Tiefling Paladins

[Kevin Mack]

I'm planning on running COT at some point and I have a player who wants to play a Tiefling Paladin of Iomedae. Basically I'm just wondering if she would accept a Tiefling? I ask since her writeup in Pathfinder 26 says she loathes Fiend-spawn.

[Dragonborn3]

Kevin Mack wrote:

I'm planning on running COT at some point and I have a player who wants to play a Tiefling Paladin of Iomedae. Basically I'm just wondering if she would accept a Tiefling?

Rant:

The ability to be a paladin has never been restricted to race(in Pathfinder, not stuff like 1st edition), and there is nothing that says a tiefling can't be a paladin, so I say a good background explaining why this particular tiefling became a paladin would be all that is needed before I'd allow the character. Same thing for aasimar warlocks(or Infernal/Abyssal bloodline sorcerer).

I'd say she would, it's the individual that matters, not the race they belong to.

[Kjob]

Can a Tiefling be a Paladin? Most definitely!
Can a tiefling be a Paladin of Iomedae? Yes, but far less enthusiastically.
Iomedae really hates fiendish beings, including "fiendish spawn," which I could see tieflings as being classified as. On that note, she doesn't just blindly kill them, she'd rather they surrender than die. Your player would need an interesting backstory, imo... Probably could gain divine help through several great acts of honor and justice (things Iomedae loves). Iomedae loves Paladins, and paladins love her...
In general, I could see a Tiefling of Sarenrae far more probable..but anything is possible.

[DM_aka_Dudemeister]

Kevin Mack wrote:

I'm planning on running COT at some point and I have a player who wants to play a Tiefling Paladin of Iomedae. Basically I'm just wondering if she would accept a Tiefling? I ask since her writeup in Pathfinder 26 says she loathes Fiend-spawn.

The idea of a Tiefling attempting to cleanse the taint in her blood by working as a Paladin for a goddess that supposedly dislikes her kind?

I can't think of a character with more meaty role-playing and character hooks in it off hand. It's such a great concept that I wish my players would think of a concept this freakin' nifty.

[James Jacobs]

A tiefling paladin of Iomedae would be pretty rare, and pretty unusual and unique and interesting.

As a result, it's an EXCELLENT idea for a PC! Having to fight against the social stigma and prejudice, particularly in CoT where he'll be hit with prejudice from Chelaxians AND prejudice from Iomedans, would give a LOT of great fuel for roleplaying stuff. Cool!

[Kevin Mack]

Thanks for all the replies everyone.

[Deidre Tiriel]

I'm just starting my campaign - had the character creations last monday.

One person made a tiefling monk - paladin (favored class paladin). I don't know if she's decided who to worship, though.

we rolled on the features chart and she got strangeley colored, scaled skin. She took the Fiendish Heritage and wanted to be a Div-spawn (for the +2 charisma, of course).

So she picked mother of pearl (another player's suggestion) scales.

Let's see THAT disguise check! :)

[Dragonborn3]

Deidre Tiriel wrote:

Let's see THAT disguise check! :)

Long sleeved shirts, pants, gloves, and make-up to color any uncaovered scales!

[Shadewest]

James Jacobs wrote:

A tiefling paladin of Iomedae would be pretty rare, and pretty unusual and unique and interesting.

As a result, it's an EXCELLENT idea for a PC! Having to fight against the social stigma and prejudice, particularly in CoT where he'll be hit with prejudice from Chelaxians AND prejudice from Iomedans, would give a LOT of great fuel for roleplaying stuff. Cool!

James, I thought you hated paladins! Or was that only dwarven paladins? Seriously though, James is right. I'm preparing to DM this Path myself soon, and I can only dream that one of my players comes up with something so appropriate.

[Todd Stewart]

I had a tiefling paladin (of Nephthys) in a oneshot I ran at GenCon one year. Fun character.

[Etrabadh]

I am actually playing a Tiefling Paladin of Iomedae in a CoCT campaign right now and as one may think it makes for a very interesting deity PC dynamic, though in order to make it work I had to come up with an equally interesting backstory

Spoiler:

Etrabadh was born the daughter of an osiriani Pharoah whose wife had been raped by a demon posing as her husband via an "alter shape" spell, her birth came with a surprise as the pharoah's baby had tiny horns and a tail. the Pharoah named this abomination Etrabadh, after a succubus who had killed his father many years prior to her birth. The succubus had desecrated his tomb and left a cursed armor atop his sarcophagus as a way to taunt his family; no one dared move it, fearing their own demise as a result of touching said armor. Her parents raised her in secret, having her live in a room directly over her grandfather's tomb. Knowing that Etrabadh had the blood of demons within her coupled with the fact that she was named after the cursed armor's former owner, it called out to her. Etrabadh's demonic heritage became all the more apprarent as she hit puberty, her parents could no longer hold up the facade they had so relentlessly struggled to keep so they shipped her with the armor to a convent in hopes they'd be able to help her.

This however came with consequence, as Etrabadh's grandfather had become an undead and killed her parents the night following the armor's removal from atop his sarcophagus. Fast forwarding 15 years, Etrabadh had become a very virtuous nun whose tiefling heritage had been put behind her so she could serve the "greater good". This all ended the night she met up with Gaedren Lamm, who killed Mother Aria, the woman who took her in. Etrabadh's sister nuns all blamed her simply based on the fact that she had evil blood within her and as a result, she was excommunicated. Etrabadh had began searching for him when, yet again the cursed armor called out to her. Etrabadh listened as its Abyssal words comforted her wounded heart, but she had a vision of Iomedae turning down her head in shape and disappointment of her. it was then that Etrabadh had to choose, regain her honor as a servant of Iomedae and bring this man to justice or live a life fueled by th hellish rage boiling within her.

Etrabadh knew what had to be done in order to please her lord, Iomedae, so she tirelessly cleaned her unholy armor in a pool of holy water until its shine could pierce the darkness in her heart. it was then that a shunned nun became...Etrabadh, Tiefling Paladin of Iomedae

[Sean K Reynolds]

Vond Cloven from my book Skreyn's Register: The Bonds of Magic Volume 2 is a tiefling paladin. The neat thing about her is that she is descended from a fallen angel... and there's an aasimar paladin in her order who's descended from the angel BEFORE he fell... so there's a bit of weirdness between those two characters....

[Mikhaila Burnett 313]

Etrabadh wrote:

I am actually playing a Tiefling Paladin of Iomedae in a CoCT campaign right now and as one may think it makes for a very interesting deity PC dynamic, though in order to make it work I had to come up with an equally interesting backstory

** spoiler omitted **...

Very, VERY cool backstory.

[Mikhaila Burnett 313]

Kevin Mack wrote:

I'm planning on running COT at some point and I have a player who wants to play a Tiefling Paladin of Iomedae. Basically I'm just wondering if she would accept a Tiefling? I ask since her writeup in Pathfinder 26 says she loathes Fiend-spawn.

I will definitely add my voice here. I would hug, kiss and love upon a player suggesting such. So long as I had any confidence of their ability to play the character as well as such a rich idea would deserve.

Heartily approved.