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Message: <blockquote data-quote="Hriston" data-source="post: 9278644" data-attributes="member: 6787503">Sorry this response took so long, but due to the recent changes on the site, one of my devices can no longer make posts.The feature facilitates this by describing how the character’s background affects the world around them. It’s possible the DM could arrive at the same determination by adjudicating directly from the character’s background, but I don’t think it’s likely. I think the feature is additive in this regard. For example, outside of the Heart of Darkness feature, the Haunted One background doesn’t mention how the world reacts to the HO other than they are isolated and of questionable sanity which is more about the HO’s experience than how other people see them. HoD forms the basis of an agreement between the players and the DM that, in interactions with commoners specifically, the background will have certain effects. Without the feature, extrapolating directly from the background, the DM could rule the commoners, seeing the "darkness" in the HO’s eyes, react by attempting to capture and imprison the "crazy person" in their midst or by trying to drive them out of town.Just because a specific DM could choose to just let it slide doesn’t mean the absence of the feature would have no effect on gameplay. The player wouldn't have the predictability of the feature to rely on in their interactions with commoners, and the DM might not know what the player is expecting as a reaction. To replace the work currently being done by the feature would require the players and DM to form an agreement about who the HO is and their place in the world.Okay, I'm not sure why such a ruling might be made. I mean, your character doesn't stop being an HO when initiative is rolled. From your example, it seems that everyone had forgotten about your background until combat was about to begin. Maybe initiative had already been rolled, I don't know. At that point, you made some kind of declaration that pointed towards HoD to remind the DM how commoners were supposed to behave towards your character, and the DM decided (retroactively perhaps) that combat wasn't starting after all. Now, it seems to me HoD should have been in play as soon as your character started interacting with the commoners, possibly averting the move towards combat, but without more detail about the situation and the gameplay around it, it's difficult to say how I would see this going myself.EtA: Also, I'm not sure what bearing the rulings of "some DMs" have on the value of background features.</blockquote>

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