Hey @JeremyECrawford we fans or @dndoptimized wanna know if Custom Lineage Characters who are part elf can get the Elven Accuracy Feat. Basically can customs use racial feats if it falls in line with their backstory?
— Cumrade Corvus (@XCorvus777) March 3, 2021
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. In contrast, if you're an elf and customize your origin (using the option in Tasha's Cauldron of Everything), you're an elf and qualify for elf things. #DnD
— Jeremy Crawford (@JeremyECrawford) March 4, 2021
Customizing your origin and choosing a custom lineage are two rules, addressing different needs. One is about making your elf/dwarf/etc. the way you want them. The other is about making a character who isn't mechanically attached to any particular species in the game. #DnD
— Jeremy Crawford (@JeremyECrawford) March 4, 2021
So I think the issue here is you’re saying mechanics, but people are imagining ancestry. So the custom lineage character isn’t attached to a species, but how did they come about. Are people allowed to say it’s part elf/part orc/part dragon etc? The custom lineage option allows you to create whatever ancestry you'd like for your character. It's a toolbox option. You could be the child of an orc and an elf, for example. Whatever story you tell, the rules consider the character's race to be "custom lineage."
— Jeremy Crawford (@JeremyECrawford) March 4, 2021
Does this feel even more divisive? or is it just me?
No, you’re not an elf, nor a dwarf… It's not for making your own personal version of an elf. It's for making something you want to play that isn't an existing race option.
— Dan Dillon (@Dan_Dillon_1) March 5, 2021