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<blockquote data-quote="Oofta" data-source="post: 9337534" data-attributes="member: 6801845"><p>Seems like this conversation has been just two sides repeating basically the same thing for a while. But I thought I'd toss in my 2 copper on my thoughts in a consolidated fashion.</p><p></p><p>I don't use the background features as written. I've always tried to incorporate back<em>stories </em>into my game, tying where someone came from into the ongoing campaign when people make more than minimal attempts to come up with a personal history. A lot of people simply don't care and never have, and that's okay as well. The number of orphans that become adventurers seems to be shockingly high in my campaign world though. <img src="data:image/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAIAAAAAAAP///yH5BAEAAAAALAAAAAABAAEAAAIBRAA7" class="smilie smilie--sprite smilie--sprite2" alt=";)" title="Wink ;)" loading="lazy" data-shortname=";)" /> </p><p></p><p>But I'm talking about backstory here, not background. To me they're different things, even if in 5E background is a part of a PC's backstory. So I don't have a problem with background being a starting point, I think it can be useful. But most people? Most people do it to pick up some proficiencies. To be honest, that's what I do as well most of the time.</p><p></p><p>But background not being important to people is only part of the problem. Many background features, especially from the PHB, are simply too limited, boring, and rarely useful in my opinion. I don't remember the last time getting passage on a ship was a big deal in any edition. Occasionally there's some form of payment whether it's an amount of gold that's irrelevant at the point this comes up or it's joining the ship's crew in some capacity. Most of the time? It's just narrated that the group finds a ship and it takes X amount of time to get where we're going. Unless, of course, there's a storm and we're shipwrecked or we're attacked by pirates.</p><p></p><p>So most background features are of minimal use in the rare cases they even come up.</p><p></p><p>Next of course is how unlikely things may be. I'm not going to belabor the point, but the sailor feature clearly states that you are calling in a favor from someone you know. It is highly unlikely that someone would just happen to know someone on the other side of the world well enough to call in this kind of favor. Especially when it happens no matter what port you find yourself in.</p><p></p><p>This kind of thing obviously doesn't bother some people but it breaks my suspension of disbelief. Especially if it happens multiple times, perhaps with different characters with the criminal just happening to know a crooked trader, a noble being given audience to the local ruler when the people didn't even know the PC's country existed, etc..</p><p></p><p>Last, but not least, they're kind of boring. You can add RP if you want of course, but if you follow the letter of the rules all a sailor has to do is say they're getting passage and it just automatically happens. No risk, no effort. It just happens even if it would break the narrative description just given of the PCs knowing nothing about where they are or how they got there or any number of other scenarios. At times the features can be get out of jail free cards. I don't have any issues with people bypassing challenges more easily than I had expected, but I want at least <em>some </em>effort, ingenuity and/or risk.</p><p></p><p>So I don't use background features as written. Instead, as I explain in my session 0, if people care about their background I make them useful in multiple situations in different ways. You'll get minor benefits like advantage on checks, be granted info that will help overcome obstacles. Perhaps you will occasionally come across someone you know and is willing to help. I just think it's more interesting for the guy with a criminal background to know what typical grifts are, more easily spot a pickpocket or know the types of places and how to get in contact with local criminals.</p><p></p><p>So for example the folk hero commoner would not be recognized wherever they go. Just like I'm not recognized as growing up on a farm in the real world. On the other hand, I've been able to strike up conversations and share stories with people that are also from rural communities because we share a similar background. In the same way a folk hero, in addition to knowing some things about how the people live, will also have an easier time making connections. It may be automatic in some cases in others there will be an appropriate check, likely with advantage. But just like a noble can't just walk into any court in the multiverse and get an audience with the king without putting forth any effort, a folk hero has to explain what they're doing to gain the trust of the locals probably along with some social skill checks.</p><p></p><p>It's one thing to have magic and dragons. It's another to assume that one in a million chance just happens when needed because of a background feature when it's really a one in one chance guaranteed success. </p><p></p><p>Last, but not least, other than 2 instances where a player really tried to push background features to gain significant advantage, I can't remember the last time they came up. It's just not an important feature to the vast majority of people who I've played the game with.</p></blockquote><p></p>
[QUOTE="Oofta, post: 9337534, member: 6801845"] Seems like this conversation has been just two sides repeating basically the same thing for a while. But I thought I'd toss in my 2 copper on my thoughts in a consolidated fashion. I don't use the background features as written. I've always tried to incorporate back[I]stories [/I]into my game, tying where someone came from into the ongoing campaign when people make more than minimal attempts to come up with a personal history. A lot of people simply don't care and never have, and that's okay as well. The number of orphans that become adventurers seems to be shockingly high in my campaign world though. ;) But I'm talking about backstory here, not background. To me they're different things, even if in 5E background is a part of a PC's backstory. So I don't have a problem with background being a starting point, I think it can be useful. But most people? Most people do it to pick up some proficiencies. To be honest, that's what I do as well most of the time. But background not being important to people is only part of the problem. Many background features, especially from the PHB, are simply too limited, boring, and rarely useful in my opinion. I don't remember the last time getting passage on a ship was a big deal in any edition. Occasionally there's some form of payment whether it's an amount of gold that's irrelevant at the point this comes up or it's joining the ship's crew in some capacity. Most of the time? It's just narrated that the group finds a ship and it takes X amount of time to get where we're going. Unless, of course, there's a storm and we're shipwrecked or we're attacked by pirates. So most background features are of minimal use in the rare cases they even come up. Next of course is how unlikely things may be. I'm not going to belabor the point, but the sailor feature clearly states that you are calling in a favor from someone you know. It is highly unlikely that someone would just happen to know someone on the other side of the world well enough to call in this kind of favor. Especially when it happens no matter what port you find yourself in. This kind of thing obviously doesn't bother some people but it breaks my suspension of disbelief. Especially if it happens multiple times, perhaps with different characters with the criminal just happening to know a crooked trader, a noble being given audience to the local ruler when the people didn't even know the PC's country existed, etc.. Last, but not least, they're kind of boring. You can add RP if you want of course, but if you follow the letter of the rules all a sailor has to do is say they're getting passage and it just automatically happens. No risk, no effort. It just happens even if it would break the narrative description just given of the PCs knowing nothing about where they are or how they got there or any number of other scenarios. At times the features can be get out of jail free cards. I don't have any issues with people bypassing challenges more easily than I had expected, but I want at least [I]some [/I]effort, ingenuity and/or risk. So I don't use background features as written. Instead, as I explain in my session 0, if people care about their background I make them useful in multiple situations in different ways. You'll get minor benefits like advantage on checks, be granted info that will help overcome obstacles. Perhaps you will occasionally come across someone you know and is willing to help. I just think it's more interesting for the guy with a criminal background to know what typical grifts are, more easily spot a pickpocket or know the types of places and how to get in contact with local criminals. So for example the folk hero commoner would not be recognized wherever they go. Just like I'm not recognized as growing up on a farm in the real world. On the other hand, I've been able to strike up conversations and share stories with people that are also from rural communities because we share a similar background. In the same way a folk hero, in addition to knowing some things about how the people live, will also have an easier time making connections. It may be automatic in some cases in others there will be an appropriate check, likely with advantage. But just like a noble can't just walk into any court in the multiverse and get an audience with the king without putting forth any effort, a folk hero has to explain what they're doing to gain the trust of the locals probably along with some social skill checks. It's one thing to have magic and dragons. It's another to assume that one in a million chance just happens when needed because of a background feature when it's really a one in one chance guaranteed success. Last, but not least, other than 2 instances where a player really tried to push background features to gain significant advantage, I can't remember the last time they came up. It's just not an important feature to the vast majority of people who I've played the game with. [/QUOTE]
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