What are Tieflings good at?

[WalterKovacs]

I've been running a Tactlord Tiefling for a while, with 16 STR and 18 INT. It was partly because it's a DM run PC. They needed a leader, and most of the time the PC would be allowing the players to do something.

Hellfire Blood though is the real winner, letting you get an effective +2 to any attack stat if you can get the right keyword on the power (very easy for weapon based characters once you can get your hands on the appropriate weapon). This lets you go with options other races might not take, such as a star pact warlock with 16 in CON, INT and CHA, who can multiclass to have a fire or fear based power at every level with effectively 18 in all three stats for the purposes of those powers. Also, you can be an effectively 22 INT wizard or swordmage specializing in fire spells, or an effectively 22 CHA paladin with the right weapon. Combined with infernal wrath and bloodhunt, they get a lot of "+1 to hits", which are very hard to come by in 4e.

 

[Byronic]

Wow. These have been some fantastic replies, and I'm glad this is generating some discussion. But now that I've seen how they can be effective, why does it seem they get such a bad rap? Am I just imagining that?

Well for me it's just the Catholic/Emo element. I don't like the horns and hell thing (my hells are a bit more inventive) and a don't like names like Chant and such.

So they got refluffed.

 

[Nom]

What I find amusing is that the PH says that Tieflings make good Warlords (OK), Warlocks (definitely) and Rogues (huh? You meant Wizard, right?).

Tiefling rogue? You get an ability boost in the secondary score of one build and to your dump score. Oh, you do get a Stealth boost, which helps make up for the boost to Int rather than Dex. And, rogue are mostly doing their darndest never to be hit, which sorta limits the applicability of Infernal Wrath. Tieflings don't bring much to the Rogue that isn't just generic tiefling (ie fire res, bloodhunt).

 

[DracoSuave]

Well, if you only get hit once an encounter, that's enough for Infernal Wraths.

 

[cmbarona]

Honestly, I have to agree. Tiefling Rogues may fit the theme of a trickster or devilish sort of Rogue flavor-wise (and the Bluff bonus is nice), but that lack of a Dex bonus is definitely felt. I'm suddenly wishing there was a Rogue build that took better advantage of Bluff bonuses (as Rattling does for Intimidate), but alas, 'tis not so.

 

[Tony Vargas]

Tieflings can make pretty good strikers, in general, with thier multiple potential attack (and damage) bonuses (bloodhunt, infernal wrath, hellfire blood), even if the stats don't line up that well, for all of them. INT & CHA is ideal for Warlocks, and works quite well for warlords (and the resourceful build and Infernal Commander PP were added just to make darn shure) and wizards, and isn't bad for the occassional paladin or artful dodger rogue, either. The skill bonuses also are good for a Rogue or Warlorck (though warlocks don't get stealth trained, they can still make excellent use of it, once they acquire it).

The INT/CHA really seems to push them towards arcanists, though. And, the whole horns & tails diabolical bloodline thing really puts a crimp in the RP aspects, closing the door to a lot of RP concepts.

 

[Atanatotatos]

They're great swordmages. Bonus to int and great with fire powers, of which swordmages have plenty.
Also, Martial Power made tiefling viable for most martial classes, including fighter; lots of dmg. You'll probably suck badly with a tiefling fighter at low levels, but later, when you have a better to-hit, have raised your strenght and own a flaming weapon, you'll be hitting as much as most fighters and do much more damage.
It's a great race but requires some thought outside of a couple of classes.