Dungeon Masters, Dungeons & Dragons, Homebrew

Backgrounds: An Alternative to Racial Ability Scores

September 25, 2020 * by Chris Walker-Bush * 248 Comments
a knight astride his mount

Backgrounds: A Sensitive Subject

With the announcement that the upcoming Tasha’s Cauldron of Everything is going to include optional rules for detaching ability score modifiers from race selection, there has been quite a bit of outrage from the purists.

While some are excited that they can finally play a dwarf wizard or a halfling barbarian without being disadvantaged, old-school players fear that this approach dilutes their games.

(This does seem to ignore the fact that the rules are optional, but grognards gonna grognard)

Funnily enough, I’ve often experimented with alternate character generation systems, as shown in my Level Zero Session Zero post.

In this system, while I did still use racial ability modifiers, I also placed greater importance on both background selection and a free-floating ability modifier. This allowed my players a great deal of flexibility with their character creation, not locking them into certain classic class/race combinations.

Of late, however, I’ve started to think that if we are going to detach ability score modifiers from race, why not attach them to the oft-undervalued element of D&D 5e: backgrounds.

celtic woman in a shawl standing before mountains at sunset

Image courtesy of Enrique Mesegeur on Pixabay.

Using Backgrounds for Ability Score Modifiers

Let’s be honest: background selection in D&D 5e isn’t the most exciting element of character creation.

You get a couple of proficiencies, some flavorful (but largely useless) equipment, and a ‘feature’ that is so ephemeral in its application that your DM is basically forced to invent uses for it.

So, why not place a little more importance on your background selection by shifting ability score modifiers from race to background? Wouldn’t it make more sense that your life up until this point was more influential than the circumstances of your birth?

This is especially true if your drow ranger or elf wizard was raised in another culture. Why can’t your goliath raised by wizards have a higher intelligence? Or your half-orc have been raised by priests who inspired greater wisdom?

While a far from perfect system, the below is the new backgrounds system I’ll be utilizing in my next D&D 5e game to shift the focus away from race selection while placing greater importance on a character’s background.

Your race will still decide racial features and the like, while your background – the meat upon which your character’s life experience should be built – is more than just a handful of proficiencies and flavor.

towers in clouds dungeons dragons

Image courtesy of Donna Kirby.

BACKGROUNDSOURCEPRIMARY MODIFIERSECONDARY MODIFIER
AcolytePlayer's Handbook+2 Wisdom or Charisma+1 Intelligence
AnthropologistTomb of Annihilation+2 Intelligence or Wisdom+1 Constitution
ArchaeologistTomb of Annihilation+2 Intelligence or Dexterity+1 Wisdom
CharlatanPlayer's Handbook+2 Charisma or Intelligence+1 Dexterity
City WatchSword Coast Adventurer's Guide+2 Strength or Wisdom+1 Constitution
Clan CrafterSword Coast Adventurer's Guide+2 Intelligence or Dexterity+1 Wisdom
Cloistered ScholarSword Coast Adventurer's Guide+2 Intelligence or Wisdom+1 Charisma
CourtierSword Coast Adventurer's Guide+2 Charisma or Intelligence+1 Wisdom
CriminalPlayer's Handbook+2 Dexterity or Strength+1 Charisma
EntertainerPlayer's Handbook+2 Charisma or Dexterity+1 Wisdom
Faction AgentSword Coast Adventurer's Guide+2 Wisdom or Charisma+1 Intelligence
Far TravelerSword Coast Adventurer's Guide+2 Wisdom or Constitution+1 Intelligence
Folk HeroPlayer's Handbook+2 Strength or Dexterity+1 Charisma
GladiatorPlayer's Handbook+2 Strength or Dexterity+1 Constitution
Guild ArtisanPlayer's Handbook+2 Intelligence or Charisma+1 Wisdom
HermitPlayer's Handbook+2 Wisdom or Constitution+1 Intelligence
InheritorSword Coast Adventurer's Guide+2 Intelligence or Charisma+1 Constitution
InvestigatorSword Coast Adventurer's Guide+2 Intelligence or Wisdom+1 Charisma
KnightPlayer's Handbook+2 Strength or Charisma+1 Constitution
Mercenary VeteranSword Coast Adventurer's Guide+2 Strength or Constitution+1 Dexterity
NoblePlayer's Handbook+2 Charisma or Intelligence+1 Constitution
OutlanderPlayer's Handbook+2 Wisdom or Constitution+1 Strength
PiratePlayer's Handbook+2 Strength or Dexterity+1 Charisma
SagePlayer's Handbook+2 Intelligence or Wisdom+1 Constitution
SailorPlayer's Handbook+2 Strength or Dexterity+1 Constitution
SoldierPlayer's Handbook+2 Strength or Dexterity+1 Constitution
SpyPlayer's Handbook+2 Charisma or Intelligence+1 Dexterity
Urban Bounty HunterSword Coast Adventurer's Guide+2 Charisma or Wisdom+1 Constitution
UrchinPlayer's Handbook+2 Constitution or Dexterity+1 Wisdom
Waterdhavian NobleSword Coast Adventurer's Guide+2 Intelligence or Charisma+1 Wisdom

The above is just a rough draft of what I’m planning to use in my next game, but you can see that it definitely errs on the side of the mental scores (Wisdom, Intelligence, and Charisma), with relatively few backgrounds providing a boost to the physical stats of Dexterity, Strength, and Constitution.

I’m not sure what the solution might be to this, but I’m also not sure I care. The physical stats can still get a boost from secondary ability sources, and there is nothing stopping a person from simply placing their higher abilities in the areas that matter to them.

The idea that all orcs are automatically better fighters than 90% of halflings or elves has never sat well with me, but it makes a hell of a lot more sense that a seasoned mercenary or soldier will make a better fighter than a cloistered scholar.

While I’ve yet to test this at my table, I’m hoping to do so shortly, and we shall see what people think about not having to feel limited quite so much by race selection!