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Message: <blockquote data-quote="Oofta" data-source="post: 9085329" data-attributes="member: 6801845">A lot of these seem like someone read an article about travel in medieval Europe traditions of hospitality and then used wording that make it sound like  "must" instead of "typically".  Traditionally, if someone was going on pilgrimage they didn't stay at taverns or hotels, they stayed with individuals along the way.In any case I view all of these as suggestions. Things I'll try to take into consideration but also probably the least important when it comes to who the PC is.  The main issue is that some are quite powerful from an in-world point of view while others are so minimal as to not matter.Free healing? Depending on campaign this is a pretty big benefit or a big nothing.  I don't have many temples dedicated to a specific deity and in the majority of places where my campaign takes place most temples could be considered of the same "faith" since human and non-human pantheons are linked.  In other words, Moradin supports the Aesir by crafting weapons etc..This assumes you know what the documentation would look like.  If you do, that's fine. Acquaintances? Where? How many?  What purpose do they serve?  Do you have to have proficiency in a disguise kit and how good is the disguise?This is an okay starting point, just a lot is left up in the air.Having a contact is fine.  We'll work something out on who the contact is, how the PC knows them, etc.  They become a valuable NPC with a name and personality, along with the goals and desires.  However, it's just one contact to one criminal organization.  There are going to be limits and I'm not going to guarantee safety. It also implies that this one contact can get you in touch with any other criminal in existence which makes no sense.  The whole getting and sending messages over great distances is always going to be up to the DM.  It really doesn't make sense that we can get messages back in forth under some circumstances.How famous an entertainer?  What's the origin story and age of the PC?  If someone says they're 20 and they've entertained kings, it's a stretch.  It's also "even in a noble's court" not something that's guaranteed.Details, like how long you get free lodging is open to interpretation.I'm okay with this one, but the "will not risk their lives for you" is another vague thing.  Are they "risking their lives" if being caught means they become an indentured servant, lose all their property, have to pay exorbitant fines that will destroy their lives as they know it or is it just capital punishment?Also, what happens when the local boy done good becomes wealthy and famous? What if they become infamous because of the crimes they are accused of?  Can the those "common folk" (I kind of hate that term) turn against you? For that matter if you're a folk hero because you managed to somehow get a warning out on a midnight ride that the Drits were coming, how much hospitality do you get if you're in Dritain and the commoners should all hate you?Again, this is a local thing.  Guilds didn't span the globe.  Quite an odd note that they'll pay for your funeral.  Also odd that they establish dues.This is an okay starting point but can be tough for a DM.  Any discovery that makes a huge difference to impact the campaign is establishing a campaign direction.  This can be a good thing for some, incredibly difficult for others.  In my campaign the direction the party takes is very dependent on what the players want to pursue, I may have a problem coming up with this because my view of things outside of the near future sessions can vary wildly. This horse is dead.One of those that makes sense but is also covered by other proficiencies and class abilities.  Not bad, just not particularly important. Situationally beneficial but I don't care if you were the head librarian in Candlekeep, if you're in Avernus it's not going to help much.  My current PC is in Ravenloft, accessing a library for info would make no sense in this campaign. Again, based on connections.  I'll give someone a huge benefit of the doubt in a foreign port but it's not a guarantee.Another one that it just depends on "where your rank is recognized".  If you're in Dritain and your rank is from those darn rebellion states I doubt you want to be recognized.  It does make sense, but "defer to you if they are lower rank"?  Respect, yes.  Advantage and/or lower DC on a lot of social checks? Sure.  But just because you were once a captain, it doesn't mean a private is automatically going to risk court-martial for disobeying their current chain of command.The feature is general enough that it makes sense in most cases.  It rarely matters though.Any and all features have to make sense in context for me.  The actual feature paragraph isn't the only thing I take into consideration and I often give people benefits that aren't based on the text there.  Backgrounds are starting points for me.  If it's important to the player I'll do my best to make it beneficial but it won't override my world building.  If I say no or modify a feature it's not because I'm trying to "thwart" anything.  If there's a goal there will typically be multiple ways of achieving it (including options I don't think of), a background feature may just not be one of those.  But if it does apply? Even if it means they bypass what I thought was going to be a major obstacle? Cool.  Happens all the time for all sorts of reasons.  That is not why I will say a feature isn't applicable.</blockquote>

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