Dragonlance Origin of a tiefling on Krynn?

[Morrus]

On of my players in my original Dragonlance Chronicles (DL1) campaign will be playing a tiefling. I’m fine with non core DL stuff being used in the game, just need to figure how to fit things in. Right now I’m thinking portal from Faerun, but is there any DL lore which might accommodate a tiefling?

 

[jmartkdr2]

What's more important to the player: the traits, the looks, or the backstory?

If it's looks and/or powers: Some minotaur ancestry and a non-heritage based explanation for the magic could do it. Are there dragons around in the time of the game? A 1/8 dragon 7/8 human might look a lot like a tiefling and could have similar powers.

If it's the devil/demon theme, I don't know. Maybe something that's not technically a fiend but could have been around like a sphinx or aberration?

 

[Burnside]

On of my players will be playing a tiefling. I’m fine with non core DL stuff being used in the game, just need to figure how to fit things in. Right now I’m thinking portal from Faerun, but is there any DL lore which might accommodate a tiefling?

Krynn does have its own iteration of the Abyss with fiends living in it - and the One D&D playtest suggests that Abyssal tieflings are or will soon be a thing. So this character's origin could be tied to that. Might be an interesting hook that the character and Takhisis have a common point of origin, so to speak.

 

[DragonBelow]

I would use the Spelljammer route, but plane travel is certainly easier to deal with. Maybe from Sigil?

 

[bloodtide]

Krynn has plenty of fiends, so saying some have mated with mortals is not a big thing at all.

If you really want a Krynn connection. The Abisai baatezu were created by Takhisis, corrupted dragon eggs to make draconians. It's not a big leap to have them make "fiend blooded humans".

 

[Maxperson]

On of my players will be playing a tiefling. I’m fine with non core DL stuff being used in the game, just need to figure how to fit things in. Right now I’m thinking portal from Faerun, but is there any DL lore which might accommodate a tiefling?

The Greygem of Gargath caused changes in some races creating the kender and dwarves out of gnomes. It could easily have altered an isolated village of humans, turning them into tieflings who then opted to remain isolated for whatever reason you determine. Also the being known as Chaos who was trapped in the g+Greygem did a number on Krynn and could have caused a resulting tiefling or three.

 

[Twiggly the Gnome]

If you really want a Krynn connection. The Abisai baatezu were created by Takhisis, corrupted dragon eggs to make draconians. It's not a big leap to have them make "fiend blooded humans".

Maybe a descendant of one of the Abbots of Misrule.

Abbots of Misrule

Abbots of Misrule are those that have a task in the Abyss to go to Krynn and dispense bad advice and terrible truths to the people. Usually assigned to an Abishai. Two of them sent Lord Toede back to Krynn in 353 AC. Lord Toede (Novel), p. 2, 303

dragonlance.fandom.com

 

[The Glen]

Probably just handwave it. Dragonlance had the fewest number of races of the major settings by Design.

 

[Zardnaar]

Krynn dies have its own version of the lower planes so I'm fine with Tieflings on Krynn personally.

No real need for planar traveller or another world origin.

 

[jgsugden]

If you don't want to add to your lore to incorporate many Tieflings broadly, consider proposing that they be a cursed human (or elf, or whatever). They did something greedy and were cursed by a divine force to take on that altered form.

You can also punt. Have them wake up with no memories, but people that remember them as a stranger who arrived fairly recently. The PC won't know why they have no memory, why they are so strange, etc... That gives you time to work them into the world in a more meaningful sense. I don't use this approach personally, but I have seen it executed well.