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

[FrozenNorth]

I dont see any reason to cling to that RAW in light of the new rules though.

IMG I would have no issue with a Custom Lineage Elf taking Elven Accuracy or similar.

Whats broken about it? Pretty sure we've established (repeatedly) absolutely nothing.

This wasn’t a hypothetical example, BTW. My son really liked the description of genasi as the result of a baby born during an extreme elemental event, so that is how his water genasi was born to elf parents.

Here are my follow-up questions:

• would you treat a genasi any differently than a custom lineage for the purposes of qualifying for racial feats?
• if not, does this mean that you believe believe racial feats are inherently cultural rather than biological, since a genasi with the proper parents could qualify for Elf Accuracy, Squat Nimbleness, Half-Orc Ferocity or Gnomish Fade Away?

 

[Mistwell]

Thats because your analogy is a strawman.

Race is not the same thing as class.

Apples and orange's.

Analogies cannot be a strawman. It's posited as a hypothetical comparison. I am not mischaracterizing your position in any way, I am challenging it. Of course it's not the same thing, because it's an analogy and so by definition not the same thing but a helpful comparison.

Why does race operate by a different set of rules than class when it comes to prerequisites? I am speaking to the fundamental underpinings of your position. If your answer is, "Because...reasons?" then your underlying position is flawed. It should be easy enough to articulate the reasons if they are meaningful and not superficial.

 

[MoonSong]

I think WotC could have made the intent clearer by calling this Variant Lineage instead of Custom, and included that you can use the process as well to create a new race as well?

I think that by calling them that they are expressing intent: Custom not variant. Custom Lineage is meant to create unique special snowflakes that have no expression by Raw otherwise. To create a living plushie, a dwarven/halfling hybrid or somebody so special there is no way to clearly define, not to create "yet another elf variant", "better human" or "I want my cake and eat it too".

IMG I would have no issue with a Custom Lineage Elf taking Elven Accuracy or similar.

In your table, in mine there is no such a thing as a Custom Lineage Elf.

 

[DND_Reborn]

I think that by calling them that they are expressing intent: Custom not variant. Custom Lineage is meant to create unique special snowflakes that have no expression by Raw otherwise. To create a living plushie, a dwarven/halfling hybrid or somebody so special there is no way to clearly define, not to create "yet another elf variant", "better human" or "I want my cake and eat it too".

I'm sure you're correct, but I thought it worth mentioning as a possibility. I am hoping to hear something from JC on the issue eventually.

 

[TwoSix]

I'm sure you're correct, but I thought it worth mentioning as a possibility. I am hoping to hear something from JC on the issue eventually.

Yes, I'm positive a tweet from Crawford will open hearts and change minds.

 

[DND_Reborn]

Yes, I'm positive a tweet from Crawford will open hearts and change minds.

I don't know about THAT LOL, but it would be nice to have a more firm idea of what the design intent was. Not that knowing that won't prevent tables from doing what they want anyway...

 

[Flamestrike]

I think that by calling them that they are expressing intent: Custom not variant. Custom Lineage is meant to create unique special snowflakes that have no expression by Raw otherwise. To create a living plushie, a dwarven/halfling hybrid or somebody so special there is no way to clearly define, not to create "yet another elf variant", "better human" or "I want my cake and eat it too".

Jeeze; if only this was a game and supposed to be fun.

 

[MoonSong]

Jeeze; if only this was a game and supposed to be fun.

Not everybody finds the same things fun. I'm particularly vindictive today and I've been for the last few weeks. Let's say that I'm not so much a fan of your kind of fun since it can be -and has been- at odds with my kind of fun. But you are free to have your kind of fun in your table, just don't expect me to support it in an open forum when it is against my best interests, because if it gets too widespread, then there won't be any room for my kind of fun, which is already a bit marginal to begin with.

 

[Zardnaar]

I would use custom lineage for things like Muls half human half dwarf.

Not build a variant elf or whatever.

DM custom races also useful.

 

[Mistwell]

Jeeze; if only this was a game and supposed to be fun.

If your interpretation leads to more fun for you then I'd say go for it.