D&D 5E Everyone Should Play Custom Lineage by Default

[FrozenNorth]

So you're saying if I look black and am born to black parents im not actually black?

I think people are saying that if you don’t have the features associated with an elf: +2 Dex, Perc skill, Darkvision, Immunity to magical sleep and Resistence to Charms, or the features associated with an elf subraces, it is reasonable to ask whether you count as an elf for other elf features, such as elf racial feats.

 

[Swarmkeeper]

I think people are saying that if you don’t have the features associated with an elf: +2 Dex, Perc skill, Darkvision, Immunity to magical sleep and Resistence to Charms, or the features associated with an elf subraces, it is reasonable to ask whether you count as an elf for other elf features, such as elf racial feats.

Yes to this. And I do believe it is quite reasonable.

Here is the language from the Tasha's sidebar entitled "Custom Lineage":
"Instead of choosing one of the game's races for your character at 1st level..."

The player is choosing to pick a completely new race instead of choosing one of those that are already in the game.

Appearance and resemblance to kin are fluff.

Case in point: Elves and Half-elves logically have a shared lineage and resemble one another, but are treated differently for feats: Elven Accuracy vs Prodigy vs Revenant Blade.

 

[DND_Reborn]

Yes to this. And I do believe it is quite reasonable.

Nice to know some people actually get it.

 

[Remathilis]

Great, now that we can put 'power-gaming' or 'OP' to one side as a non issue, what 'mechanically' is a custom lineage then?

If the 'kin' I resemble from my 'lineage' is 'Elf' (and my background is I was born to Elven parents, but raised by Dwarves) why 'mechanically' am I not an Elf?

You're a wizard born from muggles.

You're a Jedi created by manipulation of Midichlorians to create life.

You're the great great grandson of Posidon.

You're the child a wizard experimented on and rewrote your DNA

You're the scion of Bhaal spawned before his death

You're a nameless entity who has reincarnated so many times that you no longer have a race, just a collection of memories and a vaguely humanoid body.

You are not a generic elf who decided trance and sleep resistance is rubbish and would rather start with a sweet ability to reroll attack dice.

Honestly, it boggles my mind that you have the ability to write nearly any unique origin you want and you opt for "tricked out elf".

 

[Micah Sweet]

How are you getting an 18 Strength and Booming blade at 1st level?

18 Strength would require Custom lineage (+2 Str) and Strength half feat as your Feat choice, so you're not casting Booming blade at 1st level as a Cleric.

Rolled stats and Magic Initiate.

 

[Micah Sweet]

A custom lineage doesn't just resemble something. It is something.

If my custom lineage is an elf, born to elven parents, they're an elf.

I choose elf as thr kin I resemble and elven as my lineage.

Its bo different to real life where race is a social construct and not a biological one.

To be fair, your custom lineage is an elf because you say it is, not because of any mechanical reason. That's the crux of the issue for those who disagree with you.

 

[squibbles]

How are you getting an 18 Strength and Booming blade at 1st level?

18 Strength would require Custom lineage (+2 Str) and Strength half feat as your Feat choice, so you're not casting Booming blade at 1st level as a Cleric.

It's a custom lineage PC built with the Elven Blood feat you invented--which I quoted in the reply and which I then reiterated by stating that said octopoid "has elven blood"

Elven blood. The blood of the Elves flows through your veins. You gain the following benefits:

• +1 to an Ability score to a maximum score of 20
• You gain a Skill proficiency,
• You gain 4 Martial weapon proficiencies
• Long rests only take 4 hours for you
• You have immunity to sleep, and advantage on being charmed
• You gain a bonus Cantrip from the Wizard list
• You gain a bonus Language of your choice

+3 to Strength, proficiency in greatswords (since forge cleric doesn't get martial weapons), and BB as a bonus cantrip at level 1.

Cmon bruh, the trolling isn't fun if it has to be explained.

 

[Mistwell]

Great, now that we can put 'power-gaming' or 'OP' to one side as a non issue, what 'mechanically' is a custom lineage then?

If the 'kin' I resemble from my 'lineage' is 'Elf' (and my background is I was born to Elven parents, but raised by Dwarves) why 'mechanically' am I not an Elf?

Because the term "mechanics" does not include "what do you resemble" but instead include "in the rules which race did you choose?" and the answer is "Custom Lineage" and not "elf".

I don't see you claiming you can take feats with class requirements for classes for which you don't have a level, right? Are you claiming, as long as you provide a colorful explanation for why your character resembles a Warlock despite having no levels in the Warlock class, that you can take a feat which requires Warlock levels? Or can you use magic items which require "Attunement by Warlock" if you have no levels in Warlock provided you have worked to describe yourself as a Warlock in the game?

 

[cbwjm]

I think part of the problem is, people take DnD far more seriously than others. All I know is that if a player wanted to use custom lineage to build their elven archer I'd be fine with it. I won't even be houseruling anything, I'll be using a reasonable interpretation of the rules and I won't worry about what a book that came out a couple of years ago says about which book Xanathar's says the racial feats are restricted to.

 

[Zardnaar]

The custom lineage does seem to indicate you are something else and wouldn't qualify for racial feats.

If I had a player make that arguement I would just counter saying custom lineage is not available.

If they had already taken it I wouldn't allow them racial feats. If they took it anyway they would be finding another game fairly simple.

The game designers can clarify it if they feel the need if so the custom lineage won't be used. I'm not using it anyway probably try out the variant ability rules and see how they go.