Tiefling

Article by Shpjokk.

Be it from having been born of demons and humans, or making deals with demons to empower themselves, the outcome of the offspring will be the same. To be greeted with stares and whispers, to suffer violence and insult on the street, to see mistrust and fear in every eye: this is the lot of the tiefling.
Tieflings suffer during the entirety of their lives, cursed to be discriminated for their heritage no matter where they go. To the mortals, demons and devils are among the most despicable and disgusting creatures, the most evil and conniving things conceivable. The spawn of such creatures, in their eyes, couldn't be anything close to virtuous. The only exception to this rule is in the halfling lands, where a small community of tielfings live and that small plot of land (to the chagrin of the rest of the world) is under halfling protection, a source of constant political debate.

Basic Information

Anatomy

Tieflings often have horns, tails and some even wings. They often have fang-like teeth, crazy skin colors (purple, red, orange), and sometimes even demonic bone protrusions, increasing their intimidating visage.

Biological Traits

Tieflings are derived from human bloodlines, and in the broadest possible sense, they still look human. However, their infernal heritage has left a clear imprint on their appearance. Tieflings have large horns that take any of a variety of shapes: some have curling horns like a ram, others have straight and tall horns like a gazelle’s, and some spiral upward like an antelopes’ horns. They have thick tails, four to five feet long, which lash or coil around their legs when they get upset or nervous. Their canine teeth are sharply pointed, and their eyes are solid colors—black, red, white, silver, or gold—with no visible sclera or pupil. Their skin tones cover the full range of human coloration, but also include various shades of red. Their hair, cascading down from behind their horns, is usually dark, from black or brown to dark red, blue, or purple.

Growth Rate & Stages

Tieflings mature at the same rate as humans but live a few years longer.

Additional Information

Social Structure

With the exception of the small tiefling village, there is no official social body of tieflings, and almost all of them are fiercely independent.
In the case of the village itself, it has a village head, elected every two years.

Geographic Origin and Distribution

Tieflings are scarcely spread across the world. The only place they have an actual community is in the Halfling lands, and even there halflings have lately become increasingly suspicious, though it's not known why.

Civilization and Culture

Naming Traditions

Tiefling names fall into three broad categories. Tieflings born into another culture typically have names reflective of that culture. Some have names derived from the Infernal language, passed down through generations, that reflect their fiendish heritage. And some younger tieflings, striving to find a place in the world, adopt a name that signifies a virtue or other concept and then try to embody that concept. For some, the chosen name is a noble quest. For others, it’s a grim destiny.
Example Male Infernal Names. Akmenos, Amnon, Barakas, Damakos, Ekemon, Iados, Kairon, Leucis, Melech, Mordai, Morthos, Pelaios, Skamos, Therai
Example Female Infernal Names. Akta, Anakis, Bryseis, Criella, Damaia, Ea, Kallista, Lerissa, Makaria, Nemeia, Orianna, Phelaia, Rieta
Example “Virtue” Names. Art, Carrion, Chant, Creed, Despair, Excellence, Fear, Glory, Hope, Ideal, Music, Nowhere, Open, Poetry, Quest, Random, Reverence, Sorrow, Temerity, Torment, Weary

Major Language Groups and Dialects

Tieflings know both Infernal and Common. Infernal, interestingly, is something that is inherently known by tiefling infants, something that is suspected to be because of their blood heritage. To non-fiend or hellish individuals, it's hard to speak infernal without a heavy accent, as the voices of the more native individuals seem to echo with crackling fire and rolling rocks.

Culture and Cultural Heritage

Tieflings are all outcasts, and often band together in defiance of whichever society they are oppressed by. Often, tieflings sign up with thieves' guilds or other dubious organizations, able to freely enact their wills without having to worry about their oppressors.

History

Long ago, there existed Demons and Devils on Malkor, long before Bahamut ever walked on the plane. But they were banished and imprisoned into a separate plane, and not until Sargoroth, a rare noble demon, invented infernal contracts as a magical link, were they eternally trapped in their prison.
Though the Noble Demon God may have made the contracts with an aim to better his siblings, it did not succeed, and demons and devils alike have abused the system to break through to Malkor, wreaking havoc in many ways. It was when this started happening that Tiefling started popping up; Be their heritage from a demonic-human relationship, or a human trading part of their humanity for infernal power, their children are cursed to a half-demonic existence.

Fortune, in all her glory! by Joma

Origin/Ancestry

Humanoid, Demonic

Lifespan

Approx. 120 years

Average Height

1.6m - 1.8m

Body Tint, Colouring and Marking

Tieflings are colored in strange variances of blue, red and orange, even yellow - Most colors are not off the table when there is talk of a tiefling.
It's not unusual for Tieflings to add tattoos to commemorate important events, or to represent their virtue name.

Tiefling

Ability Score Increase +2 Cha, +1 Int

Size Medium

Speed 30ft

---

Darkvision. Thanks to your infernal 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. You know the thaumaturgy cantrip. When you reach 3rd level, you can cast the hellish rebuke 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.

Languages. You can speak, read, and write Common and Infernal.