The Pros and Cons Of Dungeons and Dragons 2024’s Backgrounds Rework

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The Pros and Cons Of Dungeons and Dragons 2024's Backgrounds Rework

Highlights

  • D&D 2024’s Player’s Handbook brings major revamps to backgrounds, like darkvision for cats and simplified multiclassing.
  • The book features clearer formatting, beautiful art, and a class-first approach to character creation.
  • Background changes in 2024 make character creation more customizable, but lack flavor for roleplaying aspects.

As a seasoned Dungeons & Dragons player with over two decades of experience under my belt, I must say that the upcoming 2024 Player’s Handbook is shaping up to be quite an exciting addition to our tabletop RPG collection! The revamped backgrounds are truly intriguing, especially the new darkvision for cats – I always wanted a feline companion who could see in the dark without needing a torch!

2024 edition of “Dungeons & Dragons” Player’s Handbook is yet to hit the shelves, but with early access review embargoes lifted, its complete text has been unveiled. This disclosure showcases the ultimate shape of Dungeons & Dragons’ significant overhaul in backgrounds, and it offers a mix of positives and negatives.

Prior to the unveiling of its complete contents, quite a bit was already known about the 2024 Player’s Handbook. However, there’s still plenty that’s fresh and exciting. The upcoming D&D 2024‘s Player’s Handbook grants cats darkvision, reintroduces the Bloodied tag from D&D 4e, streamlines multiclassing, and offers many other enhancements. The book features a new layout with improved formatting, stunning artwork, and a character creation process that prioritizes classes.

D&D 2024’s Background Changes Are Great, But Fall Short On Roleplaying

Regarding character development, D&D 2024 significantly overhauls the concept of backgrounds. Unlike in 2014 when they merely added flair to characters and offered additional languages, skill proficiencies, and accommodations, the 2024 version now serves as a source for an ability score increase (previously provided by races in 2014). Furthermore, each background grants a feat. These alterations have transformed backgrounds into a crucial aspect of character creation; however, they could potentially impact a player’s roleplaying experience negatively.

D&D 2024’s Backgrounds Makes Character Creation More Customizable

In the world of Dungeons & Dragons (D&D), enhancing backgrounds with feats isn’t a fresh concept; it was one of the initial modifications suggested during the D&D playtest. Since then, D&D 5e has seen more backgrounds receiving feats, especially in books like Strixhaven: Curriculum of Chaos. However, these feats are primarily designed for specific settings. Fortunately, the creators at Wizards of the Coast have categorized feats to prevent overpowered backgrounds, offering only Origin Feats that don’t include weapon or armor proficiencies, prerequisites, or Attributes Score Increase (ASI) boosts. Instead, they provide a beneficial bonus for all characters, empowering players in the risky game of low-level D&D.

In this updated version of D&D 2024, these backdrops not only provide captivating artwork but also seamlessly blend into new roles such as Farmer, Guide, Guard, and more. These additions are so fitting that they seemed conspicuously absent in previous content. The shift in linking ability score boosts to species instead of races is part of a broader effort to modernize the game. While some might appreciate the versatility provided by the method in Tasha’s Cauldron of Everything, the 2024 backgrounds continue to offer considerable flexibility when it comes to compatibility with various character classes.

D&D’s New Backgrounds Lack Flavor

In contrast, while the updates in D&D 2024 have been generally well-received, there’s one area where they fell short – roleplaying. Backgrounds from previous D&D 5e materials provide players with several tables to aid in character creation. These tables help determine a character’s ideal, bond, flaw, and core personality trait, although some players overlook them. However, these tables can be a valuable resource for many newcomers, offering ideas that spark their creativity. Even seasoned players might find them beneficial, especially those looking to enhance their roleplaying experience.

Regrettably, the upcoming edition of D&D in 2024 introduces a modification that seems less favorable. In this new version, backgrounds consist of just one brief descriptive passage without any accompanying tables to add depth or variety. While some players might not notice the difference, it’s still a step back as these backgrounds were meant to impact roleplaying and character development. With the more mechanistic focus in 2024, there’s a risk that players may choose their backgrounds based solely on stats rather than the narrative potential they offer.

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2024-08-04 19:44