D&D 5E Companion thread to Survivor:Backgrounds

[Tonguez]

The "good ones" included the Haunted One from Strahd ("You are haunted by something so terrible that you dare not speak of it."), Archaeologist ("Those who practice archaeology travel to the far corners of the world to root through crumbled cities and lost dungeons, digging in search of artifacts that might tell the stories of monarchs and high priests, wars and cataclysms.") and Investigator ("Whether the mysteries you're embroiled in are local crimes or realm-spanning conspiracies, you're driven by a personal need to hunt down even the most elusive clues and reveal what others would keep hidden in the shadows."), none of which are in there.

So, yeah, everything that's left is bland, flavorless garbage, and you should feel bad for liking them, I guess. I don't know, it's the Web, do your own self-burn, I'm busy!

while the Indiana Jones shtick gives it appeal I always thought the Archaeologist being able to tell you who built a dungeon was a bit naff. Anthropologist language feature is better, as is Urchins urban fast movement, Outlanders foraging ability and Folk Heroes free lodgings

I do agree Investigator is good though

 

[CleverNickName]

The "good ones" included the Haunted One from Strahd ("You are haunted by something so terrible that you dare not speak of it."), Archaeologist ("Those who practice archaeology travel to the far corners of the world to root through crumbled cities and lost dungeons, digging in search of artifacts that might tell the stories of monarchs and high priests, wars and cataclysms.") and Investigator ("Whether the mysteries you're embroiled in are local crimes or realm-spanning conspiracies, you're driven by a personal need to hunt down even the most elusive clues and reveal what others would keep hidden in the shadows."), none of which are in there.

So, yeah, everything that's left is bland, flavorless garbage, and you should feel bad for liking them, I guess. I don't know, it's the Web, do your own self-burn, I'm busy!

This is a really weird Survivor thread, so things are going to go a bit pear-shaped. Backgrounds are supposed to be malleable and customizable--they aren't like character ancestries or classes. Per the rules, you are allowed (encouraged, even) to use them as springboards for your own ideas, and then customize them heavily. They aren't static, so there really isn't a such thing as a "good" or a "bad" one. If I want to play a character with the City Watch background but my DM isn't allowing material from Sword Coast Adventurer's Guide, I still can...I just pick any other background and change it per the rules on page 125 of the PHB:

SUGGESTED CHARACTERISTICS​

"A background contains suggested personal characteristics based on your background. You can pick characteristics, roll dice to determine them randomly, or use the suggestions as inspiration for characteristics of your own creation."​

And:

CUSTOMIZING A BACKGROUND​

(Really this whole section, but especially--) "You might want to tweak some of the features of a background so it better fits your character or the campaign setting...If you can't find a feature that matches your desired background, work with your DM to create one."​

So the Archaeologist is still there if you want it to be...just start with something similar (I'd recommend Criminal) and then rewrite features and characteristics per the PHB. My favorite (City Watch) is still there too; if I wanted to play one with the options listed I'd just customize the Soldier background. Haunted One? I might rework the Urchin, or maybe Hermit?

But come on.

This is a Survivor thread. We are here to have fun, and part of that fun is mocking the options as they are presented. There literally is no such thing as a good or bad background...unless you really want there to be. So let's all agree that Entertainer is just a silly premise for a hero (it conjures up images of an elf in tight pants, strumming a lute with "This Machine Destroys Sauron" stenciled on it, singing about how much he's helping everyone.) It's a bard, people! Wake up!

 

[CleverNickName]

I'm kidding, of course. One time I decided to roll up a character completely at random: roll on the Reincarnation table to determine their ancestry, roll 1d12 to determine Class and Subclass, roll stats, roll to determine Background, flip a coin to determine sex, roll for gender, etc.

And I ended up with:

Belcanzor the Magnificent (aka "Becky") (tiefling Illusionist, Entertainer background)
He was basically a caricature of David Copperfield, a street magician and famous illusionist who would do little minor tricks for coin. My DM let us start with a magic item from Table B, and I rolled for it (of course) and got a bag of holding but I asked my DM if I could reskin it into a stovepipe hat so that I could literally "pull things out of my hat." She laughed and allowed it.

Becky became one of my favorite characters. Creating a character completely from random ingredients is very freeing--the stakes are so low that I wasn't under any pressure to make it perfect or even functional...I could focus on making it fun and interesting instead. I recommend everyone do it at least once.

 

[CreamCloud0]

man the criminal is really being fought over going up and down

 

[JoeyD473]

man the criminal is really being fought over going up and down

Unfortunately it's gone. It was my favorite. But now it is time to get rid of outlnader and sailor

 

[Tonguez]

I like the top 5
a priest, a bushman, a scholar, a soldier and a street-rat

 

[Scribe]

The dedication to burn that list down.

 

[CleverNickName]

Meh, they're Backgrounds, they're supposed to be malleable and customizable. Wizards of the Coast heard us grumbling about "I don't bother writing a backstory because it never matters" in earlier editions of D&D, and threw us a bone. Now, our character backstories matter. Very slightly. About 2% of the time. At best.

If your character idea doesn't fit what's on the list, throw the list away and write your own. They're not like classes or ancestry* that have a dramatic and profound impact on the way the character is played. They are presented as examples for you to use, guides to help you write your character's story. "I don't like the Soldier Background because it doesn't give me proficiency with Thieves' Tools," you say? Well then change it so that it does. "When I was in the army, I was part of an elite strike force that would infiltrate and liberate POW camps. Part of our training involved subterfuge and lockpicking." Done. Easy-peasy.


*I hate the term "species" almost as much as I hate "race."

 

[Swarmkeeper]

Meh, they're Backgrounds, they're supposed to be malleable and customizable. Wizards of the Coast heard us grumbling about "I don't bother writing a backstory because it never matters" in earlier editions of D&D, and threw us a bone. Now, our character backstories matter. Very slightly. About 2% of the time. At best.

If your character idea doesn't fit what's on the list, throw the list away and write your own. They're not like classes or ancestry* that have a dramatic and profound impact on the way the character is played. They are presented as examples for you to use, guides to help you write your character's story. "I don't like the Soldier Background because it doesn't give me proficiency with Thieves' Tools," you say? Well then change it so that it does. "When I was in the army, I was part of an elite strike force that would infiltrate and liberate POW camps. Part of our training involved subterfuge and lockpicking." Done. Easy-peasy.


*I hate the term "species" almost as much as I hate "race."

100%

Some seem to miss this line from the introduction of the Background section in the PHB:

The sample backgrounds in this chapter provide both concrete benefits (features, proficiencies, and languages) and roleplaying suggestions.

Then later:

You might want to tweak some of the features of a background so it better fits your character or the campaign setting.

And finally:

If you can't find a feature that matches your desired background, work with your DM to create one.

 

[Aurel Guthrie]

Ban the Folk Hero. Heroes are created at the table.

I'd agree with this if all games started at level 1