Outsider Origins

The key aspect of a Tiefling is their origins. The reason why Tieflings first come to be is different for most settings, but here are a few examples;

• Forgotten Realms. Tieflings are usually human-based planetouched, usually by creatures such as devils, demons and yugoloths, the type of Tiefling most people know being descended from Asmodeus. Other Tieflings born of powerful gods exist as well, such as the Tieflings of Beshaba, who often sported antlers and pale, white hair, or those of Mask who often cast no reflection.
• Eberron. The original Tieflings were likely created when the people of Ohr Kaluun in Sarlona pursued arcane knowledge through the formation of pacts with devils. This had corrupted their bloodlines, and similar to the Forgotten Realms, Tieflings can be born from human parents in areas such as the Demon Wastes.
• Exandria. Tieflings in Exandria, featured in the Crtical Role series, have a suspected origin in Issylra during the Age of Arcanum. With this theory, Tieflings seemingly originate from a cabal of Warlocks seeking power from fiends, therefore tainting their children with fiendish qualities. A secondary theory suggests that Tieflings instead originate from the city of Ghors Dranas, as the inhabitants tied their bloodlines to Asmodeus for magical knowledge.
• Etharis. Tieflings in Grim Hollow's world of Etharis don't exist in the same way they do in the Forgotten Realms. Instead, they are simply known as "Fiends" and are simply humanoid creatures who are slowly becoming Fiendish beings through a transformation brought about by a pact, curse, or other arcane means. As a result, there are many reasons why a "Fiend" may exist in Etharis, whether they had made a pact with another Fiend, have gone through an infernal ritual, or were perhaps cursed before they were born.

Something all of these origins have in common is a ancestry of fiends, most commonly devils. As a result, most Tieflings tend to have devilish qualities rather than demonic or features similar to a yugoloth. Due to the ever-changing worlds of Dungeons and Dragons, and the ability for Dungeon Masters to create your own lore and worlds, Tieflings can be changed significantly, or not at all depending on the setting. Perhaps Tieflings don't actually exist, and is instead a curse laid upon creatures.

Are they Feared?

Public opinion towards Tieflings within any fantasy world tends to vary. Sometimes, Tieflings are common and understood enough that they aren't treated with hatred or fear, while other worlds see Tieflings as evil beings, bringers of misfortune, or secret agents to fiendish beings, whether or not these rumors are grounded in truth or not. This is very much a form of bigotry, and is completely optional in your Dungeons and Dragons game, but be sure to talk to your fellow players before including sensitive topics.

What do we have so far?

Tieflings already in 5e are fairly underwhelming compared to other media and homebrew, but there is still quite a bit of variation between them. Below is a list of Tieflings already within official sources;

• Standard/Asmodeus Tiefling. The most common Tiefling you will usually find, contained within the Player's Handbook.
• Feral Tiefling. A Tiefling that focuses on Dexterity rather than Charisma, found within the Sword Coast Adventurer's Guide, along with Winged Tieflings.
• Winged Tieflings. A variant of Tiefling that has an innate flying speed, with devilish wings sprouting from their back, found within the Sword Coast Adventurer's Guide, along with Feral Tieflings.
• Devil's Tongue/Hellfire Variants. A group of variant Tieflings that replace the default Tiefling's Infernal Legacy ability.
• Fiendish Variant Tieflings. An assortment of different Tieflings based on the Nine Archdevils of the Nine Hells, each with their own unique abilities and statistic changes, found within Mordenkainen's Tome of Foes.

What can we add?

In terms of Tieflings, there are quite a few we can add, with different ways of adding them. Below is a list of Tieflings that are added within this supplement;

• Variant Race Tieflings. Tieflings that hail from races other than humans, usually being a variant race that replaces certain aspects of the original race, while keeping other traits, doing away with the seperate Tiefling Race altogether.
• Demonic Tieflings. Tieflings that originate from Demons rather than Devils, such as Graz'zt, Orcus, Demogorgon, etc.
• Customizable Tieflings. Tieflings have an extreme amount of potential in terms of creativity and origin, seeing as a Tiefling is more or less considered a "planetouched."

Tiefling Templates

Below are a list of templates you may use to place onto an existing race within the game, similar to the template system found in 3e/3.5e D&D. Talk with your DM before using these variants, as some combinations may end up being more or less powerful than their original race.

Instead of recreating all the races, we will instead list the changes that are made to a race when using this variant. Tieflings descended from Humans should use the standard Tiefling race found in official sources, or the standalone Tiefling races found within this supplement in the case of Demonic or Yugoloth Tieflings.. The following changes to every other race are;

Race Template: Demonic

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• Ability Score Increase. Depending on your Demonic Legacy, increase one Ability Score by 2, and another by 1. Ignore the second ability score increase if you are using a subrace, as with Devilish variants.
• Abyssal Legacy. Choose an Abyssal Legacy found within the Abyssal Tiefling race and replace one of your major racial traits (ex. High Elf Tiefling may replace their Fey Ancestry with an Abyssal Legacy)
• Languages. You can speak, read, and write Abyssal, along with any other languages your race grants you.

Abyssal Bloodline

If Tieflings born from devils are still human-like in appearance some devilish qualities, the same can be said about Abyssal Tieflings with abyssal qualities. An Abyssal Tiefling tends to retain certain traits that they inherit from their Archdemon, whether that be a more Tiefling-like appearance and with the Archdemon Graz'zt, or a more feral, hyena-like appearance when descended from Yeenoghu, the appearance of an Abyssal Tiefling varies much more than Infernal Tieflings do. Most, however, can be catagorized as "humanlike" similar to Infernal Tieflings, but with varying animal-like qualities. One may have a boar's tusks, while another may have large antlers similar to that of a moose. Some may have strange, goat-like eyes, and others with elongated arms similar to that of a great ape. Others are almost indistinguishable from their devilish kin, while others look almost like they're made of a strange ooze. An important fact to note is that not all Abyssal Tieflings resemble their exact Demon Lord, as there are many different types of demons within the Abyss, meaning a solid pattern for certain types of Abyssal Tieflings are only partly reliable.

Abyssal Tiefling

• Ability Score Increase. Your Strength Score increases by 2, and your Constitution Score increases by 1.
• Age. Tieflings mature at the same rate as humans but live a few years longer.
• Alignment. Tieflings might not have an innate tendency toward evil, but many of them end up there. Evil or not, an independent nature inclines many tieflings toward a chaotic alignment.
• Darkvision. Thanks to your abyssal 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.
• Abyssal Legacy. You know the fire bolt cantrip. Once you reach 3rd level, you can cast the detect magic spell once per day as a 2nd-level spell; you must finish a long rest in order to cast the spell again using this trait. Once you reach 5th level, you can also cast the alter self spell; you must finish a long rest in order to cast the spell again using this trait. Strength is your spellcasting ability for these spells.
• Languages. You can speak, read and write Common and Abyssal

Demogorgon Tiefling

• Ability Score Increase. Your Strength Score increases by 2, and your Constitution Score increases by 1.
• Legacy of Demogorgon. You know the fire bolt cantrip. Once you reach 3rd level, you can cast the detect magic spell once per day as a 2nd-level spell; you must finish a long rest in order to cast the spell again using this trait. Once you reach 5th level, you can also cast the alter self spell; you must finish a long rest in order to cast the spell again using this trait. Strength is your spellcasting ability for these spells.

Orcus Tiefling

• Ability Score Increase. Your Strength Score increases by 2, and your Charisma Score increases by 1.
• Legacy of Orcus. You know the toll the dead cantrip. Once you reach 3rd level, you can cast the inflict wounds spell once per day as a 2nd-level spell; you must finish a long rest in order to cast the spell again using this trait. Once you reach 5th level, you can also cast the ray of enfeeblement spell; you must finish a long rest in order to cast the spell again using this trait. Charisma is your spellcasting ability for these spells.

Graz'zt Tiefling

• Ability Score Increase. Your Strength Score increases by 2, and your Charisma Score increases by 1.
• Legacy of Graz'zt. You know the vicious mockery cantrip. Once you reach 3rd level, you can cast the detect magic spell once per day as a 2nd-level spell; you must finish a long rest in order to cast the spell again using this trait. Once you reach 5th level, you can also cast the suggestion spell; you must finish a long rest in order to cast the spell again using this trait. Charisma is your spellcasting ability for these spells.

Baphomet Tiefling

• Ability Score Increase. Your Strength Score increases by 2, and your Constitution Score increases by 1.
• Legacy of Baphomet. You know the poison spray cantrip. Once you reach 3rd level, you can cast the animal friendship spell once per day as a 2nd-level spell; you must finish a long rest in order to cast the spell again using this trait. Once you reach 5th level, you can also cast the pass without trace spell; you must finish a long rest in order to cast the spell again using this trait. Strength is your spellcasting ability for these spells.

Lolth Tiefling

Lolth Tieflings vary from person to person - some have strange spider-like qualities, or they may resemble a typical drow with physical changes, such as eyes that are a solid color.

• Ability Score Increase. Your Charisma Score increases by 2, and your Dexterity Score increases by 1.
• Legacy of Lolth. You know the dancing lights cantrip. Once you reach 3rd level, you can cast the faerie fire spell once per day; you must finish a long rest in order to cast the spell again using this trait. When you reach 5th level, you can also cast the darkness spell once per day; you must finish a long rest in order to cast the spell again using this trait. Charisma is your spellcasting ability for these spells.

Tiamat Tiefling

Tieflings of Tiamat resemble normal Tieflings, but with patches of scales on their body, usually around their joints such as shoulders, elbows, hands and the spine, with horns usually seen on a Dragon adorning their head.

• Ability Score Increase. Your Charisma Score increases by 2, and your Constitution Score increases by 1.
• Legacy of Tiamat. Instead of a selection of spells, you can use your action to exhale destructive energy. Your fiendish-draconic ancestry restricts your breath weapon to fire damage in a 15 ft. cone (Dex. save). You are already resistant to fire damage. When you use your breath weapon, each creature in the area of the exhalation must make a saving throw, the type of which is determined by your draconic ancestry. The DC for this saving throw equals 8 + your Constitution modifier + your proficiency bonus. A creature takes 2d6 damage on a failed save, and half as much damage on a successful one. The damage increases to 3d6 at 6th level, 4d6 at 11th level, and 5d6 at 16th level. After you use your breath weapon, you can't use it again until you complete a short or long rest.

Custom Tiefling

• Age. Tieflings mature at the same rate as humans but live a few years longer.
• Alignment. Tieflings might not have an innate tendency toward evil, but many of them end up there. Evil or not, an independent nature inclines many tieflings toward a chaotic alignment.
• Size. Tieflings are about the same size and build as humans. Your size is Medium.
• Ability Score Increase. Increase two Ability Scores of your choice, one by 2, the other by 1.
• Darkvision. Thanks to your outsider 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.
• Outsider Resistance. You have resistance to one damage type out of the following; cold, fire, lightning, necrotic, psychic, or radiant. Choose one that best fits the Outsider you claim heritage from (ex. A Tiefling borne of a Yugoloth may have resistance to cold, fire or lightning damage, as most Yugoloths have said resistances.)
• Outsider Legacy. You gain one cantrip of your choice at level 1. You gain one 1st-level spell that you may cast at second level at level 3. At level 5, you gain one 2nd-level spell. You may cast these spells once per long rest.