Tiefling
[3][4] In the Planescape setting, where tieflings were introduced, they were described as being a mixture of human and "something else" with the implication that the medium-sized non-human ancestors originated from the evil "lower planes".
In 4th Edition Dungeons & Dragons, tieflings are a race whose human ancestors made a bargain with devils to increase their power.
[8] The name, pronounced /ˈtiːflɪŋ/, was derived by Wolfgang Baur from the German word tief meaning "deep, low", and the suffix -ling, "offspring," alluding to their origins in the "lower planes" (in the 2nd and 3rd editions).
However, with the tiefling becoming a core player race, the 4th edition design team "wanted to radically update their appearance to make them look more intimidating and 'cool'.
[1] O'Connor highlighted a conversation he had with the creative director Stacy Longstreet who described tieflings as a "cursed people" which helped him figure out "their cultural aesthetic".
[1] O'Connor stated that:My immediate touchstone was of course vampires, and I worked to give the tielfing that sexy, dark and gothic appeal despite their "deformity".
[26] In the setting of Dungeons & Dragons 4th Edition, the tieflings trace their origins to the ancient human Empire of Bael Turath.
In earlier versions of Dungeons & Dragons, 3.5 and previous, tieflings have any of a number of features that reference (directly or indirectly) their fiendish lineage.
These include horns located on their heads, pointed sharp teeth, extra fingers, cloven hooves in place of feet, tails, and unusually colored eyes.
[14] All tieflings possess large thick horns of various styles on their heads, 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 hair, which starts behind their horns, ranges from dark blue to purple to red in addition to more normal human colors.
Within the setting of Dungeons & Dragons 4th Edition, tieflings are characterized as charismatic and self-reliant, and make excellent warlocks, warlords, and wizards.
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.
In the Planescape campaign setting, tieflings are a common race available to player characters, though they are mistrusted and reviled by many inhabitants of the planes.
In Neverwinter Nights: Hordes of the Underdark, Valen Shadowbreath, a tiefling weapons master, is a recruitable henchman and potential romance option.
[29] The Brimstone Angels novels by Erin M. Evans, set in the Forgotten Realms, feature the tiefling warlock Farideh as the main character.
[30] One of the main characters in the Dungeons & Dragons comic by John Rogers, Tisha Swornheart, is a tiefling warlock.
[31] The Pathfinder Tales novels by Dave Gross feature the tiefling Rogue Radovan Virholt as one of the two primary protagonists.
Sophia Lillis portrays Doric, a tiefling druid, in the 2023 film Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves.
The idea of playing the racial outsider who nonetheless protects the people who wrongly revile them is a well-known trope built into D&D".
Clements found this stereotype associated with the tiefling problematic, as the "solution is usually to focus on individual good, rather than confronting deeper, systemic problems of racial politics".
