Tiefling

**Tieflings** were human-based planetouched, their ancestors made pacts with demons or devils or power and they, are the result of many generations of breeding among them. 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-fiends, tieflings were not predisposed to evil alignments and varied in alignment nearly as widely as full humans, though tieflings were certainly devious.

## 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 humans, most retained physical characteristics derived from their ancestor, with the most common such features being horns, non-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 generally extends past normal human colours into red or even yellow hues. 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.

### Tiefling bloodlines

There are two distinct bloodlines that a tiefling will come from; fiendish (or Infernal) tieflings are the more common of the two; possessing skin colours including: red, maroon, orange or pale brown. They have a pair of long horns on their head, often obscuring any place where eyebrows would usually grow. They have long, forked, prehensile tails and pupil-less eyes of solid colours including: red, brown or rarely, white or even gold.

On the other hand, abyssal tieflings possess similar traits but with very clear differences; their skin is generally Sulfur Yellow, Grey or Yellow Green, they have tails, but have a spine on the end instead of a fork. Abyssal tieflings also lack the horns that Infernal tieflings possess; they make up for this by covering the entire backs of their torso, arms and head in flat spines. These spines act as a replacement hair and often stand on end when the tiefling is angry, occasionally ripping the clothes they're wearing if they lose control entirely.

## 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. Some tieflings also learned to unlock their fiendish potential further, sprouting wings such as those borne by many fiends.

Many tieflings also have the innate ability to cast spells related to their fiendish or abyssal ancestry.

## Personality

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 warlocks. Tiefling arcane spellcasters of all kinds, however, felt a draw towards the fiendish energies of the planes and tiefling wizards 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 Saturn, as the lord over the fiendish races of demons and devils, may come close. Most tieflings called on one of the primary gods of their homeland, though there were exceptions. Khanine, the goddess of deceit, for instance, appealed to many of the race, owing to tieflings' natural cunning.

### 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. Of all the common races, tieflings felt the most kinship with half-orcs, who were similarly a target of revulsion and hate.