Tiefling

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Tiefling

Born to rule...but why?

Origins

Tieflings are a manufactured race. A product of eugenics. The forges of Hell were put to work manufacturing a master race of humanoids. These humanoids would walk the Prime Material, standing taller, prouder and more fierce than the races they so resembled. They would be perfect engines of conquest, and in subjugating the peoples of the Prime Material, the devils of Hell would gain worshipers and power. Power they could use against their enemies, whether it be the demons of the Abyss or the zealous Celestials.

The devils who ran the bioforges were too clever by half. They needed a race which would be strong, but not too strong. Handsome, but not disruptively so. If a race were introduced to the Prime Material which stood too obviously above the rest, it would unite the other races against them, and the plan would fail. So the superiority had to be subtle.

There was also the matter of introducing them to the world. The devils couldn't just drop a million new Tieflings on the Prime Material and expect them to be welcomed and integrated into the myriad societies. Instead, the Tieflings were sent in small groups, spread across many worlds. Some were left in dungeon cells, when it was known that nearby heroes might 'rescue' them. Others were simply given trade goods, or trained in crafts that a town desperately needed.

At first, the people encountering these strange beings were alarmed, because the devils had instilled in the Tieflings a beauty that met with the aesthetic of devils: they were ruddy of skin, varying between crimson red to a deep auburn tan; they had dark hair and solid black eyes; and perhaps most alarming, they had horns! In most other ways, they looked like any other humanoid -- tall, well-formed and with a sturdy gracefulness. But many saw the horns as the mark of monsters, and shunned them. Others were cautious, but accepting. In the towns where they were allowed in, the Tieflings settled in, made friends easily, offered useful skills and talents, and were generally good townsfolk. Eventually, the other townsfolk grew less guarded, more accepting. Tieflings, after all, were no stranger than Changelings or Mallori, so why should their facial features be cause for hating them?

And at this moment of acceptance, when the genesmiths of Hell had designed the Tieflings to strike out at their new neighbors, capitalizing on their hard-won trust, the Tieflings did nothing. The master race of the devils chose their own path. One not dictated by the imperialist designs of Hell, but by the individual whims of the Tiefling people.

Of course, as with any race acting as individuals, things weren't smooth. The devils sent imps and other messengers to entreat, threaten or cajole the Tieflings into cooperating with the plan. They offered them places of prestige in the new world they would create, positions of power and wealth, or comfort and debauchery. And the Tieflings discovered in themselves a genetic drive to excel, to seek out challenges and overcome them, and indeed to express their might upon the world around them. Many chose to seek wealth, fame or hedonism on their own. They told the devils they were free, and would do as they chose.

Other Tieflings were not so quick to toss their creators' offers aside, however. Many saw the wisdom of having powerful backers in their personal acquisition of power. And if the power they accumulated was for the ultimate purpose of creating worshipers for Hell, that didn't make the power any less real, or any less the possession of the Tiefling who wields it. These Tieflings follow the orthodox path, the path of their makers. They are the master race, the ones designed to rule and conquer, either by might or by guile.

The orthodox Tieflings consider the Tieflings who rejected the devils to be separatists, and view them as traitors, cowards and thin-blooded. The separatist Tieflings just view themselves as Tieflings, and see the orthodox Tieflings as zealots, cultists and madmen.

Starting Height and Weight

Gender	Base Height	Height Modifier	Weight	Weight Modifier
Male	5 ft. 0 in.	+2d8 in. (5 ft. 2 in. - 6 ft. 4 in.)	130 lbs.	+(2d8×7 lbs.) (144 - 242 lbs.)
Female	4 ft. 9 in.	+2d6 in. (4 ft. 11 in. - 6 ft. 1 in.)	90 lbs.	+(2d8×7 lbs.) (104 - 146 lbs.)

Starting Ages

Adulthood	Intuitive	Self-Taught	Trained
15 years	+2d4 years (17 - 23 years)	+3d4 years (18 - 27 years)	+4d4 years (19 - 31 years)

PC's

Tieflings have no class or alignment restrictions.

Standard Racial Traits

All Tieflings have the following Standard Racial Advantages:

• Attributes: Tieflings may choose to gain one of the following ability score bonus sets when creating their character. No ability score may ever be modified above a 20 or below a 7.
  • +2 to two different stats, -2 to one stat
  • +2 to one stat, +1 to three different stats, -2 to one stat
  • +4 to one stat, -2 to two different stats

• Size: Tieflings are Medium creatures and thus receive no bonuses or penalties due to their size.

• Type: Tieflings have the Humanoid type, with the Tiefling subtype.

• Base Speed: Tieflings have a base speed of 30 feet.

• Languages: Tieflings begin play speaking Common and Draconic. Tieflings with high Intelligence scores can choose from the following: Abyssal, Aklo, Celestial, D'ziriak, Erebral, Exaction, Infernal, Reave, and Yestermine. See the Languages skill page for more information about these languages.

• Darkvision (Ex): Tieflings can see perfectly in the dark up to 60 feet.

Major Racial Traits

Choose one of the following Major Racial Traits:

• Infernal Resistance (Su): Tieflings with this racial trait have energy resistance (ER) versus fire damage. The value of the ER is 5 plus half the Tiefling's character level (round down, minimum 0).

• Supplicant (Ex): Tieflings with this racial trait choose either the Diplomacy skill or the Knowledge (planes) skill, and may add half their character level as a racial bonus to that skill (round down, minimum 1). At 10th level, they may add half their character level as a racial bonus to the other skill (round down). Both skills become class skills at 1st level if they are not already.

• Darknessborn (Sp): A Tiefling with this racial trait may cast Protection From Evil (or Good, chosen at the time this trait is selected) as a spell-like ability once per day. At 10th level, he can cast it up to 3 times per day. At 25th level, he can also cast Communal Protection From Evil (or Good, matching the original selection) as a spell-like ability once per day.

• Negative Energy Affinity (Su): A Tiefling with this racial trait may add 1 point of negative energy damage per two Character levels (round down, minimum 1), to any effect they produce from any source (spells, items, class abilities, etc) which already deals negative energy damage. This extra damage may only be applied once per creature per round. Conversely, when using a weapon that deals negative energy damage, this racial trait instead adds 1 point of additional negative energy damage to the weapon's base damage (meaning it increases with the weapon's damage at 8th, 15th, 22nd and 29th levels, is multiplied on a crit, and is neither bonus nor precision damage). This damage is applied each time a creature is struck by the weapon. Rays are considered 'effects' for purposes of this trait, not weapons. Weapons or spells which do not already deal negative energy damage gain no benefit from this trait.

Minor Racial Traits

Choose one of the following Minor Racial Traits:

• Agile Tail (Ex): A Tiefling with this racial trait can use his tail to retrieve small, stowed objects carried on his person and place the object into his hand as a swift action. The retrieved object cannot weigh more than 5 pounds. If the Tiefling does not have a free hand to take the object, the Tiefling can hold it with his tail. He cannot retrieve another item until he drops the item or hands it off to his hand, nor can he make acrobatics checks until the object is released.

• Shadow Child (Su): A Tiefling with this racial trait can ignore the miss chance when attacking a creature with partial concealment (20% miss chance). This trait has no effect against total concealment (50% miss chance) or cover of any kind.

• Anatomist (Ex): A Tiefling with this racial trait gains a +2 racial bonus on attack rolls made to confirm a critical hit. This bonus improves to +4 at 20th level. In addition, when performing a coup-de-grace, the Tiefling deals a bonus +1d6 damage as precision damage to the target. This bonus precision damage improves to +2d6 at 10th level, +3d6 at 20th level, and +4d6 at 30th level.

• Accomplished Liar (Ex): A Tiefling with this racial trait gains Bluff and Sense Motive as class skills if they are not already. He gains a +2 racial bonus to Bluff if he has at least 1 rank in it. This racial bonus improves to +3 if he has 10 or more ranks in the skill, +4 if he has 20 or more ranks, and +5 if he has 30 or more ranks. At 10th level, he gains a +2 racial bonus to Sense Motive if he has at least 1 rank in it. This racial bonus improves to +3 if he has 10 or more ranks in the skill, +4 if he has 20 or more ranks, and +5 if he has 30 or more ranks.

• Infernal Artistry (Ex): A Tiefling with this racial trait gains Craft as a class skill and treats it as a Charisma-based skill instead of an Intelligence-based skill. In addition, the Tiefling may add a +2 racial bonus to any Craft check in which he has at least 1 rank. This racial bonus improves to +3 if he has 10 or more ranks in the skill, +4 if he has 20 or more ranks, and +5 if he has 30 or more ranks.