Hellbred: Worth introducing?

[atemu1234]

I DM a group of players led by a character who worships a goddess I homebrewed. I want to have one plotline involve a Hellbred (FCII) Palladian who worships this deity. I'd like some help regarding Hellbred. Are they a potent enough race to justify including? Are they powerful just in general?

[Red Fel]

The big advantage to Hellbred is flavor - basically, they were Evil beings in their past lives, who died on the verge of redeeming themselves but before seeking Atonement. They're given a second chance at a virtuous life, robbed of the knowledge of their past lives but armed with the knowledge that they're probably going to end up in Hell anyway. It's great RP-fodder. The other aspect of their flavor is the Evil aspect - they can get Devil-touched feats, and they can use Evil items and spell without alignment impact.

That said, as an NPC race? I dunno. Basically, this is a character who looks like a devil, who pings Evil, and who can harness Evil power... But he's Good. But he's probably going to Hell when he dies anyway. It's a fun concept for a PC (and a dangerous one, do try not to die), but for an NPC, I don't know if the players will appreciate it.

It's possible the players will be in awe of the sick coolness that is the redeeming-devil-man. It's also possible they'll just see another featureless NPC. It's a crapshoot with players.

That said, there is one caveat. If you make a Hellbred a major recurring NPC, have the players watch their gradual redemption, and then make them fall spectacularly and embrace their inner Evil? You can really rip the players' guts out if you pull that off right. That can be heartrending if you're good at playing sympathetic NPCs.