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<blockquote data-quote="Faolyn" data-source="post: 8213558" data-attributes="member: 6915329">Ish. It really depends on how they do backgrounds. I think we both would agree that no elf is born knowing how to use bows and swords. This is something they learn, from their culture. But should that culture be a background?Currently, backgrounds, even backgrounds like Solider, don't grant weapon proficiencies. So you'd have to decide whether or not you'd want to rewrite backgrounds to include such things--and how a background like Soldier would then balance against something like Acolyte. Would you give Acolyte a cleric cantrip? I mean, you could, obviously, but then you'd have issues like now Soldier is kind of useless if you're going to play a Fighter (since Fighters already get those proficiencies), so all Fighters should be Acolytes to get that cantrip. Which is weird, from a background sense. By having both Backgrounds and Cultures, you can make Cultures that grant all sorts of abilities--if you're from the Highwater Kingdoms, you learned how to use swords and bows from an early age--while still allowing for Soldiers to be mechanically different from Acolytes.</blockquote>

[QUOTE="Faolyn, post: 8213558, member: 6915329"] Ish. It really depends on how they do backgrounds. I think we both would agree that no elf is [I]born [/I]knowing how to use bows and swords. This is something they learn, from their culture. But should that culture be a background? Currently, backgrounds, even backgrounds like Solider, don't grant weapon proficiencies. So you'd have to decide whether or not you'd want to rewrite backgrounds to include such things--and how a background like Soldier would then balance against something like Acolyte. Would you give Acolyte a cleric cantrip? I mean, you could, obviously, but then you'd have issues like now Soldier is kind of useless if you're going to play a Fighter (since Fighters already get those proficiencies), so all Fighters should be Acolytes to get that cantrip. Which is [I]weird[/I], from a background sense. By having both Backgrounds and Cultures, you can make Cultures that grant all sorts of abilities--if you're from the Highwater Kingdoms, you learned how to use swords and bows from an early age--while still allowing for Soldiers to be mechanically different from Acolytes. [/QUOTE]

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