Tieflings

Tieflings are mortals born into bloodlines marked by the influence of the Lower Planes. A bloodline can begin with fiendish ancestry or an old bargain, while direct exposure to Lower Planar power can leave the same mark on later generations.

These traits do not always appear in every descendant. A family may go several generations without producing a Tiefling before the bloodline becomes visible again.

Horns and tails are common, though their shape and other fiendish features vary between bloodlines. Some families retain recognizable traits across many generations, while others show much greater variation.

Most Tieflings are raised within the culture of their family and homeland. Some families know how their bloodline began and preserve records of it. Others retain only fragments of the story or have lost that history entirely.

Attitudes toward Tieflings depend heavily on local experience. Communities with histories of fiendish incursions or dangerous bargains may regard visible Lower Planar ancestry with suspicion, while an established Tiefling family may attract little unusual attention elsewhere.

Fiendish Lineages

Three major Tiefling lineages are recognized in Eldareth: Abyssal, Chthonic, and Infernal. Each traces its influence to one of the three Lower Planes and carries its own inherited magic and physical tendencies.

Tieflings of the same lineage may still differ greatly in appearance and can come from families with no cultural connection beyond the distant source of their bloodline.

Abyssal

Abyssal Tieflings descend from bloodlines touched by the Abyss and its inhabitants.

These bloodlines may begin through demonic ancestry, bargains, or exposure to Abyssal power. In some families the origin is well documented, while in others the first visible signs appear long after the event that caused them.

Abyssal traits vary considerably between families and can even change between generations. Horns, coloration, markings, and other inherited features may appear differently among close relatives, while traits absent for generations can return unexpectedly.

The enormous variety of the Abyss is reflected in the bloodlines it leaves behind. Two Abyssal families may share little in appearance beyond the source of their inherited magic.

Chthonic

Chthonic Tieflings carry bloodlines marked by the Gray Wastes and the fiends that inhabit them.

Their ancestry can arise from direct fiendish influence, old bargains, or prolonged contact with the plane. Many families have no surviving contract or continuing obligation tied to the event.

Chthonic Tieflings often have muted coloration. Grey or ashen skin is common, while their eyes may appear unusually pale or resemble low embers. Other inherited features can carry the same faded or subdued quality.

Their bloodlines retain traces of a plane known for eroding vitality and resolve, and the magic associated with Chthonic heritage often reflects that influence.

Infernal

Infernal Tieflings descend from bloodlines touched by Baator and its devils.

Bargains are a common origin for these bloodlines, though direct fiendish ancestry and other forms of infernal influence can produce the same result.

Infernal traits often remain recognizable within a family for long periods. Horn shapes may recur across generations, while deep red and brown skin tones are common. Some have pupil-less or faintly luminous eyes.

Devils keep careful records of bargains, and some Infernal families still possess contracts signed by ancestors generations ago. Others retain only copies, incomplete records, or accounts passed down long after the original document disappeared.

These agreements can remain relevant long after the bloodline itself has become an ordinary part of the family. An old contract may still contain obligations, claims, or conditions that have never been fulfilled or otherwise resolved.

Tieflings Across Eldareth

Tieflings existed long before the Upheaval, though they became more common during the early Reckoning Years.

Planar instability caused dormant traits to appear more frequently within existing families, while new bloodlines developed after encounters with fiendish power. Aasimar, Genasi, and other peoples with pronounced planar traits also became more common during this period, and the term Planetouched increasingly came into use for such peoples.

Tieflings can now be found throughout Eldareth, though attitudes toward them vary considerably.

Vashkova is relatively accustomed to inherited magic and old supernatural bargains, so known fiendish ancestry carries less stigma in many communities. Ostheria is considerably less accepting, and Tieflings there may face greater suspicion because of the origins associated with their bloodlines.

Tieflings generally live more openly in Tessarion and Calvessa. Across Vel'Nathar, attitudes depend heavily on local history. Some settlements retain strong memories of fiendish activity, while others have known Tiefling families for generations and treat them much like their neighbors.

The age of a bloodline also varies widely. Some began centuries ago and are now an ordinary part of a family's history. Others first appeared during the instability that followed the Upheaval, and new ones can still arise when mortal families are exposed to the influence of the Lower Planes.

Tiefling Traits

Ability Score Increase. When determining your character's ability scores, increase one score by 2 and increase a different score by 1, or increase three different scores by 1. You can't raise any of your scores above 20.

Creature Type. You are a Humanoid.

Size. You are Small or Medium. You choose the size when you select this species.

Speed. Your walking speed is 30 feet.

Darkvision. You can see in Dim Light within 60 feet of yourself as if it were Bright Light and in Darkness within that range as if it were Dim Light. You discern colors in that Darkness only as shades of gray.

Otherworldly Presence. You know the Thaumaturgy cantrip.

Fiendish Legacy. Your connection to the Lower Planes grants you supernatural resilience and magical abilities. Choose one of the following Fiendish legacies when you select this species: Abyssal, Chthonic, or Infernal. Your chosen legacy can't be changed.

You gain Resistance to the damage type associated with your chosen legacy, as shown on the Fiendish Legacies table.

Choose Intelligence, Wisdom, or Charisma when you select your Fiendish legacy. Your chosen ability is your spellcasting ability for the spells granted by this trait and for Thaumaturgy from your Otherworldly Presence trait. Your choice can't be changed.

You know the cantrip associated with your chosen legacy, as shown on the Fiendish Legacies table.

Starting at character level 3, you can cast the level 3 spell associated with your chosen legacy with this trait.

Starting at character level 5, you can cast the level 5 spell associated with your chosen legacy with this trait.

You can cast each leveled spell granted by this trait once without expending a spell slot, and you regain the ability to cast that spell in this way when you finish a Long Rest. You can also cast these spells using any spell slots you have of the appropriate level.

When you cast a spell through this trait, the spell requires no Material components unless a Material component has a specified cost or is consumed by the spell. You must provide any such component as normal.

Fiendish Legacies

Fiendish Manifestation. Starting at character level 5, as a Bonus Action, you can manifest a pair of supernatural wings whose appearance you determine. The transformation lasts for 1 minute or until you end it as a Bonus Action. The wings disappear when the transformation ends.

For the duration, you have a Fly Speed equal to your Speed.

In addition, once on each of your turns when you deal damage to a target with an attack or a spell, you can deal extra damage to that target equal to your Proficiency Bonus. The damage type is determined by your Fiendish Legacy: Poison for Abyssal, Necrotic for Chthonic, or Fire for Infernal.

Once you use this trait, you can't use it again until you finish a Long Rest.

Languages. Your character can speak, read, and write Common and two other Standard Languages that you and your DM agree are appropriate for the character. The Player's Handbook offers a list of Standard Languages to choose from. The DM is free to modify that list for a campaign.