4
\$\begingroup\$

Mordenkainen's Tome of Foes offers the option to select a different heritage for a Tiefling by replacing the default Ability Score Increase with its own (as well as by replacing the Infernal Legacy trait):

The traits of the chosen subrace replace the tiefling’s Ability Score Increase and Infernal Legacy traits given in the Player’s Handbook

Sword Coast Adventurer's Guide offers variant tieflings by either replacing Infernal Legacy (for Winged, Hellfire, or Devil's Tongue) or by replacing one Ability Score Increase trait with another increasing feature (Feral):

Feral... This trait replaces the Ability Score Increase trait.

While a non-Asmodeus Tiefling subrace is not compatible with Winged, Hellfire, or Devil's Tongue (since they both replace Infernal Legacy with their own option), a non-Asmodeus Tiefling subrace may be eligible for Feral (by replacing the subrace's own Ability Score Increase with the Feral one). Is it?

\$\endgroup\$
4
  • \$\begingroup\$ I'd assume based on this question and answer, yes: rpg.stackexchange.com/questions/135045/… \$\endgroup\$
    – gabbo1092
    Nov 6, 2018 at 20:47
  • 1
    \$\begingroup\$ @gabbo1092 that specifically has to do with dndbeyond.com and on D&D Beyond, you can't make a Feral Tiefling out of one of the subraces. \$\endgroup\$ Nov 6, 2018 at 20:51
  • \$\begingroup\$ Can you cite the source for Feral? \$\endgroup\$
    – user47897
    Nov 6, 2018 at 22:09
  • 1
    \$\begingroup\$ @MarkTO It's in the Variant Tiefling section of Sword Coast Adventurer's Guide (end of Chapter 3) \$\endgroup\$ Nov 6, 2018 at 22:11

1 Answer 1

5
\$\begingroup\$

It's possible with DM permission.

The Feral trait is described as being allowed by DM permission in the sidebar on page 118 of the Sword Coast Adventurers Guide, as follows (emphasis mine):

Since not all tieflings are of the blood of Asmodeus, some have traits that differ from those in the Player's Handbook. The Dungeon Master may permit the following variants for your tiefling character...

Assuming the DM is open to it, there's no reason that a Levistus Tiefling, for example, doesn't quality as a "tiefling character" for purposes of variant traits including the Feral trait for ability scores. There's nothing in either SCAG or Mordenkainen's Tome of Foes that addresses feral tieflings at all beyond that one sidebar, so there's no lore indicating that a non-Asmodeus tiefling can't be feral. All we're told is that the PHB tiefling is an Asmodeus Tiefling (this is reinforced in MTOF on page 21) and that not all tieflings are of the blood of Asmodeus. It doesn't actually say that the variant options are restricted to non-Asmodeus tieflings, and even if that seems to be implied, note that that passage was written before MTOF ever presented any other non-Asmodeus options.

So, with DM permission, the combination should be possible (even though, as I explained in a related answer to another question, it's not technically possible using D&D Beyond's tools).

\$\endgroup\$

You must log in to answer this question.

Not the answer you're looking for? Browse other questions tagged .