Tieflings
Tieflings carry infernal, abyssal, or chthonic heritage in their blood — the legacy of a bargain made generations ago, or the result of a mortal binding themselves too closely to fiendish powers. In Amantia, three distinct Tiefling lineages exist, each reflecting a different flavour of dark power.
Despite their heritage, Tieflings are mortal and fully capable of good, evil, or anything between. Many carry a quiet chip on their shoulder from a lifetime of mistrust.
All Tieflings
Size: Medium | Speed: 30 ft | Age: Same as humans Darkvision: 60 ft Hellish Resistance: Resistance to fire damage Languages: Common + Infernal (or Abyssal, depending on subtype)
Infernal Tiefling
The Classic / Most Common
Source: Descended from a mortal who made a pact with a devil — or who was touched by the power of the Nine Hells.
Appearance: Human-like with clear infernal markers: skin in shades of red, dark blue, or deep purple; solid-coloured eyes (usually red, white, black, or gold); thick horns curling back; a non-prehensile tail; faint smell of brimstone.
Languages: Common + Infernal
Innate Magic:
- Thaumaturgy (cantrip)
- Hellish Rebuke (2nd level, once per long rest)
- Darkness (once per long rest)
Alignment: No tendency — Tieflings can be any alignment despite their heritage.
Found in: Throughout the Holy Rose Empire (especially the Galdravess Magocracy and university cities), the Republic of Arcadia, and anywhere with historical connections to fiendish bargains.
Abyssal Tiefling
Source: Descended from mortal-demon unions or the result of demonic corruption — tied to the Abyss and chaotic evil rather than the lawful evil of the Hells.
Appearance: More monstrous than Infernal Tieflings — skin in deeper, darker hues; horns more jagged and asymmetrical; eyes often multiple colours or pupil-less; the tail is longer and heavier; some have vestigial wings or claws.
Languages: Common + Abyssal
Innate Magic: More chaotic and destructive than Infernal counterparts — tends toward fire and rage-based spells.
Alignment: Tend toward Chaotic; the Abyssal pull is toward impulse and destruction.
Found in: Rarer and more feared than Infernal Tieflings. Found near sites of demonic incursion, in the Nesian regions with strong fiendish history, and in isolated communities that formed around surviving cultists.
Chthonic Tiefling
Source: Tied not to Hell or the Abyss, but to the deep earth — to powers older than devils or demons. Possibly connected to the Elder Elemental Gods or to ancient forces that predate the infernal hierarchy.
Appearance: The most unusual — skin in earthy dark tones (deep brown, grey-black, or dark green); features that suggest underground ancestry; eyes like deep caverns; horns that look like stone or bone rather than keratin.
Languages: Common + Undercommon (or Primordial)
Innate Magic: Earth and shadow-based abilities; more subtle than fire magic.
Alignment: Tend toward Neutral; the chthonic is ancient and indifferent, not evil.
Found in: Rare and primarily subterranean. Found near underdark communities, in Niflheim, and in regions where the Elder Elemental Gods’ influence is still felt.
Tieflings in Amantia’s Society
Tieflings are viewed with suspicion in most of Amantia’s major human civilisations, particularly in the Holy Rose Empire where the Church actively teaches about the dangers of fiendish corruption. In the Galdravess Magocracy, they are studied with clinical curiosity rather than feared — which is almost worse.
In the Arcavéan Republic, Tieflings have legal standing and rights — the Republic’s civic ideals include them in the social contract, however imperfectly in practice.
See also: Species Index | Deity Index | Cosmology & The Planes