D&D Beyond: Infernal Options in MTOF

[Yaarel]

I suspect that WOTC are approaching it (at least for the moment) as Tiefling = Devil ancestry, while Cambion = Demon ancestry.

Makes sense. In reallife Arthurian traditions, Merlin is a ‘cambion’ because he is the son of a human mother and an incubus.

On the other hand, the preview to Mordenkeinens suggest the cambion is the offspring of an human and any fiend, whether demon, devil, or yugoloth.

 

[UnknownDyson]

I really don't like that they're treating Tieflings as only being of Devilish bloodlines, when before they were also possibly Demonic or Yugoloth or other fiendish bloodlines. I know they state somewhere else that the Planescape Tieflings are Planetouched and therefore a different race, but there's no suggestion there would be a planetouched race in this book.

They were in name only. All of the flavor and mechanical options suggested that they were infernal historically. You were limited to role playing an abyssal or other fiendish origin or you could homebrew but all of the abilities associated with tieflings have always said things like infernal bloodline, fires of hell, etc. Nothing about Yugoloths or demons. If they come up with a playable demonic equivalent I don't think it will be cambion because they are actual fiends.

 

[Ristamar]

Since I don't own Out of the Abyss, I'm very pleased to hear that the Demon Lords will be reprinted in this book.

 

[Kobold Avenger]

They were in name only. All of the flavor and mechanical options suggested that they were infernal historically. You were limited to role playing an abyssal or other fiendish origin or you could homebrew but all of the abilities associated with tieflings have always said things like infernal bloodline, fires of hell, etc. Nothing about Yugoloths or demons. If they come up with a playable demonic equivalent I don't think it will be cambion because they are actual fiends.

They only started saying that with Tieflings in 4e where they changed many things about them. Sure their name loosely derived from German roughly means Devil-Child (Teufelling). In 2e it was generally suggested that they were more like mutants with origins that could be fiendish, but then firmly settled on Fiendish once the Aasimar and Genasi were introduced and then later on in the Planewalkers Handbook Tieflings had random traits. That book was written after all by Monte Cook who seems to really like ambiguous origins and random tables. Cambions generally aren't playable, even if there's been small attempts to do that in previous editions.

 

[SkidAce]

If I remember correctly, Cambions were directly "half-demons" born of a human and demon, while Tieflings had "fiendish" blood somewhere way back in their history.

Thus cambions were not player characters.

 

[MechaTarrasque]

They were in name only. All of the flavor and mechanical options suggested that they were infernal historically. You were limited to role playing an abyssal or other fiendish origin or you could homebrew but all of the abilities associated with tieflings have always said things like infernal bloodline, fires of hell, etc. Nothing about Yugoloths or demons. If they come up with a playable demonic equivalent I don't think it will be cambion because they are actual fiends.

The fiendpact warlock is pretty much this as well. Except for the quasit option for chainlocks, pretty much everything else is heavy into devils. The mechanics (and bonus spells) of the GOO pact warlock fit someone involved with Demogorgon or Jubbilex better than fiend, and feypact makes more sense for Grazzt or Lolth (if you are using official subclasses, unofficially you could use Mike Mearls homebrew Lolth pact).

I also suspect they are keeping the "the Abyss=nihilistic evil" theme from 4e in 5e, so anyone having a demon as an ancestor is automatically bug&^%$ crazy (and thus not PC material, see gnolls as a further example).

 

[Paul Farquhar]

Hmm, to me it sounds like he is hinting that cambion will be a playable race. But I could easily be wrong.

 

[gyor]

I suspect that WOTC are approaching it (at least for the moment) as Tiefling = Devil ancestry, while Cambion = Demon ancestry.

No, Cambions can have any fiend ancestory.

 

[Kobold Avenger]

Hmm, to me it sounds like he is hinting that cambion will be a playable race. But I could easily be wrong.

I think you're wrong, though he did specify cult blessings as being NPC only, but he didn't specify Cambions as being playable or as NPC only.

 

[Jacob Lewis]

I thought D&D Beyond *was* the Infernal option...