Tieflings

The **Tiefling** is one of the races in *Pathfinder: Kingmaker,* available with the Wildcards DLC.

## Lore

Simultaneously more and less than mortal, *tieflings* are the offspring of humans
 and fiends. With otherworldly blood and traits to match, *tieflings* are often shunned and despised out of reactionary fear. Most *tieflings* never know their fiendish sire, as the coupling that produced their curse occurred generations earlier. The taint is long-lasting and persistent, often manifesting at birth or sometimes later in life, as a powerful, though often unwanted, boon. Despite their fiendish appearance and netherworld origins, *tieflings* have a human’s capacity of choosing their fate, and while many embrace their dark heritage and side with fiendish powers, others reject their darker predilections. Though the power of their blood calls nearly every *tiefling* to fury, destruction, and wrath, even the spawn of a *succubus* can become a saint and the grandchild of a *pit fiend* an unsuspecting hero.

## Racial Traits

* **Size**: *Tieflings* are Medium creatures and thus receive no bonuses or penalties due to their size.
* **Base Speed**: *Tieflings* have a base speed of 30 feet.
* **Ability Score Racial Traits**: *Tieflings* are quick in body and mind, but are inherently strange and unnerving. They gain +2 Dexterity, +2 Intelligence, and -2 Charisma.
* **Type**: *Tieflings* are outsiders with the native subtype.

* **Fiendish Resistance**: *Tieflings* have cold resistance 5, electricity resistance 5, and fire resistance 5.

* **Skilled**: *Tieflings* gain a +2 racial bonus on Persuasion and Stealth checks.

* **Spell-like ability:** *Tieflings* can use darkness once per day as a spell-like ability. The caster level for this ability equals the *tiefling’s* class level.

* **Darkvision**: *Tieflings* can see perfectly in the dark for up to 60 feet.

* **Fiendish Sorcery**: *Tiefling* sorcerers with the Abyssal or Infernal bloodlines treat their Charisma score as 2 points higher for all sorcerer class abilities.

## **Physical Description**

No two *tieflings* look alike; the fiendish blood running through their veins manifests inconsistently, granting them an array of fiendish traits. One *tiefling* might appear as a human with small horns, a barbed tail, and oddly colored eyes, while another might manifest a mouth of fangs, tiny wings, and claws, and yet another might possess the perpetual smell of blood, foul incenses, and brimstone. Typically, these qualities hearken back in some way to the manner of fiend that spawned the *tiefling’s* bloodline, but even then the admixture of human and fiendish blood is rarely ruled by sane, mortal laws, and the vast flexibility it produces in *tieflings* is a thing of wonder, running the gamut from oddly beautiful to utterly terrible.

## **Society**

*Tieflings* on the Material Plane rarely create their own settlements and holdings. Instead, they live on the fringes of the land where they were born or choose to settle. Most societies view *tieflings* as aberrations or curses, but in cultures where there are frequent interactions with summoned fiends, and especially where the worship of demons, devils, or other evil outsiders is legal or obligatory, *tieflings* might be much more populous and accepted, even cherished as blessings of their fiendish overlords. *Tieflings* seldom see another of their own kind, and thus they usually simply adopt the culture and mannerisms of their human parents. On other planes, *tieflings* form enclaves of their own kind. But often such enclaves are less than harmonious—the diversity of *tiefling* forms and philosophies is an inherent source of conflict between members of the race, and cliques and factions constantly form in an ever-shifting hierarchy where only the most opportunistic or devious gain advantage. Only those of common bloodlines or those who manage to divorce their worldview from the inherently selfish, devious, and evil nature of their birth manage to find true acceptance, camaraderie, and common ground among others of their kind.

## **Relations**

*Tieflings* face a significant amount of prejudice from most other races, who view them as fiend-spawn, seeds of evil, monsters, and lingering curses placed upon the world. Far too often, civilized races shun or marginalize them, while more monstrous ones simply fear and reject them unless forced or cowed into acceptance. But half-elves, half-orcs, *fetchlings* and—most oddly—aasimars tend to view them as kindred spirits who are too often rejected or who don’t fit into most societies by virtue of their birth. The widespread assumption that *tieflings* are innately evil—ill-founded though it may be—prevents many from easily fitting into most cultures on the Material Plane except in exceedingly cosmopolitan or planar-influenced nations.

## **Alignment and Religion**

Despite their fiendish heritage and the insidious influence of prejudice, *tieflings* can be of any alignment. Many of them fall prey to the dark desires that haunt their psyches, and give in to the seduction of the whispering evil within, yet others steadfastly reject their origins and actively fight against evil lures and the negative assumptions they face from others by performing acts of good. Most, however, strive to simply find their own way in the world, though they tend to adopt a very amoral, neutral view when they do. Though many creatures just assume that *tieflings* worship devils and demons, their religious views are as varied as their physical forms. Individual *tieflings* worship all manner of deities, but they are just as likely to shun religion all together. Those who give in to the dark whispers that haunt the psyche of all *tieflings* serve all manner of powerful fiends.

## **Adventurers**

*Tieflings* rarely integrate into the mortal societies they call home. Drawn to the adventuring life as a method of escape, they hope to make a better life for themselves, to prove their freedom from their blood’s taint, or to punish a world that fears and rejects them. *Tieflings* make skilled rogues, powerful wizards and magi, and especially puissant sorcerers as their potent blood empowers them. Those who succumb to the evil within often become powerful clerics of fiendish powers.

**Female Names**:

* Allizsah, Indranna, Kasidra, Kilarra, Mellisan, Mordren, Nisha.

**Male Names**:

* Baru, Dellisar, Maldrek, Molos, Sarvin, Shoremoth, Temerith, Voren, Zoren.