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.

 

[Flamestrike]

Does that break anything? Clerics and Druids have medium armor off the bat.

No, it's not going to break anything, but I feel I'll start seeing a lot more cheeto eating munchkins rock up to my table with +2 Int mountain dwarf Wizards in half plate and shields.

I'm not opposed to the rule by the way. I AM opposed to players playing a race for the bonuses alone and not for the story elements. Just rubs me the wrong way.

The easy fix for Mountain Dwarves is to reduce one of the bonuses to +1 if you decide to switch it.

The Stat mods are the same as any other race, and Medium armour isnt that big a deal really (nothing you cant get from a single dip in most classes)

 

[ChaosOS]

I don't know. I've just assumed over the past x-editions that Clerics having more weapons and armor than Wizards was a game balance thing too, and not just flavor. Has it never been a balance thing? Were the extra HP and to-hit a bigger part? Or is 5e different about it?

5e wizards are squishy enough that I don't think them getting better AC at the cost of most other racial features is particularly concerning - in my experience this edition, Wizards just aren't at the top of the class pile. The classes that are at the top of the pile already have the armor proficiencies so this changes nothing for them.

What I'm more excited about is sorcerers, as I think they've already been a lot closer to being able to be fun gishes.

Mountain Dwarves specifically have really crap racials in general, the lack of skill proficiencies really hurts.

 

[Levistus's_Leviathan]

I don't know. I've just assumed over the past x-editions that Clerics having more weapons and armor than Wizards was a game balance thing too, and not just flavor. Has it never been a balance thing? Were the extra HP and to-hit a bigger part? Or is 5e different about it?

I don't think its a balance thing, I think its flavor. Wizards from pop culture typically don't wear armor, but a war priest would. Clerics and Druids can focus on damaging spells, too, so I don't think wizards having no armor is a balance problem, I think it is theme-based.

 

[Hussar]

If your game is broken by the wizard in your group having +2 AC and 1 more HP/level, then, well, there's something seriously wrong with your game.

And the tempest in a teacup continues.

 

[Sacrosanct]

If your game is broken by the wizard in your group having +2 AC and 1 more HP/level, then, well, there's something seriously wrong with your game.

And the tempest in a teacup continues.

If Hussar and I agree on something, that should tell the rest of you all something

 

[WayOfTheFourElements]

Mighty Gruumsh, the Axe Father, pillager of elves and murderer of the innocent, granted me, one of his blessed seed - which he rained down upon the earth from his loins - with +2 CHA, +1 INT and proficiency in Cuddly Carebear Feelings.

 

[Levistus's_Leviathan]

Mighty Gruumsh, the Axe Father, pillager of elves and murderer of the innocent, granted me, one of his blessed seed - which he rained down upon earth from his loins - with +2 CHA, +1 INT and proficiency in Cuddly Carebear Feelings.

Except, Gruumsh only exists in a few D&D worlds. There's no reason why orcs in a world I homebrew shouldn't have a +2 to Wisdom and +1 Charisma as well as Animal Handling.

 

[WayOfTheFourElements]

Except, Gruumsh only exists in a few D&D worlds. There's no reason why orcs in a world I homebrew shouldn't have a +2 to Wisdom and +1 Charisma as well as Animal Handling.

...and the comedy is dies a tragic end.

 

[Flamestrike]

Mighty Gruumsh, the Axe Father, pillager of elves and murderer of the innocent, granted me, one of his blessed seed - which he rained down upon earth from his loins - with +2 CHA, +1 INT

You're an unusually intelligent Orc with a magnetic personality.

Im not seeing anything wrong with it.

 

[Ace]

I'm not going to make up my mind on these rules till I see them in the book. In any case they are optional so if I don't like them I can, at least as DM always say no.

That aside trying to turn 5e into PF2e or GURPS is fraught with risk. Its a different set of game assumptions for one and second, the last time this was done, back in the 2E players options series, it was not well received nor in my opinion good or balanced either.