D&D 5E Customizing Backgrounds Core Rule - Public Service Announcement

[Sword of Spirit]

If I had my way, this paragraph in the rules would be in glowing text and emit a beckoning melody whenever you turned to Chapter 4. As it is, many players, even including long-time players, seem to have no idea about it's existence.

Customizing a Background
You might want to tweak some of the features of a
background so it better fits your character or the
campaign setting. To customize a background, you
can replace one feature with any other one, choose any
two skills, and choose a total of two tool proficiencies
or languages from the sample backgrounds. You can
either use the equipment package from your background
or spend coin on gear as described in chapter 5. (If
you spend coin, you can’t also take the equipment
package suggested for your class.) Finally, choose two
personality traits, one ideal, one bond, and one flaw.
If you can’t find a feature that matches your desired
background, work with your DM to create one.

Unlike gnomes, half-elfs, feats, and multiclassing, this isn't called out as an optional rule. It's as core as hill dwarves and ability checks. You are in no way bound to the skill, tool, or language choices of a chosen background. This means that every single PC is entitled to 2 skills of their choice from the entire skill list, and a combination of any 2 languages and/or tools.

(As always, make sure you are aware of any house rules when creating a character, and please create characters responsibly .)

We don't really have a long list of stickies I could ask to have this added to, but maybe if I remember I'll bump it once a year or something for new players.

 

[DND_Reborn]

While this is completely accurate of course (not disputing that), I would also caution new players and established veterans alike, that as usual, even doing this is at the discretion of the DM and should be covered during session zero.

 

[MNblockhead]

Agreed. Making your own background in 5e is very simple. But I can understand why most players want to make their selections and just play. In my experience, most players don't hew closely to the mechanical aspects of their backgrounds when coming up with the fluff for their characters' backgrounds. I think most DMs should highlight the fact that the backgrounds in the PHB are just examples and they encourage players select skills, languages, and features that best match their visions of their characters.

 

[Prakriti]

Yep. If a player chooses their own background skills and tools and comes up with their own name for their custom Background, then they are playing by the default rules. If you, as a DM, disallow this, then you are not playing by the default rules. You are playing by your own house rules.

In other words, if a player invents a background called the Brewer and chooses Nature, Medicine, brewer's tools, and Dwarven as their proficiencies, then they are playing by the default rules. They're allowed to do that, and they don't need a DM's approval.

 

[DND_Reborn]

Yep. If a player chooses their own background skills and tools and comes up with their own name for their custom Background, then they are playing by the default rules. If you, as a DM, disallow this, then you are not playing by the default rules. You are playing by your own house rules.

In other words, if a player invents a background called the Brewer and chooses Nature, Medicine, brewer's tools, and Dwarven as their proficiencies, then they are playing by the default rules. They're allowed to do that, and they don't need a DM's approval.

Again, pretty much everything in the game is at the DM's discretion. While, I can't see most DMs not allowing it, a DM can flatly state "No, I am not allowing custom backgrounds," (for whatever reason), and then you either accept it or find a different DM.

 

[Prakriti]

Again, pretty much everything in the game is at the DM's discretion. While, I can't see most DMs not allowing it, a DM can flatly state "No, I am not allowing custom backgrounds," (for whatever reason), and then you either accept it or find a different DM.

Of course, but the assumption is that, unless stated otherwise, the default rules are in play. You wouldn't expect a player to come into a game knowing that the DM has banned clerics from learning Cure Wounds, would you? So don't expect players to know that they can't freely customize their backgrounds when the PHB explicitly tells them that they can.

 

[DND_Reborn]

Of course, but the assumption is that, unless stated otherwise, the default rules are in play. You wouldn't expect a player to come into a game knowing that the DM has banned clerics from learning Cure Wounds, would you? So don't expect players to know that they can't freely customize their backgrounds when the PHB explicitly tells them that they can.

Sure, but as I said, it should be asked and covered in session zero when the player goes over their character with the DM, telling the DM they have a custom background. That's all. Not a big deal.

 

[The Crimson Binome]

In other words, if a player invents a background called the Brewer and chooses Nature, Medicine, brewer's tools, and Dwarven as their proficiencies, then they are playing by the default rules. They're allowed to do that, and they don't need a DM's approval.

By the letter of the rules, a player could show up with a Background called "Brewer" that grants Perception, Stealth, thieves' tools, herbalism kit, and the noble's "position of privilege" feature. And, by the letter of the rules, the DM has no recourse without resorting to house rules.

The only thing this proves is that the rules are not a legal document, and that nobody should put any stock in the letter of anything. In practice, if a player truly feels entitled to exploit this loophole, the reasonable course of action is for the DM to kick them to the curb.

 

[Shiroiken]

In general my group stays close to the backgrounds, but almost everyone changes either a skill or tool/language for customization. Minor modification helps the characters be unique without having to completely make a new background.

 

[Azzy]

By the letter of the rules, a player could show up with a Background called "Brewer" that grants Perception, Stealth, thieves' tools, herbalism kit, and the noble's "position of privilege" feature. And, by the letter of the rules, the DM has no recourse without resorting to house rules.

The only thing this proves is that the rules are not a legal document, and that nobody should put any stock in the letter of anything. In practice, if a player truly feels entitled to exploit this loophole, the reasonable course of action is for the DM to kick them to the curb.

While the custom background in your little scenario is non-thematic, it's a stretch to call it "exploitive"—it's not some unbalanced power boost.