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Companion thread to Survivor:Backgrounds
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<blockquote data-quote="CleverNickName" data-source="post: 8969801" data-attributes="member: 50987"><p>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.</p><p></p><p>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 <em>way the character is played.</em> 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? <em>Well then change it so that it does</em>. "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.</p><p></p><p></p><p>*I hate the term "species" almost as much as I hate "race."</p></blockquote><p></p>
[QUOTE="CleverNickName, post: 8969801, member: 50987"] 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 [I]way the character is played.[/I] 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? [I]Well then change it so that it does[/I]. "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." [/QUOTE]
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