D&D (2024) 2024 Player's Handbook Reveal: Feats/Backgrounds/Species

[cbwjm]

It's fascinating to me that it would be counterintuitive to them - that was the blatantly obvious result when I first heard about floating ASI...

I could have sworn I read somewhere that the reason they decoupled them from set stats was so that people could start with a 16 in a score related to their class no matter their race because people felt like they were lagging behind. Entirely possible that I'm remembering the opinion of posters here on ENworld or reddit though.

 

[mellored]

I could have sworn I read somewhere that the reason they decoupled them from set stats was so that people could start with a 16 in a score related to their class no matter their race because people felt like they were lagging behind. Entirely possible that I'm remembering the opinion of posters here on ENworld or reddit though.

Yes. They wanted to allow more race/class combinations.

Moving the ability score to the backgound also does that.

 

[cbwjm]

Yes. They wanted to allow more race/class combinations.

Moving the ability score to the backgound also does that.

It might make more race/class combos, but if ASI is tied to background and they aren't just suggestions, then all they've done is changed it from making people pick a race to complement their class to picking a background to complement their class. Any wizard players who want a soldier background might end up picking something else if they can't get an Int boost. This isnt really an issue for many players who will just ignore those background requirements, but new players might not.

ASIs should have been kept floating in my opinion.

 

[Epic Meepo]

What prevents you from going to the DM and saying that you want to create a custom street rat background with an intelligence modifier to represent street cunning and smarts?

Potentially? The fact that I'm not going to play revised D&D if it turns out WotC has made too many rules changes I don't like. I already have a PHB. I'm not going to spend good money on a new one just so I can run a game for my players using rules I don't like as much.

 

[Remathilis]

Nonviable is subjective. I'd play them, and they would be sickley as all get out.

Well, that depends on the edition.

First off, in 1e if your Constitution is a 3, you can only be an Illusionist (assuming you rolled the 15 int and 16 Dex I guess? If not you're absolutely non-legal for play). So enjoy your human illusionist (you don't meet the requirements for any demihumans). Your hp is 1d4-2 per level.

2e will get rid of that pesky "you can only be an Illusionist" rule, so my suggestion is to play a fighter and pick a longbow. 1d10-2 is your best hope for survival.

Basic is actually even more brutal: Con penalty for a 3 is -3, and HD for classes is smaller. As a magic user or thief, you can only get 1 HP per level and as a fighter, 1d8-3. Good luck!

3e makes the penalty even harsher: -4 to hp, fort saves and concentration. At least races and classes are uncapped so my suggestion is be a dwarf (5 Con/-3 penalty). I'd suggest grabbing a level of barbarian for that d12 HD and temp Con boost, but you could only rage for 2 rounds (1 if not a dwarf) before beginning fatigued.

So realistically, your character is not surviving any sort of hit from any creature. The best you can hope for is a good way to become hidden and just soak up XP while your allies do all the work. Any class but a fighter type means your ho is basically 1 per level average (the minimum). You might survive for a while if you are a coward, but I don't give any character with a 3 Con a real chance of surviving. This is suicide played out for extended effect.

So, yeah. Not viable unless you want to be one of those baker dwarves.

 

[Parmandur]

It might make more race/class combos, but if ASI is tied to background and they aren't just suggestions, then all they've done is changed it from making people pick a race to complement their class to picking a background to complement their class. Any wizard players who want a soldier background might end up picking something else if they can't get an Int boost. This isnt really an issue for many players who will just ignore those background requirements, but new players might not.

ASIs should have been kept floating in my opinion.

"Most Fighters will come from a Backgroijd as Soldiers or Farmers!" is less of a problem than "Most Fighters are Dwarves or Half-Orcs!"

These Background ASIs are also more fungible than the rather strict Racial ones of old, and it is pretty clear that custom Backgrounds won't be a major barrier.

 

[Parmandur]

I will also say, I think a lot of enfranchised players vastly overestimate the extent to which h most people power game. A lot of people will happily choose "subpar" ASI of the concept of a Farmer Wizard makes them happy.

 

[cbwjm]

"Most Fighters will come from a Backgroijd as Soldiers or Farmers!" is less of a problem than "Most Fighters are Dwarves or Half-Orcs!"

These Background ASIs are also more fungible than the rather strict Racial ones of old, and it is pretty clear that custom Backgrounds won't be a major barrier.

Less of a problem is still a problem, and we already had a system where things had been changed up to allow dwarves and half-orcs to easily be anything they wanted and now all they seem to have done is taken the old system and changed where the restrictions are. In my opinion it's still bad compared to floating ASIs. As I said much earlier in the thread, it's 2 steps forward, and 1 step back.

 

[Maxperson]

Potentially? The fact that I'm not going to play revised D&D if it turns out WotC has made too many rules changes I don't like. I already have a PHB. I'm not going to spend good money on a new one just so I can run a game for my players using rules I don't like as much.

I agree that you shouldn't play an edition with rules that you don't like. I personally house rule the hell out of 5e already. If I had to change much more, I'd have skipped 5e. Fortunately, I have made it a game that is a ton of fun for me and my group.

As it stands I have no intention of buying 5.5e, because I don't view many of the changes as better.

 

[mellored]

then all they've done is changed it from making people pick a race to complement their class to picking a background to complement their class.

I would call that an improvement.
Species have all sorts of abilities that are now free to use with any class.

A wood elf wizard with extra movement. Or a dwarf wizard with temmor sense.

Backgrounds didn't do much of anything before. Now they have an impact.