficult for me to understand how people could "worship" them.

I like Eberron with its religious relativity and cultural focus. Even Theros is surprisingly excellent, despite its "D&D gods".

Whichever gods you like best, use those for your setting.

I will be emphasizing animism for the subarctic and arctic. But polytheism and monotheism also exist in the Greyhawk planet. Likewise philosophical elementalism is also a thing, which I will lift from Dark Sun.

What of their faiths? Are there actual cultural differences outlined, and how are those mechanically represented if every culture has the same Charlatan, Farmer, and Hermit.

Create backgrounds that make sense to you.

I will have backgrounds that do very specific things. For example, I want "dark elves" to be a culture that includes D&D elves and dwarves, even a human or a gnome. (Gnomes are anachronistic. Nonexistent in the viking period but popular in modern folkbelief. The background feat will grant spellcasting and so on, to cover the salient dark elf tropes.

Those are your Backgrounds. Capital B. That is a Rules Container.

Yes. These are backgrounds that "I make my own"! At the same time, I expect the upcoming Forgotten Realms setting to add official backgrounds that do cool stuff, like allow Avariel elves to make "glassteel", and Drow elves to make "adamantine" weapons and armor.

Tell me, as a 'I just got my first D&D Book, 2024 PHB' who is Gruumsh, and what does he believe and ask of his followers?

I dont care about Gruumsh. I am still trying to decide what the Orc culture should be for my setting.

The themes I find interesting are: Roman underworld (Shadowfell) = "Orcus" = Ogre = Orc. Potentially there is necromantic flavor for the Orc, and Giant flavor.

These tropes are fun, but pejoratively negative. They will definitely be "factions" that can offer "backgrounds". But I need to think thru how to do this in a positive way, that, sotospeak, a reallife Orc would enjoy to play.

Go to your Index. You'll find 'background' on page 378, first page of the index.

You will not find culture. Its not a thing, you are making it up as you have before.

Backgrounds are so easy to create!

Pick whatever skills, tool(s), (languages), that make the most sense to you. Then pick whatever feat you feel is appropriate. Pick one of the 2024 feats that you like. Or if you are uncertain about inventing your own feats, then most of the time, you pick one of the 2014 half feats, plus Xanathars and Tashas. All of this is playable at level ! Character concept in play from the moment adventure starts.

 

[Yaarel]

No.. Tone is the difference between Scream & Scary Movie. While one of those is a comedy, the other is rooted much more closely in reality.

I never used the term "tone". Heh, I am unsure what you reading into my post.

In any case, D&D has always been able to accommodate any tone, from old school Monte Python silliness, to genuinely creepy, to high heroic action movie.

Tone has different meanings. In the sense of a narrator using word choice and actions that demonstrate the narrators own attitude toward the story ... D&D is always exactly this.

 

[Scribe]

D&D backgrounds are "learned", and by definition, are cultural in nature.

Learned, yes, cultural? Absolutely not.

I myself am literally implementing setting content from Original D&D, 1e, 2e, 3e, even 4e, for my Blackmoor regional setting.

Excellent, so you are using non-canon sources to inform your game, because the 2024 release doesnt provide the depth required for world building.

Heh, as you might know, I hate Forgotten Realms gods any way. It is impossible for me to take them seriously, and difficult for me to understand how people could "worship" them.

I like Eberron with its religious relativity and cultural focus. Even Theros is surprisingly excellent, despite its "D&D gods".

Whichever gods you like best, use those for your setting.

I will be emphasizing animism for the subarctic and arctic. But polytheism and monotheism also exist in the Greyhawk planet. Likewise philosophical elementalism is also a thing, which I will lift from Dark Sun.

Ah, so for you, the absolute dearth of information is a plus. Score one for 'the blank page is world building'.

Create backgrounds that make sense to you.

So again, a lack of provided material. Score another one for 'the blank page is world building'.

I dont care about Gruumsh. I am still trying to decide what the Orc culture should be for my setting.

The themes I find interesting are: Roman underworld (Shadowfell) = "Orcus" = Ogre = Orc. Potentially there is necromantic flavor for the Orc, and Giant flavor.

These tropes are fun, but pejoratively negative. They will definitely be "factions" that can offer "backgrounds". But I need to think thru how to do this in a positive way, that, sotospeak, a reallife Orc would enjoy to play.

None of this is coming from the 2024 text. At all. Score another one for 'the blank page is world building'.

Backgrounds are so easy to create!

Very. They are not cultures. They are not world building. They are former occupations, stations, or training from before you became an adventurer.

Thank you for confirming what I already suspected.

 

[Yaarel]

Learned, yes, cultural? Absolutely not.

I am an archeologist. What do you think a "culture" is?

 

[Scribe]

I am an archeologist. What do you think a "culture" is?

We have done this before.

What is it not?

A Criminal background which pertains to an individual. The fact a person was a Farmer, or a Soldier.

Background, in the case of the D&D Rules Container, is closer to Occupation.

An Occupation, is not culture.

I work in IT. That is not my culture.

Again, we have been over this.

 

[Yaarel]

None of this is coming from the 2024 text. At all. Score another one for 'the blank page is world building'.

I absolutely dislike baking Forgotten Realms into the CORE rules.

2024 lets me pick and choose the WotC that I do love, from any official setting.

I DMs who love Forgotten Realms deep dives − buy the official products.

For myself, I will also be buying Forgotten Realms products to mine them for the excellent stuff that is there.

 

[Scribe]

2024 lets me pick and choose the WotC that I do love, from any official setting.

You quite literally could ALWAYS do so. Nobody could stop you but yourself.

 

[MichaelSomething]

I am for anything that causes more chaos and conflict in the D&D community. It will force us to evolve faster to die trying.