Post/Author/DateTime	Post
#1 Napolean_Warlord Jan 25, 2015 17:07:25	I have a player that wants to have a human variant where the backstory is they have a "splash of demonic blood" but not a true Tiefling.   They want to have Diabolic Transformation from 4e as their variant human feat.   Any thoughts regarding how to implement something like this?  Not sure if I'm allowed but I copy the mechanics below.  Basically for one combat per long rest you get to turn into a demon get regenerate 2, fire resistance and +2 for damage.  The character is a Bard so its certainly not going to be OP vs. other variant human feat choices (looking at you bow fighting sharpshooter).   Diabolic Transformation Tiefling Racial  Whenever you take a critical hit, you gain a +2 feat bonus to attack rolls against that enemy until the end of the encounter.  ✦ Polymorph Minor Action Personal Effect: You transform into a diabolic brute until the end of the encounter. While you are in this form, you gain regeneration 2, you increase fire resistance by 5, you gain a +2 bonus to damage rolls, and the bonus to attack rolls granted by your Bloodhunt racial trait increases to +2. 11th level: Regeneration 4. 21st level: Regeneration 6. Special: Once during this encounter while you are in this form, you can use the black wrath of hell power. Black Wrath of Hell Tiefling Racial Power You burn through the very essence of your own soul to lend terrifying power to your attack. Encounter Free Action Personal Trigger: You hit an enemy with an attack. Effect: The attack deals 1d10 extra damage and the target takes a penalty to attack rolls against you equal to the higher of your Intelligence or Charisma modifier (save ends). The bonus damage in
#2 EzechielDantan Jan 25, 2015 17:34:23	Napolean_Warlord wrote:
#3 Macv12 Jan 25, 2015 21:44:16	+2 is much more valuable in 5e than is was in 4e. Especially to weapon damage, and doubly so for a Bard. I wouldn't worry about scaling it up.   What does the player consider valuable about this feat? I doesn't work well as a straight conversion, as Ezechiel noted. You'll have to change some things around, and maybe drop some things. The combat-long and stacking (if rare) +2's to hit strike me as especially out-of-place. Maybe while transformed, attackers who crit take counter-damage equal to their weapon die size (i.e. the same as the bonus damage they got for critting)?   I would also add a bonus to Intimidation or something while transformed, to give more flavor. Maybe a bonus (or penalty - filthy half-human pretender!) to social checks related to demons. Doesn't have to all be combat prowess.
#4 Ath-kethin Jan 26, 2015 3:24:34	I do not know the thinking behind this idea, really, but I would rule at my table that if you have demonic blood you're a tiefling. That's the definition of a tiefling, and what makes them different from a human. Problem solved. Allow the character to look a little less demonic if you want.
#5 BRJN Jan 28, 2015 18:01:15	Neverwinter Campaign Setting has a picture of a tiefling who wears a big turban (his receding hairline won't cover the stubby horns on his forehead).  The only thing that otherwise looks "not-human" about him is the gold-colored eyes.  Being a tiefling does NOT mean you automatically look like a social outcast.  It's all in the fluff.
#6 Devils-Advocate Jan 28, 2015 20:08:18	BRJN wrote:
#7 BRJN Feb 01, 2015 10:37:37	Devils-Advocate wrote:
#8 Devils-Advocate Feb 01, 2015 10:50:03	BRJN wrote:
(Reply to #6) Napolean_Warlord	Devils-Advocate wrote:
#10 Devils-Advocate Feb 01, 2015 12:38:46	Personally, I would make it a custom Tiefling subrace. Say that this particular breed of Tiefling doesn't share their cousins' physical resemblance to their Fiendish heritage, but instead have two souls within one body. When their Fiend soul takes control, it temporarily alters their physical form, and makes them appear even more Fiendish than their mixed-blooded counterparts. For subrace features I would drop the Darkvision, but keep the +2 to Charisma but swap the +1 Intelligence for +1 Constitution (you've got to be hardy to handle constantly shapeshifting) and replace the normal Tiefling spellcasting features with the ability to take demonic form 1/short rest. I'd just use Wild Shape mechanics, but you can only take one form, chosen at character creation, which must be a Demon or Devil with CR 1 or less and no fly speed or swim speed.
(Reply to #10) Napolean_Warlord	Devils-Advocate wrote:
#12 Devils-Advocate Feb 01, 2015 13:41:43	Thanks! Note that I don't have the Monster Manual in front of me, so I'm not positive there actually is a creature meeting those qualifications. If there's not, or if the ones available don't seem appealing to your player, you can always use the monster creation rules in the Dungeon Master's guide to build a custom creature to be her demonic form.
#13 Captain_Kobold Feb 02, 2015 6:48:18	Sounds like you could fluff Barbarian Rage into something about right. That has the advantage of letting the player decide how powerful he wants that aspect of his character to be compared to his Bard levels.    If he just wants something so low-powered that its a racial ability or feat rather than spending actual class levels on, reduce the power of Rage until its balanced with other feats/racial abilities. I second the point that it shouldn't get better by level however: 5th ed mechanicas already have that covered.   A human with a significant amount of fiendish blood/influence is a Tiefling. With less, they are a human. So playing the character as mechanically a human is fine in my book.   A feat granting a one-shot Rage ability, swapping some of the capabilities for Fire Resistance for the duration wouldn't seem out of order.   Best bet might be to straight-out ask the player what they actually want from the capability, rather than try to crowbar in an older edition ability.