Winning Races: Tieflings Secrets of Bael Turath by Mike Mearls Illustrations by Tyler Jacobsonr
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Winning Races: Tieflings Secrets of Bael Turath By Mike Mearls Illustrations by Tyler Jacobsonr When the humans of Bael Turath struck their deal with the lords of Hell, they earned more than a dra- matic change to their appearance. As part of the pact, they learned new fighting techniques, mastered dia- bolic spells, and received a stockpile of weapons and armor forged in the depths of Hell. Although Bael Turath fell, many of the techniques used by its warriors remained. Bael Turath had many enemies, and to this day tieflings have a reputation for duplicity, wrath, and evil. Many of the specialized fighting schools faded from memory, stamped out by their enemies or lost in the chaos of the empire’s col- lapse. A few persist to this day, though, passed down from one generation to the next as a reminder of what was and, perhaps, what might be again. TM & © 2009 Wizards of the Coast LLC. All rights reserved. November 2009 | DRAGON 381 31 Winning Races: Tieflings THE CRIMSON LEGION Crimson Fire Paladin’s Wrath Tiefling Racial Power Prerequisite: Paladin, warlock, divine challenge You stand against your foes, unleashing a howling battle cry The warriors of the Crimson Legion were paladin/ power that seems to howl from the depths of Hell. Encounter ✦ Divine warlocks who worshiped Asmodeus and entered Benefit: Against a creature marked by your divine Minor Action Close burst 5 into diabolic pacts. Their combination of arcane and challenge and under your Warlock’s Curse, you use Target: Each enemy in burst divine magic made them formidable opponents. d10s for your Warlock’s Curse damage. Effect: The target is subject to your divine sanction until the Today, the traditions of the Crimson Legion con- end of your next turn. tinue but have shifted and changed. The survivors Warlock’s Wrath believed that Asmodeus had turned his back on the Prerequisite: Tiefling, warlock empire despite the pact between them. Thus, the war- Benefit: You use d8s for your Warlock’s Curse riors of the Crimson Legion still enter into eldritch damage. In addition, you replace infernal wrath with pacts with diabolic powers, but they now ally with warlock’s wrath. other gods to strike at Asmodeus. By turning the power of Hell against itself, they seek to avenge their Warlock’s Wrath Tiefling Racial Power fallen empire. Arcane magic roars from you in a fiery storm, creating a vor- DIVINE SANctION Most members of the Crimson Legion worship tex of energy around you. Some paladin powers and some new feats Kord, Ioun, and Bahamut. However, their dabbling Encounter ✦ Arcane, Fire subject a target to your divine sanction (as into arcane magic makes them suspicious figures, Minor Action Personal introduced in Divine Power). Being subject to it even as they attain victory after victory against Asmo- Effect: You fill your space and the squares around it with whirl- means the target is marked by you for a dura- ing fire. Until the end of your next turn, you gain a bonus deus’s followers. tion specified in the description of the power to all defenses equal to your Charisma modifier, and each enemy that attacks you takes fire damage equal to half your or feat. Unless otherwise noted, the mark ends Heroic Tier Feats level + your Intelligence modifier. before the specified duration if someone else marks the target. Any feat in this section is available to a character of Until the mark ends, the target takes radiant any level who meets the prerequisites. Wrath of the Crimson Legion damage equal to 3 + your Charisma modifier Prerequisite: Tiefling, paladin the first time each round it makes an attack Crimson Legionnaire Benefit: When you make a melee basic attack, that doesn’t include you as a target. The damage you can use your Charisma instead of Strength for increases to 6 + your Charisma modifier at 11th Prerequisite: Paladin, warlock the attack roll and the damage roll. In addition, you level and 9 + your Charisma modifier at 21st Benefit: You gain a +2 bonus to damage rolls with level. replace infernal wrath with paladin’s wrath. your paladin and paladin paragon path attack powers Divine sanction is meant to complement against creatures under your Warlock’s Curse. divine challenge. You can use divine challenge to mark one creature and use divine sanction to mark others. Divine sanction has fewer restric- tions than divine challenge so that you can easily use the two in concert. November 2009 | DRAGON 381 32 Winning Races: Tieflings BLOOD CROWNED Diabolic Transformation Tiefling Racial Furious Demand Feat Power You roar with fury as the hellish blood that flows through your Your soul burns with anger, causing your foe to quail in fear COURTIER veins reveals its true power. In the blink of an eye, you trans- at the expression on your face. form into a brutish fiend. Daily Several noble houses among the tieflings of Bael Daily ✦ Polymorph Free Action Personal Turath include devils, usually satraps and advisors Minor Action Personal Trigger: You succeed on an Intimidate check or hit with an dispatched to the world by Asmodeus, in their family Effect: You transform into a diabolic brute until the end of the attack encounter. While you are in this form, you gain regenera- Target: The creature you intimidated or hit trees. The descendant of a devil received special con- tion 2, you increase fire resistance by 5, you gain a +2 bo- Effect: You gain a +2 bonus to all Intimidate checks until the sideration in all areas of Bael Turath society, because nus to damage rolls, and the bonus to attack rolls granted end of the encounter. In addition, the target takes a penalty the mingling of tiefling and diabolic blood created by your Bloodhunt racial trait increases to +2. to attack rolls against you equal to your Charisma modifier 11th level: Regeneration 4. (save ends). prodigies skilled in warfighting, arcane spells, and 21st level: Regeneration 6. Aftereffect: The target takes a penalty to attack rolls divine magic. With their augmented diabolic nature, Special: Once during this encounter while you are in this form, against you equal to your Charisma modifier until the end these tieflings commanded terrifying powers against you can use the black wrath of hell power. of its next turn. their enemies, both inside and outside the empire. Such a prodigy was referred to as a blood crowned Black Wrath of Hell Tiefling Racial Power Hellish Defiance courtier, indicating the inherent privilege he or she You burn through the very essence of your own soul to lend terrifying power to your attack. Prerequisite: Tiefling, infernal wrath racial power received. Even a tiefling from an otherwise humble Encounter Benefit: When you use infernal wrath, the target or cast-out lineage could advance far if he or she dis- Free Action Personal provokes opportunity attacks from your allies when it played the powers reserved for those whose family Trigger: You hit an enemy with an attack. attacks you until the end of its next turn. tree extended to Hell. The feats described below were Effect: The attack deals 1d10 extra damage and the target common marks of such favored tieflings. takes a penalty to attack rolls against you equal to the higher of your Intelligence or Charisma modifier (save Imperious Majesty ends). The bonus damage increases to 2d10 at 11th level Tiefling Heroic Tier Feats and 3d10 at 21st level. Prerequisite: Benefit: You can use Charisma instead of Dexter- Any feat in this section is available to a character of Furious Demand ity to determine your initiative modifier. When you any level who meets the prerequisites. hit a creature that has not yet acted in an encounter Prerequisite: 2nd level, tiefling with an attack, it takes a penalty to attack rolls against Diabolic Soul Benefit: You gain the furious demand feat power, you equal to your Charisma modifier until the end of which replaces a utility power of 2nd level or higher. Prerequisite: Tiefling your next turn. In addition, you gain a +2 feat bonus to Intimidate Benefit: Whenever you take a critical hit, you checks. gain a +2 feat bonus to attack rolls against that enemy until the end of the encounter. In addition, you replace infernal wrath with diabolic transformation. November 2009 | DRAGON 381 33 Winning Races: Tieflings THE BLACK AcADEMY Wizard’s Wrath Prerequisite: Tiefling, wizard When Bael Turath forged its pact with Asmodeus, Benefit: You ignore bloodied enemies’ fire resis- its arcane academies received the services of several tance and fire immunity. In addition, you replace powerful devils to teach students how best to twist infernal wrath with wizard’s wrath. and weave the magic of fire and fear. The Black Academy was the most prestigious of these schools. Wizard’s Wrath Tiefling Racial Power Its graduates were feared through the world for their You funnel your anger into your magic, spawning a roaring potent spells. vortex of raw power that batters your enemies, ruining their mundane and magical defenses. Encounter ✦ Arcane, Zone Hellfire Arcanist Minor Action Area burst 1 within 10 Effect: The burst becomes a zone of arcane energy that lasts Prerequisite: Tiefling, wizard until the end of your next turn. You gain combat advantage Benefit: You gain a +2 feat bonus to damage rolls against targets in the zone, and they lose all immunities with fire attacks. If you push, pull, or slide a creature and resistances against your attacks. with a fear attack, increase that forced movement by 2 squares. About the Author The bonus increases to +3 at 11th level and +4 at Mike Mearls is the Lead Designer for the Dungeons & 21st level.