Talk:Vaquero (5e Background)

I'm actually quite pleased with this one, except for the feature. It's pretty good, but I'm not sure if I've gotten the whole concept of a background "feature" just yet.Drwatson88 (talk) 00:06, 11 September 2015 (MDT)

The background feature is supposed to mainly be a "roleplay" feature, but how you define what that means can be sticky, and even the PHB is a little blurry on that. For example, the Sailor's feature gets you free boat rides with a catch. I'd say that's a mechanical advantage- it's a clear discount that can be applied to purchasing other useful items. Likewise, the Guild Artisan's feature interacts directly with a downtime activity, allowing you to sustain a higher standard of living at no cost. (Also, depending on the DM's interpretation of lifestyle expenses and this downtime activity, it may allow you to actually pocket the spare change if you choose to live in squalor.) That said, I don't think the developers consider money to be part of the mechanics of the game the way I do. There aren't any official background features which explicitly grant advantage, for example. --Kydo (talk) 00:30, 18 December 2015 (MST)

I think the general idea is that the feature ties you in to the game world in some way: through locations, people or lore. Ship's Passage works because it's not just a discount - the whole party is "expected to assist the crew", which steers us towards interacting with NPCs and perhaps minor encounters; an NPCs might be a former crewmate of the player; it makes us think about the physicality of the ship itself, and its route and what else it might be carrying.

Unconditional advantage on two skills doesn't do this, and would be quite overpowered even as a class feature.

You could do something very similar to Ship's Passage in allowing the Buckaroo and compnaions to have free bed and board at a ranch in return for assistance. Marasmusine (talk) 03:25, 18 December 2015 (MST)

I like the idea that this background feature giving you room and board for an honest days work. I'll adjust the feature as such. --Drwatson88 (talk) 06:34, 29 December 2016 (MST)

weapon proficiency

would lasso and/or whip be good weapon proficiencies for this background? --Redrum 13:56, 16 April 2016 (MDT)

Backgrounds don't have weapon proficiencies. Marasmusine (talk) 17:04, 16 April 2016 (MDT)

What about an alternate feature that allows lassos/whips to be used as tools with proficiency? Something like Indiana Jones? --Kydo (talk) 19:58, 16 April 2016 (MDT)

The picture I'm getting from the Buckaroo background is that the lasso and whip deal (as tools) is covered by Animal Handling. --Redrum 18:30, 11 May 2016 (MDT)

Extraplanar Thief?

OK, so I'm not too sure about the latest additions. I can kinda see the exotic language as being justifiable by living out in the fringes or newest frontiers of a civilization. But why does it start with thieves tools now?

About the languages, I thought there was supposed to be either just 2 tool proficiencies or a proficiency and a language, or 2 languages. If the language stays, 1 of the tools must go. If both tools stay, the language must go. I sorta agree with you about the Thieves' tools. --Redrum 18:22, 20 July 2016 (MDT)

The Name

I get that the name is technically accurate to what they actually were called... And I love this background... But I can not stand the name. Just seeing it on the list makes me want to find some reason to mark it as incomplete or something. Can we maybe come up with something less... "1940's kids game of cowboys and indians"? --Kydo (talk) 23:41, 15 December 2016 (MST)

How about "vaquero"? It's Spanish for cowboy --Drwatson88 (talk) 06:24, 29 December 2016 (MST)

I liked the name Cowboy. --209.97.85.48 14:38, 4 November 2017 (MDT)