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.

 

[Hussar]

But that was the situation before this rule too.

Not quite sure what you mean? Did you mean that there wasn't a balance issue before this new rule? Ok. Cool. So what? This rule wasn't made to address a balance issue. It was made to allow more creativity and freedom during chargen. And, for a change, it appears that allowing more freedom during chargen does not create balance issues (which certainly wasn't true in earlier editions) and simply allows for a wider variety of characters.

How is that not a win?

I can still play the stereotypical elf or dwarf or whatever. That hasn't been lost. And, doing so does not put me at any disadvantage. Or, I can play an older elf, for example, that has been several different kinds of tradesperson before becoming an adventurer. And, my character sheet will reflect that.

Again, what is the problem here?

 

[Crimson Longinus]

Not quite sure what you mean? Did you mean that there wasn't a balance issue before this new rule? Ok. Cool. So what? This rule wasn't made to address a balance issue. It was made to allow more creativity and freedom during chargen. And, for a change, it appears that allowing more freedom during chargen does not create balance issues (which certainly wasn't true in earlier editions) and simply allows for a wider variety of characters.

How is that not a win?

I can still play the stereotypical elf or dwarf or whatever. That hasn't been lost. And, doing so does not put me at any disadvantage. Or, I can play an older elf, for example, that has been several different kinds of tradesperson before becoming an adventurer. And, my character sheet will reflect that.

Again, what is the problem here?

Before certain races were slightly better for certain classes, the same is still true, it just now is different combinations.

 

[Levistus's_Leviathan]

Before certain races were slightly better for certain classes, the same is still true, it just now is different combinations.

But I can promise you that once this change comes out, there will be more Half-Orc Grave Clerics, Hill Dwarf Draconic Sorcerers, and Goblin Zealot Barbarians. Sure, this change does change which races are more valuable in certain class archetypes, but it doesn't for most of them.

In fact, the "exploit" of being a Mountain Dwarf for medium armor really only benefits Sorcerers, Warlocks, and Wizards, and not in a game breaking way. Sure, half-elves are a bit more useful, but they already were good for any class, they're just a tiny bit better.

This only shifts the super viable options for 3ish of the classes and for a few of the races. For most of them, this is only a slight improvement.