I was just looking through some backgrounds for an NPC companion character I was building for my group, and suddenly it struck me that I only ever look at the bonuses, not the descriptions.
Whether making NPC's or PC's, I'm a firm believer in making an effective character that contributes success to the group. But at the same time, I also love giving them quirky personalities and interesting backstories. In fact, I don't think I have a PC with less than a 1,000 word essay for his history (most are around 2,500
).
I never, however, feel constrained by the descriptions and often whilst reading Dragon or Dungeon articles with backgrounds in them, find the backgrounds to be pointless. After all, if I want a certain bonus, I'm not going to turn it down in favour of some fluff that I can just change to whatever suits the character.
And this attitude runs through all my decisions in character building, as both a DM and player. I often tell my players, "Don't let your imagination be restricted by what's on the page; if you want the bonuses of an Executioner's Axe but want to call it a greatsword, go right ahead, if you want dwarf stats but want to roleplay a human, that's fine too."
I figure as long as the rules balance out, ie. if you choose the stats of an executioner's axe, then for all rules purposes, it's an executioner's axe, the fluff doesn't change anything but what it looks like, then there's no reason to be restricted by the fluff.
So, do you look at the description or the bonus when making characters?
Whether making NPC's or PC's, I'm a firm believer in making an effective character that contributes success to the group. But at the same time, I also love giving them quirky personalities and interesting backstories. In fact, I don't think I have a PC with less than a 1,000 word essay for his history (most are around 2,500

I never, however, feel constrained by the descriptions and often whilst reading Dragon or Dungeon articles with backgrounds in them, find the backgrounds to be pointless. After all, if I want a certain bonus, I'm not going to turn it down in favour of some fluff that I can just change to whatever suits the character.
And this attitude runs through all my decisions in character building, as both a DM and player. I often tell my players, "Don't let your imagination be restricted by what's on the page; if you want the bonuses of an Executioner's Axe but want to call it a greatsword, go right ahead, if you want dwarf stats but want to roleplay a human, that's fine too."
I figure as long as the rules balance out, ie. if you choose the stats of an executioner's axe, then for all rules purposes, it's an executioner's axe, the fluff doesn't change anything but what it looks like, then there's no reason to be restricted by the fluff.
So, do you look at the description or the bonus when making characters?