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Characters of War up at Wizards
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<blockquote data-quote="MyISPHatesENWorld" data-source="post: 4451635" data-attributes="member: 65684"><p>There is flexibility in this mechanic as well. These are backgrounds published for the Scales of War adventure path, that's why it is called "Heroes of War - Backgrounds for your Scales of War Hero". The backgrounds presented are ways to tie characters to that setting, so the fluff is written with that setting in mind. Nothing prevents you from changing the fluff of the background to use in your setting (or in the Scales of War setting - the article specifically mentions making the setting your own). The background mechanic itself is more flexible than other mechanics, with no mechanical pre-requisites. Nothing is forcing you to take Forest Warden because you are an elf ranger from the forest, and nobody is preventing you from taking Forest Warden because you aren't.</p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p>Your example is flawed, Sehanine's Reversal is a mechanic tied to a backstory - it has a hard requirement of "must worship Sehanine" - by your reasoning, that screws the cleric who created his his story without looking at the mechanics and chose a different deity, but wants to take Sehanine's reversal. </p><p></p><p>All "unlikely" backstories aren't more powerful in relation to the character that chooses them. And, everyone's opinion on the unlikeliness of a backstory is going to differ. </p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p>His definition of powergaming and/or to what degree it is acceptable (check page 9 of the DMG - powergaming isn't automatically badwrongfun) and his boundaries of what is and isn't balanced probably differ from yours. That doesn't make him "willfully ignorant."</p><p></p><p>Since you've expressed that a background with a benefit mechanically identical to a feat is overpowered even if not stacked with a feat and you've complained about the existence of a background benfit you've described as having no mechanical benefit, there is really nothing he could have written that you wouldn't have complained about unless it had no mechanics at all. </p><p></p><p>So, if you're going to dislike him, be honest and dislike him just because he wrote something you don't like instead of ascribing a negative character trait to him. </p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p>The fighter also has Streetwise (CHA) on his skill list, as well as History (INT) and it is possible that he doesn't have WIS raised above a 10 or 11, depending on his racial and other bonuses. But, using your statement that a 16 CHA only provides a Fighter with +3 to Intimidate, even if it were the only non-Primary/Secondary/Tertiary attribute-associated skill, +3 to Intimidate still shouldn't cost 5 or 10 attribute points out of a 22 point buy to attain for the Fighter. Allowing him to purchase +3 to Intimidate with his only background benefit is a fair cost and having the option to take a that benefit isn't unbalanced. And, it allows the player to get better at Intimidate without having to be more charismatic and better at Bluff, Diplomacy and Streetwise, which may be inconsistent with his character concept and/or background.</p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p>So, a player in your campaign can determine where ore is located, is able to recognize it, knows how to pan for it or mine for it, can refine it, knows how to forge the metal into an alloy suitable for his purpose if necessary and craft any metal item he needs regardless of his backstory? And that same character can locate and season woods, then craft them into any item as well. And he can do all the things involved in making silk rope, glass lanterns, posions, acids...</p><p></p><p>I'm sorry, I'm not buying that you run your games that way. It is far too inconsistent with what you've expressed thoughout this thread.</p><p></p><p>And if you really do believe that every player being able to make any item despite their background aids roleplay, why is that aspect of roleplay no longer important once they need magical weapons, armor, implements and neck slot items and have no real reason to craft non-magical items of that nature? </p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p>You can disenchant items. Disenchant Item is a creation ritual. So, it allows you perform a subset of the abilities granted by Ritual Caster feat and you can take it without having skill training in Religion or Arcana, in addition to knowing how to craft the items that you enchant. And, the benefit is specific, so a Fighter, for example, doesn't have to know a lot about all aspects of magic or religion, or be able to use a host of other rituals, which would be otherwise inconsistent with his backstory.</p><p></p><p>But, regardless, Skill Focus: History is weaker than Skill Focus<img src="https://cdn.jsdelivr.net/joypixels/assets/8.0/png/unicode/64/1f61b.png" class="smilie smilie--emoji" loading="lazy" width="64" height="64" alt=":P" title="Stick out tongue :P" data-smilie="7"data-shortname=":P" />retty Much Anything Else as well as almost all other feats. These backgrounds are no less balanced with each other than feats, skills or powers.</p></blockquote><p></p>
[QUOTE="MyISPHatesENWorld, post: 4451635, member: 65684"] There is flexibility in this mechanic as well. These are backgrounds published for the Scales of War adventure path, that's why it is called "Heroes of War - Backgrounds for your Scales of War Hero". The backgrounds presented are ways to tie characters to that setting, so the fluff is written with that setting in mind. Nothing prevents you from changing the fluff of the background to use in your setting (or in the Scales of War setting - the article specifically mentions making the setting your own). The background mechanic itself is more flexible than other mechanics, with no mechanical pre-requisites. Nothing is forcing you to take Forest Warden because you are an elf ranger from the forest, and nobody is preventing you from taking Forest Warden because you aren't. Your example is flawed, Sehanine's Reversal is a mechanic tied to a backstory - it has a hard requirement of "must worship Sehanine" - by your reasoning, that screws the cleric who created his his story without looking at the mechanics and chose a different deity, but wants to take Sehanine's reversal. All "unlikely" backstories aren't more powerful in relation to the character that chooses them. And, everyone's opinion on the unlikeliness of a backstory is going to differ. His definition of powergaming and/or to what degree it is acceptable (check page 9 of the DMG - powergaming isn't automatically badwrongfun) and his boundaries of what is and isn't balanced probably differ from yours. That doesn't make him "willfully ignorant." Since you've expressed that a background with a benefit mechanically identical to a feat is overpowered even if not stacked with a feat and you've complained about the existence of a background benfit you've described as having no mechanical benefit, there is really nothing he could have written that you wouldn't have complained about unless it had no mechanics at all. So, if you're going to dislike him, be honest and dislike him just because he wrote something you don't like instead of ascribing a negative character trait to him. The fighter also has Streetwise (CHA) on his skill list, as well as History (INT) and it is possible that he doesn't have WIS raised above a 10 or 11, depending on his racial and other bonuses. But, using your statement that a 16 CHA only provides a Fighter with +3 to Intimidate, even if it were the only non-Primary/Secondary/Tertiary attribute-associated skill, +3 to Intimidate still shouldn't cost 5 or 10 attribute points out of a 22 point buy to attain for the Fighter. Allowing him to purchase +3 to Intimidate with his only background benefit is a fair cost and having the option to take a that benefit isn't unbalanced. And, it allows the player to get better at Intimidate without having to be more charismatic and better at Bluff, Diplomacy and Streetwise, which may be inconsistent with his character concept and/or background. So, a player in your campaign can determine where ore is located, is able to recognize it, knows how to pan for it or mine for it, can refine it, knows how to forge the metal into an alloy suitable for his purpose if necessary and craft any metal item he needs regardless of his backstory? And that same character can locate and season woods, then craft them into any item as well. And he can do all the things involved in making silk rope, glass lanterns, posions, acids... I'm sorry, I'm not buying that you run your games that way. It is far too inconsistent with what you've expressed thoughout this thread. And if you really do believe that every player being able to make any item despite their background aids roleplay, why is that aspect of roleplay no longer important once they need magical weapons, armor, implements and neck slot items and have no real reason to craft non-magical items of that nature? You can disenchant items. Disenchant Item is a creation ritual. So, it allows you perform a subset of the abilities granted by Ritual Caster feat and you can take it without having skill training in Religion or Arcana, in addition to knowing how to craft the items that you enchant. And, the benefit is specific, so a Fighter, for example, doesn't have to know a lot about all aspects of magic or religion, or be able to use a host of other rituals, which would be otherwise inconsistent with his backstory. But, regardless, Skill Focus: History is weaker than Skill Focus:Pretty Much Anything Else as well as almost all other feats. These backgrounds are no less balanced with each other than feats, skills or powers. [/QUOTE]
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