Dungeons and Dragons: The Unwritten Rules of Creating a Lineage Character Explained (2024)

Dungeons and Dragons has a myriad of races to choose from, each with its own lore, benefits, and drawbacks. Like with most aspects of Dungeons and Dragons, even though there is a rulebook and each race is created according to a set of guidelines and rules, it's up to that campaign's DM on what to implement and what can be more lenient, depending on the situation and campaign. As Dungeons and Dragons has matured as a TTRPG and more options for race have been added to it for variety, another kind of character has been added for players to use alongside or in place of the standard races: lineages.

There is a lot of debate among players about the use of the term lineage vs race. For instance, lineages refer to the system introduced in Van Richten's Guide to Ravenloft. Lineages add a different kind of complexity to characters and deepen backstories and motivation. Lineages are intended to replace a character's race, and so modify ability points and attributes, and come with their own characteristics depending on the lineage. Skill proficiencies from a lineage's original race can be kept, or they can be replaced with two others at the discretion of the player and the DM.

Conceptualizing a Lineage Character in Dungeons and Dragons

Building a Character's Lore

Dungeons and Dragons has many races to choose from in its base form, with many more if its expansions are included. When choosing which race to play, consider the character's backstory, family, circ*mstances, personality, skills, and goals. Playing as a lineage character still requires a base race to be chosen, as dhampir, hexblood, and reborn don't determine general physical or inherited traits. Notably, they're all mostly permanent conditions that alter a being who already exists.

Once a basic race is chosen, consider how a lineage would disrupt that character's life: What happened to them so that they became one of the lineage races? Would it lead them on a different path? Change their personality? Players should discuss these questions and the possible answers with the campaign's DM, which will also help them create interesting stories and scenarios for the character.

Consider the Setting and Tone

Setting and tone are important for figuring out the backstory and context of any lineage character. While the different lineages were created for Van Richten's Guide to Ravenloft, a horror setting, they can work in any setting with some creativity on the part of the player. The cause and circ*mstances behind a lineage can be changed, and can be magical or mundane. Working with the DM of the campaign is important to understand the magic system and to know if the lineage's backstory makes sense. If not, the player and DM should work together to create a character that works in both the setting and the party.

The Lineages in Van Richten's Guide to Ravenloft

Dhampir

Cousins of vampires, Dhampirs are defined by their hunger which is often blood, but can also be something else, like dreams or spinal fluid. They have powerful abilities such as movement speed of 35ft, Spider Climb which grants them the ability to walk on vertical surfaces, and Vampiric Bite, which either heals or grants a bonus to the Dhampir's next ability roll.

As creatures of the night, Dhampirs get 60ft of Darkvision. One of their traits is Deathless Nature, which means they don't have to breathe. Dhampir are Humanoids rather than Undead. Becoming a Dhampir is open to all kinds of interpretation, such as through a vampiric parent, being bitten by a vampire, or being affected by an otherworldy entity that causes insatiable hunger.

Hexblood

Hags and their fey magic lie at the core of this lineage. Hexbloods are those who have come into contact with hags and are physically transformed by their magic. All Hexbloods have a crown that's a physical part of the individual: it cannot be removed and serves as a mark of the hag's influence or ownership. Besides the crown, Hexbloods also share traits with the hag that has claimed them, such as skin and hair color, and ear shape.

Hexbloods are Fey rather than Humanoid and get 60ft of Darkvision. They also get a variety of magical abilities, such as creating an Eerie Token with a lock of hair of fingernail and can communicate with the holder of the token within 10 miles. The Hexblood can also see and hear the area around the token with Remote Viewing. Hexblood gets Disguise Self or Hex as a part of their magic. They can also choose to become a hag through a ritual.

Reborn

Some die and don't quite make it to the afterlife. Whether they be constructs stitched together with magic and given awareness, a resurrection went wrong, or the victims of a curse, reborn are caught between the living and the dead. Reborn don't need to eat, drink, or breathe, they get advantage on saving throws if poisoned or diseased, they can't be put to sleep, and they can access memories from their past lives to add +d6 to d20 rolls on ability checks.

The Final Step in Building a Lineage Character

Include Weaknesses

One issue that arises with Reborn in particular is the lack of drawbacks. Unlike Dhampir, who have insatiable hunger, and Hexbloods, who are subjected to their hag and have an altered physical appearance, Reborn don't have any obvious drawbacks.

DMs or players who want to add a drawback to Reborn characters to make them more interesting and to level the playing field without nerfing them might want to consider changing the Reborn's status from Humanoid to Undead. As Humanoids, Reborn aren't affected by spells like Divine Sense or Turn Undead, but changing their status to Undead gives the opportunity for some tense story moments and a weakness that the player will need to work around.

Dungeons and Dragons

Created by Gary Gygax, Dungeons & Dragons is a tabletop game in which players craft their own worlds and band together to take on adventures through mysterious realms outlined in companion materials. One of the best role-playing games ever made, it has been adapted into a variety of video games and other media.

Franchise

Dungeons & Dragons

Publisher

Wizards of the Coast

Original Release Date

1974-00-00

Designer

E. Gary Gygax , Dave Arneson