Tieflings are rarely seen in the Five Nations, and are often treated with fear and suspicion when they are. Rather than being directly descended from fiends, the most common tieflings of Eberron are touched by the malefic energies of one of the planes. Because of this, their appearance varies dramatically. Mabaran tieflings are reminiscent of incubi and succubi, with sinister beauty and small horns and fangs. Shavaran tieflings have scaly skin and horns of steel, while Risian tieflings are coated in frost and have horns of ice. Others don’t have horns at all. Dolurrhi tieflings usually have gray skin and pale eyes, with tendrils of whispering mist clinging to their skin. Kythrian tieflings slowly change in appearance, with every aspect changing in time. Such plane-touched tieflings don’t pass these traits on to their children; the birth of a tiefling is tied to the flow of planar energies, most often occurring when a child is conceived in a manifest zone at a key point in a plane’s coterminous cycle. Tieflings are only created by the malefic influence of a plane, and there are no tieflings tied to Daanvi, Irian, Lamannia, or Syrania, or Thelanis. Popular stories say that tieflings are cursed and that they draw the negative powers of the plane wherever they go; while this is largely just superstition, it can make life difficult for tieflings.
Planar tieflings don’t pass their traits to their offspring, which is why tieflings are rare in the Five Nations. But there are two other types of tiefling in Khorvaire. The Sakah are said to be descended from rakshasa, fiends who infused their immortal essence into mortal bloodlines. In their natural form, they have feline features with fiendish aspects—burning eyes, backward hands, disturbing fangs—that set them apart from shifters. Most of the Sakah are in the Demon Wastes, but some capable Sakah serve as agents of the Lords of Dust in the wider world. The final source of tieflings are the noble bloodlines of the Venomous Demesne. The Demesne tieflings are the result of fiendish bargains made long ago by the mages of Ohr Kaluun. Demesne tieflings should use the Infernal, Chthonic, or Abyssal legacies as presented in the Player’s Handbook. Planar and Sakah tieflings should use one of the Fiendish Legacies presented in the Eberron Fiendish Legacies table. All other traits for Planar and Sakah tieflings are the same as those in the Player’s Handbook.
Fiendish Legacy. When you choose a legacy, you can select one of the options in the Eberron Fiendish Legacies table instead of one from the Player’s Handbook.
| Legacy | Level 1 | Level 3 | Level 5 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Dolurrhi | You have Resistance to Psychic damage. You also know the Vicious Mockery cantrip. |
Dissonant Whispers | Blur |
| Fernian | You have Resistance to Fire damage. You also know the Produce Flames cantrip. |
Burning Hands | Heat Metal |
| Kythrian | You have Resistance to one of the following damage types: Acid, Cold, Fire, Lightning. Whenever you finish a Long Rest, your Resistance randomly changes to one of these four damage types. You also know the Shocking Grasp cantrip. |
Chromatic Orb | Shatter |
| Mabaran | You have Resistance to Necrotic damage. You also know the Chill Touch cantrip. |
Inflict Wounds | Blindness/ Deafness |
| Risian | You have Resistance to Cold damage. You also know the Ray of Frost cantrip. |
Armor of Agathys | Hold Person |
| Sakah | You have Advantage on all Wisdom saving throws against magic. You also know the Mage Hand cantrip. |
Disguise Self | Detect Thoughts |
| Shavaran | You have training with Light and Medium armor and with Shields. You also know the Blade Ward cantrip. |
Heroism | Spiritual Weapon |