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.

 

[WayOfTheFourElements]

Why would I imagine it like that?

I'm not asking you to imagine it that way. I am asking how you would make your case to someone with a different set of baseline assumptions.

 

[Levistus's_Leviathan]

I'm not asking you to imagine it that way. I am asking how you would make your case to someone with a different set of baseline assumptions.

IF you are competitive in your own group, which is definitely a matter of preference, it's even more important to be better at your job. I don't like playing competitively, but some may.

 

[Oofta]

Who said it had to be a competition? You're supposed to be cooperating together. But, if you choose a race that makes you worse at your role than another character with the optimal race is a theirs, that's a problem, even if you aren't competing, comparison matters.

You'd probably hate a lot of my favorite PCs then, because I usually don't care about a difference of 5% for the first 4 levels. I don't consider effectiveness at combat (or taking only optimal combat options) as the only measure of validity of a PC.

To each their own, but it's never a problem when I play or DM if another player is optimized or not. The only thing I care about is if they're fun and have a reasonably competent PC.

 

[Cadence]

There will always be suboptimal choices. Multiclassing as a monk into paladin is normally suboptimal. With point buy or standard array, if you put an 8 in your main ability, you are suboptimal, but the race you choose shouldn't make you by default suboptimal at your job.

The perpetual hyperbole of an 8 in the prime ability seems really played-out when the usual discussion is having a 14 or 15 instead of a 16.

But anyway, if races-class combinations shouldn't be necessarily sub-optimal, why should some class-class multi-class ones be? Should someone picking monk-paladin get a bonus of some sort so they aren't a drag on the party?

 

[Levistus's_Leviathan]

The perpetual hyperbole of an 8 in the prime ability seems really played-out when the usual discussion is having a 14 or 15 instead of a 16.

I was answering your question. You asked if there should be suboptimal options, I answered yes, but not because of your race, IMHO.

But anyway, if races-class combinations shouldn't be necessarily sub-optimal, why should some class-class multi-class ones be? Should someone picking monk-paladin get a bonus of some sort so they aren't a drag on the party?

Because they chose that multiclass combo willingly using their own levels. You're not forced to multiclass, but you are forced to pick a race.

 

[Levistus's_Leviathan]

You'd probably hate a lot of my favorite PCs then, because I usually don't care about a difference of 5% for the first 4 levels. I don't consider effectiveness at combat (or taking only optimal combat options) as the only measure of validity of a PC.

To each their own, but it's never a problem when I play or DM if another player is optimized or not. The only thing I care about is if they're fun and have a reasonably competent PC.

Like I've said before, if you don't care, great. But some people do.

 

[WayOfTheFourElements]

IF you are competitive in your own group, which is definitely a matter of preference, it's even more important to be better at your job. I don't like playing competitively, but some may.

Except in those stories, demi-gods compete with mere mortals and heaven-blessed knights compete cursed sinners. Yet competition still ensues.

I have a party with a 2nd level character next to a 5th level character - and 9 more characters in-between. I never had any issues.

 

[Oofta]

Like I've said before, if you don't care, great. But some people do.

I just have a problem with your attitude of "it's a problem if someone else doesn't optimize". Maybe you shouldn't worry so much about how other people at the table build their characters.

If someone else has a PC that is completely, totally incompetent, I can see why someone else at the table may care. But having a 14 in their primary stat instead of a 16? Unless you actually review their character sheet I would be amazed if you ever realized it. Player tactical acumen is probably going to make more of a difference in the long run.

Anyway, pointless argument. Have a good one.

 

[Levistus's_Leviathan]

I just have a problem with your attitude of "it's a problem if someone else doesn't optimize". Maybe you shouldn't worry so much about how other people at the table build their characters.

If someone else has a PC that is completely, totally incompetent, I can see why someone else at the table may care. But having a 14 in their primary stat instead of a 16? Unless you actually review their character sheet I would be amazed if you ever realized it. Player tactical acumen is probably going to make more of a difference in the long run.

Anyway, pointless argument. Have a good one.

I have a problem with your attitude that it doesn't matter, though. It is a discrepancy. I know some don't care, but some do.

 

[Cadence]

Because they chose that multiclass combo willingly using their own levels. You're not forced to multiclass, but you are forced to pick a race.

Are there any notably weaker classes in 5e? (I assume there are for archetypes).

In any case, at tables where sub-optimizing is viewed as a disservice to the rest of the party, is it viewed as badly to pick a tier 4 character class as it is to not optimally put abilities in the right place?