Last Updated on October 15, 2023
When it comes to Tiefling bards, they’re more likely to allure than act, as they tend to avoid forming strong attachments. Bards are often the iconic comedic relief in a party, but mastering this versatile class can be a challenge. Imagine them as the peculiar cousin at the mage family reunion, lurking in the shadows, their talents shrouded in mystery.
The fascinating blend of the Tiefling race and the Bard class can be found within the sacred pages of the Player’s Handbook. If you haven’t already, it’s time to get your own copy of The Player’s Handbook and delve into the world of Tiefling bards!
How to Craft a Tiefling Bard
Creating a Tiefling is a unique journey in itself, and it’s essential to dispel some common misconceptions. They are not succubi or incubi, as the more zealous Rule 34 enthusiasts might suggest. In reality, they often face discrimination, a burden they carry with pride.
There are three primary ways a Tiefling comes into existence:
- Descendant of a Tiefling: This could be from one or both parents or a distant ancestor.
- Magical Transformation: A human can be transformed into a Tiefling through powerful magic.
- Fiendish Descent: When a devil or demon from the nine realms of hell mates with a human.
Let’s take a closer look at the options available for creating a Tiefling:
Infernal Tieflings
- Skin: Human shades, Hot Red, Dark blue, Scaly, Furry, Leathery
- Eyes: Solid colored and catlike (compulsory feature) Black, Red, White, Silver, or Gold Glowing eyes
- Mouth: Vampire-like pointed teeth (compulsory feature) Fangs, Forked tongue
- Horns (compulsory feature): Small or big spiral/Ringed, Curled, Flat, and extending sideways (good luck getting through doors) or Single horn
- Tails (compulsory feature): LOOONG AND T H I C C
- Optionals: Smelling like Eau de brimstone, Skin hot to touch (as if looking the part wasn’t enough,) More or less than 5 fingers, Your tail can grab things, Goat-like legs, hoof for feet, Cast no shadow or reflection, Bat-like wings
Planar Tieflings
This rare variety of Tieflings are descendants of demons, devils, rakshasas, night hags, avatars of evil deities, or even Karens. They have unique traits:
- Demons: May look like infernal tieflings, but without hooves or goat-like legs.
- Devils: They might resemble infernal tieflings, but not necessarily those of Asmodeus.
- Rakshasas: Cat eyes and furry skin.
- Night Hags: Bruised-looking blue skin, small horns, and glowing red eyes.
All Planar Tieflings share the ability to pass as humans, but they have subtle giveaways like red eyes, small horns, or the absence of a shadow.
Unearthing Rare Tiefling Traits
In a world filled with diversity, Tieflings manage to stand out with some rare and sometimes challenging qualities. A few examples include:
- Susceptibility to holy water
- Vulnerability to certain holy spells
- Inability to enter holy grounds or areas
- Silver aversion
- Flaky, ashen skin
- Unpleasant scents like ash, brimstone, sulfur, or rotten meat
- Unnatural variations in skin temperature
- Lethal touch for plants
- An aura of unease that follows them
- Frequent hellish nightmares
Some Tieflings, like Tenosh or Ghienna, exhibit these rare traits, making their lives both intriguing and challenging.
Barding Up: Embracing the Musical Path
Now, let’s move onto the intriguing world of bards. Not every entertainer or musician is a bard. Bards possess a unique blend of music, words, and actions imbued with magic. Their stories and melodies hold a special place in the world, and they excel at weaving enchantments.
Tieflings, often reserved and aloof, still value art and music, especially those with darker themes. Their voices resonate with power, their cries echoing on the battlefield. Let’s dive into the Bard Colleges, the specialized paths that define a bard’s unique skills and talents.
College of Lore
Think of this as the college for scholars. These bards thirst for knowledge, delving into various spellcasting lists and acquiring additional skills. They are the embodiment of versatility.
- Bonus Proficiencies: Gain proficiency with three skills of your choice.
- Cutting Words: Use distracting words to protect your allies from harm.
- Additional Magical Secrets: Select spells from another class’s list!
- Peerless Skill: Utilize your bardic inspiration for skill checks.
College of Valor
The minstrels of epic tales and heroes, these bards are known for their charisma and combat prowess. They have a more martial flavor compared to other bards.
- Bonus Proficiencies: Gain proficiency with medium armor, shields, and martial weapons.
- Combat Inspiration
- Extra Attack: You can strike twice in one turn.
- Battle Magic
College of Creation
For the artistic souls who find inspiration in the world around them, these bards can create nonliving objects with the power of their voices.
- Note of Potential
- Performance of Creation
- Animating Performance
- Creative Crescendo
- Force-Empowered Slam (Applicable to melee weapon)
- Immutable Form
- Irrepressible Dance
- Immunity to poison and psychic damage, exhaustion, fear, and being charmed.
College of Eloquence
These bards are the persuasive talkers, with words that can mend or break a person’s spirit. Their rhetorical prowess is unmatched.
- Silver Tongue
- Unsettling Words
- Unfailing Inspiration
- Universal Speech
- Infectious Inspiration
College of Glamour
Charisma oozes from every pore of these bards, and they can easily captivate hearts. They’re like instant superstars, tutored by fey and other enchanting beings.
- Mantle of Inspiration
- Enthralling Performance
- Mantle of Majesty
- Unbreakable Majesty
College of Swords
Combining the elegance of a dancer with the precision of a swordsman, these bards make combat an art form.
- Bonus Proficiencies: Gain proficiency with medium armor and the scimitar.
- Fighting Style
- Extra Attack: You can make two attacks in one turn.
- Master’s Flourish
College of Whispers
For the sneakier side of bardic craft, these bards excel in espionage and information exchange.
- Psychic Blades
- Word of Terror
- Mantle of Whispers
- Shadow Lore
Mastering the Tiefling Bard’s Attributes
Tieflings are inherently charismatic, boasting a +2 to charisma. As a bard, prioritize Charisma, followed by Dexterity, Constitution, Intelligence, Wisdom, and Strength. Although akin to rogues in many ways, your agility sets you apart. Enjoy benefits like dark vision, increased speed, and fire resistance.
Playing a Tiefling Bard: Embrace the Enigma
Tieflings are like the misunderstood half-elves, facing prejudice and discrimination. Their experiences have shaped them into reserved, self-reliant loners with a quick temper and a strong sense of self. They are survivors who learn to reciprocate trust, forging unbreakable bonds when they do open up.
Roleplaying as a Tiefling Bard: Embracing the Outcast
Tieflings lead unique lives, often devoid of a true homeland or community. They bear the weight of their fiendish heritage, an enduring burden that subjects them to discrimination and isolation. Whether born to human parents, taken in by orphanages, churches, or even crime rings, their path is one of adversity.
Despite their unusual appearance, their physical characteristics are remarkably human. They share similarities in height, weight, and skeletal structure. Yet, they face constant suspicion due to their fiendish lineage. This rejection often leads to criminal activities or mischievous deeds, fueling the prejudices against them.
As a Tiefling bard, your role is not defined solely by your origin but by your performance. Explore your unique specialty in the arts, your goals, and your journey. Will your tales be tinged with the bitterness of your existence, mirroring the darkness of Edgar Allan Poe or Lovecraft? You possess the ability to speak and write infernal and Abyssal, alongside the common tongue, a testament to your enigmatic nature.
Embrace the duality of your heritage and let your music tell the untold stories of the Tiefling bards. After all, you’re not just another performer; you’re an enigmatic masterpiece of art and magic.
Discovering the Enigma of Tiefling Bards: A Guide to Mastery
In this comprehensive guide, we’ll delve even deeper into the intriguing world of Tiefling Bards, exploring their origins, attributes, and the art of roleplaying these enigmatic musicians.
Origins of a Tiefling Bard
Tieflings, a product of fiendish ancestry, often carry a heavy burden of prejudice and discrimination. Even those born to human parents with a hint of fiendish blood find themselves shunned and abandoned. These outcast souls may be taken in by orphanages, churches, or even sinister crime rings, where they must learn to adapt to a world that largely misunderstands them.
Physically, Tieflings share many similarities with humans, including height, weight, and skeletal structure. Life expectancy is comparable to that of humans, though some Tieflings can live up to 150 years. They maintain an omnivorous diet, with a preference for meat, and sometimes consume unconventional fare like bone, gristle, marrow, blubber, blood, ash, and even inorganic materials. Their adaptable nature allows them to survive in a variety of environments.
While Tieflings can have different physical characteristics, those with evident fiendish features are treated with caution. The history of rejection has pushed many Tieflings toward lives of crime or mischief, reinforcing the negative stereotypes that surround them. Nevertheless, the resilient nature of Tieflings shines through, and they refuse to let society’s prejudice define their destiny.
Roleplaying as a Tiefling Bard: Embrace the Outcast
As you step into the shoes of a Tiefling bard, remember that you are more than just the sum of your origin. Your character’s path in the world is not solely defined by their heritage but by their performance, their unique contribution to the world of art and magic.
Consider the following questions as you craft your character:
- What is your specialty in the performing arts?
- What is your ultimate goal as a bard?
- Where have your journeys taken you, and with whom have you traveled?
- Do your tales reflect the bitterness of your existence or your unwavering resilience?
Your work as a Tiefling bard will likely carry darker, more profound themes, as if you’ve drawn inspiration from the souls of Edgar Allan Poe or H.P. Lovecraft. Furthermore, you possess the ability to speak and write Infernal and Abyssal, in addition to the common tongue. Your ambidextrous nature allows you to write with both hands, and even your tail, a remarkable trait that sets you apart from others.
Embrace your heritage’s duality, and let your music become a canvas that paints the untold stories of Tiefling bards. You are not just another performer; you are an enigmatic masterpiece of art and magic, a storyteller whose narratives are rich with the complex emotions and experiences of an outcast.
Conclusion
Becoming a Tiefling bard is to embrace a unique and often challenging path in the world of Dungeons & Dragons. With your mysterious origins, enigmatic traits, and a talent for music and magic, you are a rare gem in a diverse world. Embrace your character’s unique journey, and allow your music to be a bridge between your enigmatic past and the uncharted future.
Whether you’re luring allies or enemies with your enchanting melodies or weaving powerful spells through your words, the world of Tiefling bards is a fascinating one, filled with untapped potential and undiscovered stories.
So, pick up your Player’s Handbook and let the world of Tiefling bards become your playground, where you can explore the depth of your character’s soul and uncover the enigma that lies within.
Unleash your inner bard and share your unique tale with the world!
I have spent thousands of hours playing various types of games ranging from FPS, MOBA, RPG, MMO, and many more. I also still actively play some of my favorite games such as Dota 2. Valorant, Apex Legend, Clash of Clans, D&D 5e, AFK Arena, Mobile Legends, Free Fire, PUBG PC/Mobile, and many more…
