Larian Studios Forums Baldur's Gate III Baldur's Gate III - Suggestions & Feedback Custom Skill Proficiencies for Backgrounds

Now that Backgrounds are granting inspiration or bonus XP for meeting certain conditions, it's time to bring up the need to allow players to be able to customize the skill proficiencies they get with their backgrounds. (Which is specifically allowed in the PHB.)The issue is simply this: There are 18 skills, but not all skills are represented equally:

• Acrobatics (DEX) = 1 - Entertainer
• Animal Handling (WIS) = 1 - Folk Hero
• Arcana (INT) = 1 - Sage
• Athletics (STR) = 3 - Outlander, Sailor, Soldier
• Deception (CHA) = 2 - Charlatan, Criminal
• History (INT) = 2 - Noble, Sage
• Insight (WIS) = 2 - Acolyte, Guild Artisan
• Intimidation (CHA) = 1 - Soldier
• Investigation (INT) = 0 - NONE
• Medicine (WIS) = 1 - Hermit
• Nature (INT) = 0 NONE
• Perception (WIS) = 1 - Sailor
• Performance (CHA) = 1 - Entertainer
• Persuasion (CHA) = 2 - Guild Artisan, Noble
• Religion (INT) = 2 - Acolyte, Hermit
• Sleight of Hand (DEX) = 2 - Charlatan, Urchin
• Stealth (DEX) = 2 - Criminal, Urchin
• Survival (WIS) = 2 - Folk Hero, Outlander

None of the standard PHB backgrounds give (by default) proficiency in Investigation or Nature. If you don't get those from your chosen class, you're completely out of luck if you want to take either. Seven of the skills are only available from one background. Three different backgrounds give proficiency in Athletics. The proficiency bonus is small now, but it'll get larger every 4 levels and become much more important over time at differentiating what a character is good at. Ideally, I'd also like them to be able to pick a tool proficiency as well - assuming that tools will be in the game - but the skill proficiency is the most vital. You can't even multi-class for skill proficencies as only multi-classing into Bard, Ranger, or Rogue gets you an additional skill proficiency.

The small party size of four, Origin characters with presumably locked and fixed backgrounds, AND the apparent locking of four people only as the final party at the end of Act 1 are only going to compound the problem of background skill proficiency. Since there is almost certainly not going to be a completely custom background, players MUST be allowed to customize which skill proficencies they want from their background. This is so important that it's written into the Player's Handbook (p.125).

Please, Larian. It doesn't necessarily need to happen in EA, but this is too important to leave out of the final game.

I want to make sure this is clear, this is NOT an optional rule in the PHB or elsewhere. This is a default rule available for everyone in the PHB, it not a "ask your DM for permission" sort of thing.

And now that backgrounds do something other than provide skills, it is a good time to unlock background skills... yes, you can still have the "suggested" ones... but they should be free to be changed.

Also, locking the party at the end of the first act, is one of the worst mistakes they could make in this game, see my thread on the topic if oyu havent already... it is bad for the game, more difficult to write, more time consuming to write, bad for the players, bad mechanically... and even bad for Larian for there company image (it will make them look like a one-trick pony)

But yeah, LET US CHOSE WHICH SKILLS WE HAVE WITH OUR BACKGROUND!

+1 for this

I definitely support this as well.