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Message: <blockquote data-quote="Yaarel" data-source="post: 8589653" data-attributes="member: 58172">That telekinetic limb sounds exactly like the Mage Hand cantrip.I think it is ok if a background grants a standard cantrip.When it comes to game design prioritize both balance and flavor.A normal background grants about 3 tool/skill proficiencies plus what I call a "special noncombat asset". The exact number depends on how good the asset is.The player and the DM together are supposed to create a new background if helpful for the character concept. Swapping proficiencies is routine.A background is a small but useful amount design space.For the DM, I feel the most important goal of a background is to encourage the player to feel connected to the imaginary world, and to continue investing in it in the future. The noncombat asset must be excellent. As long as the DM feels the player is enthusiastic about the STORY of the background, and its relationship to the persons and places in the setting, there is alot of things that a background can do.In my opinion, a new language can be given for free, if, it is inherent to the background story.On the safe side, suppose a non-asset design space of three decent skills or tools. Some skills are better than others. So where Animal Handling is usually worth about a point (but see below), Perception is about 2 points, and a decent skill, say like Stealth, is worth about 1-1/2 points. All three together are about 4-1/2 points. In other words, a normal background is worth about a feat, except that about half of it must be noncombat and narrative, rather than mechanical. Even so, a background still has about a strong half-feat of design space with mechanical teeth.Remember, my variant backgrounds below are only if the DM feels the noncombat asset is sufficiently doing the heavy lifting for the setting storytelling.The DM has 4 points to spend, and it is ok if it squeezes over to 4-1/2 points or falls slightly short at 3-1/2 points. When it comes to a background, the story is the priority.1-1/2 points: decent skill or tool1 point: one martial weapon(This weapon must be central to the background, like a longbow for a deerhunter, or a longsword for a High Elf Military academy.)1-1/2 points: all simple weapons(a common medieval town militia)2 points: shield2 points: light armor3 points: light+medium armor(heavy armor including light and moderate is about 6 points and beyond the scope of a half-feat, but if a character already has medium from a class, the upgrade to heavy would be 3 points, but only if this really important to the background story.)And now to the interesting stuff about wild psionic backgrounds. Some cantrips are (way) better than other cantrips. A slot 1 spell once per day is within the scope of a background.2-1/2 points: Guidance, Eldritch Blast, Minor Illusion, Mind Sliver, or Vicious Mockery(Eldritch Blast deals force damage and can flavor appropriately as telekinetic choking, phantom gut punches, inducing heart attacks and similar diffuse trauma)2 points: Mage Hand, Resistance, or Prestidigitation1-1/2 points: Dancing Lights or Mending1 point: Friends or MessageIn 5e, skills are entirely the discretion of the DM. In my DM style, skills are super-important. It is a storytelling approach where the players narrate first person how they are interacting with the scene. If they are telling a story that seems to require some effort, there will probably be an ability check to doublecheck if I need to inject any information into the players story. You can see how valuable a skill bonus is compared to other mechanics.I use skills in the following way:Arcana = arcane magic onlyReligion = divine magic onlyInsight = psionic magic onlyNature = primal as element-and-plantAnimal Handling = beast magicWhen used magically, and with their respective limitation, all skills are decent worth about 1-1/2 points each. Notice alchemy and elemental spells like Fireball require a Nature check to understand well. It might be Intelligence (Nature) depending on what the check is doublechecking.So Gasik, especially because you are enthusiastic about the Gil the Arm character concept,  as DM I would be open to negotiating a "psionic background" for it. I would require Insight for the sense of being intuitive about psionics.PSIONIC  BACKGROUNDTelekinetic Arm (Gil the Arm)Mage Hand cantrip (2 points)Insight (1-1/2 points)Noncombat Asset: work for an  investigatory security service.AND I would allow 2 class skills to swap for the Investigation and Sleight Of Hand skills if not on the class list.The point of a backgrouund is to tell the story. The DM should focus on a single variant, and narrarate with it as the centerpiece of a character concept. It is even better if the variant is noncombat, like the Mage Hand can be if the player is into it.</blockquote>

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