that wicked glint in his eyes. “Youfight it, don’tyou ?

Like
a little wildcat, I wager. Every littlejab and comment just
sharpensyour claws.”
—E rin M . Evans, Brimstone Angels

To be greeted with stares and w h ispers, to suffer

violen ce and insult on the street, to see m istrust and
fear in every eye: this is the lot o f the tiefling. And to
tw ist the knife, tieflings kn ow that this is b eca u se a
pact stru ck generations ago in fused the e ss e n ce o f
A s m od eu s—overlord o f the Nine H ells—into their
bloodlin e. Th eir appearan ce and their nature are not
their fault but the result o f an ancient sin, for w hich
they and their children and their children ’s children
w ill always b e held accountable.

In f e r n a l B l o o d l i n e
Tieflings are derived from hum an blood lin es, and in the
broadest p ossib le sen se, they still look hum an. However,
their infernal heritage has left a clear im print on their
appearan ce. T ieflings have large h orns that take any
“Bu t y o u d o s e e t h e w a y p e o p l e l o o k a t y o u , o f a variety o f shapes: som e have curling h orn s like a
devil’s child." ram, others have straight and tall h orn s like a g azelle’s,
Those black eyes, cold as a winter storm, were staring and som e spiral upw ard like an an telopes’ horns. They
have thick tails, four to five feet long, w hich lash or coil
right into her heart and the sudden seriousness in his
around their legs w hen they get upset or n ervous. Their
voice jolted her. can in e teeth are sharply pointed, and their eyes are
“What is it they say?" he asked. “One’s a curiosity, two’s solid c o lo r s —black, red, white, silver, or gold—w ith no
visible sclera or pupil. Th eir skin tones cover the full
a conspiracy—”
range o f hum an coloration, but also include various
“Three's a curse,” she finished. “You think I haven’t heard sh ades o f red. Their hair, ca sca d in g dow n from behind
that rubbish before?” their h orns, is usually dark, from black o r brow n to dark
“I knowy o u have.” When she glared at him, he added, red, blue, or purple.

“It’s not as if I ’m plumbing the depths of your mind, dear

Se l f -R e l ia n t a n d Su s pic io u s
girl. That is the burden of every tiefling. Some break under
Tieflings subsist in sm all m inorities found m ostly in
it, some make it the millstone around their neck, some hum an cities or tow ns, often in the roughest quarters
revel in it.” He tilted his head again, scrutinizing her, with o f th ose places, w here they g row up to be sw indlers,
 M u t u a l M ist r u st
People tend to be suspicious of tieflings, assuming that
their infernal heritage has left its mark on their personality
and morality, not just their appearance. Shopkeepers keep
a close eye on their goods when tieflings enter their stores,
the town watch might follow a tiefling around for a while,
and demagogues blame tieflings for strange happenings.
The reality, though, is that a tiefling’s bloodline doesn’t affect
his or her personality to any great degree. Years o f dealing
with mistrust does leave its mark on most tieflings, and they
respond to it in different ways. Some choose to live up to the
wicked stereotype, but others are virtuous. Most are simply
very aware of how people respond to them. After dealing with
thieves, or crim e lords. S om etim es they live am ong
this mistrust throughout youth, a tiefling often develops the
other m inority populations in en claves w h ere they are
ability to overcome prejudice through charm or intimidation.
treated w ith m ore respect.
L ackin g a hom eland, tieflings k n ow that they have
to m ake their ow n w ay in the w orld and that they have T ie f l in g Tr a it s
to b e strong to survive. They are not quick to trust
T ieflings share certain racial traits as a result o f their
anyone w h o claim s to b e a friend, but w hen a tiefling’s
infernal descent.
com p a n ion s dem onstrate that they trust him or her,
Ability Score Increase. Your Intelligence score
the tiefling learns to extend the sam e trust to them.
in creases by 1, and your C harism a sc o r e in crea ses by 2.
A n d on ce a tiefling gives som eon e loyalty, the tiefling
Age. Tieflings m ature at the sam e rate as hum ans but
is a firm friend or ally for life.
live a few years longer.
Alignment. Tieflings m ight not have an innate
T ie f l in g Na m e s
ten den cy tow ard evil, but m any o f them end up there.
Tiefling n am es fall into three broad categories. Tieflings Evil or not, an independent nature inclines m any
b orn into another culture typically have n am es reflective tieflings tow ard a chaotic alignment.
o f that culture. S o m e have n am es derived from the Size. Tieflings are about the sam e size and build as
Infernal language, p a ssed dow n through generations, hum ans. Your size is M edium .
that reflect their fiendish heritage. A n d som e younger Speed. Your base w alkin g sp eed is 30 feet.
tieflings, striving to find a place in the w orld, adopt a Darkvision. T h an ks to your infernal heritage, you
nam e that signifies a virtue or other con cep t and then have su perior vision in dark and dim condition s. You
try to em b od y that con cept. For som e, the ch osen nam e can see in dim light w ithin 60 feet o f you as if it w ere
is a noble quest. For others, it’s a grim destiny. bright light, and in darkn ess as if it w ere dim light. You
Male Infernal Names: A k m en os, A m non , Barakas, c a n ’t discern color in darkness, only sh ades o f gray.
D am akos, E kem on, Iados, K airon, Leu cis, M elech, Hellish Resistance. You have resistan ce
M ordai, M orthos, P elaios, S k a m os, Therai to fire dam age.
Female Infernal Names: Akta, A nakis, B ryseis, Criella, Infernal Legacy. You k n ow the thaumaturgy cantrip.
D am aia, Ea, Kallista, Lerissa, M akaria, Nem eia, O nce you reach 3rd level, you can cast the hellish
O rianna, Phelaia, Rieta rebuke spell on ce per day as a 2nd-level spell. O n ce you
“Virtue” Nam es: Art, Carrion, Chant, Creed, D espair, reach 5th level, you can also cast the darkness spell
E xcellen ce, Fear, Glory, H ope, Ideal, M usic, N ow here, o n ce per day. C harism a is your sp ellcastin g ability for
O pen, Poetry, Quest, R andom , R everen ce, Sorrow , these spells.
Temerity, Torment, W eary Languages. You can speak, read, and w rite C om m on
and Infernal.