D&D (2024) D&D Background and Origin Feat Article

[Charlaquin]

BREAKING NEWS: DMs Upset They Can't Ignore Background Features Anymore Like They Did in 2014!

Seriously. When did anyone ever get access to a noble's ear, free passage on a ship, or free healing in a temple in the history of 5e? Folk heroes literally would have communities lie for you, but merchants getting a discount is martial mind control?

Folk hero had the exact same problem and I hated it too. If DMs routinely ignore features because they don’t like how they function, seems like it might be smart not to write features that work that way into the fancy new revised books.

I mean, it’s too late for it to change now, but I’m gonna have to house rule this one.

 

[Parmandur]

Yeah, if it’s the cost of crafting, that makes sense and is fine by me. But I’m pretty sure it’s the cost of buying things, that have already been crafted, and are being sold in a store or by a merchant.

The UA version got a 20% reduced crafting time (which now appears to be a helpful chart instead), and a seperate 20% shopping discount.

 

[Charlaquin]

I mean, it's called Crafter not Hagler.

Seems much more likely to apply to crafting cost IMO.

Yes, I agree that it’s a very strange benefit for a feat called Crafter to give, but my interpretation is consistent with the text of the feat in the UA:

Your are adept at crafting things and bargaining with merchants. You gain the following benefits.

Tool Proficiency. You gain proficiency with three different artisan’s tools of your choice.
Discount. Whenever you buy a nonmagical item, you receive a 20% discount on it.
Faster Crafting. Whenever you craft an item using a tool with which you have proficiency, the required crafting time is reduced by 20%.

It was weird then and it’s weird now.

 

[Frozen_Heart]

I'm really surprised that weapon master (or an updated actually useful version of it) isn't in the origin feats.

Plenty of options for martials to pick up spells, but nothing which lets casters pick up weapons.

 

[mellored]

I'm really surprised that weapon master (or an updated actually useful version of it) isn't in the origin feats.

Plenty of options for martials to pick up spells, but nothing which lets casters pick up weapons.

They said it would be a feat.

Probably just comes with +1 Dex or +1 Str.

 

[mellored]

Yes, I agree that it’s a very strange benefit for a feat called Crafter to give, but my interpretation is consistent with the text of the feat in the UA:

Your are adept at crafting things and bargaining with merchants. You gain the following benefits.

Tool Proficiency. You gain proficiency with three different artisan’s tools of your choice.
Discount. Whenever you buy a nonmagical item, you receive a 20% discount on it.
Faster Crafting. Whenever you craft an item using a tool with which you have proficiency, the required crafting time is reduced by 20%.

It was weird then and it’s weird now.

Yea, that's a bit weird.

But still not any different than +4 to any other skill.

 

[Micah Sweet]

Isn't the reason because you're good a crafting? What more are you looking for?

The presumption is a 20% on things you buy, not just things you craft. The text as presented read that way.

 

[Charlaquin]

Yea, that's a bit weird.

But still not any different than +4 to any other skill.

It’s very different than +4 to a skill, because skills function as part of the action resolution system. They don’t guarantee any specific outcome, your character has to actually do something within the world to try to accomplish your goal, and the DM determines if it can succeed or fail and how difficult it is. This benefit is just an automatic 20% off everything you ever buy from anyone anywhere. Because you’re good at making stuff, the armorer, the grocer, the pawnbroker, and the potion seller all just decide to give you 20% off everything, regardless of if you’ve ever met them, how you treat them, or what their own supply line circumstances look like.

 

[Micah Sweet]

Yea, that's a bit weird.

But still not any different than +4 to any other skill.

It is different, because skill use requires the PC take an action in the world. A blanket discount requires the world change to accommodate the PC.

 

[GarrettKP]

Here confirmed 2024 compares feats in the UA playtest.

2024 BACKGROUND	FEAT	UA ORIGINS
Acolyte	Magic Initiate: Cleric	Acolyte
Artisan	Crafter	Artisan
Charlatan	Skilled	Charlatan
Criminal	Alert	Criminal
Entertainer	Musician	Entertainer
Farmer	Tough	Farmer
Guard	Alert	Guard
Guide	Magic Initiate: Druid	Guide
Hermit	Healer	Hermit ≈ Pilgrim
Merchant	Tough?	≈ Laborer
Noble	Skilled	Noble
Sage	Magic Initiate: Wizard	Sage ≈ Cultist
Sailor	Tavern Brawler	Sailor
Scribe	Lucky?	?
Soldier	Savage Attacks	≈ Gladiator
Wayfarer	Lucky	≈ Urchin

Criminal versus Guard are like opposite ways of accessing Alert.
Noble versus Charlatan accessing Skilled.
Farmer versus Merchant accessing Tough. (Merchant makes "long journeys".)

Perhaps Scribe and Wayfarer are opposites for Lucky?
Scribe has something to do with attention to detail and catching errors. What feat besides Lucky associates this theme? Skilled already has two backgrounds. Alert is too combat oriented which feels off for a "scribe", and also already has two backgrounds. As far as I can tell only Lucky remains − where the "luck" comes from being detail-oriented.

Merchant has Lucky. It’s been confirmed in one of the preview videos when they showed the Merchant page.