Tieflings

**Tieflings** are a race spread across the Big Stretch, beings with lower plane lineages and abnormalities, not many tiefling are similar to each other, normally featuring looks of their lower plane heritage.

Tieflings on halintar are highly varied, although their are two majority groups due to the events of The Insurrection, a large group of mortals were infected and transformed into two variants of Tiefling by the Demon-Devil God Hybrid Ashairo. Hellriders and Ashstalkers.

Tieflings outside of these domains tend to have origins related to either The 666 layers of the Abyss, or HELL. Hell Tieflings tend to have more uniform insectoid features, while Abyss Tieflings are incredibly varied. Either or, they don't have their own uniform societies, so they tend to just follow whatever is around them, or act in opposition should their surroundings reject them.

## Physical Features

Tieflings outside of Hell Riders and Ashstalkers are incredibly varied in looks, and will often stick out in crowds.

There are two different variations of Tieflings whose bloodlines originate from Halintar- the Hellriders, and the Ashstalkers.

### **Hellriders**

Hellriders have vibrant red skin and amber eyes, with digitigrade legs and goat-like cloven feet. Their hair tends towards the darker side, black to violet or indigo in hue that begins to "gray" into a lighter, less saturated shade around 30-40 years of age. Their horns tend to be straighter, reaching directly horizontally or vertically with slight curvature. Tails are usually slender and spade- or shovel-tipped. More feminine-figured Hellriders often have smaller horns and fluffier, stronger legs.

The defining characteristic of a Hellrider, aside from their standard physical form, is their ability to burst into flames for a short period of time. These flames, tend to destroy clothes that they wear and can be difficult to control. The flames always seem to match the color of their eyes and hair. Unlike actual fires, the flames of a Hellrider seem to get even hotter with age.

### **Ashstalkers**

Ashstalkers, opposing their brightly colored cousins, come in pallid shades of gray, sometimes even semi-transparent in rare cases (similar to albinism). Ashstalkers have dark nails and clawed feet. Their eye and hair color is often either black or white, though occasionally one may have deep maroon eyes. Horns are ram-like, coiling close to the cheeks and extending out further horizontally as they age. The tail of an Ashstalker can vary, but always tend to be wide at the base before growing slender down til the tip- often looking similar to either a kangaroo or a fat-tailed gecko's tail.

When transforming into the smoke form that they're known for, they become a translucent cloud of smoke that matches the shade of their skin. The faster they travel in this form, the more difficult they are to see- but they're also more prone to exhaustion, or otherwise being harmed by powerful winds, from nature or magical attacks.

## Culture

As the origin of fiendish blood in one's lineage can vary greatly, there isn't as much of a collective history or culture for Tieflings as a whole across the Big Stretch. However, the Ashstalkers and Hellriders of Halintar do have a rumored common root to their existence in a fairy tail of a story from ancient history.

In ages past, a scorned and nameless tribe of mortals called forth an ancient demon, A deadly union of a archdevil and a demonlord. This twin-headed beast had two distinct sides- one representing the fires of hell, and the other representing the ashes left by death. With the aid of this god the tribe hoped to destroy the Dragon-Gods and bring chaos to the continent... but with the combined powers of Ester Pyx, Karomatzu, and Tephra, the gods nearest to the summoning site, the creature was swiftly felled.

In the fallout of the demon's death it expelled a powerful, accursed energy onto the humans who had failed to utilize its power. Those on the side of flames turned into Hellriders, and the side of death turned to Ashstalkers. However, despite their attempt at deicide and the threat of them attempting the summon a second time, Tephra chose to allow them to continue living within her domain. Their rebellion quelled in the most bloodless way possible, these humans born-again as Tieflings chose instead to continue with their lives. Though there are no recorded instances of this historical event aside from the memories of the gods themselves, rare and ancient texts do source catastrophic events happening in the southern regions of Halintar around the estimated time period. Additionally, the fact that the largest Tiefling populations tend to be in the south contribute to this mythos.

Due to the "sinful" origins of their kind, many populations unsocialized or unfamiliar with Tieflings may stereotype them to be evil or scheming. Although as of current year, tieflings, like everyone else, tend to be shaped by their environment more than their heritage..

Tieflings have been known to live in tiefling centric villages, but they mostly adopt whatever culture they are in by the more populous races of the regions they are in, or internalize stigma and react to it in their own way if ostracized.

## Playing a Tiefling

**Note as of 9/2020, If you play a Hellrider or Ashstalker, you need to give up Infernal Legacy for the Ability you would get as either of those variants**

**Ability Score Increase.** Tieflings have a +2 to Charisma, and a +1 to Int.

**Age.** Tieflings age a bit faster due to their blood curse, living up to about 80 years of age at most.

**Alignment.** Tieflings fall under whatever alignment the society that raised them in is in

**Size.** Tieflings are slightly shorter than humans on average. You are size Medium.

**Speed.** Your walking speed is 30 ft.

**Darkvision.** Thanks to your infernal heritage, you have superior vision in dark and dim conditions. You can see in dim light within 60 feet of you as if it were bright light and in darkness as if it were dim light. You can’t discern color in darkness, only shades of gray.

**Hellish Resistance.** You have resistance to fire damage.

**Infernal Legacy.** You know the Thaumaturgy cantrip. Once you reach 3rd level, you can cast the Hellish Rebuke spell once per day as a 2nd-level spell. And finally, once you reach 5th level you can also cast the Darkness spell once per day. Charisma is your spellcasting ability for these spells.

**Languages.** You can speak, read, and write Common.

### **Hellriders**

**Flaming Fury.** The power of your infernal blood is strong. Once per day, you can magically set your body aflame for a number of of turns equal to your level plus your Constitution modifier. During this period, you are immune to fire damage and any non-spell attacks you make may deal fire damage equal to the damage you were about to deal. If a sword were to deal 1d6 damage, it now deals 1d6 regular damage and 1d6 fire damage

While on fire, any object or creature that makes direct physical contact with you can catch the embers and also light on fire. You can control what you wish to be set aflame directly, but once the fire is passed on to another location you have no control over how the flames are passed on from there.

Creatures you attempt to touch to set aflame must make a Dexterity saving throw to avoid being set ablaze, with a DC equal to 8 + your Proficiency Bonus + your Constitution Modifier. when someone is set aflame, they must make this same check every turn or take 1d6 fire damage. if they fail three turns in a row, they gain a stage of exhaustion.

This ability last for (Con Mod) \* 3 rounds.

You also have the ability to cast Devil (Faerie) Fire and Continual Flame once per long rest

### **Ashstalker**

**Smoke Form.** Your body can dissipate into a cloud of ashen smoke, enabling swift movement and quick escapes. As a reaction, you can transform your physical form into that of a cloud of smoke until the start of your next turn. You have a number of charges for this ability equivalent to half your level rounded up, which refresh fully after a long rest.

When in smoke form, your movement speed rises to 60 ft, and you can float over and through things like rough terrain and enemies. You can see as if you’re using darkvision, and any equipment or items you were holding dissipate with you, similar to a druid's Wild Shape ability. You're immune to non-magical attacks, take standard damage from magical ones, and are vulnerable to Fire, Thunder, and Force Damage.

You also have the ability to cast Expeditious Retreat and Fog Cloud once per long rest