Tiefling Tieflings were human - based planetouched , native outsider s that were infused with the touch of the fiendish plane s , most often through descent from fiend s — demon s , Yugoloths , devil s , evil deities , and others who had bred with humans . Tieflings were known for their cunning and personal allure , which made them excellent deceivers as well as inspiring leaders when prejudices were laid aside . Although their evil ancestors could be many generations removed , the taint lingered . Unlike half - fiend s , tieflings were not predisposed to evil alignments and varied in alignment nearly as widely as full humans , though tieflings were certainly devious . The celestial counterparts of tieflings were called aasimar . Similar races included fey ' ri , maeluth , tanarukk , and wispling s . Description . Tieflings tended to have an unsettling air about them , and most people were uncomfortable around them , whether they were aware of the tiefling ' s unsavory ancestry or not . While some looked like normal human s , most retained physical characteristics derived from their ancestor , with the most common such features being horns , prehensile tails , and pointed teeth . Some tieflings also had eyes that were solid orbs of black , red , white , silver , or gold , while others had eyes more similar to those of humans . Other , more unusual characteristics included a sulfurous odor , cloven feet , or a general aura of discomfort they left on others . In many other ways , tieflings were similar to humans physically . Tieflings were , on average , just as tall as humans , from 5 ' 6 " – 6 ' 2 " ( 1 . 67 – 1 . 88 m ) and weighed just a little bit heavier at 140 – 220 lbs ( 64 – 91 kg ) . Tiefling skin was usually human - like in color , though extending past normal human colors into reddish hues as well . Tiefling hair was often the same color as human hair as well , though dark blue , red , or purple were also common shades amongst the race . Although it was not always the case , tieflings tended to have better reflexes than their human kin . This , along with their natural propensity for hiding and deceit helped to give tieflings a reputation for thievery and duplicity . Tieflings who had strikingly inhuman features were often killed at birth by their horrified parents or others . Only those tieflings with subtle features or born to someone indifferent to their appearance , either out of acceptance or cruel purpose , were likely to reach adulthood . Those tieflings who did reach adulthood could be expected to age at roughly the same rate . They also lived for about the same amount of time . Tiefling bloodlines . The physical appearance of a tiefling often depended on the exact ancestry that spawned it , a bloodline that might have remained dormant for generations . Diabolic or demonic tieflings could , besides the common horns and tails , possess a forked tongue , leathery or scaly skin , the smell of brimstone , or unusually warm flesh . Some accounts even held these tieflings to cast neither shadows nor reflections . Some diabolic tieflings also sported goat - like legs or hooves . Tieflings descended from rakshasa might have furred skin or feline eyes . Most tieflings had only one or two of these features . Some tieflings were not descended from mere fiends at all , but from powerful god s . These tieflings often had their own physical characteristics that set them apart . Tieflings sired by Beshaba , for instance , often had antlers instead of horns and pale , white hair . Those sired by Mask , on the other hand , were known for their tendency to cast no reflection while half - fiends spawned by Bhaal often appeared physically identical to humans , a characteristic they may have passed down to their descendants . In Mulhorand , the most common tieflings were often those spawned from a union with Sseth or Sebek . Most tieflings were , however , the grandchildren or even great - grandchildren of fiends and in Mulhorand ' s neighbor , Thay , most tieflings were spawned deliberately by powerful wizard s as part of some elaborate plot for power . Abilities . Tieflings had a number of abilities gifted to them by their fiendish heritage . By and large , tieflings were alluring and intelligent creatures , with a seductive aura in spite of their obviously evil ancestry . To a large degree , tieflings were more capable of guile than a great number of races , but these were not their dominant qualities . Tieflings also had an innate resistance to heat and had a hint of bloodlust that gave them a slight edge in combat . Tieflings also had access to an ability known as " infernal wrath " , which channeled their innate rage and potential for evil into their attacks for added effectiveness . Some tieflings also learned to unlock their fiendish potential further , sprouting wings such as those borne by many fiends . Some tieflings also had the innate ability to cast a " darkness " spell , though not all of the race exhibited this trait . Personality . Most tieflings were aware from an early age that they were different from others around them , and were given to strange urges and desires because of their unusual ancestry . Few tieflings were raised with the love a normal human child might expect to receive and this shaped most of the race into bitter individuals who expected eventual rejection from all whom they meet . While some would follow this path towards evil , others rejected it wholeheartedly and sought to make a good impact on the world around them , sometimes becoming the most heroic characters of all . Few could maintain this discipline however , and most tieflings fell somewhere between both extremes . Because tieflings were generally distrusted throughout the world , owing to their fiendish heritage , many were themselves distrusting and self - reliant . Tieflings were also proud and secretive by nature and possessed a dark demeanor . Unfortunately , this only helped to further the reputation tieflings had for being social outcasts and untrustworthy scoundrels . However , members of other races would find that once they demonstrated friendship and trust towards a tiefling , it would quickly be reciprocated in full . Once that bond was forged , it was rarely broken . Culture . Like other races that were the result of the breeding of two or more others , tieflings had no true culture they could call their own . However , there were many archetypal features of tieflings that were not necessarily innate . This include their attitude regarding their heritage , and while some tieflings embraced it , others were repulsed by it , forging the two most common stereotypes of tieflings . The former tieflings , who were proud of their fiendish past , were often fascinated by the dark and sinister events that touched the world , but were not necessarily evil or inclined to perpetuate them . Some tieflings of this type chose to use their knowledge of evil and their own fiendish abilities to thwart these dark plots and schemes . Others sought to learn more and to emulate these evil deeds . Other tieflings were ashamed or even frightened of their heritage and wished only to escape the shadow that lurked over them as a result . Some did this through constantly doing good , as though to make up for the evil that begot them . Others instead hid and tried to go unnoticed as they passed through the world , preferring to be ignored and forgotten than noticed and made a target because of their past . Regardless of their motivations , tieflings often distrusted one another , sometimes even casting the same preconceptions on one another that others did on them . In spite of this , many secretly desired to have another tiefling nearby , if only to experience some small kind of kinship . Some of these tieflings gathered as partners - in - crime , while others were sought out by good tieflings who hoped to redeem others of their race . Magic and religion . Those tieflings who sought power through arcane magic were most often warlock s . Tiefling arcane spellcaster s of all kinds , however , felt a draw towards the fiendish energies of the planes and tiefling wizard s commonly specialized as diviners for the purposes of seeking knowledge of the Lower Planes or as conjurers so that they might summon the dark spirits whom they called kin . Those tieflings who were religious were a varied lot , since no god held more sway over tieflings than any other , though Asmodeus , as the lord over the fiendish race of devil s , may come close . Most tieflings called on one of the primary gods of their homeland , though there were exceptions . Beshaba , the goddess of bad luck , for instance , appealed to many of the race , owing to tieflings ' collective sense of misfortune . Many evil tieflings who channeled their dark emotions into aggression often found themselves in the service of Cyric , as well . Prior to the Spellplague and the god ' s subsequent disappearance , Gargauth also drew a large number of worshipers seeking vengeance , as did Mask , who gathered tiefling thieves to his church . Shar , like Gargauth , appealed to those with a taste for vengeance . Relations with other races . Tieflings , in general , didn ' t get along well with the other races of the world and were slow to trust others of any race , even their own . This animosity that tieflings had for others was taken to its extreme in the case of aasimar , whom tieflings instinctively feared or loathed . Devas often had a similar reaction , making it difficult for members of either race to successfully interact with each other . Of all the common races , tieflings felt the most kinship with half - orc s , who were similarly a target of revulsion and hate . Homelands . Being the result of fiendish interference with humans , tieflings had no true homeland and were found throughout Toril . The race was particularly common , however , in Mulhorand and Unther before both nations were devastated by the Spellplague , though the latter ' s population was said to have been vastly exaggerated . Tieflings also once had a large presence in Thay , where many were slaves . Tieflings who were discovered in the land often became pawns in the struggles between Thay ' s zulkir s , whom they served as assassins , thieves , and spies . The takeover by Szass Tam , however drove many out of the region . In the 15th century , tieflings were most commonly found in Narfell , where the race was believed to have first appeared in ancient times , and High Imaskar , though many were also welcome in Tymanther , thanks to the native dragonborn s ' policy of racial tolerance . Other tieflings allied themselves with the genasi servants of Memnon in Calimshan , where they were a valued addition to the efreeti ' s war against his rival Calim . Many tieflings were also found along the Sword Coast , particularly in the cosmopolitan Baldur ' s Gate , as well as parts of the Dragon Coast . In Aglarond , the race was only begrudgingly tolerated as enemies of Thay . After Asmodeus ' Ascension . In the 15th century , all tieflings alive on Toril were apparently descended from Asmodeus and all had a similar devilish appearance . Prior to Asmodeus ' s ascension to godhood , the infernal blood could be diluted through intermarriage , but afterward , the union of a tiefling with another race always produced a tiefling child .