D&D 5E A First Look at Tasha’s Lineage System In AL Player’s Guide - Customizing Your Origin In D&D

The new player’s guide for the D&D Adventurers League has been released. Appendix 1 includes the new info from Tasha’s Cauldron on customizing your origin. It‘s a one-page appendix.

The D&D Adventurers League now uses this variant system from Tasha’s Cauldron of Everything since it allows for a greater degree of customization. For ease of reference, the relevant information is included as an appendix to this document and doesn’t count against the PH + 1 rule.

You can do any of the following (obviously the full document has more detail):

1. Move your race ability score increases wherever your want to. “...take any ability score increase you gain in your race or subrace and apply it to an ability score of your choice.”​

2. Replace each language from your race with any language from a set list.​

3. Swap each proficiency for another of the same type.​

4. Alter behaviour/personality race-based descriptions.​

Its not clear if that’s the whole Lineage system or just part of it. You can download the player’s guide here.

 

[Maxperson]

What about the CR 1/4 giant centipede with 4 hp that deals 1d4+1 piercing on a hit and 3d6 poison + paralysis on a failed Con save? Cause that's the kind of thing that's probably eating me at 1st level.*

* Hypothetically, of course. I've been playing D&D for 40 years, so I'd never have a 1st-level character eaten by a giant centipede with 1 hp left, no way, but other players might, and I'm just asking, "Who will think about the children?"

Me! I will think of them!

 

[UngeheuerLich]

I mean...it is what it is. If you shift from chance to hit to DPR, you can see a simple mathematical example.

• You have a 16
• I have a 14
• We're swinging a longsword at AC 13

Your DPR (ignoring crit) is 4.875 and mine is 3.9. Your DPR is 25% higher than mine. You might not care (I don't, especially), but lots of players whose core role is dealing damage aren't going to volunteer to do 25% less of it.

While it is correct, that 4.875 is exactly 25% more than 3.9, 3.9 is only 20% less than 4.875.

But if you call yourself a damage dealer with those averages, it does not matter anyway. At least add duelling style. Then you have 6.175 vs 5.1 and only 17.5% less. If you then add superiority dice, you have 9.1 vs 7.8 and only 14.3% less damage. If you then remember that you conserve a superiority die if you don't hit, it is even less bad.
Then you remember that you might have 1 hp more per level because you have 2 more constitution or be the first one to attack because you have 1 more initiative due to 2 more dex (I don't know why you didn't chose rapier) or you make the wisdom save by 1 which would have taken you out of combat otherwise, it again becomes less severe that you do a little less damage.

 

[Cadence]

Well... So much for D&D being D&D. This completely trivializes how important the choice of Race matters while also allowing the game to be more fully min/maxed.

Because the only thing that meaningfully differentiated the races from each other were their ASIs. All those other traits... who cares about any of that crap?

Not only can your halfling or gnome throw people through windows just as early as the half-orc in the party, the former also gets to bravely use their luck to skitter between the legs of large opponents while the later cunningly tinkers in the twilight!

(But seriously, DMing for a group of 10-12 yo's and they couldn't care less about the ASIs, those halfling and high elf traits though -- they're all over that!!! And heck, I'm not even sure if the rules have support for the hobbit cooking second breakfast and tea and early dinner or whatever it is).

 

[Maxperson]

Ah, yes, this again. Because the only thing that meaningfully differentiated the races from each other were their ASIs. All those other traits... who cares about any of that crap?

As I explained earlier, most of those other traits aren't anything special that other races/classes don't also give in spades. Elves are basically just trance, unless you're a wood elf. Then you're trance and extra hiding ability. Or trance and sunlight sensativity.

 

[Maxperson]

And heck, I'm not even sure if the rules have support for the hobbit cooking second breakfast and tea and early dinner or whatever it is).

I think it's onesies. Or maybe that's what my son wore as a baby. I don't know.

 

[Azzy]

As I explained earlier, most of those other traits aren't anything special that other races/classes don't also give in spades. Elves are basically just trance, unless you're a wood elf. Then you're trance and extra hiding ability. Or trance and sunlight sensativity.

While, yes, we can ignore things like keen sense that they can trade out. But you want to minimize trance and ignore darkvision and fey ancestry for the base elf, and fleet of foot, cantrip, superior darkvision, sunligt sensitivity, and drow magic? How about dwarven resilience, stonecunning, dwarven toughness, luck, brave, halfling nimbleness, naturally stealthy, breath weapon, gnome cunning, speak with beasts, relentless endurance, savage attacks, infernal legacy, and all the other things that I was too lazy to mention? Nah, none of that is meaningful in differentiating the races. Nope, its just those ASIs apparently.

 

[Maxperson]

While, yes, we can ignore things like keen sense that they can trade out. But you want to minimize trance and ignore darkvision and fey ancestry for the base elf, and fleet of foot, cantrip, superior darkvision, sunligt sensitivity, and drow magic?

Darkvision, which almost every other race also has. Fleet foot, is just increased speed which multiple classes give. Cantrips and drow magic? Any spellcaster has those. These racial abilities are nothing special. They're commonplace among other races and classes.

The only thing that is really uniquely elvish is trance.

How about dwarven resilience, stonecunning, dwarven toughness, luck, brave, halfling nimbleness, naturally stealthy, breath weapon, gnome cunning, speak with beasts, relentless endurance, savage attacks, infernal legacy, and all the other things that I was too lazy to mention? Nah, none of that is meaningful in differentiating the races. Nope, its just those ASIs apparently.

Most of those are also not unique. Halflings have luck, but so does any PC with the feat. And so on.

How many racial abilities are unique to a race?

 

[Cadence]

I think it's onesies. Or maybe that's what my son wore as a baby. I don't know.

I now make sure and ask each day of travel what he cooked for the group. He seems to be a big fan of bacon.

Don't high-elves get a cantrip? My son was really excited about that and the not needing to sleep.

 

[Hussar]

Many, many pages ago now, I wrote something to the effect of, "If +1 to hit and damage and +1 HP/level breaks your game, you have MUCH larger problems at your table than these rules."

Going on 30 pages now. Wow. Folks REALLY hate change.

Note, there is NOTHING stopping you from playing your bog standard PHB race complete with the PHB ability changes. So, any purists out there can still play those characters. Now, if those self same people could stop worrying about what other people play at the table, and instead focus on their own character, the rest of us would much appreciate.

 

[Maxperson]

Note, there is NOTHING stopping you from playing your bog standard PHB race complete with the PHB ability changes. So, any purists out there can still play those characters. Now, if those self same people could stop worrying about what other people play at the table, and instead focus on their own character, the rest of us would much appreciate.

Yep. My group discussed the new rules tonight and unanimously decided that the new rules were terrible and that we would ignore them. Problem solved.