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Message: <blockquote data-quote="amethal" data-source="post: 7406371" data-attributes="member: 22784">I'm going from memory here, but IIRC since it is only a short example we don't know if the desert PC had never seen large bodies of water. There is nothing to indicate he is a 1st level character, or what he has been doing since he left the desert. There is nothing to indicate that it was ever discussed with the player in advance - e.g. if the DM went "cool background; I'll give you lots of free benefits whenever your desert experience would come in handy, but the downside is you won't be able to swim; is that ok?"It is presented as "we need to get across the river" followed by a ruling from the DM that the character can't swim. Also, there is no reason why the characters had to be rangers; it wouldn't have rankled me if they were any other class and so didn't have swimming as a class feature. Either the authors forgot the features of a class they had designed, or they deliberately made them rangers to make the point that the DM can mess with your character in any way he likes. The other ranger has no backstory given; on the basis of this example of play the wisest backstory is none at all. I did consider not posting my opinion, on the grounds that somebody was bound to suggest I could just house rule the bits I don't like.</blockquote>