Since the PHB specifically states that you can switch out skill proficiency and tool/language proficiency, the defining factor of a Background should be considered to be the Background Feature itself. A "Criminal" _just is_ someone with a reliable underworld contact. A Noble _just is_ someone who can get at least a _hearing_ in the halls of power due to their family name. An Outlander _just is_ someone who can reliably survive (and even thrive) outside of civilisation. A Charlatan _just is_ someone with a well-established false identity. Really think about whether the Background Feature actually defines who your character is. If you don't want your character to do the thing that the Background Feature grants, just pick a different one. Don't pick a Background Feature that never comes into play just because your character concept needs the proficiencies the Background lists. If you want your character to have a backstory as a Guild member, but never intend to keep up with your Guild dues, just go Folk Hero (or whatever) instead and say they are a _former_ member. On the other hand, if you really want your character to be able to call on the resources of an influential Guild, you can invent a Guild of pretty much _anything_ and use appropriate proficiencies. The proficiencies are actually optional, provided you can plausibly justify why that Background has imparted that set of skills. It's trivially easy to imagine a Noble whose parents disapproved of gambling (no Gaming Set proficiency) but insisted their child learn another language.
This is actually really important, since custom backgrounds aren't a variant rule, and are actually part of the core rules. And I'm pretty sure that this is the reason why backgrounds from any book source don't count against your +1 in AL.
Should have linked to the rule when I made my first response: "Background. Choose a background using the rules in the PHB or any other officially-released Wizards of the Coast or D&D Adventurers League resource. Your background isn’t limited to your character’s “PHB+1.”" (Page 4 of the Character Creation Guide)
@@Nerdarchy Exactly, you get far more depth than before. I'm ashamed to say that I keep forgetting to bring up additional backgrounds in the surveys wizards has been releasing lately. A few here and there are nice, but we haven't had a good boatload of new backgrounds since the SCAG.
Urchin/Criminal gives you stealth and thieves' tools. Sailor gives you perception. Outlander makes your party pretty self sufficient. Hermit gives you proficiency with herbalism kit.
Against-type backgrounds can be insanely fun if there's a decent character concept behind them. I'm currently playing a level 4 rage mage barbarian with an entertainer background as a rockstar. He's basically a bard but with barbarian stats and abilities, so he uses a magical greataxe guitar, as well as an immovable rod with a mic head of thaumaturgy. He goes out adventuring as part of a mercenary guild and melts faces as much with his sick performances as his combat skills. Probably my favorite character I've ever played, and I have a feeling it will be hard for me to top in the future.
You can take a Background and Class match is a tried and true method but you can also step outside the norm for the sake of fun and cool. The Rogue with the Entertainer Background might travel from town to town as a musician that scopes out potential marks during the show. How about a Fighter who started out as a Noble but is now on the outs with the family? What about the Cleric who wanted to be a Sage or Acolyte but wound up as the Local Hero instead?
Personally, I'm a big fan of "Noble goes with anything." Pretty much any Class can be justified on the basis of, "Mother and Father thought it would be a good idea to have a [whatever] in the family." But I also love the potential of a Barbarian Folk Hero. Grew up in a quiet village, kept out of trouble their whole life. Then [inciting incident] happened and they discovered an innate talent, maybe even love, for battle. Afterwards, the village just seemed smaller than it did before, and old friends looked at him or her differently. It was time to leave the familiar behind and strike out for ADVENTURE! Yeah, it's a bit hokey. But I think it works.
So Storm Herald? Sounds cool. But the "struck by lightning" origin has set me to wondering if I could sell my players on a short high-level campaign with the restriction that every PC must be an analogue of a superhero...
I've been wanting to run a black dragonborn archaeologist warlock with a great old one pact. He would have had the sailor or investigator (city watch alternative) background, but his interests brought him to investigate a hidden tomb buried under a vast jungle (alternatively Chult, for you traditional guys). He began to delve, hoping for a hidden treasure he saw in his dreams. What started as a tomb turned into a mausoleum. What became a mausoleum turned into a city. He then stumbled upon the torn and decomposing remains of a beyond gargantuan monstrosity with dark green mucous-slathered skin and tentacles. In an explosion of psychic energy, the dragonborn went comatose, as his adventuring comrades succumbed to melting brains. When he awoke, his friends were eaten and covered in slime, with the monstrosity sunk deeper into its own pool of decaying remains. What was thought a city turned out to be a vessel from the stars, marked with strange glyphs. He returned to civilization, only to see indications of the monstrosity's decaying progeny, uncaringly clinging to the sides of tall buildings as the citizens walk on by without noticing.
I prefer to pick a set of skills, then use the background to explain how these were acquired (and mechanically, filling in gaps the class doesn't offer). I'd be careful not to fill in the whole story: I have a character who, at outset, was designed to be a former spy - but as played she was all, "look at meeeee!", OK, not spy material, but just as fun.
Dave man that suit is slick... Ted's shirt is pretty epic too. So what I like about the back grounds is it gives you a way to make your own. I've been trying to make a men in tights one from Robinhood men in tights. Gives your performance, acrobatics, theives tools or fleching not sure which, and the ability to know when is the best time to break into song and dance in a fight! Lol. But you can really make anything you want to be thematic and roleplay while giving some skills and such to fullfil a character concept.
I made a dwarven cleric , who’s hold experienced a horrific plague leaving him and two younger cousins the only surviving member of what once was a respected and thriving clan. When I came of age after the plague his church sent him on his pilgrimage to gain wisdom from life so that he can effectively lead his hold and build it up for moridan’s glory. Last time I played him he married a pretty little halfing woman and had a brood of brats.
I have a 6' 8" Gladiator Barbarian with Acrobatics, Performance, Disguise kit, and Bagpipes proficiency. He's a variant human pro-wrestler type with the array 15+1/13+1/15+1/8/8/12 and taking the Resilient (Dex) feat. Later taking the Prodigy feat at lvl 4 for Expertise in Athletics and bonus proficiency in Stealth or Deception, with extras in Orc and Cartographer's tools. His story is having been recruited to be a performer in a legal arena when he was fresh into town, but got tired of losing scripted matches and being made the bad guy. He did originally grow up around Goliaths, so he picked up their language from their dealing with them. I made him a human and non-spellcaster because the DM's world has the general population feeling uneasy about magic users and non-human races and everyone came to the table with all non-human, half-or-full casters. He'll be the innocent, lovable face of the party, but the hurdygurdy bardy birdy (Aarakocra Bard) and the half-elf warlock will be the real brains behind the operation.
This is dependent on 2 things. 1: we're starting at lvl 1. 2: there's a caster in the party. A slave gladiator getting rescued by the party or just one party member becoming amazed upon seeing the caster do their thing, decides they want to learn magic. Lvl 3 represents when they're able to perform simple magic. Eldritch Knight.
Sometimes parts of the background just don't matter, but I like so much of it. I'm often turning to the custom background section in DnD Beyond and then clearing it with my DM.
I have a Dwarven Paladin with the Folk Hero Background. He wields a warhammer because he was a mason and his favorite tool was a hammer.... which he used to kill a doppleganger in the short story I wrote about him. Now he's got a missing eye and I use it for intimidation checks.
Background proficiencies feel so malleable that I spent way more time personalizing the actual background feature. ( E.G. My DM and I rewrote the Soldier's rank to relate to Devil Heirarchy for my Warlock.)
Honestly I love the fact you can build a character a lot more diverse now. We had a similar game as the bard campaign where everyone in the party took the criminal/urchin back ground and it was a rogue, a monk, a wizard, a barbarian, and a Bard. It turned out awesome and the team work on it was top notch
I in a game Saturday play a half-elf Warlock using Noble background. She's a ton of fun cause she in a setting where humans tend to make up the nobility is a noble through her human mothers family. she's a blast to play tho she is a gish preferring to be in melee swinging her longsword over sitting back
I love quirky backgrounds - backgrounds that are different than their class. I had a guy in a group of mine play an entertainer sorcerer. He was so awesome.
Honestly, I love to pick the class and then roll for background. Odds are you get something more unique than wizard sage etc. And it gives you RP perspective to play with if you get something like paladin urchin. Not that I roll characters very often as a #foreverdm
Something I suggest to players when I'm trying to start a game with them is to start with a concept for the character and move out from there. This can be hard because some players have trouble coming up with anything more than an extremely vague concept that's barely more than a random thought. Even when one of your players says that they want to play a "strong character" that doesn't tell you or anyone else at the table much, especially when it is pointed out to the player that there are different kinds of strong characters and/or you ask them what kind of strong character they want to make and that player can't answer because of the issue they themselves have in developing concepts. Having backgrounds for the player to choose from and roll if needed helps sometimes, but sometimes players have trouble actually developing a cohesive idea for a character and really need someone there to offer up suggestions for them to choose from.
When I make a character I go two ways. Either I already have a backstory roughly in my head and I choose a background that is closest in feel, or I choose a background who's Skills and abilities work towards whatever archetype I want my character to be, and then write my story on how that became his background and why
My first DnD character's a bit of a doozy, and took the longest for me to finally figure out. The characters that came after, have been much easier to pen down. So, here goes: - For my first character, I wanted to make a vampire who had no interest in being a vampire. So I rolled up a Tiefling Warlock, and gave her the sunlight vulnerability part of the vampire curse. After weeks of thinking about it, and having not found a game, I decided that maybe this was a bit much, so I cut it out, and rewrote her back story. I have rewritten this character's backstory several times. - Now, I have a tiefling who was raised rather poorly by a xenophobic human farming community, which inevitably killed her the one day she chose to step outside. In the space between life and beyond, she made a contract with one of Hell's prosecutors--trading her soul and servitude for a second chance at life, and revenge-- - She then promptly spends the next few years in an internship in hell before something happens to reduce her patron's power/rank to that of an imp. Bound by contract, she now seeks to return him to his former power, in the hopes that she might one day earn her soul back. - Of course, I had difficulty choosing one of the stock backgrounds. So on paper, I mixed the Raveloft Haunted One Traits and Bonds with the Sage Feature and starting gear, and called it "Hell's Intern". Why? I wanted to make a lawyer joke, while also playing an abused character. To this day, I still haven't gotten to use this character in a D&D game. Not because nobody will let me play it, but because I don't have anyone outside of my family to tell me no...
I tend to pick backgrounds that don't give me the same things I could get through my class (especially if it is the top priority skill I would take from the list). But consedeering a cool history before looking at backgrounds is also a good way to go, and the one I do when I'm not looking at skills as a high priority.
My favorite mix is half-orc rogue/fighter with courtier: (complex origins of parents ignored for time) son of a noble, raised in the expectation to be a knight. he knows the structure & formalities of political structures, but his orcish instincts & impulses got the best of him, he still applies the knightly training, but mixed with underhanded & advantageous maneuvers.
Recently made a "Robin Hood" NPC character for the twisted fairytale game I run with my nephew where I mixed the traits of the folk hero and criminal backgrounds to make it fit the character concept. Kinda fits with the class breakdown too, as a Fighter-Champion / Rogue-Scout. Trying to get my brother-in-law and sister to make a guest appearance as Robin "The Hood" O'Malley and the maid, Mary Anne. Oh, and Elven Accuracy, Sharpshooter, Fighting Style: Archery, Sneak Attack, and Improved Critical combines to make a seriously lethal character.
Dudes! Yall looking sharp today! I dig the red sequined bowling shirt, it's very fancy. And that suit! Looking like an old school game show host and I love it.
Most of the time, unless a specific background fits the backstory too perfectly, I'll go off the banner ability and/or which PT/B/I/Fs fit most accurately to the personality I'm trying to portray. For example, Fighter Guild Merchant. The background choice would be because his personality most accurately fits the Guild Merchant. However, I might grab one thing (usually a PT/B/I/F from one or two other backgrounds that fit within the backstory. We'll use a militant town as an example. Maybe this Guild Merchant would gain the Athletics skill in place of Persuasion, and either a PT or Ideal, from Soldier, along with the banner ability from City Watch. This would represent his martial training and position held, prior to opening shop.
I took a noble background and built a story around a noble house with deep connections to the fey and through some fey tricks ended up making a choice that stuck me with having not 1 fey lord but two as co-patrons one seelie one unseelie. Roleplaying the duality of the influence and trying to walk the line between both patrons without favoring one has been a blast.
Oh, I like the idea of co-patrons. That's a good one. And yes, Noble goes with everything. My own idea for a Noble Fey-Pact Warlock was - like yours - a character from a noble family who had made a generational Pact with an Archfey to ensure the protection of their lands. The third child of every generation had to go and live with this Archfey (I envisaged her as something like Granny Wetherwax) and do her chores for seven years (very Brothers Grimm). Of course what the Archfey was _actually_ on the lookout for was the child smart enough to learn to scrub floors with Prestidigitation and hunt supper with Eldritch Blasts. Because a clever child like that could do more than just chores. A child like that could run _errands._
Oh man I love figuring out how I want to combine background with the other two big factors. It can make for some really interesting characters. Sometimes even if you just approach things mechanically. Like if you want a wizard that can stealth and do slight of hand things to avoid being caught spellcasting... hmm! Now that Wizard used to be a CRIME WIZARD (or still is).
I want to play a Locatha Monk, Way of The Drunken Master. An underdog who wanted to become a great hero. He learned his skills as a fighter under the only mentor who agreed to teach him. Nobody expects him to do much, but he’ll continue to try to stop the evils of the world even if it kills him.
I actually went on background first then class and race. I chose cattle rustler which was on a d&d website. I then picked barbarian. He had been stealing cows to feed his tribe in an attempt to gain their acceptance, but he was sloppy and led the owners of the cows to his tribe accidentally. His tribe was killed but he stayed away. Later he vowed never to hide or run from a fight unless it would be to protect others. Therefore, cattle-roping half goliath barbarian. Found out the campaign was urban. No problem. Swapped survival proficiency of my background for athletics and kept animal handling in case we see any street mutts or rodent creatures.
Pathfinder here. I tend to think of a background half what they did and half what they do on their down time. My pally is a rock star, my druid runs a cab service using moose, my monk is a poet and my brawler is a bouncer.
I'm just getting into dnd and Intend to get the books as I'm loving what I've discovered so far. Can a player be a werewolf ? I'm joining a group next week never met them before so hope I fit in I like the idea of playing a character who believes he's been cursed which may or may not be true as he hasn't developed any signs. He is on an adventure to either kill the apparent curse or after so many years he has got to the point where waiting for this curse to actually show itself he wants it either to show itself or be banished. The only sign he is cursed is a black swirling pattern that moves across his whole body and limbs like moving tattoo tendrils.
Usually I chose backgrounds for story reasons more then anything else. I had a guild artisan who, after business collapsed in his town due to certain certain events, went on an adventure because need of money and to direct business back to his hometown. I utilized his background, letting him upgrade his armor from leather to studded leather himself (he was a leather worker). I also have an outlander in an urban setting. Why? Because he had been sent from the farm to learn how to be a blacksmith. If he was going to accidentally break things around the farm might as well hit things for a living. I have an officer of the law who was an urchin. Why wouldn’t the justicar of the high council want someone who knew all the nooks and crannies on the poor side of the city?
I built a Urban character on the advise of the DM . Always ask or chat with the DM as to format of adventure best advice I ever got. Tiefling Urchin background no known family Life by the law of the streets every man for himself. Became a rogue
With Type: Acolyte Assimar Blood Hunter who was raised in a church but left due to different views on how to deal with evil. Against Type: Soldier Warforged Druid who got tired of war and discovered a new purpose, to save nature from his creators' corruption.
Dave that suit is very nice and is someone cameoing a cosplay he’s gonna attempt as the would you kindly guy from bio shock? If not the suit is still nice
I wish there was a background that gave you proficiency in the poisoner's kit. The only way to get that proficiency legitimately is by being an assassin rogue.. My group is pretty lenient and let me take it by sacrificing one of the skill proficiencies in the charlatan background but I wish there was a variant criminal, charlatan or guild artisan background that gave you the poisoner's kit.
I don't see why not. Just simply say you were an apprentice to an alchemist who owned a shop and as part of your training / job you had to brew potions and poison. Which the alchemist would sell at a discount.
Every Background grants two skill proficiencies and two language/tool proficiencies. It specifically says on p126 of the PHB that you can swap these out if you get the proficiency from another source or if you _just really want to._ Just as an aside though, you _technically_ should have swapped out one of the tool proficiencies rather than one of the skills. Though I can see a professional poisoner needing all three tool proficiencies, so _I'd_ allow it.
@@nickwilliams8302 Oh I could only take one skill and one tool proficiency to get poisoner's kit because our DM thinks it's a strong tool kit to have. I think Wizards is trying to deter PCs from crafting potions and poisons because of the potential strength of that ability. The herbalism kit is also kinda hard to get a proficiency for iirc and the price of the poisoner's kit is the most expensive toolset at 50gp.
@Ahrenji I think you've been had my friend. For starters, Poisoner's Kit doesn't grant any OP abilities, AFAICS. In addition, if your character took the Skilled Feat, they'd get proficiency in Poisoner's Kit for the same "price" as any other proficiency. It's not Wizards trying to deter players from crafting poisons or potions, it's your DM. Why do they think the ability is so OP?
@@nickwilliams8302 Well my character in question is a swashbuckler rogue and I'm currently level 4 so I have the free sneak attack if I'm dueling with an isolated target. He thinks adding poison to that is too much damage and I'm trying to powergame by trying to maximize my dpr which I could see. I've expressed that I'm just trying to just flavor my character as a charismatic rogue that does things like slip truth serum into NPCs drinks and cheats in duels by using condition inflicting poisons on her blade. I think it's just a fun character concept, he thinks it's me trying to powergame. It's fine though. We're working it out and I'm fine with giving up those background proficiencies to make it work for him. I just found it odd that no backgrounds give you the poisoner's kit by default.
Going by dnd 5e, I can't find a background to match a character idea of my. Basically I want a glory seeker background but I can't find a backgound that match it. The closest I guess is "folk hero"? I'm aware of the oath of glory which my character of my would be a paladin.
I personally think the PHB's list of backgrounds falls short of being adequate, and cheapens the efforts I always put into crafting a well thought out back story. As an example I have a character concept that falls into a gray area between Hermit and Outlander, where neither properly fit. Simply his class bpils down to a Fighter, but due to a certain, shall we say, family curse, he lives near to but apart from the rest of the nearby village. Keeping to a simple life, he makes his living off of trapping/fur trading, and occasionally, thanks to living in the woods his whole life, as a guide or tracker. Motives for adventuring are few, and for the good reason that he has a past of enjoying violence a little too much. Adventuring with a party is contingent on them keeping open mind. This, you see, is my Human Fighter/Werebear. Showing off the Grizz inside is uncommon, but it's the driving force behind just how savage he can get. This character is partly inspired by a historical fiction involving Viking warriors, and the belief of going into battle with the spirit of a wolf or bear inside. Only in this case, this reclusive warrior has a lot more than just a bear spirit inside.
My issue with leaving imagination at the helm, as it were, is that the pregenerated backgrounds include certain items and skill sets that match them in the mechanics of the game. My imagined background, unless I make that up as well, does not.
@Random Chiroptera As I said in another comment, look at the Background feature, not the proficiencies. The proficiencies can be tweaked. If the ability to survive in the wilderness is a defining trait of your character (and it seems that it is) he's an Outlander. Hermit is defined by having made some kind of philosophical or mystical "discovery". So just go Outlander and replace the instrument proficiency with leatherwork tools to account for your character's profession. Done. So the Background choice is a complete non-issue. The issues I see with this character are threefold: 1. If your character concept is inspired by Viking Berserkers, Barbarian would seem to be a better fit for your concept. There's _literally_ a Barbarian subclass based upon infusing oneself with the spirit of the Bear Totem (it's fucking awesome) and Rage would stack like a _motherfucker_ with your werebear transformation. You have however alluded to a past experience with war, so Fighter might work. 2. You have created a character with lycanthropy. This requires a bit of houseruling, as no competent DM will just allow you to get Werebear abilities for "free" (unless, perhaps, all the PCs are lycanthropes). I'd also note that transformed Werebears are Large creatures and gear doesn't change with you. Another reason to go for a class with Unarmored Defense rather than one that relies on armor. That chainmail isn't going to be much use after it goes the way of Bruce Banner's business shirts. 3. Most worryingly, you seem to have created an "Edgy Loner". To quote you directly, "Motives for adventuring are few ... Adventuring with a party is contingent on them keeping open mind." Seriously dude. Don't do this. _Please._ No one wants to play a little mini-game of "convince Random's character to go on the adventure" every goddamn session. It is _your_ responsibility to come up with a reason why your character is in the party, not anyone else's. Sorry if that sounded a bit combative, but I would be doing you a disservice if I didn't let you know you have given your character one of the most reviled character traits in the entire hobby. TTRPGS are team sports my friend. I'm not saying you can't have a character who would _prefer_ to just be hanging out by himself in his Shrek hut (werebears are supposed to be pretty solitary, after all), just that it's _your_ responsibility to explain why he _isn't._ Just as an example, if your group were playing Rise of Tiamat/Hoard of the Dragon Queen, then just say that the forest your PC lived in was burnt to ashes by a dragon. Those flying fucking lizards are going _down,_ it's just that your character knows he can't do it alone.
Nick Williams Okay... I just lost a long detailed reply I was typing up because the power just went out. So I'm going to be brief lest it happens again. You make some valid points, though seem to assume some things that are understandable, but untrue. I'm actually well-experienced with running a Lycanthrope character in campaign play, but this was under 3.5 which had rules in place that explained how it's done. This is actually an old character I'm trying to convert into the 5e system, an old favorite you might say. While allowing such a character was even then, DM's choice, I've run it before, and am quite experienced in the affairs of the character's personality is typically like this, but as a player, I'm going to "force" a motivation that fits the character. He avoids contact with normal people a lot because the average person freaks out when they see a big hearty man turn into a bigger bipedal bear monster. As He still tries to live as an ordinary human though, he doesn't cut himself off from humanity altogether. There is still that want of community. I've gone into greater details considering the village, it's people, their culture, folklore, superstitions and old and new attitudes toward lycanthropy in general. The character specifically might initially try to talk a party out of some "fool's errand". If he's able to dissuade them, then that's that. If they insist on continuing their quest - which, let's face it, is obviously what's most likely to happen, then he'd deem fit to aid them. In his words, "You lot either are determined to see this through, and I respect that. Or you're damned fools trying to get yourselves killed, either way, I can't ignore good people walking into danger." Or "I'm coming with you, whether you like it or not. So stop your bellyaching, and watch where you're aiming those spells."
For a character based on a Warhammer Fantasy Dwarf Slayer what would you recommend for a background to match the character thematicslly? Also how would a subscriber submit a homebrew to y'all for review?
A Warhammer Dwarven Troll Slayer? Literally any background would fit as a Dwarf has entered the Slayer path due to some massive personal dishonor. That dishonor could have occurred in any walk of life, from craftsman to noble to soldier to healer. So pick whatever background that appeals.
my paladins back ground has saved my group when our healer left, she was a orphan brought up in the temple of helm as such she is setup as protection tank so not great at healing but this with my dm permission to change her race from human to aasimar and change oath to the oath of the raven queen How you ask well it turns out she left at the temple due to black wings showing up as a baby which made everyone think she was a fallen aasimar but the black wings where because of her diety really being the raven queen she was brought up to think helm was her god and had medicine which keeps the assimar side hidden but she did not know this so when she left to go adventuring and had no meds the raven queen came to her and told her the truth the change came about over the course of a few sessions with all the other members not knowing so was great for some role play also
Oh, man, now I want to make a really disturbing or otherwise messed up character, like, say, a Necromancer with the Entertainer background, for example. :D The Warlock Entertainer is too easy - too many musicians are said to have sold their souls over the centuries. ;)
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Nerdarchy the suit is nice man
alright so im getting back into playing d&d after a little break and am making a dwarf druid but cant think of a good background could you help out?
This looks a lot better. New camera? Better sound? Nicer clothes? I can actually enjoy watching this.
All of the above. Though we don't always dress all fancy pants like. Glad you are enjoying it.
Nerdarchist Dave
Since the PHB specifically states that you can switch out skill proficiency and tool/language proficiency, the defining factor of a Background should be considered to be the Background Feature itself.
A "Criminal" _just is_ someone with a reliable underworld contact. A Noble _just is_ someone who can get at least a _hearing_ in the halls of power due to their family name. An Outlander _just is_ someone who can reliably survive (and even thrive) outside of civilisation. A Charlatan _just is_ someone with a well-established false identity.
Really think about whether the Background Feature actually defines who your character is. If you don't want your character to do the thing that the Background Feature grants, just pick a different one. Don't pick a Background Feature that never comes into play just because your character concept needs the proficiencies the Background lists. If you want your character to have a backstory as a Guild member, but never intend to keep up with your Guild dues, just go Folk Hero (or whatever) instead and say they are a _former_ member. On the other hand, if you really want your character to be able to call on the resources of an influential Guild, you can invent a Guild of pretty much _anything_ and use appropriate proficiencies.
The proficiencies are actually optional, provided you can plausibly justify why that Background has imparted that set of skills. It's trivially easy to imagine a Noble whose parents disapproved of gambling (no Gaming Set proficiency) but insisted their child learn another language.
This is actually really important, since custom backgrounds aren't a variant rule, and are actually part of the core rules. And I'm pretty sure that this is the reason why backgrounds from any book source don't count against your +1 in AL.
@@adamturbett9748 I didn't realize that backgrounds weren't a part of the phb+1 rule.
Nerdarchist Dave
Should have linked to the rule when I made my first response:
"Background. Choose a background using the rules in the PHB or any other officially-released Wizards of the Coast or D&D Adventurers League resource. Your background isn’t limited to your character’s “PHB+1.”" (Page 4 of the Character Creation Guide)
@Adam Turbett
Good looking out. I hadn't considered that.
Why did you write "just is", instead of 'is just'? Nothing else you said would suggest it was a mere grammatical error so it makes me curious.
I love backgrounds in 5th edition. They have such strong impact on your character, both mechanically and thematically.
They definitely add to the game. It gives characters a deeper dimension.
Nerdarchist Dave
@@Nerdarchy Exactly, you get far more depth than before. I'm ashamed to say that I keep forgetting to bring up additional backgrounds in the surveys wizards has been releasing lately. A few here and there are nice, but we haven't had a good boatload of new backgrounds since the SCAG.
Urchin/Criminal gives you stealth and thieves' tools.
Sailor gives you perception.
Outlander makes your party pretty self sufficient.
Hermit gives you proficiency with herbalism kit.
Against-type backgrounds can be insanely fun if there's a decent character concept behind them. I'm currently playing a level 4 rage mage barbarian with an entertainer background as a rockstar. He's basically a bard but with barbarian stats and abilities, so he uses a magical greataxe guitar, as well as an immovable rod with a mic head of thaumaturgy. He goes out adventuring as part of a mercenary guild and melts faces as much with his sick performances as his combat skills. Probably my favorite character I've ever played, and I have a feeling it will be hard for me to top in the future.
You can take a Background and Class match is a tried and true method but you can also step outside the norm for the sake of fun and cool. The Rogue with the Entertainer Background might travel from town to town as a musician that scopes out potential marks during the show. How about a Fighter who started out as a Noble but is now on the outs with the family? What about the Cleric who wanted to be a Sage or Acolyte but wound up as the Local Hero instead?
All great examples fun ways to use backgrounds.
Nerdarchist Dave
Personally, I'm a big fan of "Noble goes with anything." Pretty much any Class can be justified on the basis of, "Mother and Father thought it would be a good idea to have a [whatever] in the family."
But I also love the potential of a Barbarian Folk Hero. Grew up in a quiet village, kept out of trouble their whole life. Then [inciting incident] happened and they discovered an innate talent, maybe even love, for battle. Afterwards, the village just seemed smaller than it did before, and old friends looked at him or her differently. It was time to leave the familiar behind and strike out for ADVENTURE!
Yeah, it's a bit hokey. But I think it works.
My new character is a a barbarian of the sailor background who was struck by lightning
So Storm Herald?
Sounds cool.
But the "struck by lightning" origin has set me to wondering if I could sell my players on a short high-level campaign with the restriction that every PC must be an analogue of a superhero...
@@nickwilliams8302 yah I'm gonna make him a storm herald and that idea of a campaign sounds cool
I've been wanting to run a black dragonborn archaeologist warlock with a great old one pact. He would have had the sailor or investigator (city watch alternative) background, but his interests brought him to investigate a hidden tomb buried under a vast jungle (alternatively Chult, for you traditional guys). He began to delve, hoping for a hidden treasure he saw in his dreams.
What started as a tomb turned into a mausoleum. What became a mausoleum turned into a city. He then stumbled upon the torn and decomposing remains of a beyond gargantuan monstrosity with dark green mucous-slathered skin and tentacles. In an explosion of psychic energy, the dragonborn went comatose, as his adventuring comrades succumbed to melting brains.
When he awoke, his friends were eaten and covered in slime, with the monstrosity sunk deeper into its own pool of decaying remains. What was thought a city turned out to be a vessel from the stars, marked with strange glyphs.
He returned to civilization, only to see indications of the monstrosity's decaying progeny, uncaringly clinging to the sides of tall buildings as the citizens walk on by without noticing.
I prefer to pick a set of skills, then use the background to explain how these were acquired (and mechanically, filling in gaps the class doesn't offer). I'd be careful not to fill in the whole story: I have a character who, at outset, was designed to be a former spy - but as played she was all, "look at meeeee!", OK, not spy material, but just as fun.
Dave man that suit is slick... Ted's shirt is pretty epic too. So what I like about the back grounds is it gives you a way to make your own. I've been trying to make a men in tights one from Robinhood men in tights. Gives your performance, acrobatics, theives tools or fleching not sure which, and the ability to know when is the best time to break into song and dance in a fight! Lol. But you can really make anything you want to be thematic and roleplay while giving some skills and such to fullfil a character concept.
I made a dwarven cleric , who’s hold experienced a horrific plague leaving him and two younger cousins the only surviving member of what once was a respected and thriving clan. When I came of age after the plague his church sent him on his pilgrimage to gain wisdom from life so that he can effectively lead his hold and build it up for moridan’s glory. Last time I played him he married a pretty little halfing woman and had a brood of brats.
I have a 6' 8" Gladiator Barbarian with Acrobatics, Performance, Disguise kit, and Bagpipes proficiency. He's a variant human pro-wrestler type with the array 15+1/13+1/15+1/8/8/12 and taking the Resilient (Dex) feat. Later taking the Prodigy feat at lvl 4 for Expertise in Athletics and bonus proficiency in Stealth or Deception, with extras in Orc and Cartographer's tools.
His story is having been recruited to be a performer in a legal arena when he was fresh into town, but got tired of losing scripted matches and being made the bad guy. He did originally grow up around Goliaths, so he picked up their language from their dealing with them.
I made him a human and non-spellcaster because the DM's world has the general population feeling uneasy about magic users and non-human races and everyone came to the table with all non-human, half-or-full casters. He'll be the innocent, lovable face of the party, but the hurdygurdy bardy birdy (Aarakocra Bard) and the half-elf warlock will be the real brains behind the operation.
So. "Ted's" background would fit well as Folk Hero or maybe Guild Artisan.
This is dependent on 2 things.
1: we're starting at lvl 1.
2: there's a caster in the party.
A slave gladiator getting rescued by the party or just one party member becoming amazed upon seeing the caster do their thing, decides they want to learn magic. Lvl 3 represents when they're able to perform simple magic.
Eldritch Knight.
Sometimes parts of the background just don't matter, but I like so much of it. I'm often turning to the custom background section in DnD Beyond and then clearing it with my DM.
I have a Dwarven Paladin with the Folk Hero Background. He wields a warhammer because he was a mason and his favorite tool was a hammer.... which he used to kill a doppleganger in the short story I wrote about him. Now he's got a missing eye and I use it for intimidation checks.
Background proficiencies feel so malleable that I spent way more time personalizing the actual background feature. ( E.G. My DM and I rewrote the Soldier's rank to relate to Devil Heirarchy for my Warlock.)
Honestly I love the fact you can build a character a lot more diverse now. We had a similar game as the bard campaign where everyone in the party took the criminal/urchin back ground and it was a rogue, a monk, a wizard, a barbarian, and a Bard. It turned out awesome and the team work on it was top notch
I in a game Saturday play a half-elf Warlock using Noble background. She's a ton of fun cause she in a setting where humans tend to make up the nobility is a noble through her human mothers family. she's a blast to play tho she is a gish preferring to be in melee swinging her longsword over sitting back
I love quirky backgrounds - backgrounds that are different than their class. I had a guy in a group of mine play an entertainer sorcerer. He was so awesome.
Honestly, I love to pick the class and then roll for background. Odds are you get something more unique than wizard sage etc. And it gives you RP perspective to play with if you get something like paladin urchin. Not that I roll characters very often as a #foreverdm
Canadian Ninja r
Something I suggest to players when I'm trying to start a game with them is to start with a concept for the character and move out from there. This can be hard because some players have trouble coming up with anything more than an extremely vague concept that's barely more than a random thought. Even when one of your players says that they want to play a "strong character" that doesn't tell you or anyone else at the table much, especially when it is pointed out to the player that there are different kinds of strong characters and/or you ask them what kind of strong character they want to make and that player can't answer because of the issue they themselves have in developing concepts.
Having backgrounds for the player to choose from and roll if needed helps sometimes, but sometimes players have trouble actually developing a cohesive idea for a character and really need someone there to offer up suggestions for them to choose from.
When I make a character I go two ways. Either I already have a backstory roughly in my head and I choose a background that is closest in feel, or I choose a background who's Skills and abilities work towards whatever archetype I want my character to be, and then write my story on how that became his background and why
My first DnD character's a bit of a doozy, and took the longest for me to finally figure out. The characters that came after, have been much easier to pen down. So, here goes:
- For my first character, I wanted to make a vampire who had no interest in being a vampire. So I rolled up a Tiefling Warlock, and gave her the sunlight vulnerability part of the vampire curse. After weeks of thinking about it, and having not found a game, I decided that maybe this was a bit much, so I cut it out, and rewrote her back story. I have rewritten this character's backstory several times.
- Now, I have a tiefling who was raised rather poorly by a xenophobic human farming community, which inevitably killed her the one day she chose to step outside. In the space between life and beyond, she made a contract with one of Hell's prosecutors--trading her soul and servitude for a second chance at life, and revenge--
- She then promptly spends the next few years in an internship in hell before something happens to reduce her patron's power/rank to that of an imp. Bound by contract, she now seeks to return him to his former power, in the hopes that she might one day earn her soul back.
- Of course, I had difficulty choosing one of the stock backgrounds. So on paper, I mixed the Raveloft Haunted One Traits and Bonds with the Sage Feature and starting gear, and called it "Hell's Intern". Why? I wanted to make a lawyer joke, while also playing an abused character.
To this day, I still haven't gotten to use this character in a D&D game. Not because nobody will let me play it, but because I don't have anyone outside of my family to tell me no...
I tend to pick backgrounds that don't give me the same things I could get through my class (especially if it is the top priority skill I would take from the list). But consedeering a cool history before looking at backgrounds is also a good way to go, and the one I do when I'm not looking at skills as a high priority.
My favorite mix is half-orc rogue/fighter with courtier: (complex origins of parents ignored for time) son of a noble, raised in the expectation to be a knight. he knows the structure & formalities of political structures, but his orcish instincts & impulses got the best of him, he still applies the knightly training, but mixed with underhanded & advantageous maneuvers.
I love the intros. They feel like something you'd see in early 90s comedy shows
Recently made a "Robin Hood" NPC character for the twisted fairytale game I run with my nephew where I mixed the traits of the folk hero and criminal backgrounds to make it fit the character concept. Kinda fits with the class breakdown too, as a Fighter-Champion / Rogue-Scout. Trying to get my brother-in-law and sister to make a guest appearance as Robin "The Hood" O'Malley and the maid, Mary Anne.
Oh, and Elven Accuracy, Sharpshooter, Fighting Style: Archery, Sneak Attack, and Improved Critical combines to make a seriously lethal character.
Dudes! Yall looking sharp today! I dig the red sequined bowling shirt, it's very fancy. And that suit! Looking like an old school game show host and I love it.
Yalls quality boost makes me so happy
you guys are the best, love the intros
Glad you are enjoying them. We are having fun with them.
Nerdarchist Dave
Most of the time, unless a specific background fits the backstory too perfectly, I'll go off the banner ability and/or which PT/B/I/Fs fit most accurately to the personality I'm trying to portray. For example, Fighter Guild Merchant. The background choice would be because his personality most accurately fits the Guild Merchant. However, I might grab one thing (usually a PT/B/I/F from one or two other backgrounds that fit within the backstory. We'll use a militant town as an example. Maybe this Guild Merchant would gain the Athletics skill in place of Persuasion, and either a PT or Ideal, from Soldier, along with the banner ability from City Watch. This would represent his martial training and position held, prior to opening shop.
I took a noble background and built a story around a noble house with deep connections to the fey and through some fey tricks ended up making a choice that stuck me with having not 1 fey lord but two as co-patrons one seelie one unseelie. Roleplaying the duality of the influence and trying to walk the line between both patrons without favoring one has been a blast.
Oh, I like the idea of co-patrons. That's a good one.
And yes, Noble goes with everything.
My own idea for a Noble Fey-Pact Warlock was - like yours - a character from a noble family who had made a generational Pact with an Archfey to ensure the protection of their lands. The third child of every generation had to go and live with this Archfey (I envisaged her as something like Granny Wetherwax) and do her chores for seven years (very Brothers Grimm). Of course what the Archfey was _actually_ on the lookout for was the child smart enough to learn to scrub floors with Prestidigitation and hunt supper with Eldritch Blasts.
Because a clever child like that could do more than just chores. A child like that could run _errands._
Oh man I love figuring out how I want to combine background with the other two big factors. It can make for some really interesting characters. Sometimes even if you just approach things mechanically. Like if you want a wizard that can stealth and do slight of hand things to avoid being caught spellcasting... hmm! Now that Wizard used to be a CRIME WIZARD (or still is).
My favourite Noble and Druid.
Its just so much fun meeting pompus dad and look him in the eye and transform into a Giant snake.
I want to play a Locatha Monk, Way of The Drunken Master. An underdog who wanted to become a great hero. He learned his skills as a fighter under the only mentor who agreed to teach him. Nobody expects him to do much, but he’ll continue to try to stop the evils of the world even if it kills him.
I actually went on background first then class and race. I chose cattle rustler which was on a d&d website. I then picked barbarian. He had been stealing cows to feed his tribe in an attempt to gain their acceptance, but he was sloppy and led the owners of the cows to his tribe accidentally. His tribe was killed but he stayed away. Later he vowed never to hide or run from a fight unless it would be to protect others. Therefore, cattle-roping half goliath barbarian. Found out the campaign was urban. No problem. Swapped survival proficiency of my background for athletics and kept animal handling in case we see any street mutts or rodent creatures.
Pathfinder here. I tend to think of a background half what they did and half what they do on their down time. My pally is a rock star, my druid runs a cab service using moose, my monk is a poet and my brawler is a bouncer.
I'm just getting into dnd and Intend to get the books as I'm loving what I've discovered so far. Can a player be a werewolf ? I'm joining a group next week never met them before so hope I fit in I like the idea of playing a character who believes he's been cursed which may or may not be true as he hasn't developed any signs. He is on an adventure to either kill the apparent curse or after so many years he has got to the point where waiting for this curse to actually show itself he wants it either to show itself or be banished. The only sign he is cursed is a black swirling pattern that moves across his whole body and limbs like moving tattoo tendrils.
I've never needed the tables myself, the backstory just flows out of me. But its a nice option for those not cursed with an overactive imagination.
My favorite background I’ve ever heard of is “Wedded to History” I need to get a version updated for 5e
Usually I chose backgrounds for story reasons more then anything else.
I had a guild artisan who, after business collapsed in his town due to certain certain events, went on an adventure because need of money and to direct business back to his hometown. I utilized his background, letting him upgrade his armor from leather to studded leather himself (he was a leather worker).
I also have an outlander in an urban setting. Why? Because he had been sent from the farm to learn how to be a blacksmith. If he was going to accidentally break things around the farm might as well hit things for a living.
I have an officer of the law who was an urchin. Why wouldn’t the justicar of the high council want someone who knew all the nooks and crannies on the poor side of the city?
Great video!
Very nice video. Personally building a wizard with preformer backround myself.
I built a Urban character on the advise of the DM . Always ask or chat with the DM as to format of adventure best advice I ever got.
Tiefling
Urchin background no known family
Life by the law of the streets every man for himself.
Became a rogue
Dave looks like a tele-vangelist, very cool
With Type: Acolyte Assimar Blood Hunter who was raised in a church but left due to different views on how to deal with evil.
Against Type: Soldier Warforged Druid who got tired of war and discovered a new purpose, to save nature from his creators' corruption.
Dave that suit is very nice and is someone cameoing a cosplay he’s gonna attempt as the would you kindly guy from bio shock? If not the suit is still nice
I made a cleric of the life domain with the soldier background. Gave him the cynicism of a grunt and all the PTSD of one too
Nice suit Dave! Love the shirt Ted!
Looking sharp dave.
Oh, and the topic weas useful as well!
I agree. If you can't let you enjoy the play, then you need to rethink all of it
Nice,I wonder what would an executioner fit for ?a militant or one of the new classes
I wish there was a background that gave you proficiency in the poisoner's kit. The only way to get that proficiency legitimately is by being an assassin rogue.. My group is pretty lenient and let me take it by sacrificing one of the skill proficiencies in the charlatan background but I wish there was a variant criminal, charlatan or guild artisan background that gave you the poisoner's kit.
I don't see why not. Just simply say you were an apprentice to an alchemist who owned a shop and as part of your training / job you had to brew potions and poison. Which the alchemist would sell at a discount.
Every Background grants two skill proficiencies and two language/tool proficiencies. It specifically says on p126 of the PHB that you can swap these out if you get the proficiency from another source or if you _just really want to._
Just as an aside though, you _technically_ should have swapped out one of the tool proficiencies rather than one of the skills. Though I can see a professional poisoner needing all three tool proficiencies, so _I'd_ allow it.
@@nickwilliams8302 Oh I could only take one skill and one tool proficiency to get poisoner's kit because our DM thinks it's a strong tool kit to have. I think Wizards is trying to deter PCs from crafting potions and poisons because of the potential strength of that ability. The herbalism kit is also kinda hard to get a proficiency for iirc and the price of the poisoner's kit is the most expensive toolset at 50gp.
@Ahrenji
I think you've been had my friend.
For starters, Poisoner's Kit doesn't grant any OP abilities, AFAICS.
In addition, if your character took the Skilled Feat, they'd get proficiency in Poisoner's Kit for the same "price" as any other proficiency.
It's not Wizards trying to deter players from crafting poisons or potions, it's your DM. Why do they think the ability is so OP?
@@nickwilliams8302 Well my character in question is a swashbuckler rogue and I'm currently level 4 so I have the free sneak attack if I'm dueling with an isolated target. He thinks adding poison to that is too much damage and I'm trying to powergame by trying to maximize my dpr which I could see. I've expressed that I'm just trying to just flavor my character as a charismatic rogue that does things like slip truth serum into NPCs drinks and cheats in duels by using condition inflicting poisons on her blade. I think it's just a fun character concept, he thinks it's me trying to powergame. It's fine though. We're working it out and I'm fine with giving up those background proficiencies to make it work for him. I just found it odd that no backgrounds give you the poisoner's kit by default.
The warlock in the beginning sounds like the character I’m playing in my current session
Nice jacket and tie, Dave!
Though I liked the casual round table format, I love the format.
I like the suit! Keep it up guys nice video.
So hard to create a good backround and to connect backrounds to the campaign.
Looking dapper as hell
Going by dnd 5e, I can't find a background to match a character idea of my. Basically I want a glory seeker background but I can't find a backgound that match it. The closest I guess is "folk hero"? I'm aware of the oath of glory which my character of my would be a paladin.
always high quality content
Shiny Ted. Dapper Dave. Background... Bookshelves!
need to do this more
I love all your guys videos that vet helpful
I personally think the PHB's list of backgrounds falls short of being adequate, and cheapens the efforts I always put into crafting a well thought out back story. As an example I have a character concept that falls into a gray area between Hermit and Outlander, where neither properly fit.
Simply his class bpils down to a Fighter, but due to a certain, shall we say, family curse, he lives near to but apart from the rest of the nearby village. Keeping to a simple life, he makes his living off of trapping/fur trading, and occasionally, thanks to living in the woods his whole life, as a guide or tracker. Motives for adventuring are few, and for the good reason that he has a past of enjoying violence a little too much. Adventuring with a party is contingent on them keeping open mind.
This, you see, is my Human Fighter/Werebear. Showing off the Grizz inside is uncommon, but it's the driving force behind just how savage he can get.
This character is partly inspired by a historical fiction involving Viking warriors, and the belief of going into battle with the spirit of a wolf or bear inside. Only in this case, this reclusive warrior has a lot more than just a bear spirit inside.
So he's Prince Adam from beauty and the beast
My issue with leaving imagination at the helm, as it were, is that the pregenerated backgrounds include certain items and skill sets that match them in the mechanics of the game.
My imagined background, unless I make that up as well, does not.
@Random Chiroptera
As I said in another comment, look at the Background feature, not the proficiencies. The proficiencies can be tweaked.
If the ability to survive in the wilderness is a defining trait of your character (and it seems that it is) he's an Outlander. Hermit is defined by having made some kind of philosophical or mystical "discovery". So just go Outlander and replace the instrument proficiency with leatherwork tools to account for your character's profession. Done.
So the Background choice is a complete non-issue.
The issues I see with this character are threefold:
1. If your character concept is inspired by Viking Berserkers, Barbarian would seem to be a better fit for your concept. There's _literally_ a Barbarian subclass based upon infusing oneself with the spirit of the Bear Totem (it's fucking awesome) and Rage would stack like a _motherfucker_ with your werebear transformation. You have however alluded to a past experience with war, so Fighter might work.
2. You have created a character with lycanthropy. This requires a bit of houseruling, as no competent DM will just allow you to get Werebear abilities for "free" (unless, perhaps, all the PCs are lycanthropes).
I'd also note that transformed Werebears are Large creatures and gear doesn't change with you. Another reason to go for a class with Unarmored Defense rather than one that relies on armor. That chainmail isn't going to be much use after it goes the way of Bruce Banner's business shirts.
3. Most worryingly, you seem to have created an "Edgy Loner". To quote you directly, "Motives for adventuring are few ... Adventuring with a party is contingent on them keeping open mind."
Seriously dude. Don't do this. _Please._ No one wants to play a little mini-game of "convince Random's character to go on the adventure" every goddamn session. It is _your_ responsibility to come up with a reason why your character is in the party, not anyone else's.
Sorry if that sounded a bit combative, but I would be doing you a disservice if I didn't let you know you have given your character one of the most reviled character traits in the entire hobby. TTRPGS are team sports my friend.
I'm not saying you can't have a character who would _prefer_ to just be hanging out by himself in his Shrek hut (werebears are supposed to be pretty solitary, after all), just that it's _your_ responsibility to explain why he _isn't._
Just as an example, if your group were playing Rise of Tiamat/Hoard of the Dragon Queen, then just say that the forest your PC lived in was burnt to ashes by a dragon.
Those flying fucking lizards are going _down,_ it's just that your character knows he can't do it alone.
Nick Williams
Okay... I just lost a long detailed reply I was typing up because the power just went out. So I'm going to be brief lest it happens again. You make some valid points, though seem to assume some things that are understandable, but untrue. I'm actually well-experienced with running a Lycanthrope character in campaign play, but this was under 3.5 which had rules in place that explained how it's done. This is actually an old character I'm trying to convert into the 5e system, an old favorite you might say.
While allowing such a character was even then, DM's choice, I've run it before, and am quite experienced in the affairs of the character's personality is typically like this, but as a player, I'm going to "force" a motivation that fits the character.
He avoids contact with normal people a lot because the average person freaks out when they see a big hearty man turn into a bigger bipedal bear monster. As He still tries to live as an ordinary human though, he doesn't cut himself off from humanity altogether. There is still that want of community. I've gone into greater details considering the village, it's people, their culture, folklore, superstitions and old and new attitudes toward lycanthropy in general.
The character specifically might initially try to talk a party out of some "fool's errand". If he's able to dissuade them, then that's that. If they insist on continuing their quest - which, let's face it, is obviously what's most likely to happen, then he'd deem fit to aid them.
In his words, "You lot either are determined to see this through, and I respect that. Or you're damned fools trying to get yourselves killed, either way, I can't ignore good people walking into danger."
Or
"I'm coming with you, whether you like it or not. So stop your bellyaching, and watch where you're aiming those spells."
@@nickwilliams8302
The idea of Outlander and tweaking proficiencies does put matters in a whole different light though.
I'm doing something odd for me, I'm about to start a new campaign as a High Elf, Shadow Sorcerer with the Acolyte background... it could work.
Saberoph that’s sounds lit, how did it go?
Nice tutorial!
Wow, Dave, you look stylish! 👍🏻
For a character based on a Warhammer Fantasy Dwarf Slayer what would you recommend for a background to match the character thematicslly?
Also how would a subscriber submit a homebrew to y'all for review?
A Warhammer Dwarven Troll Slayer? Literally any background would fit as a Dwarf has entered the Slayer path due to some massive personal dishonor. That dishonor could have occurred in any walk of life, from craftsman to noble to soldier to healer.
So pick whatever background that appeals.
my paladins back ground has saved my group when our healer left, she was a orphan brought up in the temple of helm as such she is setup as protection tank so not great at healing but this with my dm permission to change her race from human to aasimar and change oath to the oath of the raven queen
How you ask well it turns out she left at the temple due to black wings showing up as a baby which made everyone think she was a fallen aasimar but the black wings where because of her diety really being the raven queen
she was brought up to think helm was her god and had medicine which keeps the assimar side hidden but she did not know this so when she left to go adventuring and had no meds the raven queen came to her and told her the truth the change came about over the course of a few sessions with all the other members not knowing so was great for some role play also
Is it possible that the quality of your videos is related inversely to the production value?
I find it easier to choose a background before choosing skills for a class
Love that suit
Love scout (maker)
I make things out of the stuff around me
And I know my way around everywhere
I usually be my background picks off of useful skills, personally
I was up in the air on how background are played out in 5th. But I love how none of the book ones are like a "chosen one" lay out
HOW DO YOU MANAGE TO LOOK IN YOUR TWENTIES AND SEVENTIES?
great video
MY GOD - that is one sexy dwarf!
Actual video starts from 7:05
Charlatan has to be my favorite background
Truth be told, you should start with your background, not end with it
Gotta get me some extra dice
Oh, man, now I want to make a really disturbing or otherwise messed up character, like, say, a Necromancer with the Entertainer background, for example. :D
The Warlock Entertainer is too easy - too many musicians are said to have sold their souls over the centuries. ;)
How about a stage performer magician who straight up kills the volunteers, and then necromances them back to life?
That would fit the concept quite well.
nice video 👍
I feel underdressed for this vid
Y aren't there more backgrounds like teacher/sensei
i like the suit dave
and teds elvis style shirt. or seventies coke smuggler
Great!
great!
My characters background is Cherokee...
How does one play an outlander in an urban setting? Reflavor it and call it “Food Critic”
Or just realise that's what the Urchin is.
Nick Williams But urchin just gets ya that super speedy travel time while Outlander/Food Critic gets ya the food for 6
LOL
Diiiiiiiice
Rolling for free dice. Pun intended.
Nice quality increase.
Hello
Still like the video
Urban Bounty hunter stuck in a dungeon
wery nice