So, I'm sure some of you have heard something along the lines of "Why is (Tefling name) X Color?! They're only supposed to be shades of red."

Well, let me tell you something. First, the official wording: Their skin tones cover the full range of human coloration, but also include various shades of red. (https://www.dndbeyond.com/races/tiefling#InfernalBloodline) 

(Variant Teiflings get this: Your Teifling might not look like other Teiflings .... red or dark blue skin) (https://www.dndbeyond.com/races/tiefling#VariantTiefling)

So, According to this, Teiflings can be: Dark blue, all the normal human skin tones, as well as "various shades of red".

Meaning, Shades like Black, Brown, and Beige, among other things, are perfectly valid skin tones, so feel free to have a teifling who looks 99% human fully dressed (100% if you ignore the part about the eyes.) 

Now, before l continue to the main topic, a Disclaimer: Rules about how races look are up to the DM. Some will be RAW, while others won't care. This is being made to show those who insist that "Teiflings can only be red or human. Blue or Purple Teiflings shouldn't be allowed." 

Now, the main reason l made this: What exactly counts as "various shades of red"? Sure, Shades like "Ruby" or "Crimson" are obvious, but how far can you stretch this? Obviously this will be DM dependant, but, I think that "various shades of red", should include: Pink, Purple, Blue, Black, and the even more controversial/un-used, Orange and Yellow. Why? Well, use any colour wheel (like this one for example: https://www.google.com/search?q=colour slider) At What point does "Red" become "Orange" or "Pink"? And why shouldn't they count as "various shades of red"?

So, Yes, For the sake of allowing whatever colour Teifling you want, I'm arguing that any colour is technically a shade of red. Is this stupid? Crazy? Maybe, but the point stands, if you try hard enough, you can stretch the definition of "Red" to include "Green" or "Blue". Though honestly, l doubt this would sway any of the "Red onlys", and is mostly just me venting a idea l had.

Non red tieflings isn't crazy; it was a recognized option in earlier editions.

Tieflings when originally defined in 2nd edition Planescape, non human colors was one of many variations possible.  What has seemly solidified the "classical devil" tiefling is probably related to the Sword Coast Adventure's Guide.  It does discuss how the Toril Thirteen performed a ritual that marked all tieflings as descendants of Asmodeus and were all changed to resemble their supposed source of their bloodline (even if it was a lie) hence a lot of red tieflings.  But even SCAG notes that other tieflings exist and bear other marks. 

I have had campaigns (player or as a DM) where we have had Abyssal tieflings (and a change of language to fit), or Yugoloth ones.  Planescape had specific names for them' Zu'lings, Tanar'ling, loth'ling ( Voila!'s Dictionary of Planar Cant (mimir.net) )  Other unofficial sources covers some other folks ideas on what various tieflings look like.  An Example (Appearance of Tieflings - Timaresh - Planescape Wiki (rilmani.org)) 

So you're idea is sound, and is perfectly acceptable, assuming the DM isn't overly concerned on the fluff of the color of your character.

Since tieflings can be any variation of human coloring, then tieflings can be blue. Check out the "Blue Fugates". They're a group of people in southern Appalachia who have a rare genetic blood disorder that gives them bluish skin. 

Someone getting upset about teiflings having the "wrong" skin color isn't the silliest complaint I've ever heard of in D&D, but it's probably in the top five.

Well, when a momma tiefling and a daddy tiefling hold their breath when they love each other very much, you get different shades of baby tieflings.

I like how the PHB says that Tieflings are all shades of Red, while the default example Tiefling art included is of a very clearly Purple tiefling.

Boy I'm glad I'm not the only one who caught that.  All like "Isn't she, like...clearly not-red?"  Don't get me wrong, I dig that art, but it ain't no red tiffle, that's for sure.

Also?  Tiffles are the magically tainted offspring of potentially any other species (yes yes, the 'original tieflings' were human, but the PHB makes it plain humans can breed with anything, so....) that crop up unexpectedly in other people's bloodlines, rather than being a true species of their own.  if your DM gets cranky, point out how much tiffles don't make sense in the first place and tell them to pull the broom out their butt.

Just to clarify: "Shade" refers to mixing a color with black, not mixtures of different colors. (Tints, tones, and shades corresponds with levels of white, grey, and black.) Ergo, none of the colors you've mentioned are actually shades of red by any definition.

That said, skin color for fantasy creatures is so superficial, it really doesn't matter. If someone is constantly trying to be a unique snowflake, then that's an issue unto itself, or not.

This entire subject, like many debates and arguments in the community, is based around a single line in the official material that has no actual significance for the purposes of rules. As such, like many, many, many things in D&D, the real deciding factor is ask your DM. Chances are that if you want your tiefling to have blue, green, orange, or whatever other color of skin they'll allow it. Maybe they'll require some sort of justification for it lorewise, like the infernal/abyssal blood being mixed with a hint of fey, or coming from some specific type of demon that is that color. If your DM has a strict "everything RAW no exceptions whatsoever" policy then you can either deal with it or share Yurei's suggestion of a broomectomy and play something else or find a different game.

Quote from Flushmaster >>

This entire subject, like many debates and arguments in the community, is based around a single line in the official material that has no actual significance for the purposes of rules. As such, like many, many, many things in D&D, the real deciding factor is ask your DM. Chances are that if you want your tiefling to have blue, green, orange, or whatever other color of skin they'll allow it. Maybe they'll require some sort of justification for it lorewise, like the infernal/abyssal blood being mixed with a hint of fey, or coming from some specific type of demon that is that color. If your DM has a strict "everything RAW no exceptions whatsoever" policy then you can either deal with it or share Yurei's suggestion of a broomectomy and play something else or find a different game.

Yeah, I didn't even know "the problem" of Tiefling in lore skin color was even a thing.  I remember the "red" sentence but if the illustration is purple, and other official publications run the spectrum, I call that license.  It just makes so much more sense that Levistus Tieflings for example can have "icier" colors.  I've always done it that Tieflings can have "normal" human skin tones or could go for anything in the Crayola range (pne party has a Fey'ri which is basically a tiefling with metallic blue skin, no one bats an eye on the outer planes, though material plane lower plane touched figures do sometimes encounter fear or hostility stigma in the game world).  If a DM has a really strong in game reason for a sort of uniformity of variety among Tieflings (there's some lore thing about Asmodeus claiming all Tieflings as his bloodline somewhere in the lore, but it's nothing I or I imagine many have bothered to incorporate). 

Of course, I'm also open for blue skin among regular humanoid races, but that's because part of the game world has a fragment where everyone looks like they come from the Gamelon Empire from Starblazers/Battleship Yamato ... I didn't want to create a Gamelon race, rather the blue skin is a result of the world fragment's orientation in the cosmos, certain starlight just gives folks blue skin in the game, because it's fantasy.  

TL;DR I don't think Tiefling pigment is a big deal at most tables, though some DMs may have a specific color scheme in mind and may or may not grant license or wiggle room for player to be counter norm or make space in the game world to account for the coloration.

How is this even something anyone cared enough about to post on it? They’re make believe. If someone wanted a sky blue pink Tiefling, who effing cares enough to say otherwise?!? 

I wanted to make a purple tiefling, but im unsure now

Make a purple Tiefling if you want to. Get down with your bad self. And the whole time you’re doing it sing “ain’t no stopping us now…” to yourself. You deserve it. if anyone says anything to you about it you tell ‘em to come talk to me.

Never trust the trolls living in your bathroom sink, you'll never know what fowl schemes they're plotting. They may steal your limited edition poster of your mom.

Quote from WylinWyvern >>

Never trust the trolls living in your bathroom sink, you'll never know what fowl schemes they're plotting. They may steal your limited edition poster of your mom.

 Fowl schemes? No!! I thought my chickens were safe!

(At my table, skin color has always been entirely cosmetic and occasionally cultural, with a few obvious exceptions like drow.)

I have 75 general variations for base skin tones, with hex codes (to help artists), and then an additional 50 general colors, and the equivalent for Tieflings (Cambions) can have any of them for skin tone. They are also they only ones who can do that -- everyone else has a more limited palette (but that palette includes around 50 options). Seraphs have a more limited range -- but the default, core "tiefling only" range is shades of red.

I call them Complexions, and it is totally set up so that a player can give a detailed description to an artist and have them create it, including for regular people to have blue, purple, pink, red, yellow, and green skin.

Which is all to say that as far as I am concerned, Tieflings can be a lot more different colors than red.

I also have charts for hair and eye colors. Again, Tieflings get the broadest range, and everyone else has a much more limited palette to choose from, usually five for each. I am aware I am very strange, lol.

Quote from IamSposta >>

How is this even something anyone cared enough about to post on it? They’re make believe. If someone wanted a sky blue pink Tiefling, who effing cares enough to say otherwise?!? 

 The same people who'd have a cow over the fact that my tiefling doesn't have horns and a tail.

Quote from crzyhawk >>

Quote from IamSposta >>

How is this even something anyone cared enough about to post on it? They’re make believe. If someone wanted a sky blue pink Tiefling, who effing cares enough to say otherwise?!? 

 The same people who'd have a cow over the fact that my tiefling doesn't have horns and a tail.

 
You tell ‘em to come talk to me. I’ll set ‘em straight.

I point them to variant rather than argue over the 4e retcons.  Mostly, nobody cares though.

I play a purple tiefling, and I made my character before I really read into dnd stuff. So when I was looking at the tiefling page I was like "oh hey, this guy's not red. I think I like purple better" and now uh here we are