Summary
It’s Tieflings in theDungeons & Dragonsmultiverse that perhaps have the most strained relationship with their creators. Believed to have been spawns of demons and unwitting humans, Tieflings ofD&Dcarry a particular air of edge that makes them quite the attractive playable ancestry for players. However, there seems to be more to Tieflings than their supposed infernal origins.
Moreover, players who take the time to learn about the history of Tieflings in the context of the TTRPG can use this information to make more fleshed-out characters outside a Tiefling’s typical depictions. Just what else should players know about Tieflings in the acclaimed TTRPG?
Updated July 10, 2025 by Rhenn Taguiam:With the upcoming release of One D&D gearing up for a more seamless transition between tabletop and virtual tabletop experiences, fans of Dungeons & Dragons may be able to finally enjoy D&D with their friends online without complicated setups. Coming alongside a more compact VTT option is a slate of gameplay changes that aim for a more consistent D&D experience, with Races like the Tiefling encountering changes to their overall offerings that can make them a more enjoyable ancestry to play.
Before players take a deep dive into their One D&D offerings, they may want to know more about what the Tiefling has offered before, including variant types of Tieflings on top of their bloodlines, as well as their upcoming changes.
1The Infernal Etymology
The Name Represented Someone From Below
It seems that Tieflings, design-wise, were meant to somehow represent creatures from the lower planes. It’s said thatgame designer Wolfgang Baurcombined the German word “tief” which meant “deep, low” with the suffix -ling that pertained to “offspring.” As such, when combined, Tiefling could translate to “offspring from the lower flames.” It’s also said that the term may have come from “Teufel,” which is the German for “devil.”
The rather complex terminology was essential at the time, considering thatD&Dback in the 90s was against terms such as “devils” and “demons.” This is due in part to the negative attention the game has received with itsdepiction of devils and demons, suggestive art, and evil-aligned character conventions.
2Originally Introduced In Planescape, 2E
Simply Known As One With Otherworldly Heritage
While Tieflings are popularly known as a playable race in modernD&D, they were originally introduced as creatures inAdvanced Dungeons & Dragons2E, particularly in thePlanescape Campaign Setting. Unlike other settings,Planescapeemphasizesthe planes of existence in theDungeons & Dragonscosmology. In theD&Dmultiverse, there’s the Prime Material Plane where the game’s settings exist, outside it are Inner Planes that correspond to the multiverse’s elemental building blocks, while the Outer Planes are associated with key alignments.
In thePlanescapesetting, creatures can travel in between planes through astral conduits, vortices, and portals. Tieflings, in particular, are described as humans dwelling within the planes with some “otherworldly heritage,” implied to be evil beings such as demons, devils, or fiends. Unlike half-fiends, however, Tieflings are far below the family tree, hence their human-like appearance.
Randomized Appearance Reflected Otherworldly Origins
Whereas Tieflings in modern editions often have similar characteristics from their infernal ancestry, the original appearance of Tieflings in 2E actually had a more randomized nature. Initially, the “Planescape Monstrous Compendium Appendix” describes all Tieflings as having one feature that reveals their heritage, such as the popular horns. Meanwhile, “The Planeswalker’s Handbook” expands on this rule with a randomizer table that can provide DMs with other features that Tiefling could have, such as red eyes, goat legs, and even supernatural abilities.
This is quite interesting, as the beginning ofD&D 3Eprovided Tieflings with a more humanoid appearance with the occasional horns, but still looking human like the Aasimar. It was theDungeon Magazine’s depiction of the Tiefling - that with horns for eyebrows and pink sin - that may have contributed to their appearances in other editions.
May Be Created Through Reproduction, Magic
Tieflings from Bael Turath havea strong connection with Asmodeus and the Nine Hells, as such, they can reproduce sexually and produce Tieflings as their offspring. However, various other creative methods for Tieflings exist that players can use as references for their characters.
For instance, some humans can transform themselves into Tieflings using incredibly powerful dark magic. Likewise, some extraplanar beings can assume a humanoid form and interbreed with other humanoids, creating a half-fiend or a cambion, which then creates a Tiefling after creating offspring. Interestingly enough, Tieflings procreating far down the bloodline with another race have a chance of their offspring getting the race of the other parent. However, since being a Tiefling is in their blood, this can “reactivate” and spawn yet another Tiefling in subsequent generations.
5Non-Human Tieflings Did Exist
Tieflings May Exist For Dwarves, Elves, And Orcs
While Humans are the most popular “templates” for Tieflings in most of their appearances, Tieflings do exist where the humanoid “half” has come from other more prominent races. One such popular example would be the Fey’ri, a result of interbreeding between the Sun Elves and the demonic Tanar’ri to strengthen their bloodline. Another example of such a variant would be the Tanarukk, a breed of Orcs who have interbred with evil-aligned entities, such as the Tanar’ri.
Moreover, other Tiefling variants of similar nature exist. Dwarves who have interbred with demons and other fiends are called the Maeluth, while the Goblin variant is considered a Worghest. Even Halflings, Trolls, and Minotaurs aren’t safe from having Tiefling variants, with theirs being called Wisplings, Mur-Zhagul, and Baphitaur, respectively.
6Counter To The Aasimar
The Infernal Counter To The Celestial Aasimar
Another interesting tidbit about the Tiefling is that, given their nature as initially evil-aligned creatures, they do have a good-aligned counterpart in the form of the Aasimar. Also plane-touched creatures, it’s heavily hinted that theAasimar have divine origins. Compared to Tieflings that often demonstrate physical characteristics found with fiends and demons, Aasimar are extremely physically appealing, as well as possessing golden eyes and silvery hair that often give away their divine origins.
In 2E, Aasimar are said to have descended from either the elegant Eladrin of Arborea, the Guardinals of Elysium, or the neutral Rilmani of the Outlands. As such, Aasimar often take the physical appearances of their ancestors, resulting in some Aasimar may or may not having wings, silver skin, or even calm animals.
7Not All Are From The Nine Hells
Some Tieflings Are From Beyond The Realms
Despite the Tieflings having origins from the Nine Hells, not all Tieflings have descendants from Asmodeus. Players who want to explore other planes of existence can encounter planetouched Tieflings or humans who have descended from beings of the Lower Planes. InD&Dlore, an event called the Spellplague transformed Tieflings outside regular reality into variants without the blood of Asmodeus.
As such, these kinds of Tieflings may have still descended from beings that are categorically evil but not necessarily ofAsmodeus’ ilk. These include rakshasas, evil deities, and even fiends. Tieflings who come from these kinds of bloodlines don’t necessarily have the traits of usual Tieflings, which is why some of them may lack goat-like legs and instead have cat eyes and furry skin.
8Enter The Level Adjustment System
Initially Monsters Before Player Characters
The Tiefling got a place inD&D 3rd Editionfirst as a creature within its “Monster Manual,” giving DMs stats to add Tieflings to their campaigns. It was only due to the release of theForgotten Realmscampaign setting that Tieflings were allowed as a playable race. However, this isn’t necessarily a “playable race” in the same way as they appeared inD&D 4E.Rather, this came with the Level Adjustment system thatD&D 3Eimplemented to allow players to use more powerful races in a balanced manner.
This Level Adjustment System originally came as a result of fan clamor for fans to be allowed to play Drizzt Do’Urden, a Drow from a hit novel series set in theForgotten Realms. Under the Level Adjustment System, certain powerful races have a “Level Adjustment” that puts them a couple of levels behind characters with the same amount of experience for the sake of balance. Thanks to this system, more powerful Tieflings became playable usingD&D 3E.
9Manipulated For Asmodeus’s Godly Pursuit
Once A Tool For Asmodeus' Godhood
The backstory and history of Tieflings were further developed acrossBrimstone Angels, specifically in the final bookThe Devil You Knowwhere Asmodeus enacts a plan to achieve godhood. In it, a group of warlocks known as the Toril Thirteen created a ritual that cursed most Tiefling bloodlines into becoming that of the archdevil’s, practically making him a “God of Tieflings.”
Before Asmodeus’ ascension, Tieflings could filter their infernal blood and make it weaker through intermarriage. Since the spellplague, most Tieflings born in Toril had been of Asmodeus Lineage. However, the latter parts of the 15th Century saw the rebirth of the older bloodlines.
10Modernized In Urban Arcana
Became A Part Of D&D’s Urban Setting
Tieflings can also make an appearance in theUrban Arcana,aD&Dcampaign settingthat transfers the fantasy and magic of the TTRPG into a modern world close to that of Earth. In it, a phenomenon known as the Shadow has started transferring fantastical creatures to the modern world, with the Gift of Lethe masking memories of their previous home.
Due to consensus reality, the “implausibility” of the existence of supernatural creatures has made ordinary humans treat non-humans as fellow mundanes. In the case of the Tiefling, many of them retain their horns and tails. However, for humans who can’t perceive the Shadow, Tieflings end up looking like regular humans with a penchant for cynicism.
