The new Player’s Handbook for Dungeons and Dragons 5e is here, bringing all kinds of rules changes for character classes, backgrounds, and races (or species). We’ve read these books cover to cover so we can tell you exactly what’s changed. And for the DnD 2024 Tiefling, the main difference is there’s now more than one version of everyone’s favorite fiend descendant.
Yes, you don’t just have to be a devilishly handsome devil person anymore. In the 2024 version of this DnD race, there are three flavors of One DnD Tiefling, each with some connection to a different fiend or set of planes. The Infernal legacy is pretty much the same as the regular Tiefling 5e – gaining very similar spells and resistances – but the Chthonic and Abyssal Tieflings are brand new.
Other new features include getting to pick your DnD size, either small or medium. At level one, you also gain access to two cantrips instead of one: Thaumaturgy and then one more attached to your Infernal Legacy.
If you’re a Tiefling player, you’re probably aware that this race has gone through quite a few shifts over the years. In 2018, Mordenkainen’s Tome of Foes gave us a whopping eight Tiefling variants, each linked to a particular archdevil. However, all but one were scrapped after this book was discontinued in 2022. Now we’re back up to three Tieflings, a comfortable middle ground.
DnD 2024 Tiefling traits
| Creature Type | Humanoid |
| Size | Small or Medium |
| Speed | 30 feet |
Tiefling’s also have Darkvision, with a range of 60 feet, and the feature ‘Otherworldly Presence’ which gives you the Thaumaturgy cantrip, letting you perform harmless little magical tricks like creating a sound, or causing an unlocked door to fly open.
For this spell, and the DnD spells provided by your Fiendish Legacy, you can choose whether you want Charisma, Intelligence, or Wisdom to be your casting ability.
DnD 2024 Tiefling subraces
The 2024 Tiefling’s main feature is its Infernal Legacies, what might’ve been called subraces in older versions of the game. These give you a resistance to a specific DnD damage type, as well as access to a starting cantrip and two spells gained through character progression.
Aside from their cool appearance, this is the main draw of this species: even if they’re not a spellcasting DnD class, the Tiefling gets to use some magic.
Here’s the full list of benefits:
| Legacy | Resistance | Starting Cantrip | Level 3 | Level 5 |
| Infernal | Fire | Fire Bolt | Hellish Rebuke | Darkness |
| Abyssal | Poison | Poison Spray | Ray of Sickness | Hold Person |
| Chthonic | Necrotic | Chill Touch | False Life | Ray of Enfeeblement |
Though none of the artwork in the new Players’ Handbook really reflects this properly, your Tiefling’s physical appearance can also change based on the Infernal Legacy you picked.
Here’s how the different legacies are described in the new book:
- Infernal: horns, spines, tails, golden eyes, and the smell of sulfur
- Abyssal: horns, fur, tusks, and “peculiar scents”.
- Chthonic: varied – you might appear corpselike, have the beauty of a succubus, or share features with a night-hag, yugoloth, or some other type of Neutral fiend.
If you’d prefer a halo to horns, you might enjoy learning about the DnD 2024 Aasimar, the angelic counterpart to the Tiefling, which has also made it into the new Player’s Handbook. And to see our overall verdict on all the very many changes to your favorite RPG, check out our DnD 2024 Player’s Handbook review.
Source: Wargamer
