Fiendish Heritage

You possess a strong tie to your fiendish ancestors, granting you favorable abilities.

Prerequisites: Tiefling, must be taken at 1st level.

Benefit: Your fiendish bloodline proves particularly strong, being tied to a specific race of fiends. Rather than taking a tiefling’s usual racial ability modifiers, choose one of the tiefling heritages presented on Table: Variant Tiefling Heritages.

In addition, you may roll on Table: Variant Tiefling Abilities three times and choose the most favorable ability.

Most tieflings possess a fixed variety of ability scores to reflect their fiendish heritages, regardless of the actual source of their foul traits. GMs might grant their tiefling NPCs or players variant ability modifiers based on their foul ancestries. At the GM’s choice, such heritages might be determined deliberately or randomly, and may come with their own distinctive abilities or traits selected from the following charts.

Editor’s Note

This feat and the variant system is no longer necessary; tieflings can now utilize the variant heritages (including rolling on the table) by default, similar to aasimars, as per the Blood of Fiends supplement.

Alternate heritages may be chosen normally based on the new rules, but rolling three times and choosing the most favorable ability is still unique to this feat.

Table: Variant Tiefling Heritages
d10 Heritage Ability Modifiers Description
1 Asura-Spawn +2 Dexterity, +2 Wisdom, –2 Intelligence The scions of the exotic and mysterious asuras are swift and wise, but often favor traditional ways over cunning.
2 Daemon-Spawn +2 Dexterity, +2 Intelligence, –2 Wisdom Daemon-blooded bringers of devastation are shrewd and swift, but their plans frequently exhibit exploitable flaws.
3 Demodand-Spawn +2 Constitution, +2 Wisdom, –2 Intelligence The burly spawn of the demodand race possess bizarre cunning, but favor brawn to planning.
4 Demon-Spawn +2 Strength, +2 Charisma, –2 Intelligence Savage and monstrous, the terrifying spawn of demons know the chaotic fury of their Abyssal ancestors.
5 Devil-Spawn +2 Constitution, +2 Wisdom, –2 Charisma Stalwart and conniving, diabolical tieflings know the discipline and might of Hell’s legions.
6 Div-Spawn +2 Dexterity, +2 Charisma, –2 Intelligence Scouring life like a desert wind, these tieflings possess the precision and exoticism of their div ancestors.
7 Kyton-Spawn +2 Constitution, +2 Charisma, –2 Wisdom The black-hearted spawn of shadow and pain know the sadistic vices of their suffering-obsessed forebearers.
8 Oni-Spawn +2 Strength, +2 Wisdom, –2 Charisma The spawn of oni know the ways of their ancestral fiends and master the arts of trickery and cruelty.
9 Qlippoth-Spawn +2 Strength, +2 Wisdom, –2 Intelligence Rare in the extreme, the warped scions of the eldritch qlippoths retain the tenacity and insidiousness of their horrific forbearers.
10 Rakshasa-Spawn +2 Dexterity, +2 Charisma, –2 Wisdom Deft and charming, these bestial tieflings inherit much of the subtlety and guile of their proud rakshasa progenitors.

Variant Tiefling Abilities

Some tieflings are blessed or cursed with unusual abilities. A GM may customize his tiefling NPCs or allow PCs to do so by rolling on the following chart.

The abilities presented here replace a tiefling’s darkness spell-like ability, with a caster level equals to its class level.

Table: Variant Tiefling Abilities

d% Ability
1 You can animate a 1 HD skeleton, as per animate dead, once per day as a spell-like ability.
2 You possess some type of extra sensory organ, granting you all-around vision.
3 You enjoy being cut. The first time each day you take slashing damage, you gain a +1 bonus on attack and damage rolls for the following round.
4 You can use mage hand 3 times per day as a spell-like ability.
5 Inherited memories grant you a +2 racial bonus on one Knowledge skill of your choice.
6 You can levitate yourself plus 10 pounds at will, as per the spell levitate. This is a supernatural ability.
7 You can eat and gain nourishment from ash, cinders, dust, and sand.
8 You gain a +1 bonus on all attack and damage rolls against good-aligned outsiders.
9 You gain an additional +2 racial bonus on your Charisma.
10 You possess a bite that is treated as a natural weapon and deals 1d4 damage.
11 Once per day you can exhibit a burst of speed, moving as if your base land speed were 50 for one move action.
12 You do not need to sleep. You are not immune to sleep effects.
13 You gain a +2 bonus on saving throws against disease.
14 Your base land speed increases by 5 feet.
15 You possess a fiendishly cunning tongue, granting you a +2 racial bonus on all Diplomacy checks.
16 You have oversized limbs, allowing you to use Large weapons without penalty.
17 You possess claws that are treated as natural weapons and deal 1d4 damage.
18 You gain DR 2/bludgeoning.
19 You gain a Swim speed of 30 feet.
20 You gain a +2 bonus on your CMB.
21 You possess fiendish luck. Once per day you can reroll one die. You must take the result of this second roll.
22 You can detect evil, as per the spell, three times per day.
23 You never need to drink to survive.
24 You can produce a barb from your body once per day. This barb is removable and is treated as a dagger.
25 You gain acid resistance 5.
26 Your body produces searing heat. Any creature that grapples you takes 1d4 points of fire damage per round.
27 You can speak two additional languages spoken by extraplanar beings.
28 Any evil creature you call via summon monster remains for 3 rounds longer than usual.
29 You gain a +1 bonus on all Reflex saving throws.
30 You can alter your shadow to make it appear as any creature or object of your size or smaller.
31 You can burrow through dirt, sand, and loose ground at a rate of 5 feet per round.
32 You can sense weakness, granting you a +1 bonus on all rolls to confirm critical hits.
33 You gain DR 2/silver.
34 You do not lose consciousness until you reach –5 hit points.
35 You possess long limbs and a powerful grip, features that grant you a +2 racial bonus on all Climb checks.
36 You can communicate telepathically with any sentient creature with which you are in contact.
37 You can use death knell once per day as a spell-like ability.
38 At will, you can spend a full-round action concentrating to receive the benefits of tremorsense 60 feet for 1 round.
39 Once per day you can benefit from a burst of speed, moving at double your normal speed for 1 round.
40 As a full-round action, you can bleed and collect 5 sp worth of precious blood per day.
41 You possess spell resistance equal to 10 + half your Hit Dice.
42 The spell animate dead can return you to life as per the spell raise dead 1d4 times.
43 Your fiendish sorcery ability treats your Charisma as if it were 3 points higher.
44 You are unusually short, granting you all the traits of a Small creature.
45 Your features are subtly malleable, granting you a +2 racial bonus on all Disguise checks.
46 You gain an additional +2 racial bonus on your Intelligence.
47 You can use curse water 3 times per day as a spell-like ability.
48 You are invisible to all unintelligent undead. This is a supernatural ability.
49 You are healed by both positive and negative energy.
50 Your skin is unnaturally tough, granting you a +1 natural bonus to your AC.
51 You can speak to all birds.
52 You gain a +2 bonus on saving throws against poison.
53 You possess the scent special ability.
54 You gain DR 2/piercing.
55 You are unnaturally sly, granting you a +2 racial bonus on all Sleight of Hands checks.
56 Once per day you can spit acid. This glob deals 1d4 points of acid damage and has a range increment of 5 feet.
57 Your body exudes freezing cold. Any creature that grapples you takes 1d4 points of cold damage per round.
58 You heal double the normal amount of damage by resting.
59 You gain a +1 bonus on all Will saving throws.
60 You gain a +2 bonus to your initiative at night.
61 You can manipulate any armor, gauntlets, or shield you wield, causing them to grow spikes. These spikes last only as long as you wear your armor.
62 You can use deathwatch 3 times per day as a spell-like ability.
63 You have some manner of inhuman sensory organ. You gain a +2 bonus on saving throws against gaze attacks.
64 Once per day, for 1 round, you may see through any substance less than 5 feet thick—except for lead—as if it were glass. This is a supernatural ability.
65 Your strange physiology grants you a +2 racial bonus on all Acrobatics checks.
66 You can drink and gain nourishment from ash, cinders, dust, and sand.
67 Your eyes glow fiendishly and you possess the see in darkness ability as if you were a devil.
68 You gain damage reduction 2/cold iron.
69 You can use fog cloud once per day as a spell-like ability.
70 You are aware of and can choose the result of any attempt to detect your alignment.
71 You can spend a full-round action once per day eating from a corpse to regain 1d6+1 hit points.
72 You can communicate telepathically with any evil creature within 50 feet.
73 You can use minor image 3 times per day as a spell-like ability.
74 Once per day, as a spell-like ability, you can animate a Small or smaller object for a number of rounds equal to your level. Treat this object as an animated object.
75 You gain sonic resistance 5.
76 You can hold your breath for 3 rounds longer than normal.
77 You can speak to insects.
78 Your skin is spiky. Any creature that attempts to grapple you takes 1d4 points of damage.
79 You receive a +1 bonus on all Fortitude saving throws.
80 You gain a +2 bonus on your CMD.
81 You can use rage on yourself once per day as a spell-like ability.
82 You gain a +2 bonus on saving throws against mind-affecting effects.
83 Once per day exposure to fire heals you 1d6 hit points. This does not negate fire damage.
84 You are immune to magic sleep and paralysis effects.
85 Supernatural awareness grants you a +2 racial bonus on all Perception checks.
86 Your anatomy is slightly unusual, giving you a 15% chance to ignore any critical hit.
87 You can survive on one-quarter the amount of food and water a human requires.
88 Any damage you deal with a melee weapon is treated as evil for the purposes of overcoming damage reduction.
89 You can use inflict light wounds once per day as a spelllike ability.
90 You gain an additional +2 racial bonus on your Wisdom.
91 You gain damage reduction 2/slashing.
92 You can see creatures on the Ethereal Plane.
93 Once per day you may ask a corpse one yes-or-no question, as per the spell speak with dead. This is a spell-like ability.
94 You gain a +2 bonus on saving throws against nausea.
95 You are flexible and slightly slimy, possessing a +2 racial bonus on all Escape Artist checks.
96 You can use ventriloquism at will as a spell-like ability.
97 As a standard action, once per day, you may suppress your unusual tiefling physical features for a number of minutes equal to your Con modifier, thus appearing human.
98 You receive +1 bonus hit point per level.
99 Once per week you may mentally contact a fiendish ancestor to gain information, as per the spell commune. This is a spell-like ability.
100 Roll on this table twice, ignoring any further rolls of 100.
Section 15: Copyright Notice

PAP25. Copyright 2009, Paizo Publishing, LLC; Author: Sean K Reynolds

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