In official lore, does a half-fey and half-devil exist?
As a DM, I have a player who is a tiefling wild magic sorcerer, and I'm interested in using a union between an archfey and an archdevil as a backstory origin for her wild-magic, and hopefully make a surprise reveal of it. She has told us multiple times that she does not know who her parents were, or how she got her magic.
I know the Fey-ri exist in the Forgotten Realms, which I guess is an alternative, but I expect demonic heritage would cause a lot of complications and tension in the party, since another member has already allied with an erinyes of Zariel.
Based on the night hag, it's possible to change type from fey to fiend, so I suspect a halfling would wind up being one type or the other rather than both types.
That's very true! The main thing I'm wondering is whether a fey and devil could create a wild sorcerer tiefling child I guess 😂
Okay, I've just found something. According to the Forgotten Realms wiki page for tieflings:
the union of a tiefling with another race always produced a tiefling child.
That being said, if one parent were an archdevil, they would probably spawn something more akin to a cambion, I assume. ...maybe I'm thinking about this too much, haha
In official lore, does a half-fey and half-devil exist?
You already mentioned the fey'ri, which was the closest thing that I could recall being half-fey and half-fiend, and I don't recall any official creatures being half-fey and half-devil (versus half-demon). Having said that, you could very easily homebrew something for your campaign and player's background.
I could easily see an example of such a union being that one of the Lords of the Nine (or maybe even an infernal archduke) made a bargain with a Seelie/Unseelie noble to help with some effort or scheme; such as creating unique soldiers for the Blood War or specialized agents to thwart a rival archdevil. Pact entailed selective breeding between the fiend and fey creature(s) that resulted in your half-fey / half-devil species (maybe something similar to the fey'ri?). Tiefling PC could either be a direct descendant of this union or a second or third generation from the half-blooded children...
That being said, if one parent were an archdevil, they would probably spawn something more akin to a cambion, I assume. ...maybe I'm thinking about this too much, haha
Based on earlier editions, the direct descendant of a fiend with something else was almost always a cambion (i.e., half-fiend). Further descendants down that line ended up being tieflings (which were considered ¼-fiend or less) or just a standard race because the fiendishness heritage was so diluted in their case. Player and DM could always play around with the details a bit, but the concept was that tieflings were rarely sired directly by fiends...and prior to 4th/5th editions, Asmodeus didn't get the monopoly on tieflings.
While I appreciate that 5e has tried to simplify the tiefling race for ease of play, I've always preferred the older concepts of tieflings being descended from all types of lower planar entities as well as being ¼-fiendish or less. Just a little too cookie-cutter for my taste, but that's a more detailed discussion for another time, perhaps.
You already mentioned the fey'ri, which was the closest thing that I could recall being half-fey and half-fiend, and I don't recall any official creatures being half-fey and half-devil (versus half-demon). Having said that, you could very easily homebrew something for your campaign and player's background.
I could easily see an example of such a union being that one of the Lords of the Nine (or maybe even an infernal archduke) made a bargain with a Seelie/Unseelie noble to help with some effort or scheme; such as creating unique soldiers for the Blood War or specialized agents to thwart a rival archdevil. Pact entailed selective breeding between the fiend and fey creature(s) that resulted in your half-fey / half-devil species (maybe something similar to the fey'ri?). Tiefling PC could either be a direct descendant of this union or a second or third generation from the half-blooded children...
That's a very interesting idea! I can definitely imagine some fey of the Unseelie court making such a deal with the Nine Hells, the FR wiki itself mentions that Hellhounds are among the Queen of Air and Darkness's most favoured servants. I can't imagine many from the Summer Court would make such a bargain, but it's certainly possible. After all, they do prize beauty, and some devils can definitely possess that if they wished, plus plenty of guile and charm.
I imagine my player must be at least 2nd generation however, since otherwise it might be hard to explain her roaming free? That or it had no more motive than an attempt to spawn cambions in the feywild.
Based on earlier editions, the direct descendant of a fiend with something else was almost always a cambion (i.e., half-fiend). Further descendants down that line ended up being tieflings (which were considered ¼-fiend or less) or just a standard race because the fiendishness heritage was so diluted in their case. Player and DM could always play around with the details a bit, but the concept was that tieflings were rarely sired directly by fiends...and prior to 4th/5th editions, Asmodeus didn't get the monopoly on tieflings.
While I appreciate that 5e has tried to simplify the tiefling race for ease of play, I've always preferred the older concepts of tieflings being descended from all types of lower planar entities as well as being ¼-fiendish or less. Just a little too cookie-cutter for my taste, but that's a more detailed discussion for another time, perhaps.
It's a very interesting story I find, actually! I've recently read the Brimstone Angels series by Erin M. Evans which features the lore of tieflings and infernal warlocks pretty heavily. I was rather fascinated that tieflings of old were such a varied race. Some had hooves, some had fangs, some had wings, some just looked human. Then the Brimstone Angel and gathered followers of demonic, devilish, succubi and even yugoloth descent for a bloody ritual which would tie tiefling blood to Asmodeus, and in return raise him to godhood, a side effect of which made tieflings more uniform. There were ulterior motives on the Brimstone Angels part of course, and her ghost made overtures to undo it later out of vengeance, but I find it really fascinating personally! Though I get it does restrict player creativeness somewhat.
Thanks for your reply too by the way, I appreciate it!
That's a very interesting idea! I can definitely imagine some fey of the Unseelie court making such a deal with the Nine Hells, the FR wiki itself mentions that Hellhounds are among the Queen of Air and Darkness's most favored servants.
Thanks! While I figured that the fey don't necessarily have souls with which to bargain (at least like mortals do), it definitely seemed like a bargain/barter could occur between a fey and a fiend. Both fey and devils are about making deals, so I could easily see them making a mutually beneficial arrangement of some sort...although I'm sure that both sides are likely to try to "one up" the other side as time goes by.
In fact, the potential conflict between the two sides might make for some interesting roleplay opportunities for your player's character. The Archduke devil and the Noble fey might be bound to their contract and unable to directly work against the other, but the tiefling may be exempt of such restrictions and becomes a potential pawn for either or both sides.
I can't imagine many from the Summer Court would make such a bargain, but it's certainly possible. After all, they do prize beauty, and some devils can definitely possess that if they wished, plus plenty of guile and charm.
No, the Winter Court is the much more obvious choice, since it is viewed as being darker and more sinister (and thus being more inline with dealing with an archdevil). However, I was thinking the same thing that a Summer Court noble might be swayed by a particularly beautiful and charming devil. Fierna, in particular, would be a fitting Archdevil who has both beauty and is a masterful manipulator.
It's a very interesting story I find, actually! I've recently read the Brimstone Angels series by Erin M. Evans which features the lore of tieflings and infernal warlocks pretty heavily. I was rather fascinated that tieflings of old were such a varied race.
I've read the Brimstone Angels series myself, and it's pretty well written and does a good job explaining what happened to tieflings and why. Agree that the concept is pretty interesting, and I even think that it's a clever approach on how to retcon tieflings to a more standardized and playable character race. Like I previously, I just wasn't a fan of the idea that every tiefling in 5e had to be tied to Asmodeus...although that changed a bit with the tiefling variants being introduced (such as in Mordenkainen's Tome of Foes).
Personally, in my own campaigns, I play the Brimstone Angel concept as being half-real and half-lie. Yes, Asmodeus used this powerful ritual to obtain godhood and collect many tiefling bloodlines under his domain. However, not every bloodline was actually affected. Asmodeus spreads the lie that all tieflings are tied to him (or one of his Lords of the Nine), but other tieflings still exist.
Mechanically, I use this concept to explain that most tieflings are tied to Asmodeus, which is why those are the main type within the Player's Handbook. However, other tieflings still exist in the multiverse, which is where I work with players to create a more personalized tiefling variant of their own. For example, I have a player that wanted a tiefling descended from the Demonlord Orcus, so we swapped out the innate spells to personalize their heritage.
Maybe the Queen of Air and Darkness slept with a pit fiend and your character is their child? Sounds like a really cool concept to me.
I don't think the Queen of Air and Darkness has a physical form.
In my campaign she’s a beautiful woman with alabaster skin and bluish-purple hair. I could definitely see a pit fiend sleeping with her. Though she would have to keep her physical form for nine months to bring the child to term.
Maybe the Queen of Air and Darkness slept with a pit fiend and your character is their child? Sounds like a really cool concept to me.
I don't think the Queen of Air and Darkness has a physical form.
In my campaign she’s a beautiful woman with alabaster skin and bluish-purple hair. I could definitely see a pit fiend sleeping with her. Though she would have to keep her baby for nine months to bring the child to term.
But then you have to think about the other side of that...
Maybe the Queen of Air and Darkness slept with a pit fiend and your character is their child? Sounds like a really cool concept to me.
I don't think the Queen of Air and Darkness has a physical form.
In my campaign she’s a beautiful woman with alabaster skin and bluish-purple hair. I could definitely see a pit fiend sleeping with her. Though she would have to keep her baby for nine months to bring the child to term.
But then you have to think about the other side of that...
Good point! I always pictured a pit fiend as a handsome guy with leathery batlike wings and small discreet horns and maybe a devil beard.
Maybe the Queen of Air and Darkness slept with a pit fiend and your character is their child? Sounds like a really cool concept to me.
I don't think the Queen of Air and Darkness has a physical form.
Traditionally, the Queen of Air and Darkness was supposed to be without physical form, but I don't recall anything stating that she was incapable of taking on a physical form. As Penelope mentions, it wouldn't be much of a leap of logic for the Unseelie Queen to take physical form to complete that union; both in body and spirit.
And, even if the Unseelie Queen couldn't normally take a physical form, I would certainly allow an infernal archduke temporarily provide her a physical form as part of the deal. Perhaps, Asmodeus offers her new experiences (i.e., pains and pleasures) of the flesh.
My posting scheduled is irregular: sometimes I can post twice a week, sometimes twice a day. I may also respond to quick questions, but ignore harder responses in favor of time.
My location is where my character for my home game is (we're doing the wild beyond the witchlight).
"The Doomvault... Probably full of unicorns and rainbows." -An imaginary quote
Yeah, the Queen has transcended somewhat from her physical form somewhat, instead taking on mist. She can choose to manifest herself in physical body when she wants, but few ever live to see it.
Okay, change my example to Asmodeus and the point still stands. The love child of an Unseelie Queen and an archdevil would be pretty cool.
We mustn't forget also that there are unique devils and archdevils too! Dispater, Fierna, Glasya, Belial all take a humanoid form, and there are unique humanoid devils such as Titivilus who aren't even ruler of a layer.
I'm afraid there was a TPK in the last session and alas the character is no more! :( Anyway, glad to see it's sparked plenty of conversation!
Once a powerful balor pursuing total annihilation of the Feywild, Naviask was transformed into a fey spirit by Queen Titania of the Summer Court after falling into one of her traps.
Appearance. Naviask retains his balor shape, but his demonic profile is softened by a verdant hue, and the flowers and vines that adorn his body. The former demon’s inner fire has been replaced with sunlight, and he wields a whip made of pure radiance.
Rollback Post to RevisionRollBack
Check out my Disabled & Dragons Youtube Channel for 5e Monster and Player Tactics. Helping the Disabled Community and Players and DM’s (both new and experienced) get into D&D. Plus there is a talking Dragon named Quill.
Once a powerful balor pursuing total annihilation of the Feywild, Naviask was transformed into a fey spirit by Queen Titania of the Summer Court after falling into one of her traps.
Appearance. Naviask retains his balor shape, but his demonic profile is softened by a verdant hue, and the flowers and vines that adorn his body. The former demon’s inner fire has been replaced with sunlight, and he wields a whip made of pure radiance.
Oh wow, that's very interesting! I've never heard of that balor, but I see it's from Explorer's guide to Wildemount? I suppose the Critical Role settings and the Forgotten Realms setting are canonically compatible now, what with Arkhan in DiA, and all worlds probably share the same Abyss and Hells too.
Naviask is very interesting, I should definitely use him at some point, even if the PC has died. It would be an interesting character to meet
Rollback Post to RevisionRollBack
To post a comment, please login or register a new account.
In official lore, does a half-fey and half-devil exist?
As a DM, I have a player who is a tiefling wild magic sorcerer, and I'm interested in using a union between an archfey and an archdevil as a backstory origin for her wild-magic, and hopefully make a surprise reveal of it. She has told us multiple times that she does not know who her parents were, or how she got her magic.
I know the Fey-ri exist in the Forgotten Realms, which I guess is an alternative, but I expect demonic heritage would cause a lot of complications and tension in the party, since another member has already allied with an erinyes of Zariel.
Any thoughts?
Based on the night hag, it's possible to change type from fey to fiend, so I suspect a halfling would wind up being one type or the other rather than both types.
That's very true! The main thing I'm wondering is whether a fey and devil could create a wild sorcerer tiefling child I guess 😂
Okay, I've just found something. According to the Forgotten Realms wiki page for tieflings:
That being said, if one parent were an archdevil, they would probably spawn something more akin to a cambion, I assume.
...maybe I'm thinking about this too much, haha
You already mentioned the fey'ri, which was the closest thing that I could recall being half-fey and half-fiend, and I don't recall any official creatures being half-fey and half-devil (versus half-demon). Having said that, you could very easily homebrew something for your campaign and player's background.
I could easily see an example of such a union being that one of the Lords of the Nine (or maybe even an infernal archduke) made a bargain with a Seelie/Unseelie noble to help with some effort or scheme; such as creating unique soldiers for the Blood War or specialized agents to thwart a rival archdevil. Pact entailed selective breeding between the fiend and fey creature(s) that resulted in your half-fey / half-devil species (maybe something similar to the fey'ri?). Tiefling PC could either be a direct descendant of this union or a second or third generation from the half-blooded children...
Based on earlier editions, the direct descendant of a fiend with something else was almost always a cambion (i.e., half-fiend). Further descendants down that line ended up being tieflings (which were considered ¼-fiend or less) or just a standard race because the fiendishness heritage was so diluted in their case. Player and DM could always play around with the details a bit, but the concept was that tieflings were rarely sired directly by fiends...and prior to 4th/5th editions, Asmodeus didn't get the monopoly on tieflings.
While I appreciate that 5e has tried to simplify the tiefling race for ease of play, I've always preferred the older concepts of tieflings being descended from all types of lower planar entities as well as being ¼-fiendish or less. Just a little too cookie-cutter for my taste, but that's a more detailed discussion for another time, perhaps.
That's a very interesting idea! I can definitely imagine some fey of the Unseelie court making such a deal with the Nine Hells, the FR wiki itself mentions that Hellhounds are among the Queen of Air and Darkness's most favoured servants. I can't imagine many from the Summer Court would make such a bargain, but it's certainly possible. After all, they do prize beauty, and some devils can definitely possess that if they wished, plus plenty of guile and charm.
I imagine my player must be at least 2nd generation however, since otherwise it might be hard to explain her roaming free? That or it had no more motive than an attempt to spawn cambions in the feywild.
It's a very interesting story I find, actually! I've recently read the Brimstone Angels series by Erin M. Evans which features the lore of tieflings and infernal warlocks pretty heavily. I was rather fascinated that tieflings of old were such a varied race. Some had hooves, some had fangs, some had wings, some just looked human. Then the Brimstone Angel and gathered followers of demonic, devilish, succubi and even yugoloth descent for a bloody ritual which would tie tiefling blood to Asmodeus, and in return raise him to godhood, a side effect of which made tieflings more uniform. There were ulterior motives on the Brimstone Angels part of course, and her ghost made overtures to undo it later out of vengeance, but I find it really fascinating personally! Though I get it does restrict player creativeness somewhat.
Thanks for your reply too by the way, I appreciate it!
Thanks! While I figured that the fey don't necessarily have souls with which to bargain (at least like mortals do), it definitely seemed like a bargain/barter could occur between a fey and a fiend. Both fey and devils are about making deals, so I could easily see them making a mutually beneficial arrangement of some sort...although I'm sure that both sides are likely to try to "one up" the other side as time goes by.
In fact, the potential conflict between the two sides might make for some interesting roleplay opportunities for your player's character. The Archduke devil and the Noble fey might be bound to their contract and unable to directly work against the other, but the tiefling may be exempt of such restrictions and becomes a potential pawn for either or both sides.
No, the Winter Court is the much more obvious choice, since it is viewed as being darker and more sinister (and thus being more inline with dealing with an archdevil). However, I was thinking the same thing that a Summer Court noble might be swayed by a particularly beautiful and charming devil. Fierna, in particular, would be a fitting Archdevil who has both beauty and is a masterful manipulator.
I've read the Brimstone Angels series myself, and it's pretty well written and does a good job explaining what happened to tieflings and why. Agree that the concept is pretty interesting, and I even think that it's a clever approach on how to retcon tieflings to a more standardized and playable character race. Like I previously, I just wasn't a fan of the idea that every tiefling in 5e had to be tied to Asmodeus...although that changed a bit with the tiefling variants being introduced (such as in Mordenkainen's Tome of Foes).
Personally, in my own campaigns, I play the Brimstone Angel concept as being half-real and half-lie. Yes, Asmodeus used this powerful ritual to obtain godhood and collect many tiefling bloodlines under his domain. However, not every bloodline was actually affected. Asmodeus spreads the lie that all tieflings are tied to him (or one of his Lords of the Nine), but other tieflings still exist.
Mechanically, I use this concept to explain that most tieflings are tied to Asmodeus, which is why those are the main type within the Player's Handbook. However, other tieflings still exist in the multiverse, which is where I work with players to create a more personalized tiefling variant of their own. For example, I have a player that wanted a tiefling descended from the Demonlord Orcus, so we swapped out the innate spells to personalize their heritage.
Maybe the Queen of Air and Darkness slept with a pit fiend and your character is their child? Sounds like a really cool concept to me.
I don't think the Queen of Air and Darkness has a physical form.
I have a weird sense of humor.
I also make maps.(That's a link)
In my campaign she’s a beautiful woman with alabaster skin and bluish-purple hair. I could definitely see a pit fiend sleeping with her. Though she would have to keep her physical form for nine months to bring the child to term.
But then you have to think about the other side of that...
I have a weird sense of humor.
I also make maps.(That's a link)
Good point! I always pictured a pit fiend as a handsome guy with leathery batlike wings and small discreet horns and maybe a devil beard.
Or is that Asmodeus?
That's Asmodeus.
I have a weird sense of humor.
I also make maps.(That's a link)
Thanks.
Okay, change my example to Asmodeus and the point still stands. The love child of an Unseelie Queen and an archdevil would be pretty cool.
The Edit function isn’t working. I tried to change “baby” to “physical form” and it didn’t work.
Traditionally, the Queen of Air and Darkness was supposed to be without physical form, but I don't recall anything stating that she was incapable of taking on a physical form. As Penelope mentions, it wouldn't be much of a leap of logic for the Unseelie Queen to take physical form to complete that union; both in body and spirit.
And, even if the Unseelie Queen couldn't normally take a physical form, I would certainly allow an infernal archduke temporarily provide her a physical form as part of the deal. Perhaps, Asmodeus offers her new experiences (i.e., pains and pleasures) of the flesh.
A night hag is part fey and part fiend.
Edit: I didn't see that Pantagruel666 already said this.
Pronouns: he/him/his.
My posting scheduled is irregular: sometimes I can post twice a week, sometimes twice a day. I may also respond to quick questions, but ignore harder responses in favor of time.
My location is where my character for my home game is (we're doing the wild beyond the witchlight).
"The Doomvault... Probably full of unicorns and rainbows." -An imaginary quote
Yeah, the Queen has transcended somewhat from her physical form somewhat, instead taking on mist. She can choose to manifest herself in physical body when she wants, but few ever live to see it.
We mustn't forget also that there are unique devils and archdevils too! Dispater, Fierna, Glasya, Belial all take a humanoid form, and there are unique humanoid devils such as Titivilus who aren't even ruler of a layer.
I'm afraid there was a TPK in the last session and alas the character is no more! :(
Anyway, glad to see it's sparked plenty of conversation!
Naviask
Once a powerful balor pursuing total annihilation of the Feywild, Naviask was transformed into a fey spirit by Queen Titania of the Summer Court after falling into one of her traps.
Appearance. Naviask retains his balor shape, but his demonic profile is softened by a verdant hue, and the flowers and vines that adorn his body. The former demon’s inner fire has been replaced with sunlight, and he wields a whip made of pure radiance.
Check out my Disabled & Dragons Youtube Channel for 5e Monster and Player Tactics. Helping the Disabled Community and Players and DM’s (both new and experienced) get into D&D. Plus there is a talking Dragon named Quill.
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCPPmyTI0tZ6nM-bzY0IG3ww
Oh wow, that's very interesting! I've never heard of that balor, but I see it's from Explorer's guide to Wildemount? I suppose the Critical Role settings and the Forgotten Realms setting are canonically compatible now, what with Arkhan in DiA, and all worlds probably share the same Abyss and Hells too.
Naviask is very interesting, I should definitely use him at some point, even if the PC has died. It would be an interesting character to meet