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Bonus languages in One D&D backgrounds goes contrary to their other goals
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<blockquote data-quote="Jfdlsjfd" data-source="post: 8740340" data-attributes="member: 42856"><p>This is quite similar to the real world. Executioner isn't a job in many places of the world. I'd guess Butcher isn't a job in vegan cultures and if some of the D&D races are physiologically carnivore, one would expect grocers to be bankrupt quickly. The background in the playtest are explicitely marked as samples. If anything, they should provide <em>less</em>, not <em>more</em>, to emphasize that they are mere illustrations and not an attempt to cover any possible backstory (them deriving from backstory is pretty explicitely said p.11 in the Build your Background (not "Choose your Background", I feel it's important) section.</p><p></p><p>There is no expectation whatsoever that certain cultures are associeted with jobs in the playtest.</p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p>Indeed. It's on page 11: a background is a collection of +2/+1 or 3 +1s ASIs, two skill proficiencies, a tool proficiency, and one language (that can include Druidic, as per the table referenced at the end of the document, a feat and 50 gp. It makes every hero quite literate, espeically if they'll also gain a racial language and maybe some from class. On the other hand, the goal was to make every background buildable among the 97 920 possibilities with equal power.</p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p>Too bad. Maybe WotC should provide less background, or name them Bob's Fighter background to emphasize they are pecular to a player background and derived from their background (ie, the backstory of the player). At least it would force... hum "help" players who can't bother to write 5 lines when asked by including a rule "if you can't include those elements in your backstory, you can't claim the benefit").</p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p>I'd have liked this idea expanded to the extranous idea that every country in a world often earth-sized and with thousands of years of isolations could no longer speak the same language. But nodding to the existence of non-English speaking societies is probably too much to ask for, unless you're racially different for some reason, then you can have a different language. Sometimes WotC amaze me with their design decisions.</p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p>That's where I'd like them to specify the sample background "Acolyte of Tyr" would have Celestial, while "Acolyte of Aurile" would get Infernal, for example. Having them side by side would emphasize the need to customize.</p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p>They don't provide any druidic background either. Like Acolyte of Nature would be.</p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p>The characters are already heroes, even at 0th level. Their racial features are explicitely linked to being PCs, NPCs can have other racial traits, or none (p. 2 of the playtest document). They might make that clearer by calling Guide "Guide as envisionned by John when creating his character" or being more specific in description like "Guide at the Holy Gigantess Museum of Eltabar".</p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p>Orcs are said to be gifted with capabilities that would make them excellent entertainment fighters: might, endurance, determination. Since they don't have a drop of evil in them (and their god Gruumsh sounds nicer than Corellon who's said to be very questionable in his race-wide punishment of the rebels) it's believable they'd turn to the show business industry and enter the WBA. And if many orcs work in a branch, every gladiator will pick up a few words by chatting with them in the locker room. In a world where slavery isn't a thing, most negative association to gladiator disappeared logically.</p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p>Yes, but I feel they strived for equality here, not to make a background having "more" than any other. And a language isn't something that is worth foregoing a feat, a prociency or an ASI.</p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p>No, but I would operate on a very different outlook than WotC for a 2024 PHB, for example I don't have problem with a race or class being objectively better than another. I would have no problem having someone with a backstory of being a member of the royal family have more than 50 gp of starting equipment, while another player has 3 sp because he's a labourer-turned-hero when his village was burned to cinders.</p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p>Races are "everything innate". Classes are "everything learnt as part of the main job" and Background are "everything learnt culturally". I can't see languages fitting elsewhere than background, unless one would want to make them a separate category.</p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p>If you're taught two or three languages from the youngest age, you don't need to be supremely intelligent to pick them up. A child can be fluent in 3 languages at the seventh grade, I wouldn't link that to intelligence.</p><p></p><p></p><p>Common (which is in fact "Human" since they don't have a racial language) is also problematic. Racial languages should be removed and replaced by regional languages, unless there is a strong in-setting reason to explain them (ie, every member of this race dreams in the language of his gods, which teach him new words here and there).</p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p>It's a move toward equality. Why wouldn't everyone start with three languages?</p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p>I'd have said that the language most commonly associated with chef is French. Does this association feel better to you? If not, why? If it is true that working the cooking industry involves dealing with Spanish-speaking people a lot (I'll trust you on that), then what's the problem with picking it up as part of the trade?</p></blockquote><p></p>
[QUOTE="Jfdlsjfd, post: 8740340, member: 42856"] This is quite similar to the real world. Executioner isn't a job in many places of the world. I'd guess Butcher isn't a job in vegan cultures and if some of the D&D races are physiologically carnivore, one would expect grocers to be bankrupt quickly. The background in the playtest are explicitely marked as samples. If anything, they should provide [I]less[/I], not [I]more[/I], to emphasize that they are mere illustrations and not an attempt to cover any possible backstory (them deriving from backstory is pretty explicitely said p.11 in the Build your Background (not "Choose your Background", I feel it's important) section. There is no expectation whatsoever that certain cultures are associeted with jobs in the playtest. Indeed. It's on page 11: a background is a collection of +2/+1 or 3 +1s ASIs, two skill proficiencies, a tool proficiency, and one language (that can include Druidic, as per the table referenced at the end of the document, a feat and 50 gp. It makes every hero quite literate, espeically if they'll also gain a racial language and maybe some from class. On the other hand, the goal was to make every background buildable among the 97 920 possibilities with equal power. Too bad. Maybe WotC should provide less background, or name them Bob's Fighter background to emphasize they are pecular to a player background and derived from their background (ie, the backstory of the player). At least it would force... hum "help" players who can't bother to write 5 lines when asked by including a rule "if you can't include those elements in your backstory, you can't claim the benefit"). I'd have liked this idea expanded to the extranous idea that every country in a world often earth-sized and with thousands of years of isolations could no longer speak the same language. But nodding to the existence of non-English speaking societies is probably too much to ask for, unless you're racially different for some reason, then you can have a different language. Sometimes WotC amaze me with their design decisions. That's where I'd like them to specify the sample background "Acolyte of Tyr" would have Celestial, while "Acolyte of Aurile" would get Infernal, for example. Having them side by side would emphasize the need to customize. They don't provide any druidic background either. Like Acolyte of Nature would be. The characters are already heroes, even at 0th level. Their racial features are explicitely linked to being PCs, NPCs can have other racial traits, or none (p. 2 of the playtest document). They might make that clearer by calling Guide "Guide as envisionned by John when creating his character" or being more specific in description like "Guide at the Holy Gigantess Museum of Eltabar". Orcs are said to be gifted with capabilities that would make them excellent entertainment fighters: might, endurance, determination. Since they don't have a drop of evil in them (and their god Gruumsh sounds nicer than Corellon who's said to be very questionable in his race-wide punishment of the rebels) it's believable they'd turn to the show business industry and enter the WBA. And if many orcs work in a branch, every gladiator will pick up a few words by chatting with them in the locker room. In a world where slavery isn't a thing, most negative association to gladiator disappeared logically. Yes, but I feel they strived for equality here, not to make a background having "more" than any other. And a language isn't something that is worth foregoing a feat, a prociency or an ASI. No, but I would operate on a very different outlook than WotC for a 2024 PHB, for example I don't have problem with a race or class being objectively better than another. I would have no problem having someone with a backstory of being a member of the royal family have more than 50 gp of starting equipment, while another player has 3 sp because he's a labourer-turned-hero when his village was burned to cinders. Races are "everything innate". Classes are "everything learnt as part of the main job" and Background are "everything learnt culturally". I can't see languages fitting elsewhere than background, unless one would want to make them a separate category. If you're taught two or three languages from the youngest age, you don't need to be supremely intelligent to pick them up. A child can be fluent in 3 languages at the seventh grade, I wouldn't link that to intelligence. Common (which is in fact "Human" since they don't have a racial language) is also problematic. Racial languages should be removed and replaced by regional languages, unless there is a strong in-setting reason to explain them (ie, every member of this race dreams in the language of his gods, which teach him new words here and there). It's a move toward equality. Why wouldn't everyone start with three languages? I'd have said that the language most commonly associated with chef is French. Does this association feel better to you? If not, why? If it is true that working the cooking industry involves dealing with Spanish-speaking people a lot (I'll trust you on that), then what's the problem with picking it up as part of the trade? [/QUOTE]
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