D&D 5E Companion thread to 5E Survivor: Species

[CreamCloud0]

So what's the difference between all the Tieflings left?

all the 'bloodline of X' tieflings are naratively decended from different demons and as a result have different infernal legacy spells and a different ASI (which are now redundant), Variant tiefling also offers a few swappable features such as a few alternate spells and ASI choices for the standard tiefling but also has a winged/flying option that you may choose to have instead of infernal legacy and d4+1 fluff traits (small horns; fangs or sharp teeth; a forked tongue; catlike eyes; six fingers on each hand; goat-like legs; cloven hoofs; a forked tail; leathery or scaly skin; red or dark blue skin; cast no shadow or reflection; exude a smell of brimstone.)

 

[Undrave]

The 'Variant' is the actual one.

The rest are all the result of the 4e retcon on what a Tiefling actually is, and the resulting dissatisfaction from having been forced into being tied to Asmodeus.

I was mostly thinking about mechanical differences.

all the 'bloodline of X' tieflings are naratively decended from different demons and as a result have different infernal legacy spells and a different ASI (which are now redundant), Variant tiefling also offers a few swappable features such as a few alternate spells and ASI choices for the standard tiefling but also has a winged/flying option that you may choose to have instead of infernal legacy and d4+1 fluff traits (small horns; fangs or sharp teeth; a forked tongue; catlike eyes; six fingers on each hand; goat-like legs; cloven hoofs; a forked tail; leathery or scaly skin; red or dark blue skin; cast no shadow or reflection; exude a smell of brimstone.)

Ah thank you.

Honestly this feels like it's so... loose? It doesn't feel like a race anymore and just a grab bag of features. It's look looking at a Zebra and an Antelope and calling both horses.

 

[Scribe]

Honestly this feels like it's so... loose? It doesn't feel like a race anymore and just a grab bag of features.

Which is the point of the option in the first place.

Your parents could appear to be human, and then boom, you pop out with some scales because great great great grandpa had a fling the family doesn't talk about.

4e was the aberration, the SCAG varient gave back what was taken away.

 

[RealAlHazred]

I actually use a variation of tieflings to represent families of my setting who have occasionally, over the generations, interbred with travellers from the Faerie realms. The standard tiefling I use to represent any of the fiendish bloodlines, while I also have a "tainted tiefling" to represent Lovecraftian families who have a faint genetic heritage from Those From Outside.

 

[Mind of tempest]

Which is the point of the option in the first place.

Your parents could appear to be human, and then boom, you pop out with some scales because great great great grandpa had a fling the family doesn't talk about.

4e was the aberration, the SCAG varient gave back what was taken away.

the point of the cohesive appearance is to make it clear when you look at one what it is thus making it possible to make them a core race both in book and art.

hate it all you want but the appearance cool factor might have been what has made them one of 5e most popular options beyond elves and the eternal human.

 

[CreamCloud0]

Ah thank you.

Honestly this feels like it's so... loose? It doesn't feel like a race anymore and just a grab bag of features. It's look looking at a Zebra and an Antelope and calling both horses.

I kind of like the aproach of the variant tiefling, giving you an array of either-or features that you can pick between to build 'your' species character, they're all features representative of that species but not assigned to any specific subraces, like being able to play a dwarf and you get your pick of two from poison resistance, +1 HP/level, weapon training, armour training, tremmorsense or species expanded spells.

 

[Mind of tempest]

I kind of like the aproach of the variant tiefling, giving you an array of either-or features that you can pick between to build 'your' species character, they're all features representative of that species but not assigned to any specific subraces, like being able to play a dwarf and you get your pick of two from poison resistance, +1 HP/level, weapon training, armour training, tremmorsense or species expanded spells.

I feel it works better for tiefling than dwarves as the former is a magic cross breed, and the later has stabilised into at least a sub-species meaning a more generic baseline is good for it.

 

[Undrave]

Which is the point of the option in the first place.

Your parents could appear to be human, and then boom, you pop out with some scales because great great great grandpa had a fling the family doesn't talk about.

4e was the aberration, the SCAG varient gave back what was taken away.

Hm... Maybe the Turathi Tieflings should have their own unique names then?

4e was where WotC tried to establish Tieflings and Dragonborn as core (Trademarkable!) races, so, as mentioned, they needed a more unified look and I think it feels more like a proper specie and not just a gaggle of aberration when you have a more solid appearance.

 

[Vaalingrade]

Hm... Maybe the Turathi Tieflings should have their own unique names then?

4e was where WotC tried to establish Tieflings and Dragonborn as core (Trademarkable!) races, so, as mentioned, they needed a more unified look and I think it feels more like a proper specie and not just a gaggle of aberration when you have a more solid appearance.

Ah, the old days: "I'm playing a tielfing." "That means absolutely nothing to me besides you like rolling on tables."

 

[Scribe]

the point of the cohesive appearance is to make it clear when you look at one what it is thus making it possible to make them a core race both in book and art.

hate it all you want but the appearance cool factor might have been what has made them one of 5e most popular options beyond elves and the eternal human.

I will hate it, always have, and always will.