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Tieflings rose to prominence during 2e, and were added as a playable option right in the Fourth Edition PHB, though they’re a little different from their previous incarnations here. As opposition, they’re featured in both the Monster Manual and the Monster Vault.

The Lore

As I mentioned in other entries, Nerath is only the latest empire to fall in the long story of the 4e setting. One of the many others that preceded it was the human empire of Bael Turath, which fought for supremacy with the dragonborn realm of Arkhosia a long time ago.

There came a time when Bael Turath was engulfed in turmoil, both because of that war and because of its own decadence. In a desperate bid to retain control, its leadership made sinister pacts with the forces of Hell. This worked for a time, but it only delayed the final fall of the empire. Things turn ugly when both the human nobles and the devils tried to break their side of the bargain. In the end, both Bael Turath and Arkhosia met their end.

One of the effects of that diabolic compact was that the humans of Bael Turath had their bodies infused with infernal power, transforming them into the tieflings we know today. This transformation is hereditary and it persisted even after the compact was broken and the empire fell. Today tiefling communities are spread all over the world, either mixed in with larger multi-species settlements or in small enclaves of their own, similar to dragonborn.

In addition to their distinctive looks, they retain a tiny bit of infernal power. Both these things give them a bad reputation among other sapients, but the truth is that modern tieflings are no more disposed to evil than any other people. A tiefling could be a great champion of good just as they could choose to embrace their bad rep and become evil diabolists.

Tiefling looks are a lot more uniform here than they used to be in previous editions: red skin, prominent horns, solid red orbs for eyes, and a thick muscular tail. They look like a less extreme version of a legion devil (which is hairless with clawed hands and hooves for feet in addition to the other traits).

The Numbers

Tieflings are Medium Natural Humanoids, and all of them have low-light vision and some degree of fire resistance. The MM stat blocks also have the same Infernal Wrath power tiefling PCs get. This is a minor action encounter power that gives them a +1 attack bonus and a damage bonus against someone who just hit them. It’s a “revenge” booster, essentially. Like PCs, they also get +1 to hit bloodied targets.

Each book gives us two tiefling stat blocks. As is the case for all playable humanoids, they can be of any alignment and could be used as allies or enemies. However, all of them seem to lean into their infernal heritage at least a bit, so even the good ones will have the same air of ambiguity around them as the party’s infernal warlock.

Tiefling Fury (Monster Vault)

This is a duelist type, and a Level 5 Soldier with 63 HP. Its speed is 6, and it has all common tiefling traits with 10 fire resistance.

The fury fights with a longsword whose attacks mark for a turn, and if a marked enemy shift it can use a Tail Trip (melee 1 vs. Reflex) as an interrupt to knock them prone and make a free longsword attack against them. If an enemy hits the fury, it can use a Defiant Curse as a free action to mark them for a turn.

Tiefling Heretic (Monster Manual)

An infernal warlock. It’s Level 6 Artillery with 60 HP, all common MM traits, and a fire resistance of 11.

The heretic fights with a dagger in melee, and with bolts of Balefire at range that deal immediate and ongoing fire damage (save ends). Once per encounter it can conjure a Serpent Curse on a target (ranged 10 vs. will), causing illusory snakes to appear and deal both immediate and ongoing psychic damage.

When hit by a melee attack, the heretic can use Cloak of Escape as an at-will reaction to teleport 5 squares. It also has Infernal Wrath.

Tiefling Darkblade (Monster Manual)

An assassin-type, and a Level 7 Lurker with 64 HP and fire resistance 12. Darkblades fight with poisoned shortswords that allow a secondary attack against Fortitude on a hit, doing ongoing poison damage (save ends). They can use Cloak of Lurking (move action; recharge 6) to teleport 5 squares and become invisible.

It seems they don’t have any powers that allow them to do increased damage when attacking from hiding or with CA, so they’re in effect slightly weaker skirmishers.

Tiefling Occultist (Monster Vault)

Another infernal warlock! This one is a Level 8 Controller with 87 HP and fire resistance 10.

Occultists fight in melee with a Hell Rod that does immediate and ongoing fire damage (save ends). They attack at range with Soul Fire (area burst 1 within 10 vs. Reflex), which does no immediate damage. Instead it does 10 ongoing fire damage (save ends), and deals 10 psychic damage to the target if it moves closer to the occultist on the target’s next action.

As a move action it can use Baleful Teleport (ranged 10 vs. Will) to teleport a target 10 squares and teleport itself to the square the target just left.

If an enemy hits the occultist, it can use Fiery Transposition to deal 5 fire damage to all enemies in a close burst 3, and swap places with the enemy that hit it.

Sample Encounters And Final Impressions

The sample encounter goes all in on the hellish imagery: 1 heretic, 1 darkblade, 2 cambion hellswords, and a succubus.

I like tieflings, though more as a playable race than as an enemy. The enemy stat blocks work well enough, however, and could also represent human warlocks or other similar baddies.