Crystal Tiefling

Crystal tieflings come into being in much the same way as a tiefling of any other sort. Perhaps the blood of a fiend runs through their veins, either from a close generation or from further back? It could be that a family curse manifests, twisting the newborn’s appearance and fate. Or it could be that their birth was part of a prophecy of some kind, meant to fulfill a greater role. To be a tiefling is to be marked by a fiendish curse, and here there is no difference. Crystal tieflings, however, are born from circumstances that alter their curse, and so re-shape their lives.

When a child is to be born and carry the curse of becoming a tiefling, the magic that shapes their genetic make-up is in flux and hard at work. It can be altered by other powerful magics, or by the effects of other planes if the unborn child or parents have been in contact with them. A crystal tiefling may be born to an adventurer who stepped into the Elemental Plane of Water years before, and harmlessly carried an echo of the plane’s magic with them, giving birth to a crystal tiefling suffused with ice and cold years later. A tiefling born near a schism in reality that leads to the Elemental Plane of Fire may be born with the power of flame flowing through their veins. Or, perhaps, they are simply the child of a half-primordial or genie whose own genes alter the fiendish curse on their child.

Tieflings are already a rare occurrence in the world of mortals, but crystal tieflings are even more so, requiring their fate be truly twisted to come into being. Due to their visual differences, they can sometimes escape the prejudice most have against tieflings, taking on roles in society similar to half-primordials and other less conventional races.

Among those who worship fiends and see a tiefling as a blessing to their cause, a crystal tiefling appears even greater. Their exceptional rarity and unique powers can cause them to be seen as chosen ones who a cult leader may wish to have at their side at all times. Some see the crystal tiefling as a prize to be captured and owned or offered to their devilish masters. Those who had never heard of such a creature may mistake them as a new breed of tiefling entirely, and treat them as if they were a turning point in the fate of the race. Whether or not they wish it, crystal tieflings are inevitably endowed with purpose where their cousins may be shunned or enslaved.

Traits

You have the following traits as a crystal tiefling.

Ability Score Increase. Your Charisma score increases by 2. Depending on your subrace, you also increase one other stat by 1 as per the subrace’s ability score increase feature. Neither of these increases can increase any of your Ability scores above 20. However, at your GM’s discretion, you may ignore these increases and instead choose one of the following options:

• Increase one of your Ability scores by 2, and another by 1 (to a maximum of 20 for either).
• Increase three of your Ability scores by 1 (to a maximum of 20).

Age. Crystal tieflings mature at the same rate as humans, but once they reach adulthood their physical aging slows down. Sustained by their elemental affinity, they live to be as old as 150 years.

Alignment. Crystal tieflings have no tendency toward evil and are less likely to stumble upon an evil disposition than their tiefling counterparts. They have a tendency toward neutral alignments.

Darkvision. Thanks to the infernal heritage they share with regular tieflings, they have darkvision that allows them vision within dim light and darkness. They can see for up to 60 feet in dim light as if it were bright light, and they see in darkness as if it were dim light. They cannot discern colors in darkness and instead tend to see everything in shades of gray. They can sometimes see the coloration of elements associated with them (like seeing the color of an electrically charged object, or the greenish hue of a poisonous plant in the dark).

Languages. You can speak, read and write Common, and may choose to have the same capabilities either with Infernal or with Primordial.

Planar Legacy. You know the thaumaturgy cantrip. At 3rd level you can cast another spell determined by your subrace, and at 5th level you gain another. Both spells are cast at a level equal to your proficiency bonus. You can cast both of these spells once, then cannot cast them again this way until you complete a long rest. Your spellcasting ability with these spells and others you cast through your racial features is Charisma.

Size. As a crystal tiefling you have roughly the same size and body build as humans and other tieflings, with your main differences residing in your elemental features. Your size is Medium.

Speed. Your base land speed is 30 feet.

Subraces

Your crystal tiefling has a subrace which you choose from among the following. Each corresponds to a different elemental influence, ranging from fire to ice to negative energy to the stygian grip of shadow itself. Whichever you choose determines some of your abilities and physical characteristics.

Planar Legacy Spells

Subrace	3 Level Spell	5 Level Spell
Celestine	Heroism	Lesser restoration
Chlorite	Ray of sickness	Acid arrow
Howlite	Cure wounds	Spiritual weapon
Jasper	Zephyr strike	Gust of wind
Jetstone	Hex	Shadow blade
Kyanite	Ice knife	Snowball storm
Obsidian	Chaos bolt	Darkness
Pyrite	Identify	Zone of truth
Sodalite	Color spray	Blindness/deafness
Spinel	Hellish rebuke	Heat metal

Celestine

One of the rarest among even this mythical breed of tiefling, those who have some lineage that can be traced back to the heavenly realm of Elysium – or were born from it – have qualities unbefitting the devilish curse of a tiefling. They take on an azure blue or white skin coloration, with soft and pleasant features. Their bodies and hair may be adorned with feathers, and their horns form into halos or crowns made of celestine. Tieflings of this type have a confused origin, but feel an inner-peace unknown to other tieflings as they carry a fragment of Elysium’s beauty within them.

Ability Score Increase. Your Wisdom score increases by 1.

Angel of Tyranny. Similar to the grace of a celestial being, as an action you can manifest a pair of black angelic wings wreathed in radiant energy which remain for 1 minute.

During this period you gain the following benefits:

• Once per turn, when you deal damage to a creature with a weapon attack or effect, you may deal extra radiant damage equal to half your level to that target.
• You gain a fly speed equal to your walking speed.
• Three times per transformation, you blast a creature within 30 feet of you with blinding light as a bonus action.
• That creature must succeed a Constitution saving throw or be blinded until the end of their next turn. The DC for this save is equal to 8 + your Charisma modifier + your proficiency bonus.
• Your wings shed bright light for 30 feet, and dim light for another 30 feet beyond that. You may choose to suppress or reignite this light as a bonus action. You can assume this form a number of times equal to half your proficiency bonus (rounded down), regaining expended uses when you complete a long rest.

Beauty in All Things. When you make a Charisma check or saving throw that does not include your full proficiency bonus, you may add half your proficiency bonus to the result.

Splendid Constitution. You have resistance to radiant and poison damage.

Chlorite

Tieflings who were born from some influence derived from the Elemental Plane of Earth. Their skin has brown or greenish tinges, their eyes often have yellow sclera that make them look like wild animals, and horns that have a wooden quality.

Ability Score Increase. Your Constitution score increases by 1.

Earth Travel. You can move across difficult terrain caused by uneven earth and stone, and you have resistance to poison damage. You have advantage on saving throws made to resist being poisoned.

Scourge. As a bonus action, you can imbue a weapon with a poison derived from your own blood. You take 1d4 damage as part of coating the weapon with this poison. For 1 minute after applying the poison, whenever you hit a creature with that weapon they must attempt a Constitution saving throw. If they fail, they are poisoned for 10 minutes, but may then re-attempt the saving throw at the end of each of their turns, ending the effect on a success. The DC for both Constitution saves is 8 + your Constitution modifier + your proficiency bonus.

Wild Avatar. As an action, you can cause your body to take on a barklike quality for 1 minute, during which time a toxic gas forms around you. For the duration, you gain the following effects:

• Any creature that moves within 5 feet of you or starts their turn there must make a Constitution saving throw, taking 1d6 poison damage on a failed save, or half as much on a successful one. A creature that does not have to breathe air does not suffer from this damage. The amount of poison damage creatures take from this effect increases to 2d6 when you reach 9th level, and 3d6 when you reach 15th level. The DC for the Constitution saving throw is equal to 8 + your Constitution modifier + your proficiency bonus. You can freely move on vertical and inverted surfaces as if you were under the effects of the spider climb spell.
• You can assume this form a number of times equal to half your proficiency bonus (rounded down), regaining spent uses when you complete a long rest.

Howlite

Born with influence from the Plane of Positive energy, these white-skinned tieflings are imbued with natural powers of healing. They have patterns on their skin that resemble marble, and larger, more robust horns than tieflings typically do.

Ability Score Increase. Your Wisdom score increases by 1.

Blinding Radiance. As an action, you can assume a form that burns bright with positive energy for 1 minute. During this time, you gain the following effects:

• Any creature that can see you at the start of their turn must avert its gaze until the start of their next turn or make a Constitution saving throw. On a failed save, they are Stunned until the start of their next turn. A creature that averts their gaze is treated as if they were blinded to you. The Constitution saving throw has a DC equal to 8 + your Charisma modifier + your proficiency bonus.
• You shed bright light for 50 feet and dim light for 50 feet beyond that. You can sense the location of invisible creatures within the area of bright light as if you had blindsight. You become immune to necrotic damage. You can assume this form a number of times equal to half your proficiency bonus (rounded down), regaining expended uses when you complete a long rest.

Healing Touch. As an action, you can touch a creature and imbue it with positive energy stored within yourself. The creature receiving this healing regains an amount of hit points equal to half your level (rounded up) plus your proficiency bonus. You can use this feature a number of times equal to your proficiency bonus, regaining spent uses when you complete a long rest.

Jasper

Imbued with the power of lightning from the Elemental Plane of Wind, Jasper Tieflings come in varieties of blue, pink and yellow skin. They are lithe and look to be built for quick movement.

Ability Score Increase. Your Dexterity score increases by 1.

Billow. You can control winds surrounding you and direct them at your enemies. You can attempt to shove creatures who are up to 30 feet away from you by striking them with a hurricane-strength gust. These shove attempts use the same rolls as they normally would. If you choose to push your target, you can push them in any direction from where they stand. By using this wind, you can also suddenly and violently cause small objects to fly through the air in whatever direction you wish, throwing them 30 feet. If the creature you are shoving is small and fails to defend against your shove attempt by 5 points or more, they are shoved up to 15 feet. If they are tiny then you can shove them up to 30 feet away.

Quick as the Wind. You have resistance to lightning damage, and you can take the Dash action as a bonus action on your turn. If you take lightning damage on your turn, your body is charged with energy and you may use your reaction to immediately move up to half your movement speed without provoking opportunity attacks.

Skyborn. As an action, you can call up the power of the wind to surge around you as electrical energy arcs across your body for 1 minute.

For this duration, you gain the following effects:

• You gain a fly (hover) speed equal to your base movement speed.
• When you hit with a weapon attack you deal extra lightning damage equal to half your total level (rounded up).
• If you have temporary hit points and a creature within 30 feet of you hits you, you may use your reaction to convert any amount of your temporary hit points to lighting that lashes back at them. The creature who hit you must make a Dexterity saving throw, taking lightning damage equal to the temporary hit points you expended + half your level (rounded up) on a failed save, or half as much damage on a successful one. If this damage kills or knocks them unconscious, then the creature’s attack harmlessly misses you. The DC for the Dexterity saving throw is equal to 8 + your Charisma modifier + your proficiency bonus.
• You can assume this form a number of times equal to half your proficiency bonus (rounded down), regaining spent uses when you complete a long rest.

Jetstone

Tieflings skin is a shadowy, ink-like black that seems to not reflect or scatter light, giving them the appearance of being a shadow itself.

Ability Score Increase. Your Wisdom score increases by 1.

Echoes of Dread. As an action, you can cause shadows to dance and form around you for 1 minute as if they had come to life. For the duration, you gain the following effects:

• While surrounded by these shadows you are treated as if you were under the effects of the blur spell.
• You can use your bonus action to teleport to any unoccupied space not illuminated by bright light within 60 feet of you.
• You gain devil sight out to 120 feet, allowing you to see normally in magical and non-magical darkness.
• You can assume this form a number of times equal to half your proficiency bonus (rounded down), regaining spent uses when you complete a long rest.

Ego Lock. You are resistant to psychic damage.

Shadowmind. When you attempt to take the Hide action to hide in shadows, at night, or in any situation where darkness is your main source of cover, you blend unnaturally into the shadows. In these situations, you can add your proficiency bonus to your Dexterity (Stealth) check made to hide, unless you were already adding it a second time (such as through a feature like Expertise). Once per turn, when you make an attack from hiding, you don’t automatically reveal yourself. You may make a Dexterity (stealth) check contested against your target’s Wisdom (perception), and if you win you remain hidden.

Kyanite

Cold and composed, kyanite tieflings are invested with power through their connection to the Elemental Plane of Water. Their bodies come in hues of deep to pale blue, and they have sections of frost and ice coating their skin. Their horns have an icy appearance, sometimes being made of a translucent ice-like material that otherwise has the physical properties of bone.

Ability Score Increase. Your Intelligence score increases by 1.

Crystal Clarity. You can briefly steel yourself. A wave of calm washes over you and your perception of the world slows for a moment, allowing you proper time to address and adapt to what’s in front of you. When you make an ability check or saving throw, you may use your reaction to roll 1d6 and add it to the result. You must choose to do so before you roll the attempt. You can do this a number of times equal to your proficiency bonus, regaining spent uses when you complete a long rest.

Frost Resistance. You have resistance to cold damage. You have advantage on saving throws and ability checks made to navigate and combat the hazards of freezing or icy environments.

Heart of Ice. As an action, you can cause your body to freeze over with a thin layer of ice for 1 minute, which you can thicken and manipulate to suit your needs. For the duration, you gain the following effects:

• You can slide along the ground without resistance, causing your movement speed to be increased by 15 feet and be unimpeded by difficult terrain.
• You can harden the ice on your body to brace yourself against damage you take. You may use your reaction when you are hit with a weapon attack to concentrate the ice, reducing the damage you take by an amount equal to your level. If the damage is cold damage, you take none instead.
• You gain a bonus to your armor class equal to your proficiency bonus when you are benefiting from the Dodge action.
• You can assume this form a number of times equal to half your proficiency bonus (rounded down), regaining spent uses when you complete a long rest.

Obsidian

Tieflings who are exposed to the crippling energies of the Negative Energy Plane may be twisted and born as an Obsidian Tiefling. Complete with gray skin, or another immensely faded color in some rare cases. They are typically somewhat withered as if life has been sucked from them and old age has come for them early.

Ability Score Increase. Your Wisdom score increases by 1.

Impervious to Withering. You are resistant to necrotic damage.

Inverse Rejuvenation. When a creature would regain hit points within 60 feet of you through a magic item or spell, you may use your reaction to invert the energy entering their body, causing them to suffer necrotic damage equal to half of what they would have gained instead.

Likewise, if a creature would take necrotic damage within 60 feet of you, you may use your reaction to cause the target to gain temporary hit points equal to half the damage they would have taken instead.

You can use this feature a number of times equal to your proficiency bonus, regaining expended uses on a long rest.

Shroud of Emptiness. As an action, you can manifest your negative energy to form a shroud that envelops you for 1 minute. For the duration, you gain the following effects:

• You are not considered to have any creature type or alignment, and so anything that tries to target you based on those aspects fails to do so. Divination spells that try to detect you always treat you as if the caster had never met or heard of you, gaining no bonuses from familiarity or objects connected to you.
• You shift just on the edge of the perception of other creatures, and so do not provoke opportunity attacks.
• If a creature hits you with a weapon attack you may use your reaction to force them to make a Wisdom saving throw. If they fail, they forget you exist for a split second as they attack, causing them to miss you instead. If a creature succeeds this Wisdom saving throw, they become immune to this effect for 24 hours. The DC for the Wisdom save is equal to 8 + your Charisma modifier + your proficiency bonus.

You may assume this form a number of times equal to half your proficiency bonus (rounded down), regaining expended uses when you complete a long rest.

Pyrite

Pyrite tieflings skin typically takes on a pale gray or silver coloration, with a smooth complexion that appears almost metallic.

Their horns have a geometric build that resembles refined plates of pyrite, and their eyes are sharp and attentive.

Their skin may feature natural seams and lines as if they had been assembled from various welded parts. They are not slaves to the mechanical order that sparks their existence, but this element of their being grants them a stillness and resolve unique to the single-minded constructs.

Ability Score Increase. Your Intelligence score increases by 1.

Burden of Law. You have resistance to psychic damage, and advantage on saving throws made to resist being frightened.

Chronal Ordreplex. As an action, you can manifest a state of order and law around yourself for 1 minute. During this time, your body takes on a rigid, metallic coating and you gain the following benefits:

• At the start of each of your turns, roll 1d20. Any time you roll a d20 before the start of your next turn you can replace one of your d20 results with that result, then cannot do so again until the start of your next turn.
• Once per use of your chronal ordreplex, when you fail an Intelligence, Wisdom or Charisma saving throw, you may succeed instead.
• Your armor class increases by an amount equal to half your proficiency bonus (rounded down).
• You gain blindsight out to 30 feet.
• You can assume this form a number of times equal to half your proficiency bonus (rounded down), regaining expended uses when you complete a long rest.

Unfaltering. When frightened you can still approach the source of your fear, but movement spent doing so counts as moving twice as many feet. If an effect causing you to be frightened would also force you to move against your will, you can choose to take no movement on that turn instead.

Sodalite

The winds of Pandemonium scream within the souls of Tieflings born from its influence. Those who came to life there (or from exposure to it) hear voices within their mind. These echoes are not maddening, however, and instead strengthen their minds against outside interference. Their bodies have a naturally dull and haggard appearance as if they had wandered a wasteland, buffeted by sand and wind, and come in various dull colors. Their nails and horns are made of sodalite, a waxy mineral that is smooth from weathering. They often have spikes and growths made of sodalite on their body which do not adhere to any sort of symmetry or natural pattern.

Ability Score Increase. Your Constitution score increases by 1.

Blindsight. As an adaptation to the deafening winds of Pandemonium, you have blindsight that extends out a number of feet equal to 5 multiplied by your proficiency bonus.

Roaring Perception. You are proficient in Wisdom (Perception) checks, and have advantage on saving throws made to resist being blinded or deafened.

Screams of Pandemonium. As an action, you can surround yourself with the undying winds of Pandemonium accompanied by the realm’s horrific screams for 1 minute.

During this time you are surrounded by a 10-foot-radius sphere, and you gain the following benefits:

• Other creatures treat this sphere as if it were difficult terrain. You have half cover against ranged attacks originating from outside the sphere.
• Creatures other than you who start their turn within this sphere take thunder damage equal to half your level (rounded down).
• Creatures within this sphere cannot perform the verbal components of spells.
• Gravity centered on you pulls toward the nearest surface, allowing you to walk on vertical and inverted surfaces as if it were solid ground. Your long jump and high jump distances are both doubled, and when you fall more than 20 feet you are treated as if under the effects of the feather fall spell.
• You can manifest these winds a number of times equal to half your proficiency bonus (rounded down), regaining expended uses when you complete a long rest.

Spinel

These are red and bronze tieflings who are born from the influence of the Elemental Plane of Fire. These hellfire-forged tieflings have a natural condition that causes their nails, horns, bones, and hair to have naturally occurring brass highlights, and parts of their skin are infused with rough brass plates. When enraged, these plates heat up to extreme temperatures as a form of natural defense.

Ability Score Increase. Your Strength score increases by 1.

Fire Resistance. You are resistant to fire damage.

Lord of Brass. As an action, you can cause the brass deposits within your body to become red hot, causing wings of flame to erupt from your back. This form lasts for 1 minute. During the duration, you gain the following effects:

• You gain a fly speed equal to your walking speed.
• Your fire resistance increases to become immunity to fire damage.
• Creatures making melee attacks against you from within 5 feet have disadvantage on their attack rolls.
• Any creature that moves within 5 feet of you or starts their turn there must make a Dexterity saving throw, taking 1d6 fire damage on a failed save, or half as much damage on a successful one. Damage for this feature increases to 2d6 at 9th level, and 3d6 at 15th level. The DC for the Dexterity save is equal to 8 + your Constitution modifier + your proficiency bonus.
• Your melee weapon attacks deal extra fire damage equal to half your total level (rounded up).
• You can assume this form a number of times equal to half your proficiency bonus (rounded down), regaining spent uses when you complete a long rest.

Shroud of Warmth. Whenever you or a creature within 10 feet of you is targeted with an effect that deals cold damage, you can use your reaction to extend a brief shroud of protective warmth, causing you and all creatures within 10 feet of you to take half as much cold damage from that effect.

Background

You may use the following tables to generate information about your crystal tiefling character, including your origins, ideals, driving motivations, etc.

Crystal Tiefling Ideals

d8	Ideal
1	Mystery. I am an enigma, but any good mystery is worth unraveling. I want to know more about where I came from and what I can do. (Chaotic Good)
2	Creation. I want to put more into the world than I take out. (Lawful Good)
3	Origins. I was born for a purpose. I want to find out what that purpose was before it finds me first. (True Neutral)
4	Adventure. The world is vast. I want to delve into its depths and see what it has to offer me. The horizon calls! (Chaotic Neutral)
5	Greed. I understand the value of things that are rare and would care for them better than others. (Neutral Evil)
6	Discovery. Learning new information and discovering things to share with the world are, to me, as good as calls to adventure. (Neutral Good)
7	Rejection. My fate is in my own hands. I will not let others decide my path. (Chaotic Evil)
8	Community. I want to be welcomed within the social circles I present myself to, and be accepted for who I am. (Lawful Neutral)

Crystal Tiefling Flaws

d6	Flaw
1	Others can’t understand my point of view, and I don’t expect them to see things my way.
2	I tend to my finer physical elements religiously, and become put off if they aren’t shown respect.
3	I cannot help but to remind others of my unique gifts.
4	I am unable to turn my head from a mystery or quest I have taken a step toward. I crave closure.
5	When challenged, I speak down to whoever confronts me as if they should know their place.
6	I don’t see a difference between those who seek divine magic and those who draw powers from devils or fiends. Magic is magic.

Crystal Tiefling Quirks

d6	Quirk
1	I am drawn to gemstones that resemble my own natural features.
2	I push others to over-explain themselves, where they came from, their interests, etc., if I take an interest in them.
3	I deal with stress and anxiety with humor, deflecting insecurity with laughter.
4	When thinking, I tend to tap my horns, play with my tail, or touch my mineral features.
5	Contrary to what others expect, I’m very sensitive to the element I’m affiliated with (spinel tieflings becoming easily overheated, kyanite tieflings hating the cold, etc).
6	I laugh loud, and often. Joy shouldn’t be hidden!

Crystal Tiefling Origin

d6	Origin
1	One of your parents is a djinn from one of the Elemental Planes, and the other a powerful Fiend. You inherited aspects of both.
2	You were born in a location that had a fissure into another plane, through which its energies poured invisibly.
3	An elder elemental’s soul was split during a great and ancient conflict, and a fragment of it was infused into you. Who did such a thing and what it pertains remains unknown.
4	Before your conception, one of your parents was exposed to a powerful magic effect that infused their genetic material with the power you now hold.
5	On the night of your birth, the alignment of stars above caused the weave to shift and knot unexpectedly, and a transformation unforeseen by any took place within you.
6	One parent of celestial origin and the other of a fiendish origin: you suffer the consequences of your irregular heritage in the form of chaotic energy that energizes and empowers you.