D&D 5E Questions about the noble background ability Retainers

[S'mon]

On the whole, I wouldn't use "commoner" for drow though. Even the average drow-in-the-street should be much tougher than a human peasant.

Why?

 

[jmartkdr2]

The reason why I ask about the high elf is because I’m planning on him hunting animals with a bow. The reason why fire bolt is because it A. gives him limitless arrows since the fire bolt will act like one. B. It’s cooler to have a hunter who hunts with arrows made of fire instead of regular arrows.

I'm afraid this is firmly in "ask your dm" territory.

I, for example, wouldn't let retainers, which are not meant to be combat-useful, to have attack cantrips. They also really shouldn't do cool stuff - that's for the pc's, because they are the main characters. The retainers would have utility cantrips at most. But that's a personal call based on my reading of the intent of the feature, not a legalistic interpretation of the text (which doesn't say one way or another as far as I know).

 

[TrueBagelMan]

I’m asking about AL ruleing for this since I want to make sure I’m not breaking any rules.

 

[TrueBagelMan]

He only could use fire bolt to hunt since he can’t go into battle. The reason why he would have fire bolt is only so bow wouldn’t run out of ammo and have cool fire arrows.

 

[Adamant]

There's no official ruling, so that puts it back to ask your dm. In my experience, most dms won't let you do something like that for actual gain. If you keep it confined to flavor, for example the noble fighter with a retainer that cleans him using prestidigitation, that would probably be okay.

 

[TrueBagelMan]

That’s the point of firebolt, so he can hunt with arrows he creates out of fire.

 

[Cap'n Kobold]

He only could use fire bolt to hunt since he can’t go into battle. The reason why he would have fire bolt is only so bow wouldn’t run out of ammo and have cool fire arrows.

Hunting is generally going to involve Survival-based ability checks, not attack rolls, so the ammo issue isn't really a problem. Few games are going to go into the issue of whether a small proportion of the food someone forages for is partially-incinerated or not.

 

[jmartkdr2]

I’m asking about AL ruleing for this since I want to make sure I’m not breaking any rules.

It would be up to the AL dm. Which means the ruling might change when you get a new dm.

 

[Hriston]

Retainers is a variant background feature, so its inclusion is at the DM’s discretion to begin with, AL or not.

Personally, I would be inclined to allow it, but would generally expect the retainers to be the same race as the PC to whose family they’re loyal.

 

[Oofta]

I'd allow retainers of the same race as the PC as well. However, I think you're overthinking it. I doubt anyone will expect you to track arrows for your valet. The retainers aren't combatants, they're the maid or the butler.

Well, unless you're batman and your butler is really a retired special forces operative.