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]

This is why Rolling sucks as ability generating method.

You roll abilities, then you think what race can salvage/munchkin this set of rolls

Why does rolling suck for me just because someone else does that?

 

[Weiley31]

It's optional.

 

[Lord Twig]

A quick glance through the replies show a lot of people like the ability to move stats bonuses from stats around, but I can't say I agree. Honestly it just doesn't make sense to me. Mountain Dwarves get a bonus to Strength and Constitution, and not Intelligence, because of their genetics (or whatever passes for it in D&D). But you know what their maximum Intelligence is? It's 20. Just like the Elf. Just like the Half-Orc. And one point difference doesn't make any character unplayable while they work on getting their stat to max.

Actually I would like to put limits on certain races, but not Dwarves and Half-Orcs. It just makes no logical sense to me that Halflings and Gnomes can have a 20 Strength. And they even got rid of the 3/4 (or was it 1/2?) carrying capacity! A 3 foot Halfling can be as strong as a 7 foot Half-Orc! What?

Yes, yes. Dragons can fly and Wizards can throw fireballs. And if the lore in Halflings said, "Despite their size Halflings have magic muscles that make them as strong as people twice their size" that argument would make sense. But it is not there, so it doesn't.

I'm still going to buy the book, and I am happy that other people will get their optional rules that they enjoy (I really am!). I will just have to violently shove down my suspension of disbelief and suppress my impulse to roll my eyes when I am sitting at an Adventurer's League table and a 3 foot monstrosity sits down at the table. Just like I have been doing since this game came out as the new rules really don't change the silliness that has been in this game from the beginning.

Disclaimer! Again, I am happy people get to play what they want to play! Just because I think something is dumb or silly doesn't mean that it is! It just means that I personally don't like it. I also don't like Bards and I know I'm am probably in the minority on that. To each his own!

 

[Zardnaar]

I wonder if there's any difference (on average) on this between those who played a long time with rolled stats and those who didn't. (Did rolled stats get people used to not being optimal? Did rolled stats give people a burning hatred of not being optimal?). If I was more anxious to avoid work it would be fun to write a big survey and do a discriminant analysis/CART/whatnot to see what falls out.

Rolled stats people tend to play against type more often (except powergamers).

Default array players tend to pigeonhole the races. Even casuals know 16 is better than 14 and ASIs come later and you probably won't hit higher levels to catch up.

5E punish some concepts as well like gish and classes like monks. High rolled stats make those problems go away.

 

[UngeheuerLich]

They're not important to you, but they are to some. It's a matter of personal preference.

Yes. Exactly. Now you got it.

 

[CapnZapp]

High rolled stats make those problems go away.

Of course rolled stats carry their own problems.

High rolls especially. It basically provides you with free feats (since you no longer need the ASI), making the game even more unbalanced than it already is.

 

[UngeheuerLich]

Rolled stats people tend to play against type more often (except powergamers).

Default array players tend to pigeonhole the races. Even casuals know 16 is better than 14 and ASIs come later and you probably won't hit higher levels to catch up.

5E punish some concepts as well like fish and classes like monks. High rolled stats make those problems go away.

I thinj the standard array is very convenient for half elves and variant humans.
On the other hand, using your +2 from race to raise your 8 to 10 does feel quite good.

I always feel, that point buy is the variant that pigeonholes races most, because you always have the bad feeling that with a different race you would safe quite a few points, especially if you are no power gamer and would be perfectly fine with 14 as your starting main stat.
Actually as someone already said, in point buy you could just give everyone 6 extra point buy points and allow to raise stats up to 17 (for the cost of 2 points for a 16 and another 2 for the 17) and you would also encourage spreading your stats a bit more.
Human could decide to either have 3 more points or pay 2 points and get a feat and a skill. Other races could trade in 5 points for a feat.

 

[CapnZapp]

Though in all fairness it was you who expressed bewilderment:

I am confused by this statement. I see no problem that a different player is better at their role than you are at yours, if the discrepancy is not too great.

So why did you make this about him "getting" it?

The relevant question, I would assume, is: do you now understand his statement, Ungeheuerlich?

 

[Zardnaar]

Of course rolled stats carry their own problems.

High rolls especially. It basically provides you with free feats (since you no longer need the ASI), making the game even more unbalanced than it already is.

Can do. If you can get something like 16, 16, 14 though it enables say gish.

I give my players the choice but they have to roll in front of me and they get one roll.

I've noticed with newer players they pigeon hole quite badly. I had a new player join briefly Dragonborn cleric rolled some ok stats as a spellcaser cleric. Didn't stay joined another group his friend was in played same character but found out the DM only allowed default array.

Nice guy, really young but he can't seem to make his Raven Queen grave cleric work that well. Got warned multiple times not to do it. Shrugs.

 

[UngeheuerLich]

Though in all fairness it was you who expressed bewilderment:
So why did you make this about him "getting" it?

The relevant question, I would assume, is: do you now understand his statement, Ungeheuerlich?

Edited out... because now I at least understood you... In this post I just answer your second question. In the next I answer your first one.
In general: no, I can't follow the reasoning why I should care about a different player's character. If they don't deliberately destroy my game, I could not care less. I understood him, that he said, his fun is lowered if someone brings a character with a 14 in their main stat because they have a 5% lower probability of achieving things. If I misunderstood, I apologize. But if I understood it right, there is not a thing I can understand.