Reply to thread

Message

<blockquote data-quote="rmcoen" data-source="post: 9434212" data-attributes="member: 6692404">TL;DR = Just realized everything I say below is &quot;I hate ASI being in Background.&quot;I feel like Class+Race is the core of your character; Background should be an extra layer of bonus goodness, not a key part of your optimization.&nbsp; For example, in the old MechWarrior RPG, you could purchase the trait &quot;Natural&quot;, which super-enhanced one of your skills.&nbsp; I think like half-cost advancement, and some &quot;be creative&quot; options.&nbsp; BUT you couldn't pick the skill - otherwise everyone would just be a Natural Gunner or a Natural Pilot.&nbsp; So you build your character, and if you chose &quot;Natural&quot;, then you roll to see what you were a natural at - might be Gunnery, might be Tech, might be Stealth, might be Politics!In D&amp;D, then, if you want to be a rogue or monk or fighter, you build that character.&nbsp; If you choose your narrative, then layer on a Background that matches; or take a random narrative.&nbsp; And the effects of the narrative should be &quot;flavor enhancing&quot;, not mandatory.&nbsp; Being a Sailor Monk or a Sage Rogue or a Soldier Wizard should be interesting and flavorful, and in no way gimped compared to being a Thug/Pugilist Monk, Criminal Rogue, or Sage Wizard.-----------And, completely against what I just said, my other thought was that when backgrounds and classes overlap, there could be a minor additional bonus, like +1.&nbsp; A Sage Rogue has more skills at his disposal, but the Criminal Rogue is just a touch better at Sleight of Hand because of the double-whammy at character creation.&nbsp; Does +1 on a skill invalidate the benefit of proficiency in an extra skill? Depends on the campaign, but I'll go out on a limb and say &quot;no&quot;.&nbsp; I'd rather be proficient (+2 to +6 bonus) in more skills, than give that up for a single +1 to my main skill.</blockquote>

[QUOTE="rmcoen, post: 9434212, member: 6692404"] TL;DR = Just realized everything I say below is "I hate ASI being in Background." I feel like Class+Race is the core of your character; Background should be an extra layer of bonus goodness, not a key part of your optimization. For example, in the old MechWarrior RPG, you could purchase the trait "Natural", which [I]super-enhanced[/I] one of your skills. I think like half-cost advancement, and some "be creative" options. [I]BUT[/I] you couldn't pick the skill - otherwise everyone would just be a Natural Gunner or a Natural Pilot. So you build your character, and if you chose "Natural", then you roll to see what you were a natural at - might be Gunnery, might be Tech, might be Stealth, might be Politics! In D&D, then, if you want to be a rogue or monk or fighter, you build that character. If you choose your narrative, then layer on a Background that matches; or take a random narrative. And the effects of the narrative should be "flavor enhancing", not mandatory. Being a Sailor Monk or a Sage Rogue or a Soldier Wizard should be interesting and flavorful, and in no way gimped compared to being a Thug/Pugilist Monk, Criminal Rogue, or Sage Wizard. ----------- And, completely against what I just said, my [I]other[/I] thought was that when backgrounds and classes overlap, there could be a minor additional bonus, like +1. A Sage Rogue has more skills at his disposal, but the Criminal Rogue is just a [I]touch[/I] better at Sleight of Hand because of the double-whammy at character creation. Does +1 on a skill invalidate the benefit of proficiency in an extra skill? Depends on the campaign, but I'll go out on a limb and say "no". I'd rather be proficient (+2 to +6 bonus) in more skills, than give that up for a single +1 to my main skill. [/QUOTE]

Verification