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

[Yaarel]

We have done this before.

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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.

In my contexts, definition 2 of "culture" is the meaningful one. "Customs, arts, social institutions, ... of a particular ... social group."

This is what a D&D background is.

Customs. Like maybe in the religious traditions of your character, certain rituals are effective and grant "blessings". Background can do this!

The DM can grant a benefit every time your character makes a sacred meal, or whatever. The background feat can grant this blessing mechanically. The particular religion is itself a "faction" that the character participates in. The faction awards the feat.

If the DM is using Forgotten Realms polytheism, for example, different gods can grant different benefits. One god my grant healing powers. An other god might grant invisibility powers. Whatever. The "flavor" becomes actualizable ... because of 2024 backgrounds.

 

[Scribe]

In my contexts, definition 2 is the meaningful one. "Customs, arts, social institutions, ... of a particular ... social group."

This is what a D&D background is.

No it is not. A D&D Background, is a former occupation. I dont really care to document the list, but its not customs, arts, or institutions, its quite literally the work or training you performed before you became an adventurer.

EDIT: Hell its right there man.

"...a collection of characteristics that represent the place and OCCUPATION...."

 

[Yaarel]

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

Actually, I literally couldnt with the 2014 rules.

I wanted my setting to focus on animism, and eliminate polytheism. But the Forgotten Realms polytheism was so deeply baked into almost every page of the core the rules. I literally needed to rewrite the entire core books (via a Word doc version of the text). It was Sisyphean project that I ultimate abandoned.

Even tho the 2024 rules have moreorless the same content as 2014, it is present in such away that is so much easier for me to play with and build.

 

[Yaarel]

No it is not. A D&D Background, is a former occupation.

No it is not!

A D&D Background is anything the DM wants.

It can be an occupation. Your character is a Farmer.

Or it can be mythic destiny, of a larger than life folk hero who fates ordain.

Or you come from an other culture, such as a horseback culture, or a draconic culture.

Or maybe while younger, your were attacked by a werewolf and now you are a werewolf. (The main werewolf traits, of becoming wolf or a humanoid, or somewhere in between, is easy to do as a level 4 feat. I need to make sure I can do werewolf with a "background feat".)

Or it can be, in your past, you were touched by Fey magic.

Or you were born with a Psionic talent!

A background is anything.

Importantly, the DM defines each background, and decides its parameters (and any prereqs if necessary tho I avoid these).

Most importantly, any species can gain a background. (I guess a DM can decide only certain species can take certain feats, but I hated Xanathars doing this, and I will never go there.)

These backgrounds are "magical institutions". A character can learn the background, or otherwise acquire it, and participate in the culture of the groups that pertain to this background. If you were born with psychic powers, you can find a community that learns to develop and use well your psychic potential.

 

[Umbran]

We have been over this.

...

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

Mod Note:
We expect folks to be more polite and respectful than you are being here.

Please adjust.

 

[Scribe]

No it is not!

Nearly exactly what I've been saying.

In the interests of the peace, I'm out on this.

 

[tetrasodium]

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.

Post 29. Read the post that you quoted, especially the first six words. Why would you quote a post if your reply has nothing to do with it? Tone is critical to both the kinds of stories and settings that fit.

 

[mamba]

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

only in the broadest sense, a hermit from one culture is not all that different from the next culture, same for farmers etc., these are more universal professions, but you can probably add some specific ones too

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

how exactly is 2024 helping with that, it sounds more like you ignore it

I absolutely dislike baking Forgotten Realms into the CORE rules.

this I agree with, they should be setting neutral.

So I guess what you like about 2024 is more that you do not need to undo / ignore a lot, not so much that it offers any specifics

 

[Yaarel]

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Nearly exactly what I've been saying.

In the interests of the peace, I'm out on this.

The "place": Norway. Indigenous America. Southern Japan. Phoenician sea culture.

Cultures.

"Collection of characteristics".

"Occupation". High school student. Wizard academy. Military academy. Born into a religious tradition and serving as a Seer who grants oracles.

Circus acrobat.

Monster hunter.

Merfolk scout.

Drow adamantine smith.

Whatever.

 

[Yaarel]

only in the broadest sense, a hermit from one culture is not all that different from the next culture, same for farmers etc., these are more universal professions, but you can probably add some specific ones too


how exactly is 2024 helping with that, it sounds more like you ignore it


this I agree with, they should be setting neutral.

Agreed. Some backgrounds apply to many cultures, like "Farmer". The core backgrounds are examples that aim for this.

At the same time, other backgrounds can be extremely culturally specific, like (gygaxian AD&D 1e Monster Manuals Greyhawk) "Grugach memory wiper", "High elf become invisible", "High elf unicorn rider", "Grey Elf hippogriffon rider", "Grey elf guard griffon trainer".

Anything that was "flavor", the 2024 background can make happen.

So I guess what you like about 2024 is more that you do not need to undo / ignore a lot, not so much that it offers any specifics

Exactly. Making sure "the rules dont get in my way" is gold!

Realize, I love lore. But I love different kinds of lore at different times. WotC has great settings. I am happy to use Eberron, Ravnica, and Strixhaven. I am curious what WotC might do with a 2024 Dark Sun. But Forgotten Realms works better as a smorgasbord.

Despite Dark Sun being a "godless" setting, it is actually a highly religious setting, and does interesting things with diverse relious traditions. It is actually the best example of "D&D animism". Also its Elemental Clerics feel somewhat analogous to philosophical Daoism. On the other hand, postapocalyptism and nihilism arent my cup of tea. I love how 2024 makes it so easy for DMs to tweak.