D&D 5E (2014) Critique my new custom backgrounds

[Lem23]

I'm going to be running Rise of the Runelords soon, using 5e, and wanted to create some custom backgrounds in place of the usual ones. Players will not be able to choose currently available ones, just the ones outlined below, which give a small mechanical bonus to a skill, or rather to a particular aspect of a skill. I've tried to make them relatively similar in scope and power, and am at the stage now where I'd appreciate having some fresh eyes look them over.

I'm especially interested in the following:

Are any overpowered compared to others?
Underpowered?
Are there any other backgrounds that you feel are missing?

Please let me know in this thread; I'm adding a link to the document rather than C&P them all here for sake of brevity and space.



LINK to custom backgrounds

 

[Ace]

There are an awful lot of rather circumstantial "add proficiency bonus abilities." which while not bad don't quite feel right with the more "RP" focused ones or just better ones found in other backgrounds

Also quite a few of these offer several skill choices which is non standard. Its not a balance issue at least to me just Its usually just 2 skills pre chosen.

The student of the ancients special ability also needs tweaking IMO . After all you already get the language, it can't be that hard to read if you can get it as a language. If its supposed to be mysterious maybe you could go with a delver vibe and replace the Thassalonian language with proficiency with thieves tools or something else.

Otherwise the aren't too bad and I yoinked them to modify for use in my game.

 

[Lem23]

Thanks Ace. I followed the examples of some of the official ones in that they offer a choice (Cloistered Scholar, Faction Agent, Inheritor, Knight of the Order, Urban Bounty Hunter - all from SCAG). I should have mentioned that for Thassilonian, as a long-dead and very complex language with lots of runes, some of which are yet to be deciphered, I'm going for something a little different. Rather than give complete fluency as with other languages, getting Thassilonian as a language allows you to make a roll plus Int bonus to decipher the runes; the Student of the Ancients allows you to add Proficiency Bonus to that too. Not having the language at all means you can't work out what any of it means.

As to the bonus parts - these are replacing the existing backgrounds in their entirety, so players can only pick from these ones; thus everyone would get that small bonus to a facet of a skill.

 

[Ace]

Thanks Ace. I followed the examples of some of the official ones in that they offer a choice (Cloistered Scholar, Faction Agent, Inheritor, Knight of the Order, Urban Bounty Hunter - all from SCAG). I should have mentioned that for Thassilonian, as a long-dead and very complex language with lots of runes, some of which are yet to be deciphered, I'm going for something a little different. Rather than give complete fluency as with other languages, getting Thassilonian as a language allows you to make a roll plus Int bonus to decipher the runes; the Student of the Ancients allows you to add Proficiency Bonus to that too. Not having the language at all means you can't work out what any of it means.

As to the bonus parts - these are replacing the existing backgrounds in their entirety, so players can only pick from these ones; thus everyone would get that small bonus to a facet of a skill.

Ah that all makes sense to me. I don't use SCAG all that often so I might have missed that nuance. I will say the flavor is all there which makes a big difference.

In any case good luck with your game!

 

[Lem23]

Thanks!