Dungeons & Dragons tiefling guide

Everything you need to know about Dungeons & Dragons tieflings

Are you a little confused about Dungeons & Dragons tieflings? After all, they are feared and shunned outcasts born into a world that distrusts them just because of their infernal heritage. As such, you would think tieflings would be one of the more difficult races to play in the fantasy RPG game, but the opposite is true.

Tieflings are self-reliant and often turn to a life of crime or dark arts, although some strive to understand their heritage and become heroes – just like you. If you’re looking to create a complex and captivating character in Dungeons & Dragons, tieflings are an intriguing and versatile option. Here’s everything you need to know about tieflings in D&D, from their history to their ability score bonuses and special abilities.

Tiefling characteristics

Tieflings have large horns of various shapes, and they take on virtue names that reflect their place in the world. This often results in a tiefling with a somewhat sinister-sounding name, but it generally reflects where they were raised – such as Hellraiser in the City of Brass or Flintlock in the Wild Hills.

As mentioned, tieflings are born of human heritage and an infernal pact, which is reflected in their ability scores. They typically receive bonuses to Charisma and Intelligence, making them suitable for spellcasting classes.

Tiefling abilities

Tieflings have a few unique abilities:

• Hellish Resistance: Tieflings have resistance to fire damage.
• Infernal Legacy: Tieflings can cast the thaumaturgy cantrip. Once you reach 3rd level, you can cast the hellish rebuke spell. Once you reach 5th level, you can also cast the darkness spell. Charisma is your spellcasting ability for these spells.

Tiefling sourcebooks offer variant tieflings with additional abilities and spells to suit different playstyles. For instance, the variant tiefling from Dragon Magazine #342 has the following additional spell-like abilities: abyssal blast, darkness, hellish rebuke, and scorching ray. Meanwhile, the variant tieflings from Volo’s Guide to Monsters have the following additional spell-like abilities: burning hands, disguise self, hellish rebuke, and scorching ray.

The following table lists the spell-like abilities for the standard tiefling in Xanathar’s Guide to Everything:

Tiefling classes

Tieflings are well-suited for classes like warlock, sorcerer, bard, rogue, and paladin, but they can also be played as artificers or wizards if you want a more traditional approach to your character’s abilities.