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Message: <blockquote data-quote="jgsugden" data-source="post: 8130390" data-attributes="member: 2629">There is no risk to the game by having an elf know how to work wood, perform calligraphy, be an excellent cook, and play dice rather than know how to use 4 weapons.  They're a long lived race, and it makes sense they might know more tool proficiencies than other races.  It is absolutely not a balance issue. Tool proficiencies do not unbalance the game, ever. To draw upon my experiences as a DM: I often give PCs proficiencies as a result of things in their backstory, even if the background, class or humanoid type they've selected do not indicate it should be present. Think back to the old days and ask yourself how you knew if a PC could cook, write pretty, know about history, or carve wood. The answer: The player made a suggestion and the DM either agreed or not. It wasn't a balance issue, and there were no mechanics. And it did not hurt the game one little bit.Allowing these swaps gives players more opportunities to mechanically add nuance to their PCs.  Good for them.  That is all it does.</blockquote>