Primal Power Backgrounds

[GMforPowergamers]

I like them both as a PC and Dm becuse they are short hand for background important details.

Say, your character choose Broken Lands, Occupation Criminal and Society Noble.

Ok, I see Character grew up as atleast a lesser noble, sppent time in a black market/theives guild and I don't know broken lands...

As A DM I know the Player finds these important parts of his charater, as a Player I am letting the DM know what is important...

 

[Garthanos]

Sample background for flavor are great, but should have no mechanical benefit.

I dont like feeling like the skin doesnt match the bones and muscle...( that makes for ugly)

I think backgrounds with mechanically impact can allow you to break out of cliches somewhat in character design.

It came up in another thread
How do I build a druidic...paladin/In 4e I figured it could mean How do I build a paladin of a nature god? without getting an overly skills oriented character? I give him a background like Forest Warden (Scales of War Adventure background)... I can train the skills perception and nature as though they were part of my class and get +1 on them whether I do or dont. I changed the nature of my class.
Could I have built him as newer Warden class? maybe but I was having fun thinking laying on hands was the life force of the world streaming through me and other paladin visualizations... and I love fancy plate armor... say a bronze alloy with tons of nature symbols inlaid.

More options for the players are a plus to me.

 

[GMforPowergamers]

More options for the players are a plus to me.

that is why I love diffrent background styles...some players want scale of war, some want general...and we as DMs have the two to choose from

 

[Klaus]

OR...

You could make a Paladin, put your highest score in Strength and your second highest in Wisdom, and take, say, Geography: Forest (Nature as a class skill). You choose Heal, Insight, Intimidate and Nature as your skills. As your starting feat you take Defender of the Wild (Warden multiclass) and take Perception as a trained skill.

Presto!

 

[Garthanos]

OR...

You could make a Paladin, put your highest score in Strength and your second highest in Wisdom, and take, say, Geography: Forest (Nature as a class skill). You choose Heal, Insight, Intimidate and Nature as your skills. As your starting feat you take Defender of the Wild (Warden multiclass) and take Perception as a trained skill.

Presto!

Note I didnt want to be a skill monkey... Geography is still a background with a mechanical impact... I was responding to somebody who didnt like backgrounds having impact. I have other plans for that starting feat An Ardent strength wisdom paladin from Mighty challenge comes in vital for that first feat..... in fact its almost a must have.

 

[Klaus]

Hey, if you're human you have two!

At any rate, you don't really need to train Perception to be a "druidic knight". Your Wisdom makes up for it.

 

[RefinedBean]

Having backgrounds as an excerpt is like having a single Ritz cracker as an appetizer.

I don't have anything against backgrounds, but they're too bland to get enthusiastic about.

 

[Dice4Hire]

Having backgrounds as an excerpt is like having a single Ritz cracker as an appetizer.

I don't have anything against backgrounds, but they're too bland to get enthusiastic about.

I do have to agree that the excerpts for he last few books have been really boring. The AVII ones drove me away from buying the book.

 

[RefinedBean]

I do have to agree that the excerpts for he last few books have been really boring. The AVII ones drove me away from buying the book.

Same here. Plus, as a DDI subscriber, it's...

Oh wait, you don't want to hear about it.

 

[Dice4Hire]

Same here. Plus, as a DDI subscriber, it's...

Oh wait, you don't want to hear about it.

Apparently even people on enworld can be taught.