Bunch of clueless berks said that I was barmy for sayin’ that there were tiefling swimming around in the lake. Told them that ol’ Asmodeus ain’t actually the only one to have fiendish spawn runnin’ around the planes, but they kept lookin’ at me like I was the barmy one. Don’t matter much to me… They might have thought that I was just rattlin’ my bone-box, but I ain’t the sodding leatherhead that got pulled below the surface of that accursed lake.

- Akakas Garshoon, veteran planewalker

While I appreciate the attempt that Tasha’s Cauldron of Everything made at customizing origins, I found it to be rather limited and lackluster. I was expecting something a bit more thought out and robust to allow for some bigger changes than swapping out an ability score increase. So, having said that, I’ve been playing around with the idea of how would I handle a point buy system for customizing a character…

To keep it fairly straightforward and easy, I chose to focus on tieflings in particular. Why tieflings? First, I’m not a big fan of every tiefling being tied to Asmodeus..or one of the rare few that happens to be associated with one of the other Lords of the Nine. Second, I’d already been playing around with customizing the innate spells under the Legacy option to better fit with other fiendish progenitors; such as decending from Orcus. So, what the Nine Hells, let’s give this a shot!

Point Buy Process: A tiefling gets eighty (80) points with which to buy various traits off of the tiefling specific table (refer to my next post for the table). Each of the traits has a point cost associated with it, which must be paid at the time of selection. Each trait can only be selected once unless the trait indicates that it can be purchased multiple times. Players purchase traits as they select them, which deducts the cost from their total pool. If there are no points remaining or the player doesn’t have enough points remaining to buy any other traits, then the process is complete.

Note: Players may also opt to take one or more flaws, which provide additional points to buy traits.

Tiefling Trait Table

• Ability Score Increase +2 [20 pts]: Increase one ability score by 2. You can only buy this ability score increase one This increase cannot be combined with any other ability score increase purchases.
• Ability Score Increase +1 [10 pts]: Increase one ability score by 1. You can buy this ability score increase up to three This increase cannot be combined with any other ability score increase purchases.
• Darkvision [5 pts]: Thanks to your infernal heritage you have greater vision in dark and dim conditions. You can see in dim light within 60 feet of you as if it were bright light, and in darkness as if it were dim light. You cannot discern color in darkness, only shades of grey.
• Darkvision, Superior [15 pts]: Thanks to your infernal heritage you have superior vision in dark and dim conditions. You can see in dim light within 120 feet of you as if it were bright light, and in darkness as if it were dim light. You cannot discern color in darkness, only shades of grey.
• Devil’s Sight [25 pts]: You can see normally in darkness, both magical and nonmagical, to a distance of 120 feet.
• Fiendish Aquatics [15 pts]: You have webbed hands and feet, various fins, and/or some sort of gills. You have a swimming speed of 30 feet, and you can breathe both air and water.
• Fiendish Claws [15 pts]: You can grow retractable claws from the tips of your fingers. Extending or retracting the claws requires no action. The claws are natural weapons, which you can use to make unarmed strikes. If you hit with them, you deal slashing damage equal to 1d6 + your Strength modifier, instead of the normal bludgeoning damage of an unarmed strike.
• Fiendish Flesh [15 pts]: Your flesh hardens or you have a layer of scaly hide. While you aren’t wearing armor, you can calculate your AC as 13 + your Dexterity modifier. You can use a shield and still gain this benefit.
• Fiendish Goat-Legs [15 pts]: You have a pair of goat-like legs with cloven hooves. Your base walking speed increases to 35 feet. You also have advantage on Strength and Dexterity saving throws made against effects that would knock you prone.
• Fiendish Tail [15 pts]: Your tail is more muscular and spinier than normal. Your tail deals 1d8 piercing damage on a hit and has the reach property. In addition, if a creature you can see within 10 feet of you hits you with an attack roll, you can use your reaction to swipe your tail and roll a d8, applying a bonus to your AC equal to the number rolled, potentially causing the attack to miss.
• Language [5 pts]: You can speak, read, and write one additional language. This option can be purchased multiple times. Each time you do so, you must choose a different language.
• Legacy, Infernal [25 pts]: You know the thaumaturgy When you reach 3rd level, you can cast the hellish rebukespell as a 2nd-level spell once with this trait and regain the ability to do so when you finish a long rest. When you reach 5th level, you can cast the darkness spell once with this trait and regain the ability to do so when you finish a long rest. Charisma is your spellcasting ability for these spells.
• Legacy, Subrace [25 pts]: Select one of the variant tiefling legacies listed in Mordenkainen’s Tome of Foes. You gain the specific cantrip and spells that are outlined based on your connection to a particular Lord of the Nine Hells.
• Legacy, Variant Option [25 pts]: You know one particular cantrip. When you reach 3rd level, you can cast one particular 1-level spell as a 2nd-level spell once with this trait and regain the ability to do so when you finish a long rest. When you reach 5th level, you can cast one particular 2-level spell once with this trait and regain the ability to do so when you finish a long rest. Charisma is your spellcasting ability for these spells. Note: Cantrip and other spells should be thematic with your particular fiendish heritage, and the DM has ultimate approval of the choices.
• Resistance, Abyssal [15 pts]: You have resistance to lightning damage.
• Resistance, Fiendish [15 pts]: You have advantage on saving throws against poison, and you have resistance against poison damage.
• Resistance, Infernal [15 pts]: You have resistance to fire damage.
• Resistance, Otherworldly Mind [15 pts]: You have resistance to psychic damage. In addition, you have advantage on saving throws against being charmed or frightened.
• Resistance, Stygian [15 pts]: You have resistance to cold damage.
• Resistance, Yugoloth [15 pts]: You have resistance to acid damage.
• Skilled, Diabolic Knowledge [15 pts]: You are proficient in the Arcana and Religion skills. In addition, you gain expertise in one of these two skills, which means your proficiency bonus is doubled for any ability check that you make with it.
• Skilled, Shrewd Eyes [15 pts]: You are proficient in the Insight and Perception skills. In addition, you gain expertise in one of these two skills, which means your proficiency bonus is doubled for any ability check that you make with it.
• Skilled, Silver-Tonged [15 pts]: You are proficient in the Deception and Persuasion skills. In addition, you gain expertise in one of these two skills, which means your proficiency bonus is doubled for any ability check that you make with it.
• Telepathic Mind [15 pts]: You can communicate telepathically with any creature you can see within 60 feet of you. You don’t need to share a language with the creature for it to understand your telepathic utterances, but the creature must be able to understand at least one language.
• Winged [25 pts]: You have bat-like wings sprouting from your shoulder blades. You have a flying speed of 30 feet while you aren’t wearing heavy armor.

Tiefling Flaw Table (Optional)

• Holy Susceptibility [-5 pts]: The amount of infernal energy running through your veins is abnormally potent. Because of this elevated level of fiendishness, you are affected by holy water and attempts at divine channeling as if you were an actual fiend.
• Radiant Vulnerability [-5 pts]: You are particularly vulnerable to radiant attacks, and suffer double the amount of that type of damage dealt.
• Sunlight Sensitivity [-5 pts]: The radiance of the sun is particularly bothersome to you. You have disadvantage on attack rolls and Wisdom (Perception) checks that rely on sight when you, the target of your attack, or whatever you are trying to perceive is in direct sunlight.

Okay, last post for the moment, but I wanted to provide a couple examples of how I envisioned this process working in practice. This first example is just a straight forward version of the standard tiefling out of the Player’s Handbook. Keeping the normal attribute increases as well as giving them darkvision, fire resistance, and the normal innate spellcasting.

 Example #1 (standard tiefling):

• Charisma +2 [20 pts]
• Intelligence +1 [10 pts]
• Darkvision [5 pts]
• Language: Infernal [5 pts]
• Legacy, Infernal [25 pts]
• Resistance, Infernal [15 pts]
• Total: 20 + 10 + 5 + 5 + 25 + 15 = 80

This next example is mixing things up a bit to focus on a more aquatic tiefling concept… Perhaps, one of the parents was a sea elf or triton. Or, perhaps the fiendish progenitor was a hydroloth or another more water-based fiend. Whatever the specific parents end up being, our example has superior darkvision (to better see in the murky depths), cold resistance (to survive the frigid cold), and a natural swimming ability and amphibious nature.

Example #2 (aquatic tiefling):

• Dexterity +2 [20 pts]
• Strength +1 [10 pts]
• Darkvision, Superior [15 pts]
• Fiendish Aquatics [15 pts]
• Language: Infernal [5 pts]
• Resistance, Stygian [15 pts]
• Total: 20 + 10 + 15 + 15 + 5 + 15 = 80

So, I’m curious what other people can come up with… Do the concepts work? Did you find particular pieces that are broken? Overpowered? Underpowered? Other traits / flaws that should be added?

Not sure if I’ll be taking this design much further than what I’ve shared, but I would appreciate some constructive criticism.

The reason they didn’t do that is because a point-buy system is exactly the opposite of how D&D has always been. If they ever move to a point-buy system like that for D&D I would be shocked. The last time they tried such a radical departure from tradition was 4e and look how poorly received that edition was.

There are other games that use a point-buy system like that. They were created to fill the desire of folks who want a D&D genre game without the traditional D&D design style.