Tiefling
Encyclopedia
Tieflings are a fictional race in the Dungeons and Dragons fantasy tabletop role-playing game.
Tieflings were originally introduced as humans with demon
ic ancestry. A Tiefling is a being whose lineage can be traced back to some degree or another to that of a fiend or demon within the Dungeons & Dragons universe. A tiefling should not be confused with a half-fiend
as half-fiends are generally half mortal being and half fiend or demon, whereas the demonic lineage of a tiefling's ancestry often lies further up the family tree. In 4th Edition Dungeons & Dragons, Tieflings are a race whose human ancestors made a bargain with devils to increase their power.
, when original Planescape
designer David "Zeb" Cook
asked for a Germanic-sounding word for humans with fiendish blood. Baur derived the name from Teufel, or "Devil
" in German
. The direct translation of Tiefling, however, would be "deepling," since tief means "deep." A closer derivation from Teufel would be teufling.
(1994) with more information in the first Planescape Monstrous Compendium Appendix (1994) and the Planewalker's Handbook (1996).
The fey'ri and tanna'ruk tieflings appeared in Monsters of Faerun (2001). The tiefling is presented as a player character race for the Forgotten Realms
setting in the Forgotten Realms Campaign Setting
(2001), and the tiefling and fey'ri appear as player character races in Races of Faerûn (2003).
The tiefling paragon was introduced in Unearthed Arcana
(2004).
The tiefling appears as a player character race in the Planar Handbook (2004), and Races of Destiny (2004).
, 3.5 and previous, Tieflings have any of a number of features that reference (directly or indirectly) their fiendish lineage. These include, but are not limited to, horns located on their heads, pointed sharp teeth, extra fingers, cloven hooves in place of feet, tails, and unusually colored eyes. They exude a feeling of "evil" even though their race has become civil and no longer lusts for power. Many races distrust or outright hate Tieflings seeing them as devil
worshippers. Tiefling villains often live up to this reputation, whereas player characters have the choice to abandon this stereotype.
In 4th edition, tieflings are a core character race and have had their appearance altered. All tieflings possess large thick horns of various styles on their heads, non-prehensile tails approximately 4 to 5 feet in length, sharply pointed teeth, and their eyes are solid orbs of red, black, white, silver, or gold. Tiefling skin ranges through common human shades right into the reds, ranging from brick red to a ruddy tan. Tiefling hair, which starts behind their horns, ranges from dark blue to purple to red in addition to more normal human colors.
In Dungeons & Dragons
version 4.0, tieflings do not associate with a specific god or gods. Their lack of faith also means paladins
and clerics
are seldom, if ever, found. Tieflings have no homeland and are very rare due to a long lasting war with the dragonborn
, another race seen in the 4th edition of Dungeons & Dragons. Most tieflings prefer to be adventurers and rarely ever adventure with their own kin due to the prejudices of other races (people are concerned when two or more of their kind travel together).
. Tieflings of all alignments exist, including good, although many take more shady jobs, such as that of thieves, assassins or spies.
In a standard 3.0 and 3.5 game, Tieflings tend to have an unsettling air about them, and most people are uncomfortable around them, whether they are aware of the tiefling's unsavory ancestry or not.
In 4.0 Tieflings have the same alignments
choices as any other starting character.
campaign setting
, both tieflings and aasimar
are more common than in other settings. Tieflings even have elven
and orc
counterparts (Fey'ri and Tanarruk, respectively). In the 3rd Edition of Dungeons and Dragons, less common varieties of the tiefling were introduced, including a dwarven counterpart, the Maeluth and a halfling counterpart, the Wispling.
campaign setting
, tieflings are a common race available to player character
s, though they are mistrusted and reviled by many inhabitants of the planes.
, which is based on the premise that races from Dungeons and Dragons exist on earth
. Most tieflings in Urban Arcana are humans with horns, although more obvious appearances exist. To regular humans who cannot perceive shadow, they appear to be cynical humans — the horns are not visible to those unable to perceive shadow.
the player character is joined by Annah, a tiefling fighter/thief with a rat-like tail. In Baldur's Gate 2: Shadows of Amn the tiefling bard NPC Haer'Daelis can join the party. In Neverwinter Nights: Hordes of the Underdark
, Valen Shadowbreath, a tiefling weapons master, is a recruitable henchman and potential romance option and in Neverwinter Nights II, tiefling is a playable race and Neeshka, a female tiefling rogue, can join the party.
Tieflings were originally introduced as humans with demon
Demon (Dungeons & Dragons)
In the Dungeons & Dragons fantasy role-playing game, demons are the most widespread race of fiends. The demons are chaotic evil by nature, and are native to the Abyss...
ic ancestry. A Tiefling is a being whose lineage can be traced back to some degree or another to that of a fiend or demon within the Dungeons & Dragons universe. A tiefling should not be confused with a half-fiend
Fiend (Dungeons & Dragons)
Fiends is a term used in the Dungeons & Dragons fantasy role-playing game to refer to any malicious otherworldly creatures within the Dungeons & Dragons universe. These include various races of demons and devils that are of an evil alignment and hail from the Lower Planes...
as half-fiends are generally half mortal being and half fiend or demon, whereas the demonic lineage of a tiefling's ancestry often lies further up the family tree. In 4th Edition Dungeons & Dragons, Tieflings are a race whose human ancestors made a bargain with devils to increase their power.
Publication history
The name "Tiefling" was coined by Wolfgang BaurWolfgang Baur
Wolfgang Baur is an American game designer, best known for his work with Dragon magazine. He designs role-playing games and also is known for his work at Wizards of the Coast.-Biography:...
, when original Planescape
Planescape
Planescape is a campaign setting for the Dungeons & Dragons fantasy role-playing game, originally designed by Zeb Cook. The Planescape setting was published in 1994...
designer David "Zeb" Cook
David Cook (game designer)
David "Zeb" Cook is an American game designer best known for his work at TSR, Inc., where he was employed for over fifteen years.-Early life:...
asked for a Germanic-sounding word for humans with fiendish blood. Baur derived the name from Teufel, or "Devil
Devil
The Devil is believed in many religions and cultures to be a powerful, supernatural entity that is the personification of evil and the enemy of God and humankind. The nature of the role varies greatly...
" in German
German language
German is a West Germanic language, related to and classified alongside English and Dutch. With an estimated 90 – 98 million native speakers, German is one of the world's major languages and is the most widely-spoken first language in the European Union....
. The direct translation of Tiefling, however, would be "deepling," since tief means "deep." A closer derivation from Teufel would be teufling.
Advanced Dungeons & Dragons 2nd edition (1989-1999)
The tiefling was introduced in the Planescape Campaign SettingPlanescape Campaign Setting
The Planescape Campaign Setting was a boxed set for the Dungeons & Dragons fantasy role-playing game. The set was designed by David "Zeb" Cook and published in 1994, and introduced the Planescape setting.-Contents:...
(1994) with more information in the first Planescape Monstrous Compendium Appendix (1994) and the Planewalker's Handbook (1996).
Dungeons & Dragons 3.0 edition (2000-2002)
The tiefling appears in the Monster Manual for this edition (2000) under the planetouched entry.The fey'ri and tanna'ruk tieflings appeared in Monsters of Faerun (2001). The tiefling is presented as a player character race for the Forgotten Realms
Forgotten Realms
The Forgotten Realms is a campaign setting for the Dungeons & Dragons fantasy role-playing game. Commonly referred to by players and game designers alike as "The Realms", it was created by game designer Ed Greenwood around 1967 as a setting for his childhood stories...
setting in the Forgotten Realms Campaign Setting
Forgotten Realms Campaign Setting
The Forgotten Realms Campaign Setting is a role-playing game sourcebook first published in 1987, detailing the Forgotten Realms setting, containing information on characters, locations, and history as well as setting-specific rules for use with the Dungeons & Dragons role-playing game...
(2001), and the tiefling and fey'ri appear as player character races in Races of Faerûn (2003).
Dungeons & Dragons 3.5 edition (2003-2007)
The tiefling appears in the revised Monster Manual for this edition (2003) under the planetouched entry.The tiefling paragon was introduced in Unearthed Arcana
Unearthed Arcana
Unearthed Arcana is the title shared by two hardback books published for different editions of the Dungeons & Dragons fantasy role-playing game...
(2004).
The tiefling appears as a player character race in the Planar Handbook (2004), and Races of Destiny (2004).
Dungeons & Dragons 4th edition (2008-)
The tiefling appears as a player character race in the Player's Handbook for this edition (2008), and again in Heroes of the Forgotten Kingdom (2010). Tieflings also have a racial book dedicated to them in this edition, Player's Handbook Races: Tieflings.Fictional history
In Dungeons & Dragons, the story of the humans' descent into the Tiefling race took place in the Empire of Bael Turath. Long ago, Bael Turath was one of the greatest nations in all of humankind's history. In the Empire, the noble class was completely obsessed with preserving and gaining power. Rumors of their schemes and obsession with power reached a realm called the Nine Hells, located around the Astral Sea. The devil creatures that resided in the Nine Hells gave the noble and ruling classes of Bael Turath visions while they slept, which contained the directions for a grisly, month-long ritual that would extend their rule into eternity. The details of the ritual have been left unclear in the books from the Player's Handbook series describing the events, though it is described as being very horrible. As the ritual demanded the participation of every noble house, those that refused where wholly slaughtered. Once this was done, the nobles and ruling class began their ritual. Afterwards, devils from the Nine Hells began to appear and the nobles gladly made pacts with them. These pacts gave power to the nobles and their descendants forever, but also gave them the devilish features of horns, non-prehensile tails, sharpened teeth, and red skin. Thus began the race known as the Tiefling.Tiefling aspects
In earlier versions of Dungeons & DragonsDungeons & Dragons
Dungeons & Dragons is a fantasy role-playing game originally designed by Gary Gygax and Dave Arneson, and first published in 1974 by Tactical Studies Rules, Inc. . The game has been published by Wizards of the Coast since 1997...
, 3.5 and previous, Tieflings have any of a number of features that reference (directly or indirectly) their fiendish lineage. These include, but are not limited to, horns located on their heads, pointed sharp teeth, extra fingers, cloven hooves in place of feet, tails, and unusually colored eyes. They exude a feeling of "evil" even though their race has become civil and no longer lusts for power. Many races distrust or outright hate Tieflings seeing them as devil
Devil (Dungeons & Dragons)
In the Dungeons & Dragons roleplaying game, devils are a powerful group of monsters used as a high-level challenge for players of the game. Devils are Lawful Evil in alignment and originate from the Nine Hells of Baator. True to their Lawful Evil alignment, devils are locked in a strict and brutal...
worshippers. Tiefling villains often live up to this reputation, whereas player characters have the choice to abandon this stereotype.
In 4th edition, tieflings are a core character race and have had their appearance altered. All tieflings possess large thick horns of various styles on their heads, non-prehensile tails approximately 4 to 5 feet in length, sharply pointed teeth, and their eyes are solid orbs of red, black, white, silver, or gold. Tiefling skin ranges through common human shades right into the reds, ranging from brick red to a ruddy tan. Tiefling hair, which starts behind their horns, ranges from dark blue to purple to red in addition to more normal human colors.
In Dungeons & Dragons
Dungeons & Dragons
Dungeons & Dragons is a fantasy role-playing game originally designed by Gary Gygax and Dave Arneson, and first published in 1974 by Tactical Studies Rules, Inc. . The game has been published by Wizards of the Coast since 1997...
version 4.0, tieflings do not associate with a specific god or gods. Their lack of faith also means paladins
Paladin (Dungeons & Dragons)
The paladin is one of the standard playable character classes in most editions of the Dungeons & Dragons fantasy role-playing game. The paladin is a holy knight, crusading in the name of good and order, and is a divine spellcaster...
and clerics
Cleric (Dungeons & Dragons)
The cleric is one of the standard playable character class in the Dungeons & Dragons fantasy role-playing game. In the game, clerics are versatile figures, both capable in combat and skilled in the use of divine magic. Clerics are powerful healers due to the large number of healing and curative...
are seldom, if ever, found. Tieflings have no homeland and are very rare due to a long lasting war with the dragonborn
Dragonborn
The dragonborn are a fictional race in the Dungeons & Dragons fantasy tabletop role-playing game.-Publication history:The dragonborn was originally introduced in the Dungeons & Dragons 3.5 supplement book Races of the Dragon, published by Wizards of the Coast in 2006...
, another race seen in the 4th edition of Dungeons & Dragons. Most tieflings prefer to be adventurers and rarely ever adventure with their own kin due to the prejudices of other races (people are concerned when two or more of their kind travel together).
Alignment
Unlike half-fiends, tieflings are not necessarily of evil alignmentsAlignment (Dungeons & Dragons)
In the Dungeons & Dragons fantasy role-playing game, alignment is a categorization of the ethical and moral perspective of people, creatures and societies....
. Tieflings of all alignments exist, including good, although many take more shady jobs, such as that of thieves, assassins or spies.
In a standard 3.0 and 3.5 game, Tieflings tend to have an unsettling air about them, and most people are uncomfortable around them, whether they are aware of the tiefling's unsavory ancestry or not.
In 4.0 Tieflings have the same alignments
Alignment (Dungeons & Dragons)
In the Dungeons & Dragons fantasy role-playing game, alignment is a categorization of the ethical and moral perspective of people, creatures and societies....
choices as any other starting character.
Tieflings in various campaign settings
Tieflings appear in a number of campaign settings, including the following notable examples:Tieflings in the Forgotten Realms
In the Forgotten RealmsForgotten Realms
The Forgotten Realms is a campaign setting for the Dungeons & Dragons fantasy role-playing game. Commonly referred to by players and game designers alike as "The Realms", it was created by game designer Ed Greenwood around 1967 as a setting for his childhood stories...
campaign setting
Campaign setting
A campaign setting is usually a fictional world which serves as a setting for a role-playing game or wargame campaign. A campaign is a series of individual adventures, and a campaign setting is the world in which such adventures and campaigns take place...
, both tieflings and aasimar
Aasimar
In the Dungeons & Dragons fantasy role-playing game, aasimar are a fictional race of humanoid creatures who are descended from celestials, angels and other creatures of good alignment...
are more common than in other settings. Tieflings even have elven
Elf (Dungeons & Dragons)
In the Dungeons & Dragons fantasy role-playing game, elves are a fictional humanoid race that is one of the primary races available for play as player characters. Elves are renowned for their grace and mastery of magic and weapons such as the sword and bow...
and orc
Orc (Dungeons & Dragons)
In the Dungeons & Dragons roleplaying game, orcs are a primitive race of savage, bestial, barbaric humanoid.-Publication history:The orc was one of the earliest creatures introduced in the D&D game. The D&D orc is largely based upon the orcs appearing in the works of J.R.R...
counterparts (Fey'ri and Tanarruk, respectively). In the 3rd Edition of Dungeons and Dragons, less common varieties of the tiefling were introduced, including a dwarven counterpart, the Maeluth and a halfling counterpart, the Wispling.
Tieflings in Planescape
In the PlanescapePlanescape
Planescape is a campaign setting for the Dungeons & Dragons fantasy role-playing game, originally designed by Zeb Cook. The Planescape setting was published in 1994...
campaign setting
Campaign setting
A campaign setting is usually a fictional world which serves as a setting for a role-playing game or wargame campaign. A campaign is a series of individual adventures, and a campaign setting is the world in which such adventures and campaigns take place...
, tieflings are a common race available to player character
Player character
A player character or playable character is a character in a video game or role playing game who is controlled or controllable by a player, and is typically a protagonist of the story told in the course of the game. A player character is a persona of the player who controls it. Player characters...
s, though they are mistrusted and reviled by many inhabitants of the planes.
Tieflings in Urban Arcana
Tieflings are a playable race in Urban ArcanaUrban Arcana
Urban Arcana is a campaign setting for the d20 Modern roleplaying game that builds on a small campaign model included in the original rulebook. It adds much in the way of magic and monsters to the game, and contains rules for things such as playing Shadowkind characters.In the world of Urban...
, which is based on the premise that races from Dungeons and Dragons exist on earth
Earth
Earth is the third planet from the Sun, and the densest and fifth-largest of the eight planets in the Solar System. It is also the largest of the Solar System's four terrestrial planets...
. Most tieflings in Urban Arcana are humans with horns, although more obvious appearances exist. To regular humans who cannot perceive shadow, they appear to be cynical humans — the horns are not visible to those unable to perceive shadow.
In other media
In the PC game Planescape: TormentPlanescape: Torment
Planescape: Torment is a computer role-playing game developed for Windows by Black Isle Studios and released on December 12, 1999 by Interplay Entertainment. It takes place in Planescape, an Advanced Dungeons & Dragons fantasy campaign setting...
the player character is joined by Annah, a tiefling fighter/thief with a rat-like tail. In Baldur's Gate 2: Shadows of Amn the tiefling bard NPC Haer'Daelis can join the party. In Neverwinter Nights: Hordes of the Underdark
Neverwinter Nights: Hordes of the Underdark
Neverwinter Nights: Hordes of the Underdark is an expansion pack for the role-playing video game Neverwinter Nights produced by BioWare and published by Infogrames Entertainment...
, Valen Shadowbreath, a tiefling weapons master, is a recruitable henchman and potential romance option and in Neverwinter Nights II, tiefling is a playable race and Neeshka, a female tiefling rogue, can join the party.
External links
- Tiefling – d20D20 SystemThe d20 System is a role-playing game system published in 2000 by Wizards of the Coast originally developed for the third edition of Dungeons & Dragons...
System Reference DocumentSystem Reference DocumentThe System Reference Document, or SRD, is a set of reference role playing game mechanics licensed under the Open Game License by Wizards of the Coast and based upon their Dungeons and Dragons role-playing game. The SRD forms the basis of WotC's various d20 System role-playing games, including the...
entry - www.wizards.com The news of the Tieflings new role in 4th edition.
- www.dnd4.com/rumors