Nerdarchy on D&D Character Sheets: Not the DMs Job to Memorize Yours
In this 15-minute video on Nerdarchy the YouTube channel Nerdarchists Dave and Ted discuss the Dungeons & Dragons character sheet and who should know what is on it to answer the question — is it the D&D player or Dungeon Masters job?
The conversation stems from a statement seen on Twitter, “I feel like Background Features are weirdly underused in D&D.” In the thread lots of folks shared their experiences related to how the DMs in their games often ignored or overlooked things like the acolyte’s Shelter of the Faithful, a soldier’s Military Rank and so forth.
Dave and Ted approach the question by flipping it around in a similar way to how Nerdarchy views character aspects like tool proficiencies — by shifting the onus onto the player rather than the DM. There’s many components of a 5E D&D character like background features including personal characteristics with indirect mechanical benefits. The discussion explores whether it’s unfair to place the burden of incorporating these things onto the DM. In other words if players wish for these details to emerge during a game it behooves them to bring them to the table on their own.
In the video they expand on this notion and include the Inspiration mechanic, which can often seem clunky especially for experienced RPG players. It can feel awkward to explicitly invoke a character’s personality traits, ideals, bonds and flaws. But at the same time 5E D&D’s rule system assumes this is the case.
How do you feel about your 5E D&D character’s background features? Do you make sure to utilize them when you’re playing? Does your DM do the heavy lifting for you and maintain comprehensive notes and knowledge of the entire party’s details? Let us know in the comments and as always, stay nerdy!
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