Just out of curiosity, because I haven't played anything but 5e, have any of these been published in previous editions?
Also, the theme points toward a Ravenloft or something similar, especially when put with the last subclasses UA. (edit: not the last, the subclasses 4)
Wow - that is some AMAZING BS that they brought forth. I seriously seriously hope they wrote that on January 21st in one single sitting, otherwise I feel REALLY concerned for D$D going forward.
No wait - Tashas exists.
Like seriously - at lvl 1 my Dhampir Wizard with +5 INT and +5 CON and prof: Arcana bites his friend and gains +2+5+1D4+5 = +13 to +16 to his next Arcana check?!? "Just let me nibble a bit before I research this ancient artifact!" Same with Reborn and Knowledge from a Past Life. +1D6 to ALL SKILL CHECKS! Who thought that was a good idea even for playtest material?!?
The rest - meh, looks OK-ish? Darkvision is something everyone gets these days. Hexblood seems fine all in all, nothing abuseable that stands out for me.
Honestly, the dual creature types seem to be the best part of this.
I love the concept behind the Lineages (except Hexblood. Hexbloods are lit), but the overall races aren't really calling out to me. I despise the whole "2 types" thing though. If a Paladin or Cleric has some effect that messes with Undead or extraplanar entities and if it hurts allies too, you're kind of screwed. But other than that, the Lineage system gives me new ideas for player options, like a Half-Dragon lineage or an Element-touched one.
Just out of curiosity, because I haven't played anything but 5e, have any of these been published in previous editions?
Also, the theme points toward a Ravenloft or something similar, especially when put with the last subclasses UA. (edit: not the last, the subclasses 4)
Vampires appeared late into 4e with estentials
Dhampyr appeared in one of the Dragon magazines in the 4e era as well.
In 3e Vampire was a template you could add to a creature (and since the philosophy was that everything worked withing the same ruleset, if DM allowed a player could do it) and although I haven't really checked, I am 99% sure there was a half-vampire template as well. 3rd edition loved its half-xxx templates ;-)
Another thing: the lineages represent popular horror tropes; a half-vampire (a full vampire would be too powerful, but it's easily reskinable), an evil faerie child (more so folklore then modern horror, but still counts), and a recreated being (like Frankenstein's monster). But there's one thing missing: werewolves! I'm pretty surprised that the UA lacks them.
Wow - that is some AMAZING BS that they brought forth. I seriously seriously hope they wrote that on January 21st in one single sitting, otherwise I feel REALLY concerned for D$D going forward.
No wait - Tashas exists.
Like seriously - at lvl 1 my Dhampir Wizard with +5 INT and +5 CON and prof: Arcana bites his friend and gains +2+5+1D4+5 = +13 to +16 to his next Arcana check?!? "Just let me nibble a bit before I research this ancient artifact!" Same with Reborn and Knowledge from a Past Life. +1D6 to ALL SKILL CHECKS! Who thought that was a good idea even for playtest material?!?
The rest - meh, looks OK-ish? Darkvision is something everyone gets these days. Hexblood seems fine all in all, nothing abuseable that stands out for me.
Honestly, the dual creature types seem to be the best part of this.
You can't have two 20s as a 1st level Dhampir. Only PHB mountain dwarves can. I also think that the dual types make very little sense and mostly add new vulnerabilities.
Eh, Shifters work, but they don't have that gothic feel to them like the lineages here do. When I say "gothic feel" I mean the creepy cravings of the Dhampir, the freaky Hag object of the Hexblood, and so on. Maybe if you flavor the Shifting feature to be more horrific and painful.
Just out of curiosity, because I haven't played anything but 5e, have any of these been published in previous editions?
Also, the theme points toward a Ravenloft or something similar, especially when put with the last subclasses UA. (edit: not the last, the subclasses 4)
Vampires appeared late into 4e with estentials
Dhampyr appeared in one of the Dragon magazines in the 4e era as well.
In 3e Vampire was a template you could add to a creature (and since the philosophy was that everything worked withing the same ruleset, if DM allowed a player could do it) and although I haven't really checked, I am 99% sure there was a half-vampire template as well. 3rd edition loved its half-xxx templates ;-)
Yeah, it was in Dragon in the last couple of years it was a print magazine. Probably an October issue, but I'm not certain about that part.
Rollback Post to RevisionRollBack
Find your own truth, choose your enemies carefully, and never deal with a dragon.
"Canon" is what's factual to D&D lore. "Cannon" is what you're going to be shot with if you keep getting the word wrong.
There's already rules for how to apply lycanthropy to a character, which includes adjusted strength or dex and natural weapons. Also AC adjustments for some, and how to deal with possible alignment changes.
A creature that has multiple types will benefit from a spell that affects at least one of their types.
But it's also vulnerable to any effects that target at least one of their types. That means that, for example, a dhampyr is vulnerable to Turn Undead and takes extra damage if struck by a paladin's Divine Smite or a Mace of Disruption.
Rollback Post to RevisionRollBack
Find your own truth, choose your enemies carefully, and never deal with a dragon.
"Canon" is what's factual to D&D lore. "Cannon" is what you're going to be shot with if you keep getting the word wrong.
The lineages strike me as a modification of already existing races. So, you wouldn't have to worry about what would be their default ASI, Language and the like. So If you want a Damphir who has been a High Elf earlier in his life, give him: ASI of Dex +2 and Int +1; and Languages of Common and Elvish.
Dhampir is cool. When I read the CON attack roll/damage aspect of Vampiric Bite, my mind immediately went to the Loxodon. Astral Self Monks could also benefit if they build WIS/CON; we finally have a DIO build, boys and girls. I'd say Dhampir is a respectable choice for any character investing in CON as a secondary ability instead of DEX - Hexblades, Rogues, Barbarians, etc. Without some method of boosting the bite damage, I reckon the attack roll buff would be the better pick over the hit point restoration; that should become clear at higher levels. Pairing the attack roll buff with great weapon master or sharpshooter is a flashy way to offset the -5 penalty, but it costs an action to set up.
I appreciate the Hexblood for giving non-Warlocks better accessibility to Hex alongside feats such as Fey/Shadow Touched, or Magic Initiate if you prefer not using spell slots. Very promising for Eldritch Knights, crossbow experts, polearm masters and dual wielders, but other races can offer more to those characters so the feats may still be a better idea. Things like Spirit Shroud can also compete with Hex, but I won't complain about more options. I do like Magic Token; being able to Send to someone 10 miles away without spending slots is very practical, albeit niche. I think I'd give the token to a familiar or other infiltrator to plant a scryball somewhere important ahead of time.
Reborn is by far the strongest lineage of the three. Deathless Nature gives you the warforged Constructed Resilience feature (except disease immunity), the elf's Trance feature (except it's written so you don't need to reference Sage Advice to finish a long rest in 4 hours), AND advantage on death saving throws. The only class that can grant advantage on death saves AFAIK is a 20th level Oath of the Crown Paladin - and only to their allies, for one hour, at the cost of an action, once per long rest. That's on top of getting Bardic Inspiration to any skill check at PB uses per long rest! Fantastic for Barbarians, skill monkeys, or anyone who just doesn't feel like dying (again).
There's already rules for how to apply lycanthropy to a character, which includes adjusted strength or dex and natural weapons. Also AC adjustments for some, and how to deal with possible alignment changes.
The Lycanthropy rules are fairly powerful, so that's why I want something a little toned down, such as a lineage or race.
Hm. There's something of a power balance issue with these lineages. Given that a custom lineage can get +2 to one stat, feat, and darkvision, and all of these lineages include +2 to one stat and darkvision, the remaining benefits are equal in value to a feat. This gives us as equivalent to a feat:
Reborn: +1 stat, deathless nature, knowledge from a past life, add Undead or Construct type.
None of those seem plausible. Also, all of these lineages are technically things that could be acquired during play. As such, they would be better off as integrated with the feat system (and, given that custom lineages exist, could be taken at character creation anyway, if possibly in a limited form), and possibly converted into multiple feats (though adding undead type is plausibly a drawback).
The dual creature type in these lineages seems to accomplish nothing but give you a bunch of new vulnerabilities.
That might be an intentional semi-balancing factor against some of strengths of the lineage. The price a Dhampir pays for always on spider climb, etc.
Could be, but it still makes me twitchy.
If it wasn’t enough to make you twitchy, it wouldn’t be balanced. If it was automatic a good choice, it would be no choice at all.
I will say, I don’t hate the floating ASBs nearly as much with these races because of these additional vulnerabilities. Honestly, I probably wouldn’t hate this UA nearly so much if it weren’t for the the official announcement about the future of D&D. This is the first place I have actually liked the PB scaling on an ability. And these Races don’t necessarily need “cultural features” of their own, but I do wish it said that they take the cultural traits of their non-vampire heritage.* I also wish that the Ability Score Bonuses were the main Ability from the non-vampire heritage and a floating +1. That would have at least made these compatible with the PHB RAW.
*(Or, if they were raised in a different comunity then that culture’s traits. I mean, if your an Elf raised in a Dwarvish comunity then of course you should have Dwarvish cultural traits. That’s part of why I hate this lineage system so much, it could have been both simpler and better.)
Vampires appeared late into 4e with estentials
Wow - that is some AMAZING BS that they brought forth. I seriously seriously hope they wrote that on January 21st in one single sitting, otherwise I feel REALLY concerned for D$D going forward.
No wait - Tashas exists.
Like seriously - at lvl 1 my Dhampir Wizard with +5 INT and +5 CON and prof: Arcana bites his friend and gains +2+5+1D4+5 = +13 to +16 to his next Arcana check?!? "Just let me nibble a bit before I research this ancient artifact!" Same with Reborn and Knowledge from a Past Life. +1D6 to ALL SKILL CHECKS! Who thought that was a good idea even for playtest material?!?
The rest - meh, looks OK-ish? Darkvision is something everyone gets these days. Hexblood seems fine all in all, nothing abuseable that stands out for me.
Honestly, the dual creature types seem to be the best part of this.
#OpenDnD
I love the concept behind the Lineages (except Hexblood. Hexbloods are lit), but the overall races aren't really calling out to me. I despise the whole "2 types" thing though. If a Paladin or Cleric has some effect that messes with Undead or extraplanar entities and if it hurts allies too, you're kind of screwed. But other than that, the Lineage system gives me new ideas for player options, like a Half-Dragon lineage or an Element-touched one.
The dual creature type in these lineages seems to accomplish nothing but give you a bunch of new vulnerabilities.
Find your own truth, choose your enemies carefully, and never deal with a dragon.
"Canon" is what's factual to D&D lore. "Cannon" is what you're going to be shot with if you keep getting the word wrong.
Dhampyr appeared in one of the Dragon magazines in the 4e era as well.
In 3e Vampire was a template you could add to a creature (and since the philosophy was that everything worked withing the same ruleset, if DM allowed a player could do it) and although I haven't really checked, I am 99% sure there was a half-vampire template as well. 3rd edition loved its half-xxx templates ;-)
Another thing: the lineages represent popular horror tropes; a half-vampire (a full vampire would be too powerful, but it's easily reskinable), an evil faerie child (more so folklore then modern horror, but still counts), and a recreated being (like Frankenstein's monster). But there's one thing missing: werewolves! I'm pretty surprised that the UA lacks them.
Solved that already. Shifters.
Please check out my homebrew, I would appreciate feedback:
Spells, Monsters, Subclasses, Races, Arcknight Class, Occultist Class, World, Enigmatic Esoterica forms
You can't have two 20s as a 1st level Dhampir. Only PHB mountain dwarves can. I also think that the dual types make very little sense and mostly add new vulnerabilities.
I have a weird sense of humor.
I also make maps.(That's a link)
Eh, Shifters work, but they don't have that gothic feel to them like the lineages here do. When I say "gothic feel" I mean the creepy cravings of the Dhampir, the freaky Hag object of the Hexblood, and so on. Maybe if you flavor the Shifting feature to be more horrific and painful.
Yeah, it was in Dragon in the last couple of years it was a print magazine. Probably an October issue, but I'm not certain about that part.
Find your own truth, choose your enemies carefully, and never deal with a dragon.
"Canon" is what's factual to D&D lore. "Cannon" is what you're going to be shot with if you keep getting the word wrong.
There's already rules for how to apply lycanthropy to a character, which includes adjusted strength or dex and natural weapons. Also AC adjustments for some, and how to deal with possible alignment changes.
Birgit | Shifter | Sorcerer | Dragonlords
Shayone | Hobgoblin | Sorcerer | Netherdeep
But it's also vulnerable to any effects that target at least one of their types. That means that, for example, a dhampyr is vulnerable to Turn Undead and takes extra damage if struck by a paladin's Divine Smite or a Mace of Disruption.
Find your own truth, choose your enemies carefully, and never deal with a dragon.
"Canon" is what's factual to D&D lore. "Cannon" is what you're going to be shot with if you keep getting the word wrong.
The lineages strike me as a modification of already existing races. So, you wouldn't have to worry about what would be their default ASI, Language and the like. So If you want a Damphir who has been a High Elf earlier in his life, give him: ASI of Dex +2 and Int +1; and Languages of Common and Elvish.
You know what would be awesome? This style of lineage for a Ceremorph race. Like the gnome ceremorph that can be any alignment.
Please check out my homebrew, I would appreciate feedback:
Spells, Monsters, Subclasses, Races, Arcknight Class, Occultist Class, World, Enigmatic Esoterica forms
Dhampir is cool. When I read the CON attack roll/damage aspect of Vampiric Bite, my mind immediately went to the Loxodon. Astral Self Monks could also benefit if they build WIS/CON; we finally have a DIO build, boys and girls. I'd say Dhampir is a respectable choice for any character investing in CON as a secondary ability instead of DEX - Hexblades, Rogues, Barbarians, etc. Without some method of boosting the bite damage, I reckon the attack roll buff would be the better pick over the hit point restoration; that should become clear at higher levels. Pairing the attack roll buff with great weapon master or sharpshooter is a flashy way to offset the -5 penalty, but it costs an action to set up.
I appreciate the Hexblood for giving non-Warlocks better accessibility to Hex alongside feats such as Fey/Shadow Touched, or Magic Initiate if you prefer not using spell slots. Very promising for Eldritch Knights, crossbow experts, polearm masters and dual wielders, but other races can offer more to those characters so the feats may still be a better idea. Things like Spirit Shroud can also compete with Hex, but I won't complain about more options. I do like Magic Token; being able to Send to someone 10 miles away without spending slots is very practical, albeit niche. I think I'd give the token to a familiar or other infiltrator to plant a scryball somewhere important ahead of time.
Reborn is by far the strongest lineage of the three. Deathless Nature gives you the warforged Constructed Resilience feature (except disease immunity), the elf's Trance feature (except it's written so you don't need to reference Sage Advice to finish a long rest in 4 hours), AND advantage on death saving throws. The only class that can grant advantage on death saves AFAIK is a 20th level Oath of the Crown Paladin - and only to their allies, for one hour, at the cost of an action, once per long rest. That's on top of getting Bardic Inspiration to any skill check at PB uses per long rest! Fantastic for Barbarians, skill monkeys, or anyone who just doesn't feel like dying (again).
The Lycanthropy rules are fairly powerful, so that's why I want something a little toned down, such as a lineage or race.
Hm. There's something of a power balance issue with these lineages. Given that a custom lineage can get +2 to one stat, feat, and darkvision, and all of these lineages include +2 to one stat and darkvision, the remaining benefits are equal in value to a feat. This gives us as equivalent to a feat:
None of those seem plausible. Also, all of these lineages are technically things that could be acquired during play. As such, they would be better off as integrated with the feat system (and, given that custom lineages exist, could be taken at character creation anyway, if possibly in a limited form), and possibly converted into multiple feats (though adding undead type is plausibly a drawback).
That might be an intentional semi-balancing factor against some of strengths of the lineage. The price a Dhampir pays for always on spider climb, etc.
Could be, but it still makes me twitchy.
Find your own truth, choose your enemies carefully, and never deal with a dragon.
"Canon" is what's factual to D&D lore. "Cannon" is what you're going to be shot with if you keep getting the word wrong.
If it wasn’t enough to make you twitchy, it wouldn’t be balanced. If it was automatic a good choice, it would be no choice at all.
I will say, I don’t hate the floating ASBs nearly as much with these races because of these additional vulnerabilities. Honestly, I probably wouldn’t hate this UA nearly so much if it weren’t for the the official announcement about the future of D&D. This is the first place I have actually liked the PB scaling on an ability. And these Races don’t necessarily need “cultural features” of their own, but I do wish it said that they take the cultural traits of their non-vampire heritage.* I also wish that the Ability Score Bonuses were the main Ability from the non-vampire heritage and a floating +1. That would have at least made these compatible with the PHB RAW.
*(Or, if they were raised in a different comunity then that culture’s traits. I mean, if your an Elf raised in a Dwarvish comunity then of course you should have Dwarvish cultural traits. That’s part of why I hate this lineage system so much, it could have been both simpler and better.)
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