https://media.wizards.com/2021/dnd/downloads/UA2021_GothicLineages.pdf

Update: The Gothic Lineages are now available on DnD Beyond.

Update 2: Survey is out: https://dnd.wizards.com/articles/unearthed-arcana/survey-gothic-lineages

Dang! I was about to make this thread. You beat me to it! 

I'll do a post reviewing these later on. 

I don’t have time to read these now, but I skimmed them and they do look promising.

And before anyone asks, these will probably go live next Monday.

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)

Yeah, this points to Ravenloft or Innistrad (hopefully Ravenloft). Innistrad seems unlikely, as they did Theros last year, but it's still on the table. 

I like the changes to races that they're going to have in the future, but I wish they would go back and revise some of the main races to keep them from being OP in comparison to future races. 

If nothing else, they should print out an errata allowing all other races with spellcasting to be able to use their given spells with spell slots.

I haven't thought about them in detail yet, but it seems to me that most of these are more appropriate as feats, particularly if you use the semi-common "everyone gets a feat at first level" house rule.

Design Note: Changes to Racial Traits In 2020, the book Tasha’s Cauldron of Everything introduced the option to customize several of your character’s racial traits, specifically the Ability Score Increase trait, the Language trait, and traits that give skill, armor, weapon, or tool proficiencies. Following in that book’s footsteps, the race options in this article and in future D&D books lack the Ability Score Increase trait, the Language trait, the Alignment trait, and any other trait that is purely cultural. Racial traits henceforth reflect only the physical or magical realities of being a player character who’s a member of a particular lineage. Such traits include things like darkvision, a breath weapon (as in the dragonborn), or innate magical ability (as in the forest gnome). Such traits don’t include cultural characteristics, like language or training with a weapon or a tool, and the traits also don’t include an alignment suggestion, since alignment is a choice for each individual, not a characteristic shared by a lineage. Finally, going forward, the term “race” in D&D refers only to the suite of game features used by player characters. Said features don’t have any bearing on monsters and NPCs who are members of the same species or lineage, since monsters and NPCs in D&D don’t rely on race or class to function. Moreover, DMs are empowered to customize the features of the creatures in their game as they wish

How very interesting!  This sidebar alone is an excellent piece of discussion fodder for D&D as a whole.  Definitely worth its own thread later, since this is basically an official admission of a new design direction for D&D.  

Anyways.  Thoughts on the actual new content of the document later.

Definitely. As well as removing the weapon/armor proficiencies from them to keep them in line with this. (They could also make Tieflings be Humanoids and Fiends, Aasimar be Humanoids and Celestials, Genasi be Humanoids and Elementals, Eladrin be Humanoids and Fey, Satyrs be Humanoids and Fey, and Centaurs be Fey and Monstrosities.)

I did notice that in the sidebar, they said that they wouldn't put languages or ASIs in any races in books going forward. That kind of makes TCoE a necessity, or they might make the lineage rules free as a download (idk if it already is). But it does say that they will keep those features out for all future 5e books.

Wow these are crazy good....always on spider climb at 3rd level as a racial feature huh....yeah.

The advantage on the bite attack at half level with no restriction is also....yeah.

So as a Dhamphir fighter you would have a +STR AND +CON to hit then do 1d4+STR+CON on all your attacks with ADV....I am not sure what they are going for here as that is crazy.  The static damage boost is huge alone not to mention you get an extra ability to hit AND advantage on the attack.

At max level you have a +16 to hit with ADV and would be doing 1d4+10 damage per bite.  This is insane DPR.....

Also you could grapple someone....walk up a wall with them bite them a bunch of times and then release them...crazy. 

Magic token for the Hag is basically a limited Scrying at Level 1 which is crazy too...but at least its once per day.  Free Hex is great for basically any martial class. 

Weird that their Darkvision does not have the color restriction. An oversight?

This playtest stuff is always a bit....off.  The wording is a bit off and even features that have been used before are often messed up. 

Worth noting as well is that Dhampir and Reborn are humanoids and undead (or constructs), which means they can't benefit from the effects of Cure Wounds and the like(?)

Or am I misinterpreting something?

Quote from Yurei1453 >>

Design Note: Changes to Racial Traits In 2020, the book Tasha’s Cauldron of Everything introduced the option to customize several of your character’s racial traits, specifically the Ability Score Increase trait, the Language trait, and traits that give skill, armor, weapon, or tool proficiencies. Following in that book’s footsteps, the race options in this article and in future D&D books lack the Ability Score Increase trait, the Language trait, the Alignment trait, and any other trait that is purely cultural. Racial traits henceforth reflect only the physical or magical realities of being a player character who’s a member of a particular lineage. Such traits include things like darkvision, a breath weapon (as in the dragonborn), or innate magical ability (as in the forest gnome). Such traits don’t include cultural characteristics, like language or training with a weapon or a tool, and the traits also don’t include an alignment suggestion, since alignment is a choice for each individual, not a characteristic shared by a lineage. Finally, going forward, the term “race” in D&D refers only to the suite of game features used by player characters. Said features don’t have any bearing on monsters and NPCs who are members of the same species or lineage, since monsters and NPCs in D&D don’t rely on race or class to function. Moreover, DMs are empowered to customize the features of the creatures in their game as they wish

 

How very interesting!  This sidebar alone is an excellent piece of discussion fodder for D&D as a whole.  Definitely worth its own thread later, since this is basically an official admission of a new design direction for D&D.  

Anyways.  Thoughts on the actual new content of the document later.

 Yeah.  My thought is that the lineage and old style "race" system don't exist side-by-side very well.  If they're going to go with lineage, that's fine, but elf, dwarf, etc. should be lineages too.

Personally, I'd like to see it go in a semi-Pathfinder direction.  You pick a lineage at first level.  Then also have lineage-specific feats if you want to burn them to become the elfiest elf ever.

Quote from Envoyofwater >>

Worth noting as well is that Dhampir and Reborn are humanoids and undead (or constructs), which means they can't benefit from the effects of Cure Wounds and the like(?)

Or am I misinterpreting something?

Nothing in the features suggests that so I would say they are treated as any other PC for those spells. 

Quote from Generic_Poster >>

Quote from Yurei1453 >>

Design Note: Changes to Racial Traits In 2020, the book Tasha’s Cauldron of Everything introduced the option to customize several of your character’s racial traits, specifically the Ability Score Increase trait, the Language trait, and traits that give skill, armor, weapon, or tool proficiencies. Following in that book’s footsteps, the race options in this article and in future D&D books lack the Ability Score Increase trait, the Language trait, the Alignment trait, and any other trait that is purely cultural. Racial traits henceforth reflect only the physical or magical realities of being a player character who’s a member of a particular lineage. Such traits include things like darkvision, a breath weapon (as in the dragonborn), or innate magical ability (as in the forest gnome). Such traits don’t include cultural characteristics, like language or training with a weapon or a tool, and the traits also don’t include an alignment suggestion, since alignment is a choice for each individual, not a characteristic shared by a lineage. Finally, going forward, the term “race” in D&D refers only to the suite of game features used by player characters. Said features don’t have any bearing on monsters and NPCs who are members of the same species or lineage, since monsters and NPCs in D&D don’t rely on race or class to function. Moreover, DMs are empowered to customize the features of the creatures in their game as they wish

 

How very interesting!  This sidebar alone is an excellent piece of discussion fodder for D&D as a whole.  Definitely worth its own thread later, since this is basically an official admission of a new design direction for D&D.  

Anyways.  Thoughts on the actual new content of the document later.

 Yeah.  My thought is that the lineage and old style "race" system don't exist side-by-side very well.  If they're going to go with lineage, that's fine, but elf, dwarf, etc. should be lineages too.

Personally, I'd like to see it go in a semi-Pathfinder direction.  You pick a lineage at first level.  Then also have lineage-specific feats if you want to burn them to become the elfiest elf ever.

Funny you mention that because the Advanced Players Guide for PF2e came out with these lineages already....pretty funny WotC is following up about a year later. 

I think the only issue I see is the Dhampir's bite is a bit too powerful.  Though I like that they added the "counts as a simple weapon that your are proficient in".  

Everything else seems flavorful and interesting without being OP.  At least at first glance that is.

Quote from Envoyofwater >>

Worth noting as well is that Dhampir and Reborn are humanoids and undead (or constructs), which means they can't benefit from the effects of Cure Wounds and the like(?)

Or am I misinterpreting something?

 They actually specifically use Cure Wounds as an example in the article, stating that a creature that is both Humanoid and Undead WOULD benefit from Cure Wounds on account of being humanoid (i.e. their interpretation is that as long as at least one of your "types" can benefit from the spell, you retain the full benefit. I assume this would also hold true for detrimental effects, like Turn Undead, but idk). 

Quote from Envoyofwater >>

Worth noting as well is that Dhampir and Reborn are humanoids and undead (or constructs), which means they can't benefit from the effects of Cure Wounds and the like(?)

Or am I misinterpreting something?

 You are missing the last sentence on page 1. Human/undead cure wounds works. 

Quote from Golaryn >>

I think the only issue I see is the Dhampir's bite is a bit too powerful.  Though I like that they added the "counts as a simple weapon that your are proficient in".  

Everything else seems flavorful and interesting without being OP.  At least at first glance that is.

Quote from Golaryn >>

I think the only issue I see is the Dhampir's bite is a bit too powerful.  Though I like that they added the "counts as a simple weapon that your are proficient in".  

Everything else seems flavorful and interesting without being OP.  At least at first glance that is.

 I agree 35 feet move which is faster than a regular vampire.  Imagine a vampire Dhampir mix. No need to grapple before you snack. 

hexblood needs a rewording on Fey Resilience. How about "You have advantage against the charmed condition." The Hex Magic spell ability has small problem as I can see some one swapping out which modifier they use when they take an ASI. 

The Reborn knowledge from a past life. Should be a d3 instead of d6 if the DM says saving throws are an ability check. 

The bite attack on dhampir adds just Constitution, not Strength and Constitution.  Playtest woes - they didn't add the "instead of Strength" sentence, but it's assumed in playtest.

Anyways.  First-blush Impressions:

This document is splendidly flavorful and makes a phenomenal case for a step forward in character creation.  Choosing a lineage instead of a species makes much more sense (for the dense, "species" can also be a lineage, but this new system expands options beyond just species), and these three are an excellent example of why a Lineage system is better.  the dhampir feels extremely strong, yes, but I don't think it's any more potent than warforged, tortles, or anything else with fighty species traits.  And remember - a dhampir is supposed to be haunted by a compulsive, predatory hunger.  There's no mechanical system in place for that, but any DM who allows a dhampir in his game without finding a way to make the dhampir really feel that Horror Hunger is a DM who is not doing their job.

Work is exploding so I'll have to touch on the rest later, but this is definitely a good start.  Thank GOD it's not more shitting subclasses.