I always liked making tiefling traits really subtle (compared to the 4E/standardized race). I had one NPC with red glowing eyes and fangs. He always had his hood pulled down over his eyes, but his employer's nickname was for him was "Red Eye." He was the bodyguard of a Zhent noble woman.
I also described the tiefling wizard in Mistledale as having small pointed horns and cat's eye pupils, and smelling of brimstone.
I don't have a problem with more monstrous tieflings, but I always thought part of using the race was the ability to get creative about what the individual looked like.
Please no eyebrow horns. I abhore the gigantic, elephant-man-esque brow-tumors on the 4e tiefling. And that's not saying anything about how the 4e tieflings all have the same, monolithic appearance and origin story rather than the effectively infinite variation the classic 2e and 3e tieflings had. I like that flexibility of form.
And here's some random art of a tiefling from my current campaign:
First picture
Second picture
These are proper tieflings.
I mean yeah, they're cute.. But you're spot on about the gigantic, elephant-man-esque brow-tumors on the 4e tiefling. I have to ignore the art to even want to play them.
I'm not flaming 4e or WOTC, but I think that was a mediocre art direction they went in for that race. I like a lot of 4E art, but tieflings look crummy across the board.
There was a tiefling mini in the Desert of Desolation set (I think) just before the official 4E material hit, that I thought was suppose to be indicative of 4E tieflings, and it had red skin, a thin tail, and small horns. I was okay with that if they had needed a uniform approach. Unfortunately that mini didn't really match up with later 4E tieflings.
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I really don't have a problem with the 4E tieflings as examples of what tieflings can look like. I just didn't like the standardization.
Another favorite: "Quill-hair" from the core Planescape boxed set. I think she was on the inside cover of the main book.
IIRC, Black Mariah from Faces of Sigil is another example of "freaky" looking aasimar. She looked perfectly normal except for her completely black shark eyes. I could be remembering what she was incorrectly though.
RPG Superstar 2013 Top 4, RPG Superstar 2011 Top 16
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Yeah the archetypical Diabolic tiefer is boring... I always loved the crazy variation of all thetielfing that filled the Old PS books... this lovely was always one of my favorites Spikey, followed closely by Kylie the Tout.
Yep, and if they follow their 2E/3.x counterparts as well as the tieflings, they should come in wildly varying flavors as well. Lillend in the family somewhere? Scales on the legs. Planetar blood? Greenish skin and hereditary alopecia.
Alopecia - ... al ... o ... pe ... ci ... a
*flip* *flip*
alo ... pe .. cia
*flip*
alopecia - ... aah!
...
...
...
... oh ...
--
So, where did I put this blasted key?
I don't know if I should say this but...
The picture in the blog could be seen as a symbolic representation of Pathfinder vs D&D4.
I mean what do we see ? A paladin, champion of vertue, defending a gnome bard from a fiendish tiefling.
I refer of course to the cruel absence of the gnome race and bard class from the 4th Ed Player's Handbook, where demonic and draconic bastards were thought to be more iconic than a gnome.
I am joking, of course.
Or... Am I ?
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I don't know if I should say this but...
The picture in the blog could be seen as a symbolic representation of Pathfinder vs D&D4.
I mean what do we see ? A paladin, champion of vertue, defending a gnome bard from a fiendish tiefling.
I refer of course to the cruel absence of the gnome race and bard class from the 4th Ed Player's Handbook, where demonic and draconic bastards were thought to be more iconic than a gnome.I am joking, of course.
Or... Am I ?
I thought it was Lem, the iconic halfling bard.
Also, your theory doesn't hold. For that picture to be utterly representative of 4e vs. 3e the 4e side would have to have a Dragonborn Warlord and a Tiefling Warlock to really differentiate them from the 3e side. ;)
I thought it was Lem, the iconic halfling bard.
Also, your theory doesn't hold. For that picture to be utterly representative of 4e vs. 3e the 4e side would have to have a Dragonborn Warlord and a Tiefling Warlock to really differentiate them from the 3e side. ;)
Damn ! You're right !
I was so happy about my "brilliant" idea that i didn't even realized it was Lem the halfling and not Lini the gnome.All right, now i look stupid. :(
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I thought it was Lem, the iconic halfling bard.
Also, your theory doesn't hold. For that picture to be utterly representative of 4e vs. 3e the 4e side would have to have a Dragonborn Warlord and a Tiefling Warlock to really differentiate them from the 3e side. ;)
Damn ! You're right !
I was so happy about my "brilliant" idea that i didn't even realized it was Lem the halfling and not Lini the gnome.All right, now i look stupid. :(
Don't worry, it happens to the best of us. :)
I have to say, the one thing that struck me about that picture in addition to the really wrathful tiefling was the fact that Lem was actually using his flute as a weapon against the, er, demonic dog thingy. That's the sort of coolness I approve of.
OK, now i checked twice before saying anything (sigh), but the dog actually looks undead, and is indeed labeled as "Rabid undead dog".
OK, now i checked twice before saying anything (sigh), but the dog actually looks undead, and is indeed labeled as "Rabid undead dog".As I said, happens to the best of us. ;)
hahaha
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RPG Superstar 2009 Top 32, 2010 Top 8
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I'll admit, my tieflings have always been influnced by This lovely lady.
Obvious post inquiring as to possible sisters, Luv & Sexx, and whether they all dance together like Ciara.
Too bad they are all but dead.
Are most certainly not. Not in this game.
Do they even exist in Golarion?
The first ever PF villain was an aasimar.
These are proper tieflings.Please no eyebrow horns. I abhore the gigantic, elephant-man-esque brow-tumors on the 4e tiefling. And that's not saying anything about how the 4e tieflings all have the same, monolithic appearance and origin story rather than the effectively infinite variation the classic 2e and 3e tieflings had. I like that flexibility of form.
And here's some random art of a tiefling from my current campaign:
First picture
Second picture
I think the term you're looking for is "Rawwrrr!"
As I said, planetouched should be as varied as the outsiders that spawned them. That means some monstrous and weird-looking ones, and some that look disturbingly like humanoids (usually, distrubingly sexy humanoids which will make you tarnish your soul all by yourself when you feel guilty about fantasising about the demon chick with the frikkin horns on her head).
Well, who doesn't like a horny girl ? :P
I like Annah's type of look for tieflings, e.g. Linkified!
or Di'Terlizzi's, I'd prefer less 4e artists in Pathfinder, pretty ugly, especially tieflings and dragonborn
Oh Lordy.
Rawwr.
That was worth linkifying.
I like Annah's type of look for tieflings, e.g. https://cghub.com/files/Image/13091/image.jpg
Dude, I so want a poster of that image.
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I like Annah's type of look for tieflings, e.g. Linkified!
or Di'Terlizzi's, I'd prefer less 4e artists in Pathfinder, pretty ugly, especially tieflings and dragonborn
Oh Lordy.
Rawwr.
That was worth linkifying.
Nice, I'm working on a short story with a tiefling as the main character. I think I've found my model.
ya know the bone rig tiflings have been used in 3.5 eberron for a while. Can't recall which issue but the dungeon with the train job in it for one.
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I've had arguably insane CN Nisha who had horns, prehensile semi-reptilian tail, and goat legs. I've also had a LG paladin of Nephthys tiefer who had rams horns and some scales. Then there was the baernaloth Tellura Ibn Shartalan who usually adopted the outward form of a tiefling (or aasimar) girl with a lame/crippled left leg, with an independently moving (and tangibly acting) shadow.
Those are the two and kinda three that I immediately remember.
YOU
ARE
WEIRD