About the Tiefling iconic character...


Dungeon Magazine General Discussion


What's up with the horns? They're flat. Looks...weird.


She should probably include more calcium in her diet.


I’ve Got Reach wrote:
She should probably include more calcium in her diet.

My goodness. That could be the problem!

WaterdhavianFlapjack

Liberty's Edge

I’ve Got Reach wrote:
She should probably include more calcium in her diet.

hhehe...well, as horns are made of hair, not bone, that probably wouldn't help much....


* Do you have flat horns?
* Is your partner losing interest?
* Is your self-confidence down to an all-time low?

Try docter Shwanker's Horn implants.

It will make that special someone notice you again.

Scarab Sages

Achilles wrote:
hhehe...well, as horns are made of hair, not bone, that probably wouldn't help much....

Sorry, the guy who did his Masters on a zooarchaeolgical topic has to interject here...

Depends on the type of horn...

Ungulates (such as cows, sheep, goats, etc.) have horns that consist of a bone core and a keratin (the material just like fingernails or hooves) sheath. They are permanant (well, unless removed, as in poled herfords)

Cervidea (deer, elk, etc) have antlers which are bone tissue, but shed annually.

Giraffes and okapi have horns that are bony protuberence from the skull covered in skin.

Rhino horns don't have a core or sheath. They an outgrowth of the epidermis and bundles of dermal papilea which grow in way that resembels thick hair. These thick hairlike fibers are held together by the epidermal cells, but aren't true hair.

In all cases calcium contributes to the growth, propogation, and strenght of bone and keratin. Osteoporosis and a few other spiffy bone diseases can result (past just the increased danger of fractures/breaks).

Sorry, I've got this stuff in my head and it occasionally needs to come out. Sometimes it theatens to in a 'Scanners' type of way unless someone give me an outlet.

Liberty's Edge

finally, a magical use for gargoyle horn...


Gavgoyle wrote:
Achilles wrote:
hhehe...well, as horns are made of hair, not bone, that probably wouldn't help much....

Sorry, the guy who did his Masters on a zooarchaeolgical topic has to interject here...

Depends on the type of horn...

Ungulates (such as cows, sheep, goats, etc.) have horns that consist of a bone core and a keratin (the material just like fingernails or hooves) sheath. They are permanant (well, unless removed, as in poled herfords)

Cervidea (deer, elk, etc) have antlers which are bone tissue, but shed annually.

Giraffes and okapi have horns that are bony protuberence from the skull covered in skin.

Rhino horns don't have a core or sheath. They an outgrowth of the epidermis and bundles of dermal papilea which grow in way that resembels thick hair. These thick hairlike fibers are held together by the epidermal cells, but aren't true hair.

In all cases calcium contributes to the growth, propogation, and strenght of bone and keratin. Osteoporosis and a few other spiffy bone diseases can result (past just the increased danger of fractures/breaks).

Sorry, I've got this stuff in my head and it occasionally needs to come out. Sometimes it theatens to in a 'Scanners' type of way unless someone give me an outlet.

So tieflings are half-ungulate outsiders? Cool. It does seem that this one though has the shapechanger sub-type that extends to her off-hand weapon (flat horns, straight horns, huge eyebrows, or sickle, kopsh/sappara, arm-blade).

Moo
GGG

Paizo Employee Creative Director

johnnype wrote:
What's up with the horns? They're flat. Looks...weird.

One of the cool things about illustrating tieflings can have any sort of fiendish blood, so you can have them look pretty much any way you want. For our tiefling fighter, we decided to go with a more unique and identifiable look that hadn't been used before in tiefling illustrations, so it'd be easier to identify her in illustrations. Plus, those horns go a long way toward giving her a really cool personality. I imagine she's kinda sensitive about them, and people who pick on them better have the Run feat...


Horns? I thought those were psycho mutant eyebrow-mandible-antenna things-a-ma-jiggers. Anyway, they look dumb.

ASEO out

Liberty's Edge

Gavgoyle wrote:

Sorry, the guy who did his Masters on a zooarchaeolgical topic has to interject here...

Depends on the type of horn...

Sorry, I've got this stuff in my head and it occasionally needs to come out. Sometimes it theatens to in a 'Scanners' type of way unless someone give me an outlet.

Cool, thanks Gavgoyle for the info. I appreciated it. I'm sure this knowledge will get me one more Trivial Persuit question correct than I would have gotten without the info.

I understand the logic of the horn appearance for uniqueness. Still, my rudimentary knowledge of physiology suggest her neck should look like a Cardassians as those flat horns would catch every breeze and have her head flapping around like an unfurled sail in a squal. Instead of wandering eye, she has a wandering head...


To ad my own opinion to the list I'd just like to say that I feel the horned tieflings to be overdone. Give them spines, or blue, yard-long tounges, or functionless suction-cups on their palms. Try something different instead of the same old hornes.


Rexx - too funny!!

Liberty's Edge

To be true - I don't like her look!
The other iconics look great, but these horns... :<
She looks more like a minotaur's daughter...

PS She should not go out on bad weather days. She would be struck down by lightning immediately! Or maybe she doesn't need a spell to "talk" with the outer planes. With those antennas she definiatley receives something.


I think she looks cool in a "Moth-Man/Woman" sort of way.

What really bugs me is the sword and whip weilding drow bard. Role one up at about Level 6-8. Absolutely terrible attack roles. Who'd want to handicap themselves like that?

Cheers,
C.

Paizo Employee Chief Creative Officer, Publisher

Well, he is a bard.

--Erik


Just to add my $0.02... I agree with the general consensus of the post. I don't like the horns, at least not for a tiefling. If she were a half-dragon, maybe, but I thought tieflings were only supposed to have one or two *minor* features to hint at their fiendish bloodline. This chick has a strange tint to her skin, spots, a tail, and these HUGE FRICKIN' HORNS! Seems more like she should be a half-fiend, or as I said, a half-dragon. (Yes, I know half-fiends are supposed to have wings) Just my take on the matter. As to the drow, well, even bards can be used as meat-shields. ;-)

Paizo Employee Creative Director

Cernunos wrote:

I think she looks cool in a "Moth-Man/Woman" sort of way.

What really bugs me is the sword and whip weilding drow bard. Role one up at about Level 6-8. Absolutely terrible attack roles. Who'd want to handicap themselves like that?

Cheers,
C.

I'm not gonna go into TOO much detail here, but the sword/whip combo isn't a bad one, especially for characters who get the whip proficiency for free, like bards do.

You don't have to fight with both at the same time. Use the whip dagger for targets 10 to 15 feet away and keep the sword handy for Attacks of Opportunity. Once they come in close, you use the sword for melee and don't use the whip. This doesn't handicap your attack rolls at all, and saves time in switching weapons.


James Jacobs wrote:
You don't have to fight with both at the same time. Use the whip dagger for targets 10 to 15 feet away and keep the sword handy for Attacks of Opportunity. Once they come in close, you use the sword for melee and don't use the whip. This doesn't handicap your attack rolls at all, and saves time in switching weapons.

The only thing to remember with this is that you apply half your Strength modifier to damage with weapons held in your "off-hand" (which iirc the PH lists as normally being the left hand). You could probably offset this with some sort of "Ambidexterity" feat.


Amal Ulric wrote:
This chick has a strange tint to her skin, spots, a tail, and these HUGE FRICKIN' HORNS!

It may just be me, but in some pictures, noteably the cover of Dungeon #125, she appears to have cloven feet (or maybe they are just REALLY uncomfortable flip-flops).

Hunter


Hunter wrote:
Amal Ulric wrote:
This chick has a strange tint to her skin, spots, a tail, and these HUGE FRICKIN' HORNS!

It may just be me, but in some pictures, noteably the cover of Dungeon #125, she appears to have cloven feet (or maybe they are just REALLY uncomfortable flip-flops).

Hunter

Yes, those are hooves, but still at least she's not a bard.

I don't have too much trouble with the horns/spoiler, and considering the amount of just plain formless things creeping about the lower planes she (and everyone else) should be happy.

I think my favorite version of her was done by Howard Lyon on the cover of Dungeon 125 (the one you mentioned) hooves, horns, spots, tail and all.

GGG


Erik Mona wrote:

Well, he is a bard.

--Erik

And...

He's a bard not a ranger (I wanted to say Balrog, but...).

Cheers,
C.


James Jacobs wrote:

I'm not gonna go into TOO much detail here, but the sword/whip combo isn't a bad one, especially for characters who get the whip proficiency for free, like bards do.

You don't have to fight with both at the same time. Use the whip dagger for targets 10 to 15 feet away and keep the sword handy for Attacks of Opportunity. Once they come in close, you use the sword for melee and don't use the whip. This doesn't handicap your attack rolls at all, and saves time in switching weapons.

Right - assumption noted. Good point.

Cheers,
C.


*Come in* I think those horns are just darn sexy... *Runs away*

-CéPé


I absolutely loved her disgusted look on the internal artwork in "The Prince of Redhand". I just imagined her being seriously upset about having to wear that kind of clothes, as she probably feels that much more at home in her fighting outfit. "Do I really have to wear THIS? Come on, guys, you can´t be serious about that." :-))

Stefan


Stebehil wrote:

I absolutely loved her disgusted look on the internal artwork in "The Prince of Redhand". I just imagined her being seriously upset about having to wear that kind of clothes, as she probably feels that much more at home in her fighting outfit. "Do I really have to wear THIS? Come on, guys, you can´t be serious about that." :-))

Stefan

I also thought the picture was classic, but I thought her expression was a reaction to the nearsighted seamstress' encountering her tail: "Ewwww! What do we do with this?"


i haven't had any real problems with any of the iconic characters; if anything, i'd like to see a bit more detail on them. like character sheets for 3rd, 6th, and 9th levels.

a tiefling fighter? rock on!

a drow bard? can't wait to hear some songs from Down Below...

Wee Jas Chick / Tyralandi Scrimm - she's appropriately goth/mysteriously tied to the veil between Here and There. (even if her bust size seems improbably variable)

the sorcerer and ranger from the first set of iconics caught my eye, but don't hold my attention as well as the new batch.

when will the 3rd batch come out?


Peruhain of Brithondy wrote:


I also thought the picture was classic, but I thought her expression was a reaction to the nearsighted seamstress' encountering her tail: "Ewwww! What do we do with this?"

I got the dragon yesterday, and the picture with the shocked seamstress, the fuming tiefling and the smirking cleric made me laugh. Well done!

Stefan

Dark Archive

I expect the new batch to be shown with the next adventure path. Just like these were introduced.

The one thing I'd like to see someday is a painting // drawning of all of them together posing or standing together, like a photograph of a group of sherrifs ;)

Off course drawn by Wayne Reynolds ;)

Might even be an idea for a DM screen... but do not let me give you ideas

Paizo Employee Creative Director

PandaGaki wrote:

The one thing I'd like to see someday is a painting // drawning of all of them together posing or standing together, like a photograph of a group of sherrifs ;)

Off course drawn by Wayne Reynolds ;

Not a bad idea! Especially since the 7 we have now were all designed by Wayne...

Expect the final 4 to debut later this year when we start up Adventure Path 3.


Personally, I like the tiefling design - horns and all. What's with her sword, though? What kind of blade is that?

Amal Ulric wrote:
but I thought tieflings were only supposed to have one or two *minor* features to hint at their fiendish bloodline. This chick has a strange tint to her skin, spots, a tail, and these HUGE FRICKIN' HORNS! Seems more like she should be a half-fiend, or as I said, a half-dragon. (Yes, I know half-fiends are supposed to have wings) Just my take on the matter.

When tieflings first appeared in 2ed (at least, that’s when I became aware of them) all their images had traits that were clearly not minor. Goat legs, tail, weird skin color, etc... Compare the iconic tiefling to the half-fiend in the MM, and the tiefling's traits are definitely minor when compared to the half-fiend image.

Lantern Lodge

Rexx wrote:


I understand the logic of the horn appearance for uniqueness. Still, my rudimentary knowledge of physiology suggest her neck should look like a Cardassians as those flat horns would catch every breeze and have her head flapping around like an unfurled sail in a squal. Instead of wandering eye, she has a wandering head...

What they don't mention is that she gains fast movement with a good tail wind.

And can pick up signals from up to 50 miles away!


My $0.02; I don't understand the appearance of the horns. They're ugly, and not in a cool "Knight of Kyuss" way. In fact almost every thing about that character is ugly. That "sword" of hers would make a great club. The horns indeed look like antennae (and very breakable atennae at that). Last and really least is that you're artists cant seem to decide if she has hooves or not. Correction; last is her "urine yellow" outfit(not even Demogorgon or Belial are cruel enough to force someone to dress in that color, seriously here).

The only picture I like of her(besides the Redhand one where she has to wear a dress) is the cover where she about to get mideveal on a gythyanki.

Liberty's Edge

I have to say that I think the horns are pretty darn cool. I agree that they give her a unique appearance ... plus, I think that she still looks pretty cool. That said, my favorite picture of her so far is in the latest Dragon Wormfood, where she's being measured for a dress. Hilarious.

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