Variable Trait. You gain one of the following options of your choice: (a) darkvision with a range of 60 feet or (b) proficiency in one skill of your choice.
This alone is reason enough to sink this entire abomination. A proficiency with a skill is cultural. Players supposedly can even learn them in-game with downtime. But you are born with darkvision. You don't learn it. It is not cultural. It is genetic.
Variable Trait. You gain one of the following options of your choice: (a) darkvision with a range of 60 feet or (b) proficiency in one skill of your choice.
This alone is reason enough to sink this entire abomination. A proficiency with a skill is cultural. Players supposedly can even learn them in-game with downtime. But you are born with darkvision. You don't learn it. It is not cultural. It is genetic.
I'm hardly a fan, but custom lineage is not meant to only deal with cultural aspects. It determines your movement speed and size, those are clearly not cultural either.
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Please indicate which part of the Tasha options on a DDB character sheet are not custom lineage. There is 'class options' and there is 'customize your origin.'
"Custom Lineage" is a race, in the race selection (you'll need to be selecting or changing your race to see it). Races are listed alphabetically, so it's near the top.
However why would an Elf raised on different languages be 'gaming the system' or in any way cease to be an Elf?
Erm... Tasha's allows your Elf to swap languages or proficiencies while staying, for all intents and purposes, an Elf. You'd be using the options under Customizing Your Origin that don't change your nominal race, just as intended, and not the Custom Lineage option which would change your nominal race, also just as intended. What's the issue, precisely?
Reread the OP. "In Tasha's Cauldron of Everything, the custom lineage option is chosen in lieu of a race, such as elf or dwarf. If you choose the custom lineage, you don't qualify for things in the game that require elf, dwarf, and the like." (per Crawford)
He is saying that, officially, even if you merely swap languages, you forsake being any race at all.
He is speaking only about Custom Lineage and nothing more.
Please indicate which part of the Tasha options on a DDB character sheet are not custom lineage. There is 'class options' and there is 'customize your origin.'
Language is listed as part of Custom Lineage, which might be what is confusing me.
You get to choose (not swap) a language as part of creating a Custom Lineage, so it stands to reason it's listed as part of it. However, if you select an existing race (with Customize Your Origin checked, of course) you will see an Origin Manager menu you can access on the Race page of the character builder. That menu will allow you to use (if applicable to that specific race) the customization options from Tasha's including swapping languages.
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However why would an Elf raised on different languages be 'gaming the system' or in any way cease to be an Elf?
Erm... Tasha's allows your Elf to swap languages or proficiencies while staying, for all intents and purposes, an Elf. You'd be using the options under Customizing Your Origin that don't change your nominal race, just as intended, and not the Custom Lineage option which would change your nominal race, also just as intended. What's the issue, precisely?
Reread the OP. "In Tasha's Cauldron of Everything, the custom lineage option is chosen in lieu of a race, such as elf or dwarf. If you choose the custom lineage, you don't qualify for things in the game that require elf, dwarf, and the like." (per Crawford)
He is saying that, officially, even if you merely swap languages, you forsake being any race at all.
He is speaking only about Custom Lineage and nothing more.
Please indicate which part of the Tasha options on a DDB character sheet are not custom lineage. There is 'class options' and there is 'customize your origin.'
Language is listed as part of Custom Lineage, which might be what is confusing me.
When you make a character, when you look at the list to select your Race, pick Custom Lineage.
If it helps clarify, RAW, altering an existing race through optional changes to that race does not mean that you cease to be that race. Also RAW, having a Custom Lineage would mean you don't belong to any race. The issue of contention is weather or not RAW matches RAI on this point, or if it is intended that you can still belong to a race while using Custom Lineage.
The issue of contention is weather or not RAW matches RAI on this point, or if it is intended that you can still belong to a race while using Custom Lineage.
Crawford seems to have clarified this pretty clearly.
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The issue of contention is weather or not RAW matches RAI on this point, or if it is intended that you can still belong to a race while using Custom Lineage.
Crawford seems to have clarified this pretty clearly.
Not really, since he's tweeting right now about clarifying questions.
The issue of contention is weather or not RAW matches RAI on this point, or if it is intended that you can still belong to a race while using Custom Lineage.
Crawford seems to have clarified this pretty clearly.
Not really, since he's tweeting right now about clarifying questions.
Apparently people confuse Custom Origin and Custom Lineage when to me it seems like a very simple concept.
It looks like he's simply expanding on the different purposes of customizing your origin and creating a custom lineage. Going through the reactions, I don't really see any confusion. I see surprise in some cases, as well as a couple of people arguing it's not a good ruling for whatever reason, and an ancillary question or two, but nothing to indicate the ruling isn't clear.
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The issue of contention is weather or not RAW matches RAI on this point, or if it is intended that you can still belong to a race while using Custom Lineage.
Crawford seems to have clarified this pretty clearly.
Not really, since he's tweeting right now about clarifying questions.
Apparently people confuse Custom Origin and Custom Lineage when to me it seems like a very simple concept.
Which is fine.
I think the issue that people in their heads are going with, and this isn't a design intent, right. We're dealing with breaking social norms, trying to tear down a lot of the negative stereotypes around races, but at the same time trying to keep game balance. It's the last piece that people generally don't reconcile the first two with.
I asked Crawford a question about what it means about ancestry, and received the following response:
The rules specifically don't say that piece though. From a RAW perspective, the literal writing in Tashas doesn't say that. It just says you are a meat popsicle of custom origin.
Yes, now people will take that and go "WELL IF IM PART ELF AND PART ORC, CANT I TAKE THOSE FEATS?", and well, that's a discussion for the DM at your table. I, Spidey, don't see it as inherently game-breaking as a whole. RAW, it's a no and a DM is perfectly ok to go THEMS THE RULES. Which I'm fine with. You don't have the specific makeup of an Elf/Half-Elf, and since your actual Race isn't one you don't qualify. The flip to the coin is "Well if I'm part Orc and part Elf, I'm still a Half-Elf!" Yes, you are, but not on a traditional standard since Half-Elf in 5th is specifically Human and Elf. The feats were designed around that specific conflation between races.
Yes, Elven Accuracy is overpowered. Let's just talk about the elephant in the racial feat room since this is the rabbit hole I am going down. If the DM feels Elven Accuracy is broken though, generally it's not allowed at the table period, not in this fringe case.
End of day, it's what your DM allows. I've said it at least 6 times in these posts. RAW, I understand the point. It's valid. It's the design intent. It exists from a balance perspective.
For me it always seemed clear because the steps to make a character didn't really change. You still select a "race" and you take Custom Lineage in that step of the process. They just didn't name it "half dragon orc demon" or what ever because the player can call it what ever they like. The mechanics of selecting your Race(or Lineage) are really unchanged for the most part. That is of course until you get to Customizing your Origin, but even that is a simple process tweaking the race to fit your idea of the character.
There was a really, really long thread about CL qualifying for racial feats, in which I explained why I thought it doesn't in probably a dozen different ways. If I wasn't abundantly convinced before I certainly was after that.
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There was a really, really long thread about CL qualifying for racial feats, in which I explained why I thought it doesn't in probably a dozen different ways. If I wasn't abundantly convinced before I certainly was after that.
I think it was Rules as Implied before, and Rules as Intended now with Crawford's tweets.
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Variable Trait. You gain one of the following options of your choice: (a) darkvision with a range of 60 feet or (b) proficiency in one skill of your choice.
This alone is reason enough to sink this entire abomination. A proficiency with a skill is cultural. Players supposedly can even learn them in-game with downtime. But you are born with darkvision. You don't learn it. It is not cultural. It is genetic.
I'm hardly a fan, but custom lineage is not meant to only deal with cultural aspects. It determines your movement speed and size, those are clearly not cultural either.
Want to start playing but don't have anyone to play with? You can try these options: [link].
I don't know about you, but I got my darkvision through eye surgery.
"Custom Lineage" is a race, in the race selection (you'll need to be selecting or changing your race to see it). Races are listed alphabetically, so it's near the top.
Edit: not a dropdown
You get to choose (not swap) a language as part of creating a Custom Lineage, so it stands to reason it's listed as part of it. However, if you select an existing race (with Customize Your Origin checked, of course) you will see an Origin Manager menu you can access on the Race page of the character builder. That menu will allow you to use (if applicable to that specific race) the customization options from Tasha's including swapping languages.
Want to start playing but don't have anyone to play with? You can try these options: [link].
When you make a character, when you look at the list to select your Race, pick Custom Lineage.
She/Her Player and Dungeon Master
I had understood CL to be:
A. You’re a race that does not exist in the game like an insect-like humanoid or other suggestions people have made.
or
B. My mother was a half Elf and my dad was a gnome so I’m parts Human, Elf, and Gnome. Or any other combination of existing races.
B is where the question of racial feats comes in. But I had assumed it to mean you don’t qualify for said racial feats.
EZD6 by DM Scotty
https://www.drivethrurpg.com/en/product/397599/EZD6-Core-Rulebook?
If it helps clarify, RAW, altering an existing race through optional changes to that race does not mean that you cease to be that race. Also RAW, having a Custom Lineage would mean you don't belong to any race. The issue of contention is weather or not RAW matches RAI on this point, or if it is intended that you can still belong to a race while using Custom Lineage.
Crawford seems to have clarified this pretty clearly.
Want to start playing but don't have anyone to play with? You can try these options: [link].
Not really, since he's tweeting right now about clarifying questions.
Apparently people confuse Custom Origin and Custom Lineage when to me it seems like a very simple concept.
She/Her Player and Dungeon Master
It looks like he's simply expanding on the different purposes of customizing your origin and creating a custom lineage. Going through the reactions, I don't really see any confusion. I see surprise in some cases, as well as a couple of people arguing it's not a good ruling for whatever reason, and an ancillary question or two, but nothing to indicate the ruling isn't clear.
Want to start playing but don't have anyone to play with? You can try these options: [link].
Which is fine.
I think the issue that people in their heads are going with, and this isn't a design intent, right. We're dealing with breaking social norms, trying to tear down a lot of the negative stereotypes around races, but at the same time trying to keep game balance. It's the last piece that people generally don't reconcile the first two with.
I asked Crawford a question about what it means about ancestry, and received the following response:
The rules specifically don't say that piece though. From a RAW perspective, the literal writing in Tashas doesn't say that. It just says you are a meat popsicle of custom origin.
Yes, now people will take that and go "WELL IF IM PART ELF AND PART ORC, CANT I TAKE THOSE FEATS?", and well, that's a discussion for the DM at your table. I, Spidey, don't see it as inherently game-breaking as a whole. RAW, it's a no and a DM is perfectly ok to go THEMS THE RULES. Which I'm fine with. You don't have the specific makeup of an Elf/Half-Elf, and since your actual Race isn't one you don't qualify. The flip to the coin is "Well if I'm part Orc and part Elf, I'm still a Half-Elf!" Yes, you are, but not on a traditional standard since Half-Elf in 5th is specifically Human and Elf. The feats were designed around that specific conflation between races.
Yes, Elven Accuracy is overpowered. Let's just talk about the elephant in the racial feat room since this is the rabbit hole I am going down. If the DM feels Elven Accuracy is broken though, generally it's not allowed at the table period, not in this fringe case.
End of day, it's what your DM allows. I've said it at least 6 times in these posts. RAW, I understand the point. It's valid. It's the design intent. It exists from a balance perspective.
For me it always seemed clear because the steps to make a character didn't really change. You still select a "race" and you take Custom Lineage in that step of the process. They just didn't name it "half dragon orc demon" or what ever because the player can call it what ever they like. The mechanics of selecting your Race(or Lineage) are really unchanged for the most part. That is of course until you get to Customizing your Origin, but even that is a simple process tweaking the race to fit your idea of the character.
She/Her Player and Dungeon Master
There was a really, really long thread about CL qualifying for racial feats, in which I explained why I thought it doesn't in probably a dozen different ways. If I wasn't abundantly convinced before I certainly was after that.
Want to start playing but don't have anyone to play with? You can try these options: [link].
I think it was Rules as Implied before, and Rules as Intended now with Crawford's tweets.