D&D (2024) Put initial stat bonus in class not background

[Branduil]

For some reason people just refuse to accept that custom background is the default, and all example backgrounds can be freely customized. It’s bizarre.

This was also a problem in the 5e PHB, even though it explicitly stated they were sample backgrounds and RAW you can customize backgrounds as much as you want.

I think the issue is that it's just a giant list of backgrounds without any indication in the backgrounds themselves that they're just suggestions. I would just attach random character names to each one to make it clear "this is just one example of a background, it doesn't have to match yours."

 

[doctorbadwolf]

I'm not sure it really matters. If it's in race, people will choose their class and then look for the elf with the stat bonuses that match. If it's in background, people will choose their class and then look for the background with the stat bonuses that match. At least this way is honest.

Personally, I didn't see what was wrong with them just being floating, making both race and background essentially free choices. Or, even better, building them into the point buy/standard array/rolling method.

They essentially are floating in the playtest, since backgrounds are malleable and customized by default.

 

[Azzy]

it should be floating and be done with it.

Honestly, this is where I'm at, too. We've already had several products which use floating ASIs, so why not just roll with that.

 

[Charlaquin]

Honestly, this is where I'm at, too. We've already had several products which use floating ASIs, so why not just roll with that.

They are. Backgrounds are just packages of floating things.

 

[JiffyPopTart]

For some reason people just refuse to accept that custom background is the default, and all example backgrounds can be freely customized. It’s bizarre.

I get it. If they had only shown one example background (like when they follow a sample character creation as examples in the PHB) it would be obvious you were supposed to build it custom.

Instead they devoted a large amount of real estate to making a bunch of "examples" which can look like a list to choose from instead of several of infinite possibilities.

 

[Charlaquin]

I get it. If they had only shown one example background (like when they follow a sample character creation as examples in the PHB) it would be obvious you were supposed to build it custom.

Instead they devoted a large amount of real estate to making a bunch of "examples" which can look like a list to choose from instead of several of infinite possibilities.

I mean, it is a list you can choose from. That’s the point, if you want to make your own you can; if you want to just pick a premade and call it good, you can do that too. I don’t understand what’s so confusing about it.

 

[JiffyPopTart]

I mean, it is a list you can choose from. That’s the point, if you want to make your own you can; if you want to just pick a premade and call it good, you can do that too. I don’t understand what’s so confusing about it.

People don't always read from front to back, they also flip around and read here and there. If one were just glancing at the playtest, but we're familiar with 5e then one could easily assume backgrounds worked similar to 5e but now had stat mods attached to them.

 

[delericho]

They essentially are floating in the playtest, since backgrounds are malleable and customized by default.

Sure, but that's a really long way around just to get back to "assign them where you want".

 

[Charlaquin]

Sure, but that's a really long way around just to get back to "assign them where you want".

Necessarily so, in order to both provide “assign them where you want” and the option to pick a set that has already been assigned for you if you want.

 

[doctorbadwolf]

Sure, but that's a really long way around just to get back to "assign them where you want".

The only way it could be less direct and still slow for easy quick build packages would be to inject “suggested” and “example” language to each background. Which is fine, I’ll probably encourage that in my feedback.

But it’s hardly a long way around.