Tiefling genetics

[KiltieMacPipes]

I've always wondered and never read definitive about it, but do tieflings breed true?

I've always assumed that the taint in the blood was just a thing that popped up every now and again, like Ravenloft's calibans.

Has anything been published about it?

[Madfellow]

As of 4th Edition and continuing into 5th, the offspring of a tiefling is always a tiefling. They can breed with each other and with humans.

[Celcey]

As a general thing, teiflings tend to breed with other tieflings, and therefore produce more tieflings. In the very beginning of tieflings, who knows? I think a child of a tiefling and another race could be either race, though (unless is was something like an orc, in which case the child is a half orc).

[RedMage125]

As of 4th Edition and continuing into 5th, the offspring of a tiefling is always a tiefling. They can breed with each other and with humans.

To support this, the 5e PHB says that "Their appearance and their nature are not their fault but the result of an ancient sin, for which they and their children and their children's children will always be held accountable."

So ANY descendant of the original pact-makers-all tieflings and ALL descendants of them-will bear the stain of that sin (i.e. they will be tieflings). So if a tiefling mates with a human, an elf, a dwarf, an orc, a hobgoblin, whatever...the result will be a tiefling.

[Jlooney]

i really want to make a religious joke here but I know it's against the rules.

[Angelalex242]

Speaking of this, if a Succubus seduces somebody, is a Tiefling produced?

I haven't seen a half fiend template yet.

[bloodshed343]

Tiefling are not half-fiends.

[Oneris]

To support this, the 5e PHB says that "Their appearance and their nature are not their fault but the result of an ancient sin, for which they and their children and their children's children will always be held accountable."

So ANY descendant of the original pact-makers-all tieflings and ALL descendants of them-will bear the stain of that sin (i.e. they will be tieflings). So if a tiefling mates with a human, an elf, a dwarf, an orc, a hobgoblin, whatever...the result will be a tiefling.

Wouldn't that mean given enough time and lack of inbreeding, every person on the planet will be a tiefling? :smallconfused:

[TylertheCreator]

Wouldn't that mean given enough time and lack of inbreeding, every person on the planet will be a tiefling? :smallconfused:

Not every person on the planet makes a pact with a demon/devil/whatever happened to cause the person's bloodline to be cursed.

[Mellack]

Not every person on the planet makes a pact with a demon/devil/whatever happened to cause the person's bloodline to be cursed.

They don't have to. If one of your great, great, great...grandparents made a deal, you get the taint and are a tiefling. If one parent was tiefling, the child is too. So all it takes is one relative to spawn a huge line.
I think how fast it would spread would mostly have to do with society's feelings about tieflings. If most find them disturbing, they may not be much crossbreeding. If they are well accepted, I would think they would build population quite fast.

[mr_odd]

They don't have to. If one of your great, great, great...grandparents made a deal, you get the taint and are a tiefling. If one parent was tiefling, the child is too. So all it takes is one relative to spawn a huge line.
I think how fast it would spread would mostly have to do with society's feelings about tieflings. If most find them disturbing, they may not be much crossbreeding. If they are well accepted, I would think they would build population quite fast.

And even if they were well accepted, society would figure out that every child would be a tiefling, meaning races would refuse to breed to preserve their own race. Also, is there any mention anywhere about the results of the pact being broken? Perhaps their is a restoration that can occur through holy legendary magic or through the death of the demon or simply convincing the demon to remove the curse.

[Angelalex242]

Do Half Fiends and Half Celestials even exist yet?

[RedMage125]

Do Half Fiends and Half Celestials even exist yet?

Half-Fiends do in the form of Cambions, as they always have.

[Angelalex242]

Used to be that Cambion+Human=Tiefling. Does that still hold?

[RedMage125]

Used to be that Cambion+Human=Tiefling. Does that still hold?

The default fluff for tieflings follows the 4e model. That they are descended form people who made a deal with Asmodeus. There is something in the 5e lore that mentions that they are NOT descended from fiends, like another race, the PLanetouched.

IN my world, however, they are still descended from fiends and are still PLaneouched. As are Aasimar and Genasi.

I've even done a 5e Genasi write up, posted it here on the forums.

really should include it in my sig.

[Angelalex242]

There's a separate planetouched race, now?

Wonder why nobody thought of making a pact with Heaven to bring Aasimar into the world in response?

[RedMage125]

Aasimar are detailed in the 5e DMG.

[Talderas]

Wouldn't that mean given enough time and lack of inbreeding, every person on the planet will be a tiefling? :smallconfused:

Not every race can produce offspring with a tiefling.