How common are Ogres in the FR ? My PCs befriended one allied with a goblin and are bringing them to a hamlet in Cormyr. How will peasants or Purple Dragons react to this unexpected visit? Local reactions: likely, not well. But the ogre's manner, dress, and openly armed or not will play a part. Expect Purple Dragons to show up.
How common depends on where you are in the Realms: Thar N of the Moonsea was their powerful kingdom more than a century ago.#Realmslore

— Ed Greenwood (@TheEdVerse) April 5, 2021

Exactly. Showing the flag, as modern real-world LEO often call it. Letting the ogre know we DO watch, and are prepared. And making sure where there is one visible ogre, there isn't a band of them skulking nearby, that this one is scouting for. And goblins, you say?#Realmslore

— Ed Greenwood (@TheEdVerse) April 5, 2021

Thanks a lot Ed. Purple Dragons will show up, even if the ogre is not hostile. Just “casual checking” 🙂 Exactly. Showing the flag, as modern real-world LEO often call it. Letting the ogre know we DO watch, and are prepared. And making sure where there is one visible ogre, there isn't a band of them skulking nearby, that this one is scouting for. And goblins, you say?#Realmslore

— Ed Greenwood (@TheEdVerse) April 5, 2021

I’m thinking about D&D backgrounds and am intensely curious. Have you had a backgrounds “feature” come up in your game, in a meaningful way. (meaningful to you)

By feature, I mean something like the acolytes “Shelter of the Faithful” or the Entertainer’s “By Popular Demand”. I’m thinking about D&D backgrounds and am intensely curious. Have you had a backgrounds “feature” come up in your game, in a meaningful way. (meaningful to you)

By feature, I mean something like the acolytes “Shelter of the Faithful” or the Entertainer’s “By Popular Demand”. If you vote "Yes", I would love to know which background/feature, how it was used, why it felt meaningful to you, and anything else you'd love to share!

(feel free to RT if you'd like to. I'd love to get a larger sample, even if it's only an informal twitter poll 😊)

— Alyssa Visscher (@alyssavisscher) January 2, 2021

I SUSPECT, but could be totally off-base, that most of the "Yes" folks are of the "experienced" variety, and that the "No" folks are newer folks.

I could be wrong though.

I also wonder if the "yes" folks have had it happen often, or just the occasional time it really worked.

— Alyssa Visscher (@alyssavisscher) January 2, 2021

Definitely. But my experience with them as both DM and player fall squarely into the "experienced" category of use, so.

— Dan Dillon (@Dan_Dillon_1) January 2, 2021

Okay so, in your experience, do the background features come up fairly frequently/regularly? And like, naturally, or does it take some effort on the part of the DM and/or player? Is it like a shooting star- we happen to need to sail and you’re a sailor- or more easily worked in? I've had games where they're kind of low key and show up when the situation falls into it "I'm a sailor, I'll talk to the captain and arrange us passage," and I've had games where bgs were built in from the jump.

I played a Guild Artisan, and that became a huge touchstone.

— Dan Dillon (@Dan_Dillon_1) January 2, 2021

There were taxes and economic concerns, and I could use my business/guild to evade/deal with the taxes instead of having to pay a percentage on all our adventuring treasure, etc.

It was very well set up by the DM. The Dragon Scholar background feature option in Hoard of the Dragon Queen saw a ton of use. Ghosts of Saltmarch has great hooks set up. Outlander always gets use on journeys. It kinda depends. Criminal sees a lot of play.

— Dan Dillon (@Dan_Dillon_1) January 2, 2021