Quick Links
-
What Class Should You Consider?
-
Differences In The 2024 Player’s Handbook
In the many worlds of Dungeons & Dragons, few monsters are as feared as devils. Greeted with stares and whispers, shunned, and outcast by all respectable folk, tieflings must make their own way in the world, for good or ill. Some become the monsters that everyone expects, but others rise to the occasion and become true heroes.
Tieflings can be some of the most fascinating characters at a game table. Build your tiefling character thoughtfully, and you’ll have a hero whose story can captivate your table for many sessions to come.
Updated October 1, 2024 by Marissa Fiore: The Dungeons & Dragons 2024 Player’s Handbook has launched, changing a number of species and how you create characters. This guide has been updated to reflect the way tieflings have changed and how to best build one based on the 2024 ruleset. It has also been updated to conform to current standards.
What Is A Tiefling?
One of the first things to know about tieflings is that they have a connection to the Lower Planes which are home to devils, demons, and fiends. While the 2024 Player’s Handbook doesn’t tell you how to play your tiefling character or that they must share similar outlooks as these ancestors or parents, that is the reason they appear as they do.
There are three different legacies, which players will pick from when creating their characters. Those are:
- Abyssal
- Chthonic
- Infernal
Each of these tieflings have different connections to the Lower Planes such as Carceri, Hades, and Gehenna, as well as the Nine Hells themselves. However, although the lore states that this tugs on the tieflings born in or of these places, it focuses more on what that does for their physical appearance.
Most tieflings have
large horns
, though the exact shape those horns take varies wildly. Some tieflings have curly horns like a ram, and others might have long horns like an ibex.
However, your legacy decision shouldn’t be based on just description alone. Each legacy grants you different traits. That will be explored just below.
Tiefling Traits
With this species, you are allowed to determine if you would be a small or a medium-sized creature. No matter what you decide, your speed will be the same, which is 30 feet of movement.
|
Ability |
Effect |
Use Case |
|
Darkvision |
You can see in dim light within 60 feet of you as if it were bright light and darkness like it were dim light. |
This ability is useful for navigating dungeons and caves and makes you a great party scout. |
|
Infernal Legacy |
You gain a resistance based on your legacy. At higher levels, you gain the ability to cast different spells based on the legacy you choose. |
These aren’t the most powerful spells in the game, but they add a bit of extra flavour. Hellish Rebuke is especially great for the early game because it lets you blast your enemies if you get damaged. |
|
Otherworldly Presence |
You gain the ability to cast Thaumaturgy. |
While a cantrip, it can give you a boost to Intimidation checks and allow you to alter your appearance. |
Depending on which of the three 2024 Player’s Handbook legacies you choose, you get a specialized resistance, as well as spells. These spells can be cast once without a spell slot and then you must regain that use through a long rest.
Once you pick your legacy, you then pick what your spellcasting ability will be. You can choose from Intelligence, Wisdom, and Charisma. You’ll want to pick what you plan to have your highest ability score set as. Check out any of the spellcasting classes you’re deciding between to see what their spellcasting ability is.
|
Legacy Choice |
Resistance Gained |
Spells Gained (by Level) |
|---|---|---|
|
Abyssal |
Poison damage |
|
|
Chthonic |
Necrotic damage |
|
|
Infernal |
Fire damage |
|
The type of campaign you’re in may influence your choice of the resistances or the spells you gain. If you plan on being a Necromancer, for example, you may want to go Chthonic based on the matching theme. You can then focus on taking other spells besides the ones listed, as they don’t count against your known spell number.
Or, in that same example, you could decide to pick another legacy that will give you access to spells you otherwise would have to pass up or don’t have access to.
Tiefling Variants
Mordenkaiden’s Tome of Foes and the Sword Coast Adventurer’s Guide both add several tiefling variants to the game. The Tome of Foes’ variants are themed around different Princes of Hell, while the Adventurer’s Guide’s variants focus on different abilities your hellspawn might have.
Your Dungeon Master (DM)
may or may not allow you to play as these variants
as they aren’t from the 2024 ruleset and would be based on
the Legacy Rules
.
Always check with your DM
while building characters.
The Adventurer’s Guide features a winged tiefling variant, and it’s a great pick. Fly speed is a powerful thing and can allow you to take your movement action in very different ways than those who are stuck with only a set walking speed.
Winged characters are banned from Adventurers’ League play
. Wings at a low level are incredibly powerful; they give you more movement options and let you get away from enemies more easily.
What Class Should You Consider?
In the 2024 Player’s Handbook, ability scores are no longer given to species. This opens up more possibilities when it comes to your class as there’s no right or wrong choice. However, there are still some classes that suit tieflings better than others.
|
Class |
Use Case |
|---|---|
|
Warlock/Sorcerer |
Charisma-based spellcasting and extra spells blend great with your class abilities. |
|
Bard/Rogue |
Tieflings’ Darkvision makes you a fantastic party scout. Glasya variant tieflings especially shine in this role. |
|
Paladin |
The best martial option for a tiefling; pick Charisma as your spellcasting ability if you choose this class. Zariel variant tieflings shine here. |
|
Artificer/Wizard |
Since you can choose Intellegence as your spellcasting modifier, you can build your tiefling seamlessly into these classes. |
Any character can be any species and class combination, of course, but being a tiefling doesn’t do much for a cleric except add a pinch of infernal flavor and add a couple of spells that clerics don’t usually keep in their arsenal.
If you’re
a new player or intimidated by the spell lists
of some of these classes,
playing as a rogue
is a fantastic choice, as it gives you a lot of starting skills and proficiencies. And, if you get a knack
for using your legacy spells
, you can then become
an arcane trickster
.
Tiefling Feat Options
Tieflings have access to some really neat feat options. You’ll want Xanathar’s Guide to Everything to take advantage of the species-specific feats, but even if you’re rolling with the good old Players’ Handbook, you have some solid options.
Recommended Tiefling Feats
|
Feat |
Effect |
Use Case |
Sourcebook |
|---|---|---|---|
|
Infernal Constitution |
Increases your Constitution score by one point. This feat also gives you resistance to cold damage and poison damage and gives you advantage on saving throws against being poisoned. |
The best tiefling species-specific feat thus far. A Constitution bonus is great for any character. |
Xanathar’s Guide to Everything |
|
Flames of Phlegethos |
Gives a one-point increase to Charisma or Intelligence. This feat also lets you reroll ones on spells that do fire damage and wreathes you in flame when you cast a spell that does fire damage. |
For warlocks and wizards. Super cool from a fluff perspective. The gameplay effects aren’t optimal, but who doesn’t want to be wreathed in flame? |
Xanathar’s Guide to Everything |
|
Eldritch Adept |
Gives you a free warlock invocation. |
A good pick for any tiefling. A warlock can always use more variety in their invocation selection; a non-warlock tiefling will get more abilities that use their high Charisma. |
Tasha’s Cauldron of Everything |
|
Actor |
Gives you a Charisma bonus, makes you better at passing yourself off as a different person, and lets you mimic the speech of other creatures. |
A great choice for a roguish tiefling, a tiefling who’s the party face, or anyone who wants to min-max Charisma. |
Player’s Handbook |
|
Resilient |
Gives you a boost to any ability score and advantage on saves using that ability score. |
If you’re a squishy spellcaster, this can give you some sorely needed extra survivability – pick Dexterity or Constitution. |
Player’s Handbook |
Just as with choosing a legacy that falls outside of the 2024 Player’s Handbook, you’ll want to check with your DM if they will allow you to pick a feat that comes from a different sourcebook. If they allow it, all of the above choices would work wonderfully with your tiefling.
Differences In The 2024 Player’s Handbook
While the lore of tieflings being from or born to those who call the Lower Planes their home hasn’t changed much, the recommendation of which alignments to be have changed. The 2024 ruleset is much more open to your character having differing morals and alignments than those fiendish ancestors.
And, sticking with lore for a bit, the 2024 rules don’t mention naming mechanics at all. This has been removed for every species, which naturally means you can name your tiefling anything you want.
Though you are
missing out on virtue names
, you can, of course, still use them from the 2014 PHB.
Tieflings did have Infernal Legacy before, but it wasn’t a selection. It was only the name of the trait that gifted tieflings their spells. These were locked to only Thaumaturgy, Hellish Rebuke, and Darkness. Now, there’s more variety and the option to pick a different spell set.
In that same vein, all tieflings had fire resistance. That was it. You didn’t have an option to choose one that was different or better suited to your character.
The ability to choose your size is also something new to the 2024 ruleset versus the 2014 Player’s Handbook. Before, you were locked into being a medium-sized creature. Keeping that 30 feet of movement regardless of size is a nice touch, letting you customize your character’s appearance without penalty.
