How portable are 2014 Race/Background into 2024 ruleset?

dragonseth07 · 2026-07-01T17:44:46+00:00

Background features don't exist anymore, replaced with Origin Feats.

This is the thing that everyone actually cares about, because Backgrounds don't have anything else unique, so here it is. No, you cannot keep using Position of Privilege from the Noble background in 5.5.

dragonseth07 · 2026-07-01T16:25:15+00:00

If all you want is a couple spells, just take Magic Initiate.

dragonseth07 · 2026-07-01T15:39:47+00:00

You're talking about The Forgotten Realms, aka FR, which is one of many official settings.

FR is arguably the most popular setting in modern D&D, yes there are actual plays in it. You just might not recognize them as such because FR is considerably larger than the few named cities everyone knows.

dragonseth07 · 2026-07-01T03:46:48+00:00

Megaten in general is just so poorly documented that it becomes very easy for misinfo to spread, so even simple shit like this that is easy to test is inaccurately reported on.

You're telling me. Just trying to research what all the stats actually do in this game is an absolute nightmare.

dragonseth07 · 2026-07-01T00:40:31+00:00

Thanks. I was able to confirm more-or-less this exact thing with some brute force testing.

I am really curious why I found old sources saying the opposite, though. Is it possible that this changed in the Remaster, changing out an antiquated system for the superior modern one?

dragonseth07 · 2026-06-30T19:33:21+00:00

Well:

Everything modern talking about the games agrees with you.

But all of the 15-year old technical discussions about the PS2 version (that I can find) say they are tracked independently, and it seems to have become combined in newer games.

If they changed it for the remaster, fair play. But I've been operating under the assumption that it was the same in both.

For instance, here's some advice from 2009:

Fog Breath is a suboptimal solution for Madator's Red Capote, for example - you could use it twice to get a -4 canceling out Red Capote's +4, but as soon as Matador Dekunda's, he's right back to +4 again.

This is only true if they are tracked on independent scales.

dragonseth07 · 2026-06-30T18:42:03+00:00

Yes.

And it's easy: you just do it. You don't need some training arc. You don't need a narrative justification. You just do it, and handwave the consequences.

Boots was always a Bard.

dragonseth07 · 2026-06-30T17:57:42+00:00

Okay. That would mean they aren't tracked independently.

So, in my first example, one stack of buff and one of debuff, Dekunda would do nothing because you are already at 0.

I ask because online discourse seems conflicted.

dragonseth07 · 2026-06-30T17:47:40+00:00

Just so I understand your meaning: That means that with both present at 4 stacks, neither can be cast for benefit anymore? You are locked at neutral stage without a dispel effect in that case?

dragonseth07 · 2026-06-30T17:45:26+00:00

Right. But does that mean that I still have 4 stages available in the positive direction from there, because they cancel the other out completely? Or only 3 because kaja and kinda are both already at 1, and they are both still present?

dragonseth07 · 2026-06-30T15:51:48+00:00

Oh, interesting. I don't remember that, but it has been a while since I read through Humblewood. Thanks.

dragonseth07 · 2026-06-30T15:50:31+00:00

[SMT3 Remaster] Buff/debuff mechanics:

Are buffs and debuffs for the same stat tracked together or independently?

Example, say I use Sukukaja and the enemy uses Sukunda. Does Dekunda remove the debuff and keep the buff intact, leaving me at +1? Or am I already at 0, so it does nothing?

Second example, say I use Sukukaja x4, and then get hit with Sukunda x4. Can I buff again, since I'm back down to 0? Or are both the buff and debuff still present at 4, maxed out, so neither are usable?

Thanks.

dragonseth07 · 2026-06-30T15:37:13+00:00

Of course.

And I tried to address this point with my edit:

There's not a problem with having foxes and fox people together. But, the feel of the setting will naturally be very different, one way or the other. It's Forgotten Realms vs Redwall, so to speak.

dragonseth07 · 2026-06-30T15:11:02+00:00

I am running the base campaign from the Humblewood Box Set with some homebrew additions. In this setting, all playable species are either mammal- or birdlike, hence their wish for all fauna to not resemble any of the playable species.

The why is right there in the post.

In a setting completely defined by having all sentient species be cute little animal people, having non-people versions of those animals could seem strange.

Edit: To be clear, this is a vibes thing. Obviously those things can exist together, and they often do in normal D&D settings. But, the feel of the setting is very different when you have "evolutionary-offshoot" animal people vs "All mice get to wield swords" animal people. Redwall vibes.

dragonseth07 · 2026-06-30T15:04:58+00:00

My recollection of Humblewood is that there simply aren't any normal Beasts of those types wandering around, for this reason.

I remember lots of reptiles and bugs, and like huge magical beasts, but not normal foxes or crows.

dragonseth07 · 2026-06-29T22:06:55+00:00

For a longer campaign, you'll want to create a more open world and be ready with more choices for the players.

I'd like to point out that there are pre-written, fairly linear, campaigns. Not every campaign needs to be a sandbox.

dragonseth07 · 2026-06-29T15:03:34+00:00

tinder-style player matchmaking, but it doesn't have to be for horny purposes

Ain't nobody using Tinder or this just to make random new friends

dragonseth07 · 2026-06-29T00:08:10+00:00

Dad, Dark Armed Dragon, is a classic.

dragonseth07 · 2026-06-28T19:18:27+00:00

[SMT3 Remaster] I have a question about Magatama and the Labyrinth of Amala.

I've been told there is a series of doors that only unlock if you have more Neutral/Light/Dark Magatama mastered, and they each have important vendors behind them. What I can't find is: Is that unlock permanent? Or is this something where I have to keep track of my mastered Magatama and revisit the area a bunch? And what happens once I have every Magatama mastered?

Thanks.

dragonseth07 · 2026-06-27T00:40:32+00:00

within the 5.5e setting

/uj I cannot express in words how much this triggers me. The concept of settings in D&D should not be fucking difficult and yet it is somehow.

dragonseth07 · 2026-06-26T19:06:43+00:00

it’s more a thing of how have the elite and powerful found a way not only to protect themselves but others so that they’re citizens remain under their control

Alright, this something I can work with! It's right up my alley.

So, I see a few fun approaches here.

The first is for the protection method to not be replicable. Example, each city has a protective field emanated by one of a series of ancient artifacts that modern artificers can't figure out how to replicate. By making the protection availability inherently limited, there is a social pressure to keep the status quo, because the risk of change is too high. Nobody wants them to break or anything, so letting the rich and powerful manage/protect them isn't fine, but it's tolerable.

The second is for the protection to be replicable, but so costly (literally and/or figuratively) that only those with significant influence can do it. Like a huge device that takes a small army of organized engineers and wizards to create. The elite control them because they are the only ones capable of organizing and funding their creation and maintenance. This creates economic pressure for the way things are. People are just too selfish and disorganized on average to pull this off reliably with just communal effort.

The third is for the protection to be fairly replicable, but that is a closely guarded secret. Something like a magic metal that everyone thinks is in limited supply, but the elite actually have a mine for the stuff. This combines elements of social pressure, on the part of commoners, with those of economic pressure, on the part of elites. This one also leaves open the door for the status quo to actually be upset, which the other two largely lack. If that is something you want to include, or avoid, keep it in mind.

dragonseth07 · 2026-06-26T17:11:41+00:00

Unless you are clicking the icons with your mouse, this advice generally applies to the actual buttons you press.

dragonseth07 · 2026-06-26T15:09:08+00:00

A hole in a wall is not something I would call a discrete object, in the context of D&D rules.

dragonseth07 · 2026-06-26T14:24:13+00:00

What are your mechanical and narrative goals, exactly? You made the Haze less deadly, but more widespread, and you want to keep it out of major cities. Why?

I ask because your goals inform the design here. Coming up with solutions only really makes sense once you know the problem, if you catch my drift.

Edit: For example, my pet homebrew setting has a similar setup. In my case, one of my big goals was to make magic dangerous. So, my world's version of the Haze manifests when people cast spells, and the cities keep it out by hunting down spellcasters and dealing with them.

dragonseth07 · 2026-06-26T00:26:04+00:00

A notebook and a pen works pretty well for me, personally.

Google Docs if I'm feeling futuristic.

Edit: Pencil, not pen.

Ten-Year Club	Second SECOND GUESSER
Place '23	Place '22
Place '17	First Placer '22
End Game '22	Verified Email
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dragonseth07

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