Hi, apparently search function won't help me, and this is really odd since I assume this would come up really often...
When I choose a Custom Lineage I'm actually creating a race from scratch, getting "inspired" by what already is there to choose from (e.g. your character's parents). This is the gist of it.
so... if I wanted to Custom Lineage my character as an aaracockra or a warforged, am I supposed to forfait the racial "mechanics" too?
I'm fine by forfeiting the original race's ASI in order to use the custom lineage's, I'm fine by leaving the resistances or peculiarities of a given race, in order to gain a feat and a skill or 60ft of darkvision, but what about a race's physical features?
let's take a look to the aaracockra, for instance: It has wings. Am I supposed to have wings but not be able to use them? Am I a chicken? I'm fine as a chicken, mind you, I'm not complaining, I'm just trying to understand how to adapt to game mechanics this new "race". So should I be able to "glide" like under the effect of a Feather Fall spell or not even that?
What about a warforged then? Warforged has Constructed Resilience and Sentry's Rest because it's not a living thing per se but a machine of sorts... the custom lineage'd warforged is no longer a machine hybrid then? a Pinocchio who made it? or does it retain the base mechanics of the race, thus he doesn't need to breathe, sleep and eat?
I know rule 0 might solves the issue, but rule 0 is subjective. I'm trying to make a standard that would be allowed even in places where DMs change (e.g. tournaments or even the AL).
Why are you trying to custom lineage an Aarocockra or a warforged instead of just playing an aarocockra or a warforged? Custom Lineage is supposed to be for creating something totally left field that doesn’t exist already
Either way any custom species you create would be at the discretion of your DM so whether your wings would be functional or not is down to them. Lots of DMs just ban flying races outright
Custom Lineage is its own race/species. The mechanical benefits you gain are only those listed. It doesn't matter if you're inspired by other races or not. You only have what the Custom Lineage grants. You are not an aarakocra or a warforged or elf or any such thing. You are your own unique thing - regardless of how you became to be such.
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Why are you trying to custom lineage an Aarocockra or a warforged instead of just playing an aarocockra or a warforged? Custom Lineage is supposed to be for creating something totally left field that doesn’t exist already
Either way any custom species you create would be at the discretion of your DM so whether your wings would be functional or not is down to them. Lots of DMs just ban flying races outright
Because the races I'm about to create are a hybrid between a human and a <og race>. I quite enjoy the idea of creating half-races as a consequence of my characters' actions but I also want it to be as RAW as possible because, as previously mentioned, not all DMs rule equally, so I wouldn't want to rely exclusively on DM's fiat.
I'm fine with most of the "restrictions" give by custom lineage. It's a fair trade off between what an og race offers and what CL offers instead. What I'm not sure about is what to do with those features that are a mechanical feature of a race. Aaracockras hybrids could forget how to use their wings and that's fair but what about a warforged's construct retage? they suddenly need to sleep and breathe and eat?
let's crank it up a notch: a hybrid between two races who don't need to breathe will need to breathe?
Because the races I'm about to create are a hybrid between a human and a <og race>. I quite enjoy the idea of creating half-races as a consequence of my characters' actions but I also want it to be as RAW as possible because, as previously mentioned, not all DMs rule equally, so I wouldn't want to rely exclusively on DM's fiat.
In effect, the Custom Lineage way to do this is pick a feat (Origin Feat, as of the 2024 rules, but any feat in the 2014) that you feel best matches the "hybrid."
In the playtests leading up to the 2024 rules, they had an option to "choose the mechanics of one parent, and the appearance/size of either parent / a mix / whatever." They did not make that rule RAW, but it's at least a balanced guideline for homebrew.
Because the races I'm about to create are a hybrid between a human and a <og race>. I quite enjoy the idea of creating half-races as a consequence of my characters' actions but I also want it to be as RAW as possible because, as previously mentioned, not all DMs rule equally, so I wouldn't want to rely exclusively on DM's fiat.
In effect, the Custom Lineage way to do this is pick a feat (Origin Feat, as of the 2024 rules, but any feat in the 2014) that you feel best matches the "hybrid."
In the playtests leading up to the 2024 rules, they had an option to "choose the mechanics of one parent, and the appearance/size of either parent / a mix / whatever." They did not make that rule RAW, but it's at least a balanced guideline for homebrew.
Yes the feat is there to "fill the role" of what a race usually apports beside ASIs but that's not the relevant part here. The point is what to do with those peculiarities of the physiology of a given creature. You shouldn't "leave it be" because a) boring and b) makes little senso not to address something that will come up eventually, and when it does, how do you handle it?
e.g. do a half oozeling half warforged breathe or do they not? do they sleep then? Saying just "they do need to breathe and sleep because CL does not address that in particular" looks like an oversight more than a feature of the new race.
Because the races I'm about to create are a hybrid between a human and a <og race>. I quite enjoy the idea of creating half-races as a consequence of my characters' actions but I also want it to be as RAW as possible because, as previously mentioned, not all DMs rule equally, so I wouldn't want to rely exclusively on DM's fiat.
In effect, the Custom Lineage way to do this is pick a feat (Origin Feat, as of the 2024 rules, but any feat in the 2014) that you feel best matches the "hybrid." In the playtests leading up to the 2024 rules, they had an option to "choose the mechanics of one parent, and the appearance/size of either parent / a mix / whatever."
e.g. do a half oozeling half warforged breathe or do they not? do they sleep then? Saying just "they do need to breathe and sleep because CL does not address that in particular" looks like an oversight more than a feature of the new race.
The "as RAW as possible" answer is that they do eat and breathe, because that is the default rule for all creatures and the Custom Lineage rules do not override it.
The next closest thing is to use the"CHILDREN OF DIFFERENT HUMANOID KINDS" rules from the 2022 "Character Origins" UA, which would say use the mechanics, wholesale, from one parent.
D&D does not have (and has never had, to the best of my knowledge) a full "custom race/species" rule. Custom Lineage is the closest they've ever tried to get. You could try to homebrew it. Many people have tried. It's a rat's nest of complication, game balance issues, and thorny stuff about the nature/nurture divide that games like D&D have been doing poorly for many decades.
The "as RAW as possible" answer is that they do eat and breathe, because that is the default rule for all creatures and the Custom Lineage rules do not override it.
The next closest thing is to use the"CHILDREN OF DIFFERENT HUMANOID KINDS" rules from the 2022 "Character Origins" UA, which would say use the mechanics, wholesale, from one parent.
D&D does not have (and has never had, to the best of my knowledge) a full "custom race/species" rule. Custom Lineage is the closest they've ever tried to get. You could try to homebrew it. Many people have tried. It's a rat's nest of complication, game balance issues, and thorny stuff about the nature/nurture divide that games like D&D have been doing poorly for many decades.
I guess I'll "merge" CL and the base og race then based on the 2022 UA. not 100% AL legal but in those occasions you simply shut down the behaviour, especially because eating/drinking and sleeping are so trivial they never get really addressed (e.g. goodberries and you're done with food and water) and sleeping is just called when someone uses sleep effects such as eyebyte.
so the warforged will forfait the +1 ac but retain the armor absorption, which would not make any sense otherwise, but will need nourishment (a la robocop). not 100% sure how to handle sleep. Perhaps they will retain sentry's rest but when called for a sleep related ST, will have to roll as a regular human.
The aaracockra will "chicken flight": without armor (not even light) the wings will work as a jump spell when moving and feather fall spell when falling. No talons, no wind caller.
a pity there isn't more leeway from RAW, but it really makes no sense not addressing the parents' physiology altogether.
That's about it, thanks :)
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Hi, apparently search function won't help me, and this is really odd since I assume this would come up really often...
When I choose a Custom Lineage I'm actually creating a race from scratch, getting "inspired" by what already is there to choose from (e.g. your character's parents). This is the gist of it.
so... if I wanted to Custom Lineage my character as an aaracockra or a warforged, am I supposed to forfait the racial "mechanics" too?
I'm fine by forfeiting the original race's ASI in order to use the custom lineage's, I'm fine by leaving the resistances or peculiarities of a given race, in order to gain a feat and a skill or 60ft of darkvision, but what about a race's physical features?
let's take a look to the aaracockra, for instance: It has wings. Am I supposed to have wings but not be able to use them? Am I a chicken? I'm fine as a chicken, mind you, I'm not complaining, I'm just trying to understand how to adapt to game mechanics this new "race". So should I be able to "glide" like under the effect of a Feather Fall spell or not even that?
What about a warforged then? Warforged has Constructed Resilience and Sentry's Rest because it's not a living thing per se but a machine of sorts... the custom lineage'd warforged is no longer a machine hybrid then? a Pinocchio who made it? or does it retain the base mechanics of the race, thus he doesn't need to breathe, sleep and eat?
I know rule 0 might solves the issue, but rule 0 is subjective. I'm trying to make a standard that would be allowed even in places where DMs change (e.g. tournaments or even the AL).
Thanks.
Why are you trying to custom lineage an Aarocockra or a warforged instead of just playing an aarocockra or a warforged? Custom Lineage is supposed to be for creating something totally left field that doesn’t exist already
Either way any custom species you create would be at the discretion of your DM so whether your wings would be functional or not is down to them. Lots of DMs just ban flying races outright
Custom Lineage is its own race/species. The mechanical benefits you gain are only those listed. It doesn't matter if you're inspired by other races or not. You only have what the Custom Lineage grants. You are not an aarakocra or a warforged or elf or any such thing. You are your own unique thing - regardless of how you became to be such.
Click ✨ HERE ✨ For My Youtube Videos featuring Guides, Tips & Tricks for using D&D Beyond.
Need help with Homebrew? Check out ✨ this FAQ/Guide thread ✨ by IamSposta.
Because the races I'm about to create are a hybrid between a human and a <og race>. I quite enjoy the idea of creating half-races as a consequence of my characters' actions but I also want it to be as RAW as possible because, as previously mentioned, not all DMs rule equally, so I wouldn't want to rely exclusively on DM's fiat.
I'm fine with most of the "restrictions" give by custom lineage. It's a fair trade off between what an og race offers and what CL offers instead. What I'm not sure about is what to do with those features that are a mechanical feature of a race. Aaracockras hybrids could forget how to use their wings and that's fair but what about a warforged's construct retage? they suddenly need to sleep and breathe and eat?
let's crank it up a notch: a hybrid between two races who don't need to breathe will need to breathe?
In effect, the Custom Lineage way to do this is pick a feat (Origin Feat, as of the 2024 rules, but any feat in the 2014) that you feel best matches the "hybrid."
In the playtests leading up to the 2024 rules, they had an option to "choose the mechanics of one parent, and the appearance/size of either parent / a mix / whatever." They did not make that rule RAW, but it's at least a balanced guideline for homebrew.
Yes the feat is there to "fill the role" of what a race usually apports beside ASIs but that's not the relevant part here. The point is what to do with those peculiarities of the physiology of a given creature. You shouldn't "leave it be" because a) boring and b) makes little senso not to address something that will come up eventually, and when it does, how do you handle it?
e.g. do a half oozeling half warforged breathe or do they not? do they sleep then? Saying just "they do need to breathe and sleep because CL does not address that in particular" looks like an oversight more than a feature of the new race.
The "as RAW as possible" answer is that they do eat and breathe, because that is the default rule for all creatures and the Custom Lineage rules do not override it.
The next closest thing is to use the"CHILDREN OF DIFFERENT HUMANOID KINDS" rules from the 2022 "Character Origins" UA, which would say use the mechanics, wholesale, from one parent.
D&D does not have (and has never had, to the best of my knowledge) a full "custom race/species" rule. Custom Lineage is the closest they've ever tried to get. You could try to homebrew it. Many people have tried. It's a rat's nest of complication, game balance issues, and thorny stuff about the nature/nurture divide that games like D&D have been doing poorly for many decades.
I guess I'll "merge" CL and the base og race then based on the 2022 UA. not 100% AL legal but in those occasions you simply shut down the behaviour, especially because eating/drinking and sleeping are so trivial they never get really addressed (e.g. goodberries and you're done with food and water) and sleeping is just called when someone uses sleep effects such as eyebyte.
so the warforged will forfait the +1 ac but retain the armor absorption, which would not make any sense otherwise, but will need nourishment (a la robocop). not 100% sure how to handle sleep. Perhaps they will retain sentry's rest but when called for a sleep related ST, will have to roll as a regular human.
The aaracockra will "chicken flight": without armor (not even light) the wings will work as a jump spell when moving and feather fall spell when falling. No talons, no wind caller.
a pity there isn't more leeway from RAW, but it really makes no sense not addressing the parents' physiology altogether.
That's about it, thanks :)