Why are tieflings so popular? How did they manage to outcompete all the other wacky races to win their place in mainstream D&D?

[CydKnight]

My own theory is that it's got to do with the popularity of half-demon chicks in bikini mail.

Visual aid

Of course, the crazy customizability might have something to do with it too. The aesthetics are fun to play with when you've got everything from "elbow spurs" to "antennae" to work with, goth-kid cheesecake or no.

For serious though: What is it about tieflings that gave them staying power over multiple editions? What's their enduring appeal?

My first thought on this is not all Teifling characters are female and I wouldn't want to visualize a mail Tiefling in bikini chain mail but that's just me.

A more serious thought is that perhaps it's just fun for people to experiment outside perceived societal norms. The farther the better and what can be further than a spawn with at least one parent, and probably both in most cases, that were pure evil? Even if you don't want to play the character as evil, it can be pretty entertaining coming up with ideas for why this character wants to be the opposite of its parents....and if the evil side comes out from time-to-time that just adds to the excitement. I feel like most of us have probably always wondered, if not actually experimented, with ways to add a touch of evil to their every day lives.

 

[lowkey13]

*Deleted by user*

 

[Kobold Avenger]

Tieflings also have a bit of the "Marginalized Minority" feel (I know you could argue that for Half-Orcs too) without trying to push the "Playing the Other" to the point of being offensive to certain real world groups. Yes that also implies that Aasimar could the attempt at the "Model Minority" type.

 

[CydKnight]

Tieflings .... very nice!

Thank, you. I may never be able to unsee this.

 

[Dioltach]

Annah-of-the-Shadows.

 

[Prakriti]

Planescape: Torment, the same way that Baldur's Gate cemented Forgotten Realms as the most popular setting.

 

[Charlaquin]

Tieflings have kind of a perfect storm of traits that make them appealing. “DemonDevil people” stands out enough from the traditional Tolkienesque fantasy races to appeal to players who want to be different, but is still a familiar enough concept not to turn off most players by being too outlandish. They’ve got a clear visual identity, but with just the right amount of room for customization (“my skin is purple instead of red!” “my eyes are white instead of black!” “my character has horns like this animal!” etc.) They’ve got some built-in backstory, with plenty of room for individual flourish, which gets players’ creative juices flowing, and the mixed good and evil heritage thing is a staple of fantasy anti-heroes. They’ve got a bit of an edge to them, which is always popular, but they don’t wallow too much in their darkness that it becomes off-putting. And they’ve got great stats. By default they get +2 Charisma, which is the casting stat for sorcerers, warlocks, and paladins, all of which make for an interesting combination with the race, either by playing up the edge or juxtaposing it. And with the SCAG Feral variant, they can get +2 Dex instead, which is the best stat in 5e, and helps out the many folks who want to play Tiefling Rogues. They get a nice suite of once-per-day spells, with a ton of different options if the SCAG variants and/or MToF subraces are on the table, and even an option for a natural flight speed if you don’t mind giving up your spells.

 

[Paul Farquhar]

Not just Planescape: Torment. Baldur's Gate 2 and Neverwinter Nights 2 also feaured tieflings.

 

[LuisCarlos17f]

Monster PCs are fun like wearing a Halloween costume. Tielfings are perfect to be the "little ugly duckling", and smarter than half-orcs.

I would rather aasimars/deva because they are outcasts in its own way, suffering the tall poppies syndrome, the hostility against who stands out above the rest by envious and rivals. I imagine them with a bad reputation of snobs and wolves wearing sheep's clothing, when they really want to help the rest of people.

I also like gnomes precisely because they are unpopular, but are too specialized in stealth and illusory magic. They need more flexible racial traits, for example these could be replaced by racial feats.

 

[77IM]

All human beings want the same thing: To feel righteous while acting wicked. (As an aside, this is also how you get elected in today's political climate.)