Tieflings Reimagined
This is a reimagining of the tiefling race, created as an equal opposite to the aasimar. As the aasimar are influenced by the gods and the holy at birth, these tieflings are touched by the evil and devilish. With your DM's approval you can use these options in place of the tiefling options laid out in the Player's Handbook.
An Evil Interest
Tieflings are the result of a soul that is corrupted by evil before it enters the world, most often for the purposes of spreading a particular brand of hatred and spite to the material plane. Births of tieflings are generally considered an extremely ill omen, and can often signal that a particular region or community has the interest of some powerful and wicked being.
The implications of a tiefling birth very often lead to it being feared or hated for reasons it cannot possibly understand, even by its own parents.
A Lonesome Existence
Tieflings, unlike aasimar, lack the company of an angelic guide through their lives. Demons and devils normally don't care much for the affairs of their human pawns. This abandonment can often lead tieflings to develop an inherent self-loathing, but can also lead others to turn against their evil inheritance with all of their might.
Those who do reject their evil origins and fight for good can become arisen, a physical transformation signifying their strength of will in the face of evil.
Tiefling Traits
Tieflings share certain racial traits as a result of their infernal descent.
Ability Score Increase. Your Charisma score increases by 2.
Age. Tieflings mature at the same rate as humans but live a few years longer.
Alignment. Tieflings have an innate evil within them, but just as many end up being good or neutral as evil. All tieflings must come to terms with their devilish blood, however, which can be difficult to resist.
Size. Tieflings are about the same size and build as humans. Your size is medium.
Speed. Your base walking speed is 30 feet.
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.
Hellfire You know the fire bolt cantrip. Charisma is your spellcasting ability for it.
Languages. You can speak, read, and write Common.
Subrace. Three forms of Tiefling exist: abyssal, arisen, and hellish. Choose one of them for your character.
Abyssal
Abyssal tieflings are those infused with the chaotic essence of the Abyss plane. Some chaotic evil creature has infested their bloodline and caused them to take on an air of chaos. Abyssal tieflings come in many shapes, sizes and colors, and they tend to be the most varied race of tieflings, sometimes growing a second tail, a menagerie of horns, or some even more outlandish features.
Ability Score Increase. Your Constitution score increases by 1
Chaotic Cloak. Starting at 3rd level, you can use your action to envelop yourself in the chaotic energy of the Abyss, causing your skin to fluctuate in shade and texture, and a cloak of shimmering chaos to obscure your form.
When you transform, choose one of the following damage types: cold, lightning, poison, or thunder. Your transformation lasts for 1 minute or until you end it as a bonus action. During it, you can deal extra damage of that type to one target when you deal damage to it with a melee attack. The extra damage equals your level.
Additionally, when you move on your turn, you can spend your bonus action to briefly assume a flowing, formless shape, allowing you to move through areas as small as 1-foot wide. This form is only assumed while you move, reforming you into your normal shape when you stop. You can't end your movement in any space you wouldn't normally be able to fit within, and will be ejected into the closest adjacent space and take 1d10 bludgeoning damage if you do.
Once you use this trait, you can't use it again until you finish a long rest.
Tongue of the Abyss. You speak, read, and write Abyssal
Arisen
The arisen are those tieflings who reject their evil origins and pursue good alignments. The powers of evil still flow through the veins of the arisen, but they have been changed at their base level. Azure flames of holy light protect those who defy their evil heritage, and those they seek to protect as well. Arisen tieflings retain the appearance of whichever subrace they were born as, but often develop softer features or a lighter blue skin tone when they rise.
Ability Score Increase. Your Wisdom score increases by 1
Empowering Guard. Starting at 3rd level, you can use your action to unleash your infernal power, burning your soul and flooding your eyes with brilliant light. When you transform, an incorporeal pair of flightless white wings sprout from your back
Your transformation lasts for 1 minute or until you end it as a bonus action. During it, you shed blue light in a 15-foot radius and dim light for an additional 15 feet. Additionally, a barrier of swirling azure flame materializes around you, granting you a bonus to your AC equal to your level divided by 5 (minimum of 1). On your turn, you can use your bonus action to transfer this barrier and its effect to another creature within 30 feet of you.
Once you use this trait, you can't use it again until you finish a long rest.
Tongue of the Holy. You speak, read, and write Celestial
Infernal
Infernal tieflings hold the influence of the nine hells in their bloodline. Asmodeus' own ilk seep into the blood of these tieflings, drawing them toward a lawful variety of pure evil. Infernal tieflings are the most common of the bunch, and take on the stereotypical tiefling appearance.
Ability Score Increase. Your Intelligence score increases by 1
Avatar of Flame. Starting at 3rd level, you can use your action to breathe hellfire out of your every pore, wreathing your entire form in violent tongues of flame.
Your transformation lasts for 1 minute or until you end it as a bonus action. During it, you shed bright light in a 20-foot radius and dim light for an additional 20 feet. When you use the firebolt cantrip on your turn while transformed, you can add an amount of fire damage equal to your level to the damage dealt. Additionally, when a creature ends its turn within melee range of you, that creature takes an amount of fire damage equal to your proficiency bonus.
Once you use this trait, you can't use it again until you finish a long rest.
Tongue of the Nine Hells. You speak, read, and write Infernal
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Reimagined Tiefling v1.5 Final
Background
The Tiefling race is one I've always loved the idea of. Their appearance and amazing theme drew me in immediately, but the lack of strong, defining features or mechanics left me seriously wanting. I've done several homebrews centering on tieflings, and this is my latest.
I took the idea from some material I was writing for a setting, which had the upper and lower planes be metaphorical mirrors of one another, with both good and bad aspects on both sides. I of course had to address the existence of aasimar in this effort, and this made me think of what a demonic form of aasimar would be like. The result was something that seemed very similar to a tiefling, and so here we have my alternative!
I hope you like this race rework!
/u/SubjectiveSloth
Changes from v0.5
- General rewording and editing for clarity and consistency.
- Reworded Alignment trait.
- Removed touch of the nine hells.
- Distributed a second language to each subrace, instead of all getting infernal.
- Reworked Chaotic Cloak.
- Added scaling to Empowering Guard.
- Removed resistance bypass from Avatar of Flame.
- Added proximity fire damage to Avatar of Flame/
- New in 1.5: Pictures and Lore!
My Other Works:
- Bloodrager and Whirlwind Barbarian Paths
- Spell Rarity System
- Tiefling Subraces for the Lords of the Nine
- Siren and Rusalka monsters
- Thediem, Master of Everything
- The Mechanist subclass for the UA Arteficer
- For Honor subclasses for 5e
- Naeris, The Mythic Dragon Monster
- Tieflings Reimagined
- Trapper Rogue
- Fey-Touched Sorcerer
- Inner Self Monk
- Elemental Barbarian
- Bard College of Doors
- Nomad Class
- Fringe Seeker Rogue
- Way of Balance Monk
- Non-Human Aasimar Variants
- Bard College of Flavor
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