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No More "Humans in Funny Hats": Racial Mechanics Should Determine Racial Cultures
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<blockquote data-quote="CleverNickName" data-source="post: 8375655" data-attributes="member: 50987"><p>What if Backgrounds were expanded to include cultural elements and traditions? Hear me out.</p><p></p><p>Your classic D&D dwarf lives in an underground city. Their Ancestry and sub-ancestry ("dwarf" and "mountain," for example) would give their bodies all of the <strong>physical</strong> adaptations for that environment: shorter, stockier, darkvision, that sort of thing. The things you are born with.</p><p></p><p>Your classic D&D dwarf also has a clan-like society, a strong sense of honor, and is handy with an axe. So let's put all of these <strong>cultural</strong> expectations, traditions, and folklore into a "dwarven soldier" (or whatever) Background where they will make a little more sense. The things that are learned and taught, like languages, weapon proficiencies, and skills, should be in the same category as other things that must be learned and taught (like manners, political opinions, and religions.) A person isn't born with this knowledge pre-loaded into their brains.</p><p></p><p>I think it's reasonable to assume that the dwarves who fled their mountain homes to live in the jungles of the Sword Coast would develop vastly different lifestyles and cultural expectations than their cousins who fled deeper into the Underdark. So what if these cultural elements were determined by Background, instead of by Race?</p></blockquote><p></p>
[QUOTE="CleverNickName, post: 8375655, member: 50987"] What if Backgrounds were expanded to include cultural elements and traditions? Hear me out. Your classic D&D dwarf lives in an underground city. Their Ancestry and sub-ancestry ("dwarf" and "mountain," for example) would give their bodies all of the [B]physical[/B] adaptations for that environment: shorter, stockier, darkvision, that sort of thing. The things you are born with. Your classic D&D dwarf also has a clan-like society, a strong sense of honor, and is handy with an axe. So let's put all of these [B]cultural[/B] expectations, traditions, and folklore into a "dwarven soldier" (or whatever) Background where they will make a little more sense. The things that are learned and taught, like languages, weapon proficiencies, and skills, should be in the same category as other things that must be learned and taught (like manners, political opinions, and religions.) A person isn't born with this knowledge pre-loaded into their brains. I think it's reasonable to assume that the dwarves who fled their mountain homes to live in the jungles of the Sword Coast would develop vastly different lifestyles and cultural expectations than their cousins who fled deeper into the Underdark. So what if these cultural elements were determined by Background, instead of by Race? [/QUOTE]
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No More "Humans in Funny Hats": Racial Mechanics Should Determine Racial Cultures
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