Question about tiefling [Archive] - Wizards Community

Question about tiefling [Archive] - Wizards Community

Post/Author/DateTime Post
Lia The Sun Elf Wizard
09-04-07, 07:54 PM The FRCS book states the tieflings are descendants of a fiend.
The Races of Faêrun book states the tieflings are DISTANT descendants of a fiend.
This fact should be no problem if i hadnt put in my story a PC tiefling meeting her succubus MOTHER (i just read the distant descendant "detail" after i made this succubus an important NPC in my story). What should i do about that? I completely ignore the "distant descendant detail" and this succubus continues to be the tiefling's mother or i destroy my story and make anew? (it would be impossible to continue cause this fiend is the main "friendly" NPC of the story and the PCs work for her. Yes, the story is for evil PCs).
BadCatMan
09-04-07, 08:33 PM Ignore it.

While technically in the past it was fiend - cambion/alu-fiend - tiefling, or something like that, or now fiend - half-fiend - tiefling, obviously this disrupts heavily on the game in progress.

If it comes up, just say the tiefling was unusually light on the demonic ancestry, and took after his father. Demon genetics is likely to be highly inconsistent.

I don't know how much detail you went into, but if you wished to change it, you could say that the succubus was in fact the great great great ... grandmother, who got with a distant ancestor of the tiefling. It's said that many tieflings seek out their demonic ancestors after all.
MarkHall
09-05-07, 03:48 AM Who says the succubus is telling the truth?

Seriously, though, don't destroy the story for the text. The degree of importance for that "very distant" is minor, so don't sweat it.
White_Wizard
09-05-07, 01:54 PM A good story (especially one you like) is much more important than strict observance of the rules.
Lia The Sun Elf Wizard
09-05-07, 03:07 PM I don't know why the book says they are distant descendants. Because a fiend breeding w/ a human would result in a half-fiend offspring (don't you agree?) and tieflings are half-fiends. Maybe the book states that cause there aren't so many fiends roaming in Faêrun anymore and it would be difficult (but not impossible) to have a tiefling who had the luck of being a direct descendant of a fiend.
BadCatMan
09-05-07, 08:31 PM It's because the planar heritage can reappear after many generations, like a genetic throwback. That's why it usually says a distant ancestor, but a planetouched can appear at any stage of the family line.
MarkHall
09-06-07, 12:57 AM I don't know why the book says they are distant descendants. Because a fiend breeding w/ a human would result in a half-fiend offspring (don't you agree?) and tieflings are half-fiends. Maybe the book states that cause there aren't so many fiends roaming in Faêrun anymore and it would be difficult (but not impossible) to have a tiefling who had the luck of being a direct descendant of a fiend.

Tieflings are distinct, however, from the Half-fiend template and the cambion of earlier editions, which is why they emphasized the distant descendants.

An alternate explanation: Your father had levels in the Human Paragon class. He was more human than human. ;)
Borris
09-06-07, 06:05 PM Tieflings usually have anywhere from 1/4 to 1/100 of fiendish blood. Maybe the succubus was the character's grandmother or great-grandmother and she doesn't see the difference. Maybe the demonic blood simply didn't manifest itself fully (chaotic bllod can be fickle like that), perhaps allowing you to take the Fiendish Bloodline and Outsider Wings feats later on. Or maybe the succubus is just lying. With a +19 modifier and a story that's not too unlikely, who wouldn't believe her?
GothicDan
09-06-07, 08:26 PM As Borris said, by the RAW, Tieflings are at most 1/4 Fiend.

However, Jayke the Snake (sp?) from the Planescape novel Pages of Pain was "born from a Marilith egg." So the very nature of Tieflings can obviously vary.

Post/Author/DateTime	Post
Lia The Sun Elf Wizard 09-04-07, 07:54 PM	The FRCS book states the tieflings are descendants of a fiend. The Races of Faêrun book states the tieflings are DISTANT descendants of a fiend. This fact should be no problem if i hadnt put in my story a PC tiefling meeting her succubus MOTHER (i just read the distant descendant "detail" after i made this succubus an important NPC in my story). What should i do about that? I completely ignore the "distant descendant detail" and this succubus continues to be the tiefling's mother or i destroy my story and make anew? (it would be impossible to continue cause this fiend is the main "friendly" NPC of the story and the PCs work for her. Yes, the story is for evil PCs).
BadCatMan 09-04-07, 08:33 PM	Ignore it. While technically in the past it was fiend - cambion/alu-fiend - tiefling, or something like that, or now fiend - half-fiend - tiefling, obviously this disrupts heavily on the game in progress. If it comes up, just say the tiefling was unusually light on the demonic ancestry, and took after his father. Demon genetics is likely to be highly inconsistent. I don't know how much detail you went into, but if you wished to change it, you could say that the succubus was in fact the great great great ... grandmother, who got with a distant ancestor of the tiefling. It's said that many tieflings seek out their demonic ancestors after all.
MarkHall 09-05-07, 03:48 AM	Who says the succubus is telling the truth? Seriously, though, don't destroy the story for the text. The degree of importance for that "very distant" is minor, so don't sweat it.
White_Wizard 09-05-07, 01:54 PM	A good story (especially one you like) is much more important than strict observance of the rules.
Lia The Sun Elf Wizard 09-05-07, 03:07 PM	I don't know why the book says they are distant descendants. Because a fiend breeding w/ a human would result in a half-fiend offspring (don't you agree?) and tieflings are half-fiends. Maybe the book states that cause there aren't so many fiends roaming in Faêrun anymore and it would be difficult (but not impossible) to have a tiefling who had the luck of being a direct descendant of a fiend.
BadCatMan 09-05-07, 08:31 PM	It's because the planar heritage can reappear after many generations, like a genetic throwback. That's why it usually says a distant ancestor, but a planetouched can appear at any stage of the family line.
MarkHall 09-06-07, 12:57 AM	I don't know why the book says they are distant descendants. Because a fiend breeding w/ a human would result in a half-fiend offspring (don't you agree?) and tieflings are half-fiends. Maybe the book states that cause there aren't so many fiends roaming in Faêrun anymore and it would be difficult (but not impossible) to have a tiefling who had the luck of being a direct descendant of a fiend. Tieflings are distinct, however, from the Half-fiend template and the cambion of earlier editions, which is why they emphasized the distant descendants. An alternate explanation: Your father had levels in the Human Paragon class. He was more human than human. ;)
Borris 09-06-07, 06:05 PM	Tieflings usually have anywhere from 1/4 to 1/100 of fiendish blood. Maybe the succubus was the character's grandmother or great-grandmother and she doesn't see the difference. Maybe the demonic blood simply didn't manifest itself fully (chaotic bllod can be fickle like that), perhaps allowing you to take the Fiendish Bloodline and Outsider Wings feats later on. Or maybe the succubus is just lying. With a +19 modifier and a story that's not too unlikely, who wouldn't believe her?
GothicDan 09-06-07, 08:26 PM	As Borris said, by the RAW, Tieflings are at most 1/4 Fiend. However, Jayke the Snake (sp?) from the Planescape novel Pages of Pain was "born from a Marilith egg." So the very nature of Tieflings can obviously vary.