Homebrew Tiefling/Fire Genasi Species Details

Greeted with stares and whispers, suffering violence and insult on the street, and seeing mistrust and fear in every eye: this is the lot of the Tiefling. Due to your, often Tiefling appearance, you are mistaken as full-blooded, assumed to be a result of an ancient pack struck generations ago, infused the essence of Asmodeus—overlord of the Nine Hells—into your bloodline. Your appearance and nature are not your fault, but the result of an ancient sin, for which you and your children and your children's children will always be held accountable.

Those who think of other planes at all consider them remote, distant realms, but planar influence can be felt throughout the world. In this particular crossbreed, Tieflings and Fire Genasi would have to have bred, in either the Elemental or Mortal plane. Genasi heritage typically lies dormant until the child's first Elemental transformation, which can happen at any age.

The Elemental Planes are often inhospitable to natives of the Material Plane, Tieflings however, don’t face such troubles when venturing into the Fire Elemental world. They adapt well to the magma and heat, and they sometimes visit—whether of their own volition or compelled by magic.

During these visits, a Tiefling might catch a Fire Genasi's eye. Friendship forms, romance blooms, and sometimes children result. These children are mixed: individuals with ties to two worlds, yet belonging to neither. Most are born of Tiefling-Fire Genasi unions, though a rare few have a Genasi further up their family tree, manifesting an elemental heritage that’s lain dormant for generations.

Fires of Hell Reborn

Throughout most of your life, and the rare few others that share your crossed bloodline, you will appear predominantly Tiefling. Some crosses never discover their Fire Genasi heritage, and live their lives unknowing, existing solely as a Tiefling; nothing more and nothing less. Those who are fortunate enough to discover their true selves however, typically do so in a fiery and dramatic fashion. Unless the knowledge is pre-existing, like as told by a parent, most Tiefling-Fire Genasi children discover their ancestry by a sudden and unexpected transformation into their Fire Form which, while leaving them mostly Tiefling-like, can result in changes of appearance. Heated blood and magma-like cracks may appear on the skin, changing eye or skin color to appear more fire-like, hair may recreate itself as a forever burning fire. No Tiefling-Fire Genasi child appears exactly the same, their Elemental heritage presents itself in many different ways.

Infernal Bloodline

Tieflings are derived from human bloodlines, and in the broadest possible sense, they still look human. However, their infernal heritage has left a clear imprint on their appearance. Tieflings have large horns that take any of a variety of shapes: some have curling horns like a ram, others have straight and tall horns like a gazelle’s, and some spiral upward like an antelopes’ horns. They have thick tails, four to five feet long, which lash or coil around their legs when they get upset or nervous. Their canine teeth are sharply pointed, and their eyes are solid colors—black, red, white, silver, or gold—with no visible sclera or pupil. Their skin tones cover the full range of human coloration, but also include various shades of red. Their hair, cascading down from behind their horns, is usually dark, from black or brown to dark red, blue, or purple.

Self-Reliant and Suspicious

Due to their Tiefling half, these children subsist in small minorities found mostly in human cities or towns, often in the roughest quarters of those places, where they grow up to be swindlers, thieves, or crime lords. Sometimes they live among other minority populations in enclaves where they are treated with more respect.

Lacking a true homeland, they know that they have to make their own way in the world and that they have to be strong to survive. They are not quick to trust anyone who claims to be a friend, but when a tiefling’s companions demonstrate that they trust him or her, the tiefling learns to extend the same trust to them. And once a tiefling gives someone loyalty, the tiefling is a firm friend or ally for life.

Mutual Mistrust

People tend to be suspicious of tieflings, assuming that their infernal heritage has left its mark on their personality and morality, not just their appearance. Shopkeepers keep a close eye on their goods when tieflings enter their stores, the town watch might follow a tiefling around for a while, and demagogues blame tieflings for strange happenings. The reality, though, is that a tiefling’s bloodline doesn’t affect his or her personality to any great degree. Years of dealing with mistrust does leave its mark on most tieflings, and they respond to it in different ways. Some choose to live up to the wicked stereotype, but others are virtuous. Most are simply very aware of how people respond to them. After dealing with this mistrust throughout youth, a tiefling often develops the ability to overcome prejudice through charm or intimidation.

Fire Genasi Lands

As rare beings, these children might go their entire lives without encountering another one of their kind. There are no great genasi cities or empires. They seldom have communities of their own and typically adopt the cultures and societies into which they are born.

Genasi Backgrounds

Fire genasi often get themselves into difficulty with their fiery tempers. Like their air genasi cousins, they sometimes flaunt their perceived superiority over common folk. But they also want others to share their high opinion of themselves, so they constantly seek to enhance their reputations. Likely backgrounds for a fire genasi mix include criminal, folk hero, and noble.

Tiefling Names

Tiefling names fall into three broad categories. Tieflings born into another culture typically have names reflective of that culture, akin to their Fire Genasi heritage. Some have names derived from the Infernal language, passed down through generations, that reflect their fiendish heritage. And some younger tieflings, striving to find a place in the world, adopt a name that signifies a virtue or other concept and then try to embody that concept. For some, the chosen name is a noble quest. For others, it’s a grim destiny. They might later assume distinctive names to capture their Fire Genasi heritage, such as Flame, Ember, Wave, or Onyx.

Male Infernal Names: Akmenos, Amnon, Barakas, Damakos, Ekemon, Iados, Kairon, Leucis, Melech, Mordai, Morthos, Pelaios, Skamos, Therai

Female Infernal Names: Akta, Anakis, Bryseis, Criella, Damaia, Ea, Kallista, Lerissa, Makaria, Nemeia, Orianna, Phelaia, Rieta

“Virtue” Names: Art, Carrion, Chant, Creed, Despair, Excellence, Fear, Glory, Hope, Ideal, Music, Nowhere, Open, Poetry, Quest, Random, Reverence, Sorrow, Temerity, Torment, Weary

Tiefling/Fire Genasi Traits

Your Tiefling/Fire Genasi character shares certain racial traits from their infernal descent and characteristics common with other Fire Genasi.

Ability Score Increase

Your Intelligence score increases by 1, your Charisma score increases by 2, and your Constitution increases by 1.

Age

Traditionally, Tieflings mature at the same rate as humans but live a few years longer. Due to your Fire Genasi heritage, you can live up to 120 years old.

 

Alignment

Tieflings might not have an innate tendency toward evil, but many of them end up there. Evil or not, an independent nature inclines many tieflings toward a chaotic alignment. Due to Genasi heritage, it is just as likely to harbor a neutral alignment.

 

Size

Tieflings and Genasi are about the same size and build as humans. Your size is Medium.

Speed

Your base walking speed is 30 feet.

Darkvision

Thanks to your infernal heritage, you have superior 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 can’t discern color in darkness, only shades of gray.

Hellish Resistance

You have resistance to fire damage.

Infernal Legacy

You know the Thaumaturgy cantrip. When you reach 3rd level, you can cast the Hellish Rebuke 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 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.

Reach to the Blaze

You know the Produce Flame cantrip. Once you reach 3rd level, you can cast the Burning Hands spell once with this trait as a 1st-level spell, and you regain the ability to cast it this way when you finish a long rest. Due to your Tiefling heritage, Charisma is your spellcasting ability for these spells.

Elemental Ties

Being half-Fire Genasi grants you the ability to turn into a Fire Elemental, though with some drawbacks. In Fire Form, you can move through a space as narrow as 1 inch wide without squeezing. A creature that touches the you in Fire Form or hits you with a melee Attack while within 5 ft. of it takes 5 (1d10) fire damage. In addition, you can enter a Hostile creature's space and stop there. The first time you enter a creature's space on a turn, that creature takes 5 (1d10) fire damage and catches fire; until someone takes an action to douse the fire, the creature takes 5 (1d10) fire damage at the start of each of its turns.

Transforming into Fire Form deals 1d6 damage to yourself, despite your fire immunity. You also are beast-like and uncontrollable, and your party must make a Wisdom saving throw in order to remain unaffected by your Fire Form's affects.

Languages

You can speak, read, and write Common, Infernal, and Primordial. Primordial is a guttural language, filled with harsh syllables and hard consonants.