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*Pathfinder & Starfinder
Blog: Background and Themes a closer look.
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<blockquote data-quote="DEFCON 1" data-source="post: 5888528" data-attributes="member: 7006"><p>One other thing I think we should remember is that many DMs run their games not strictly through the game mechanics, but make adjudications based purely on situation, and the 'reality' of the situation within the story. And for them... the fluff of themes and backgrounds can certainly mean more, and have a direct influence on the game without the game mechanics ever coming into it.</p><p></p><p>For example... say the party is on a long quest for the king and they stop at an inn for the night. The party includes a PC with the 'Noble' background... and this player while roleplaying DEMANDS that the innkeeper give them the best rooms for the night because he is a Very Important Person on a quest for the king.</p><p></p><p>For any other type of character doing this... the DM might make the player roll a Diplomacy or Intimidate check to see if this works. However... a more story-based DM might decide that because this is a <em>nobleman of the realm</em> making this request... no check is needed. The Noble PC uses his influence from having the Noble background and gets what he wants.</p><p></p><p>Another character who has taken the exact same skills as the Noble background, but without actually taking the Noble background (perhaps creating his own character history of being a moneylender or something) might not have the same influence in said situation because the DM decided on the spur of the moment that the character just didn't have that same stroke. Being a moneylender was not the same as being a noble, even if mechanically they both had the same set of skills.</p><p></p><p>This is the kind of thing that I think the fluff of backgrounds and themes will mean something to a certain segment of DMs and players, and why I think they both have a good place in the game. They will have an impact based purely on story, with no game mechanics necessary to back them up.</p></blockquote><p></p>
[QUOTE="DEFCON 1, post: 5888528, member: 7006"] One other thing I think we should remember is that many DMs run their games not strictly through the game mechanics, but make adjudications based purely on situation, and the 'reality' of the situation within the story. And for them... the fluff of themes and backgrounds can certainly mean more, and have a direct influence on the game without the game mechanics ever coming into it. For example... say the party is on a long quest for the king and they stop at an inn for the night. The party includes a PC with the 'Noble' background... and this player while roleplaying DEMANDS that the innkeeper give them the best rooms for the night because he is a Very Important Person on a quest for the king. For any other type of character doing this... the DM might make the player roll a Diplomacy or Intimidate check to see if this works. However... a more story-based DM might decide that because this is a [I]nobleman of the realm[/I] making this request... no check is needed. The Noble PC uses his influence from having the Noble background and gets what he wants. Another character who has taken the exact same skills as the Noble background, but without actually taking the Noble background (perhaps creating his own character history of being a moneylender or something) might not have the same influence in said situation because the DM decided on the spur of the moment that the character just didn't have that same stroke. Being a moneylender was not the same as being a noble, even if mechanically they both had the same set of skills. This is the kind of thing that I think the fluff of backgrounds and themes will mean something to a certain segment of DMs and players, and why I think they both have a good place in the game. They will have an impact based purely on story, with no game mechanics necessary to back them up. [/QUOTE]
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