Tieflings are mortals who were born with a touch of planar blood. They may appear seemingly at random out of otherwise completely mundane heritage, anywhere in the world, but the truth of the matter is that somewhere in their ancestry there may be a grandparent from the Realms below, or a pact made by a desperate ancestor, or a curse upon the same. This connection to certain parts of the world's firmament grants most tieflings a physical appearance that can only be described as "fiendish".
In the modern and enlightened era, educated members of civilization generally understand that tieflings are neither victims nor cursed nor fiends at all; however, it is undeniable that their appearance and the seemingly-arbitrary circumstances of their birth may lead some to consider tiefling people frightening.
For these reasons tiefling people have no specific culture, heritage, or conventions. A tiefling growing up in a large town may never meet another person with similar mythical heritage in their life. For some, this fact can itself be a call to adventure.
Tiefling Player Characters
As a tiefling you were born from parents belonging to any one of the mundane species of the world; see
Denizens of the World for a complete list. Your fiendish origin is most likely totally inscrutable; at some point in your distant ancestry a member of your bloodline may have made a pact with or been cursed by a devil or actually mated with some type of fiend. Eventually, this touch of the Negative Planes made its way to you.
You & the DM can decide what this means for you and your family, what the origin of your Mythic Heritage was (if you wish to define it), and how you were raised.
Your physical appearance is kin to that of your mundane species, but you likely bear some obvious markers of your Mythic Heritage. Most commonly tiefling people bear horns from their forehead and tails on their back. Solid-colored eyes, sharp teeth, and unusual skin colors are also common. For human tieflings, skin colors may range from normal human colors to reds or purples; similar rules apply to other species. Some lucky tiefling people may lack some or all of these traits.
As a tiefling, you gain tiefling traits, not the traits of your mundane species. The exceptions are your Size, Height/Weight, Age, and Speed, for which you use the traits suggested or given by your mundane species.
Tiefling Traits
Ability Score Bonus. You gain a +2 to Charisma.
Age. Tieflings tend to live about 25% longer than their mundane relatives. A human tiefling may live to see 120, while a dwarf tiefling might age over 400 years.
Size. You use the Size from your mundane heritage - human, dwarf, halfling, etc.
Speed. You use the Speed from your mundane heritage.
Darkvision. Thanks to your fiendish heritage, you have superior vision in dark and dim conditions. You can see in dim light within 60 feet of you as if it were bright light, and in darkness as if it were dim light. You can't discern color in darkness, only shades of gray.
Hellish Resistance. You have resistance to fire damage.
Infernal Legacy. A vast majority of tieflings are related to the lineage of Baator, the Realm of devils. Some tieflings are related to other fiends, such as demons, but these sorts of tieflings tend to be those who strike fear into mortals and take more after their cosmic heritage than their humanoid. Your heritage is from one of the Nine Circles, the easiest to study and categorize by modern science. Select
one of the following:
Nonum
The most traditional, commonly-expected sort of tiefling. Nonum tieflings are characterized by their medium-sized horns which tend to curl back over their skulls. They have thick prehensile tails, eyes that usually appear as solid gold, and skin or fur tones ranging from red to purple. Fire and darkness are a comfort to some nonum.
Legacy of the Ninth Circle. You know the thaumaturgy cantrip. Once you reach 3rd level, you can cast the hellish rebuke spell as a 2nd-level spell with this trait; you regain the ability to cast it when you finish a long rest. Once you reach 5th level, you can also cast the darkness spell once per day with this trait; you regain the ability to cast it when you finish a long rest. Charisma is your spellcasting ability for these spells.
Ability Score Bonus. You gain a +1 to Intelligence.
Octavo
Octavo tieflings, compared to nonum, tend to have more elk-like horns than ram-like, and most frequently bear razor sharp teeth. For species that don't normally have fur, octavo tieflings may sport manes or have unusually hairy bodies; tufts of hair on their tailtips are common.
Legacy of the Eighth Circle. You know the mage hand cantrip. When you reach 3rd level, you can cast the burning hands spell as a 2nd-level spell once with this trait and regain the ability to do so when you finish a long rest. When you reach 5th level, you can cast the flame blade spell once with this trait and regain the ability to do so when you finish a long rest. Charisma is your spellcasting ability for these spells.
Ability Score Bonus. You gain a +1 to Intelligence.
Septimum
Septimum tieflings most often owe their heritage to actual deals made by their parents or ancestors, as opposed to curses or other situations. If a mortal promises their firstborn to a devil, a septimum is a common result. Septimum often sport forked tongues, and their tails are normally thinner than the average tiefling's; whiplike and sharp.
Legacy of the Seventh Circle. You know the thaumaturgy cantrip. When you reach 3rd level, you can cast the ray of sickness spell as a 2nd-level spell once with this trait and regain the ability to do so when you finish a long rest. When you reach 5th level, you can cast the crown of madness spell once with this trait and regain the ability to do so when you finish a long rest. Charisma is your spellcasting ability for these spells.
Ability Score Bonus. You gain a +1 to Intelligence.
Senio
Senio tieflings tend to be taller than most, bearing horns made of ivory rather than keratin and occasionally white hair to match. While most tiefling tails are prehensile, senio often show an aptitude for finer motor control than normal.
Legacy of the Sixth Circle. You know the minor illusion cantrip. When you reach 3rd level, you can cast the disguise self spell once with this trait and regain the ability to do so when you finish a long rest. When you reach 5th level, you can cast the invisibility spell once with this trait and regain the ability to do so when you finish a long rest. Charisma is your spellcasting ability for these spells.
Ability Score Bonus. You gain a +1 to Dexterity.
Quintus
While most attribute flame and fire to tiefling people, quintus tieflings find more comfort in cold and dark. Quintus skin or fur colors can range from purple to blue, which can be shocking to behold, and they tend to be stockier, built with dense muscles, compared to their mundane counterparts.
Legacy of the Fifth Circle. You know the ray of frost cantrip. When you reach 3rd level, you can cast the armor of Agathys spell as a 2nd-level spell once with this trait and regain the ability to do so when you finish a long rest. When you reach 5th level, you can cast the darkness spell once with this trait and regain the ability to do so when you finish a long rest. Charisma is your spellcasting ability for these spells.
Ability Score Bonus. You gain a +1 to Constitution.
Quartum
There is little use in describing quartum tieflings with any word other than "attractive". Flawless skin, hair, and posture seem to come naturally to people with this heritage. If it were not for the crimson horns, a quartum might find themselves frequently mistaken for an aasimar.
Legacy of the Fourth Circle. You know the friends cantrip. When you reach 3rd level, you can cast the charm person spell as a 2nd-level spell once with this trait and regain the ability to do so when you finish a long rest. When you reach 5th level, you can cast the suggestion spell once with this trait and regain the ability to do so when you finish a long rest. Charisma is your spellcasting ability for these spells.
Ability Score Bonus. You gain a +1 to Wisdom.
Tertia
Occasionally mistaken for the equally-unusual half-dragon, tertia tieflings often bear snake- or lizard-like scales, especially down the spine and tail. While most tieflings do not have clearly-visible irises, tertia occasionally have snakelike slitted pupils.
Legacy of the Third Circle. You know the mage hand cantrip. When you reach 3rd level, you can cast the Tenser's floating disk spell once with this trait and regain the ability to do so when you finish a short or long rest. When you reach 5th level, you can cast the arcane lock spell once with this trait, requiring no material component, and regain the ability to do so when you finish a long rest. Charisma is your spellcasting ability for these spells.
Ability Score Bonus. You gain a +1 to Intelligence.
Chordus
Chordus tieflings are likely where folk get the idea of cloven-hooved fiends of trickery. Chordus frequently bear dark skin, black horns, and are most notable for their hooved feet. Finding footwear for a chordus can be unfortunately challenging, unless the person in question prefers iron shoes to scuff their floors.
Legacy of the Second Circle. You know the thaumaturgy cantrip. When you reach 3rd level, you can cast the disguise self spell once with this trait and regain the ability to do so when you finish a long rest. When you reach 5th level, you can cast the detect thoughts spell once with this trait and regain the ability to do so when you finish a long rest. Charisma is your spellcasting ability for these spells.
Ability Score Bonus. You gain a +1 to Dexterity.
Primis
Possibly the rarest of all tiefling people, primis are often thought to have more in common with aasimar than other tieflings. They occasionally grow feathers, and their golden eyes seem to glow in the darkness.
Legacy of the First Circle. You know the thaumaturgy cantrip. When you reach 3rd level, you can cast the searing smite spell as a 2nd-level spell once with this trait and regain the ability to do so when you finish a long rest. When you reach 5th level, you can cast the branding smite spell once with this trait and regain the ability to do so when you finish a long rest. Charisma is your spellcasting ability for these spells.
Ability Score Bonus. You gain a +1 to Strength.
