Subscriptions don't unlock any content, content has to be purchased. The urchin background is in the Player's Handbook. You can buy just the background, if you don't want to pay for the whole book yet. When you do, the cost of the background will be deducted from the remaining cost of the book.
A subscription only gives you the features listed in the subscription. It does not include content. Backgrounds are content. Once you have purchased any particular content you should have access to it via your account in perpetuity, regardless of any subscription based additional benefits that may or may not be active. For any particular content you would need to purchase a source of content that includes what you want; the Urchin background is from the Player's Handbook, so you need to buy that. I believe it also comes as part of the one or more bundle options though I'm not certain so you'd have to read the entries under the marketplace>store menus.
If you aren't planning to be the DM and specifically be using D&D Beyond to manage character sheets for your campaign it's probably a better investment to just purchase the content instead of a subscription. The only real benefit of the Hero subscription to a non-DM player is the unlimited number of characters you can make and store on the DDB cloud; that might be something you consider worth three bucks a month or it might not, your call.
The Player's Handbook has all the core classes, backgrounds, races, feats, spells, etc you need to get started. It also has all the rules you need to know to actually play the game and everything else (including quite a bit of stuff in the PHB itself) can be fairly classified as reference material that you just tack on to those basic rules (additional races, subclasses, spells, feats, etc). Additional content can either be purchased by the book or a la carte for a few bucks here and there. You can also cherry pick PHB content a la carte but, personally, I think that just having all the core rules, classes, spells, etc conveniently in one browsable and searchable document is well worth just buying at least the PHB outright.
It's fine, so long as you know what you're getting into. If you just want digital copies of source material that is slightly (not a lot but slightly) cheaper than hardcopy that comes with a built in character generator and associated storage, then it's great. Most people I see getting upset and disappointed about DDB seem to come in believing that they can get unlimited access to everything WotC has ever published plus free web storage for infinite characters for $3/month. If you want professionally produced content you need to actually pay the professionals producing it and all those writers, game designers, and artists as well as the purely IT-side personnel who build and maintain the web services that DDB includes don't work for free.
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Where is the thread for the Noobs who are Kaylee shiny?
I just did the "hero" subscription.
How do I get Urchin as a background option?
I stopped playing when 1e was current and thinking about getting back into it in 5e.
Thanks
Subscriptions don't unlock any content, content has to be purchased. The urchin background is in the Player's Handbook. You can buy just the background, if you don't want to pay for the whole book yet. When you do, the cost of the background will be deducted from the remaining cost of the book.
Birgit | Shifter | Sorcerer | Dragonlords
Shayone | Hobgoblin | Sorcerer | Netherdeep
A subscription only gives you the features listed in the subscription. It does not include content. Backgrounds are content. Once you have purchased any particular content you should have access to it via your account in perpetuity, regardless of any subscription based additional benefits that may or may not be active. For any particular content you would need to purchase a source of content that includes what you want; the Urchin background is from the Player's Handbook, so you need to buy that. I believe it also comes as part of the one or more bundle options though I'm not certain so you'd have to read the entries under the marketplace>store menus.
If you aren't planning to be the DM and specifically be using D&D Beyond to manage character sheets for your campaign it's probably a better investment to just purchase the content instead of a subscription. The only real benefit of the Hero subscription to a non-DM player is the unlimited number of characters you can make and store on the DDB cloud; that might be something you consider worth three bucks a month or it might not, your call.
The Player's Handbook has all the core classes, backgrounds, races, feats, spells, etc you need to get started. It also has all the rules you need to know to actually play the game and everything else (including quite a bit of stuff in the PHB itself) can be fairly classified as reference material that you just tack on to those basic rules (additional races, subclasses, spells, feats, etc). Additional content can either be purchased by the book or a la carte for a few bucks here and there. You can also cherry pick PHB content a la carte but, personally, I think that just having all the core rules, classes, spells, etc conveniently in one browsable and searchable document is well worth just buying at least the PHB outright.
Thanks much pocketmouse.
So what does a subscription actually do?
Creating Epic Boons on DDB
DDB Buyers' Guide
Hardcovers, DDB & You
Content Troubleshooting
Thanks much Flushmaster.
This is looking like a rabbit hole I do not want to go down.
It's fine, so long as you know what you're getting into. If you just want digital copies of source material that is slightly (not a lot but slightly) cheaper than hardcopy that comes with a built in character generator and associated storage, then it's great. Most people I see getting upset and disappointed about DDB seem to come in believing that they can get unlimited access to everything WotC has ever published plus free web storage for infinite characters for $3/month. If you want professionally produced content you need to actually pay the professionals producing it and all those writers, game designers, and artists as well as the purely IT-side personnel who build and maintain the web services that DDB includes don't work for free.