D&D (2024) Custom lineage for 5.5E. Build your own race:

[Micah Sweet]

If it isn't official, then it can't be used in Adventures League.

If all you play is AL, then that is a rough situation. But only a small percentage of players are AL exclusive, and I've been told repeatedly that my desires aren't important to WotC if I'm not in the majority. I assume the same applies to everyone.

 

[Knight_Marshal]

Yeah, but what they are doing is taking the easy way out by saying I can take a Drow and say it's half Teifling. I have been doing that since 2nd edition when I really want my wizard to be Half Elf, but they couldn't get to level 20 wizard so I made her Human and said she was Half Eleven.

We do not need WoTC to tell us we can do that.

 

[CreamCloud0]

STORM IMP
+1 (7)- small creature
-1 (6)- Nature proficiency
-1 (5)- Cantrip: choice of one of Gust/Frostbite/Shocking Grasp/Thunderclap
-1 (4)- 1/LR Lvl 1 spell: Fog cloud
-1 (3)- 1/LR Lvl 2 spell: Blur
-1 (2)- 60ft Darkvision
-2? (0)- PB/LR Breath Weapon 15ft cone, choice of Cold/Lightning/Thunder damage

PB/LR breath weapon wasn’t on the list but I feel it’s a valid option to put on a species, plus i valued it at 2 points rather than 1, i used the Fitzban’s ToD dragonborn breath weapon as my example

 

[Yaarel]

Making race do-it-yourself as the default, prevents race from being essentialist, and avoids much reallife baggage.

Make race do-it-yourself, similar to how background is do-it-yourself.

 

[Yaarel]

With regard to presenting trait options, organize them into feats, halffeats, and proficiencies.

If a trait is more valuable than the design space of a feat, then it might require a mini-class that has only a few levels. A vampire, for example, can easily be full class with many options for different kinds of vampire. A werewolf works well as a single background feat, adding to the built race.

 

[CreamCloud0]

If a trait is more valuable than the design space of a feat, then it might require a mini-class that has only a few levels.

I don’t know if this is quite what you were on about here but I really wish species had more...long term investment abilities, stuff to make your 1st level elf feel different from them at 20th level beyond perhaps some numbers go up changes if that.

If you removed everything you get from class or purchased equipment would your human/dwarf/halfling/whatever actually be any different at 1st, 10th or 20th? The best the PHB provides on this front IIRC is the tiefling who gets 2 1/LR? spells by level 5? that they didn’t have at 1st level and then nothing for their other 15 levels.

Characters improve so much in class abilities, I just wish species had anything even a quarter as significant to them too.

 

[Yaarel]

I don’t know if this is quite what you were on about here but I really wish species had more...long term investment abilities, stuff to make your 1st level elf feel different from them at 20th level beyond perhaps some numbers go up changes if that.

If you removed everything you get from class or purchased equipment would your human/dwarf/halfling/whatever actually be any different at 1st, 10th or 20th? The best the PHB provides on this front IIRC is the tiefling who gets 2 1/LR? spells by level 5? that they didn’t have at 1st level and then nothing for their other 15 levels.

Characters improve so much in class abilities, I just wish species had anything even a quarter as significant to them too.

Yeah.

There is a feat at each four-level tier. At level 0, sotospeak, and again at 4, 8, 12, 16, and 20 19. One can use feats to further develop a race concepts − such as for wings and flight, larger size, maturation of magical abilities, and so on.

For some reason the opportunity cost hurts, when giving up other feat options in order to shore up a race concept.

Maybe there can be an additional choice of race feat at levels 6, 10, 14, 18.

The whole point of feats is to customize a character. It is extremely important to avoid prereqs that gatekeep. If a tiefling player wants to take a high elf Misty Step race feat, so be it. Let the player who is customizing their character figure out how to make it work. Likewise, if a high elf wants to take an air genasi Flight, so be it. Avoid gatekeeping feats.

 

[Micah Sweet]

I don’t know if this is quite what you were on about here but I really wish species had more...long term investment abilities, stuff to make your 1st level elf feel different from them at 20th level beyond perhaps some numbers go up changes if that.

If you removed everything you get from class or purchased equipment would your human/dwarf/halfling/whatever actually be any different at 1st, 10th or 20th? The best the PHB provides on this front IIRC is the tiefling who gets 2 1/LR? spells by level 5? that they didn’t have at 1st level and then nothing for their other 15 levels.

Characters improve so much in class abilities, I just wish species had anything even a quarter as significant to them too.

In Level Up, every heritage gets a unique paragon ability at 10th level.

 

[CreamCloud0]

Yeah.

There is a feat at each four-level tier. At level 0, sotospeak, and again at 4, 8, 12, 16, and 20 19. One can use feats to further develop a race concepts − such as for wings and flight, larger size, maturation of magical abilities, and so on.

For some reason the opportunity cost hurts, when giving up other feat options in order to shore up a race concept.

Maybe there can be an additional choice of race feat at levels 6, 12, 18.

The whole point of feats is to customize a character. It is extremely important to avoid prereqs that gatekeep. If a tiefling player wants to take a high elf Misty Step race feat, so be it. Let the player who is customizing their character figure out how to make it work. Likewise, if a high elf wants to take an air genasi Flight, so be it. Avoid gatekeeping feats.

Cool, but personally I account feats more to class progression than race, even if they are a racial feat getting them is still tied to your class level right? Rather than character levels.

Using feats means you’re still ‘buying’ those racial abilities instead of them being inherent

My point wasn’t even really about customisations (although that is nice) so much as it was about gaining abilities already scripted into your progression due to having chosen to be an X or a Y species at character creation, feeling like you’re developing your full potential as your species as well as your class.

 

[Yaarel]

Cool, but personally I account feats more to class progression than race.

The 5e designers said as much. If I recall correctly, Crawford in one of the interviews says, a feat is a class feature that can belong to more than one class.