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4 years ago ::
Aug 31, 2009 - 10:51AM
#21
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Date Joined:
Dec 16, 2005
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The extra hp backgrounds are useful defaults for characters without a high con. (From a power-gaming perspective, of course). But they're not the only game in town--not even from a character optimization perspective. Other useful default backgrounds include: Chessenta. +1 to hit and damage with your action point attack is a nice bonus Akanul. Resist 2 to a bunch of energies really takes the edge off of a number of encounters. (Chillborn zombies, for instance, aren't nearly as scary with (effectively) a stacking 3 cold damage aura as they are with the normal stacking 5 cold damage aura). Dalelands. An initiative bonus and the ability to re-roll nature checks (including monster knowledge nature checks) is pretty handy. Aglarond. Now perception is a class skill for you. Everyone can benefit from this unless wisdom is a dump stat. There are also a number of highly advantageous but situational backgrounds. Darpur. A stacking +2 perception is good for perception monkey characters who want to have higher passive perceptions than other characters would get on an active perception with a natural 20. (20 wis elf laser cleric or avenger with perception trained (possibly by multiclass ranger) from Darpur gives a passive perception of 24 at level 1; by level 2, that can be 28 if you blow a feat for skill focus). Windrise ports. The ability to have 2 multiclass feats can be highly advantageous. A feycharging barbarian, for instance, really benefits from being able to multiclass rogue or warlord (or swordmage) as well as fighter. Without windrise ports, you can't make the combo work nearly as effectively.
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4 years ago ::
Sep 02, 2009 - 3:58AM
#22
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Date Joined:
Nov 10, 2003
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Given that the Thay and Impiltur backgrounds in the FRPG do much the same thing, is it really that broken? As others have said, most of the backgrounds are equivalent to a feat, and there are plenty of good ones. Most of my characters have skill backgrounds - I find it common to want to train a skill or two that aren't in a class' skill list, and having the ability to add it to the skill list, and often get +1/+2 and a bonus language or similar into the bargain is a pretty good deal, IMO. It's also worth noting that the difference is biggest at level 1, and becomes increasingly irrelevant as you go up levels. If your average level 1 PC has about 25 HP, then by getting an extra 5-6 from the background, you've got 20% more HP than you would otherwise have had. By the time you're level 5 and the average PC has 50 HP, that advantage is numerically the same, but proportionally only 10%, and given how monster damage has gone up, it becomes less relevant. By level 15 or so, when a typical PC will have about 100HP, you've only got 5% more than normal and those extra 5 are unlikely to make a huge difference (which is why toughness scales with tier. +2 to your perception on the other hand gives you an extra 10% chance of success on perception checks throughout your entire career. The extra HP backgrounds can indeed be very useful, especially on low Con melee strikers (rogues especially) who get smacked about a lot and don't need so much of a boost in the skill department. But there are lots of other perfectly good backgrounds out there, depending on what you're trying to do with your character.
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4 years ago ::
Sep 18, 2009 - 11:52AM
#23
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Date Joined:
May 14, 2009
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Just wanted to echo the opinions that HP bonus is indeed extremely good at low level, since it can be equivalent to taking TWO toughness feats, but it levels off to the other backgrounds as the levels go up.
Extra HP should also NOT be a no-brainer for back-row characters like wizards and invokers. I’ve seen several Thayan Wizards and Implitur Invokers, but they never take enough damage to warrant their bonus HP. On the other hand, if the invoker had instead been from Durpur, we wouldn’t have missed a few traps that caused a bit of trouble. :P
For SoW, I also agree that it’s awesome not all swordmages are from Thay or all avengers are from Implitur anymore. :P
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4 years ago ::
Sep 18, 2009 - 1:35PM
#24
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Date Joined:
May 23, 2005
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What exists now is anyone can have the Hps for low levels and with the 1 time Region Retrain you have in LFR can then change their region later in the characters level progression.
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4 years ago ::
Sep 18, 2009 - 2:15PM
#25
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Date Joined:
Jul 16, 2002
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What is this 1 time region retrain you speak of? First I've heard of it.
Sorry WOTC, you lost me with Essentials. So where I used to buy every book that came out, now I will be very choosy about what I buy. Can we just get back to real 4e? Check out the 4e Conversion Wiki. 1. Wizards fight dirty. They hit their enemies in the NADs. -- Dragon9 2. A barbarian hits people with his axe. A warlord hits people with his barbarian. 3. Boo-freakin'-hoo, ya light-slingin' finger-wigglers. -- MrCelcius in response to the Cleric's Healer's Lore nerf
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4 years ago ::
Sep 18, 2009 - 4:09PM
#26
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Date Joined:
May 23, 2005
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What is this 1 time region retrain you speak of? First I've heard of it.
Then apparently you havent paid much attention.  It was given to us about 9 months or so ago. Dont remember why that was. But I remember as several people in this area took advantage of it.
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4 years ago ::
Sep 18, 2009 - 4:39PM
#27
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I believe it was intended only for characters created prior to that CCG's release.
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4 years ago ::
Oct 02, 2009 - 3:22PM
#28
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Date Joined:
Jan 29, 2005
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Are any backgrounds legal now? CCG 1.9 shows backgrounds from the FRPG as illegal. Says all but spellscarred and backgrounds under content allowed.
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4 years ago ::
Oct 02, 2009 - 3:42PM
#29
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Oh, good gosh you are correct. That HAS to be a typo cloned from the eberron player book. One might say that it is prohibiting "spellscarred backgrounds" except there aren't any.
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4 years ago ::
Oct 02, 2009 - 8:35PM
#30
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Date Joined:
Jul 16, 2002
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In the general RPGA play, backgrounds from the FRPG and EPG are not legal. However, the LFR appendix trumps this by telling you that you have to select one region for your character and you can take additional backgrounds from other legal sources. From page 7 of the CCg in the LFR appendix: Select a character background. You must choose a region within the FORGOTTEN REALMS for your character. Most of the regions for your character are found in the Backgrounds chapter of the Forgotten Realms Player’s Guide; it’s the place where they hail from, might define their personality or looks, and gives them a small game benefit. You may choose additional backgrounds from other legal sources (such as race, occupation, etc. from Player’s Handbook 2), but you only gain a game benefit from one background of your choice.
So, for example, the backgrounds in the EPG are not a legal choice. Backgrounds in Dragon or the PHB2 are (all content allowed). Backgrounds in the FRPG are allowed because this section of the LFR character creation rules tells you to take a region/background.
Sorry WOTC, you lost me with Essentials. So where I used to buy every book that came out, now I will be very choosy about what I buy. Can we just get back to real 4e? Check out the 4e Conversion Wiki. 1. Wizards fight dirty. They hit their enemies in the NADs. -- Dragon9 2. A barbarian hits people with his axe. A warlord hits people with his barbarian. 3. Boo-freakin'-hoo, ya light-slingin' finger-wigglers. -- MrCelcius in response to the Cleric's Healer's Lore nerf
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