D&D 5E House Rule Idea: Characters Gain New Backgrounds at Levels 5, 11, and 17

[guachi]

I like this a lot. In the few 5e games I've DMed to higher levels it takes about six months or more of game time to advance each tier. I've struggled with how to allow characters to grow (mechanically) outside of their class. I will add this to my next campaign, which I hope to start shortly.

I think most, if not all, of my previous players would have found it very easy to pick a new background simply because it would be obvious from play which one was suitable.

I love backgrounds and wish 5e had published a Big Book of Backgrounds. And if this were 2e TSR would undoubtedly have already done so.

 

[Dragonsbane]

Is anything removed from PCs before this rule is added? It seems like players get more and more and more and more abilities these days.

 

[Li Shenron]

Uhm... interesting idea but I don't think regular backgrounds are good for this, as they represent mundane social roles.

Maybe design some higher-level backgrounds for each tiers, with appropriately stronger features (proficiencies are already good as is), for example:

Tier 2:

Ambassador
Enterpreneur
Militia Leader
Specialty Trainer

Tier 3:

Royalty
Overseas Merchant
Army General
Bishop

Tier 4:

Empire Regent
Scribe of Legends
Holy Prophet
Renaissance Man/Woman