Tieflings, the classic interpretation of the mixing of infernal blood into an otherwise normal bloodline. That’s not to say that tieflings are devilish or demonic by nature. The bloodline can manifest in a variety of ways in their appearance. 

It could be said that tieflings are a somewhat exotic race in the sense that they’re an uncommon sight. The Player Handbook contains a tidbit “Their skin tones cover the full range of human coloration, but also include various shades of red.“, which is probably the most ignored line of text in the whole book, and rightly so as any image search would reveal what the community thinks about this. Regardless, what better character to play with such a mysterious race than a wizard?

The Tiefling race AND the Wizard class can be found in the Player’s Handbook. Click here to pick up your own copy of The Player’s Handbook!

How to Make a Tiefling Wizard

Wizards in D&D can do just about anything, but all of them rely on their intellect for class features and spells. For this reason, you’ll be prioritizing intelligence as your main stat. After that, survivability becomes a concern for the discerning wizard, and thus it’s worth looking at your constitution for health and dexterity for armor class. It’s worth noting however that if you end up with a lot of concentration-based spells, you’ll want a higher constitution to make those crucial con saves.

Wizards have a large variety of subclasses (arcane traditions) available to choose from but you should consider your tiefling heritage when making your choice. You have an innate resistance to fire damage, but you also have a natural bonus to your charisma. This might play nicely into the Enchantment school, as you build around your natural charm. You might also consider the infernal nature of your heritage and join the school of Necromancy. However you go about your choice, keep in mind you will be given hellish rebuke and darkness as spells as you level up based on your heritage. Charisma will be your casting stat for these spells, not that it matters too much.

How to Play a Tiefling Wizard

Spells are one thing wizards have in plentiful supply, and tiefling wizards even more so. Wizards can learn any spell on their list that they find, so one of your bigger daily challenges will not be when to cast, but what to cast. 

You may be tempted to pick a variety of utility spells to traverse the terrain, but find yourself stuck in combat. Conversely, you may think it wise to take all manner of destructive spells, only to find that today is the one day you should have taken feather fall. You might find the best combination is a small selection of both. You also have access to ritual casting as a wizard, so if you’re going dungeon crawling, it can be very handy to have a spell like identify that you can cast as a ritual to learn more about the treasure you find.

Lastly, where combat is concerned, be sure to cast your spells strategically and to fall back to your cantrips now and then, because a wizard only recovers their spell slots after a long rest. Even if you can recover a little with arcane restoration, burning yourself dry first thing in the morning is never a good idea.

How to Roleplay as a Tiefling Wizard

Wizards tend not to prioritize charisma, but as a tiefling, it’s something you have a natural aptitude for. You might think of a wizard and see an old man in robes, wearing glasses and holding a book. Think instead of a devilishly handsome tiefling, dressed fashionably, and pondering over some runes, excitedly trying to figure out what they do. 

Think outside the box because, while roleplay is always truly in your hands, it’s fun to think how the context of your character might cause them to behave. You’re already rare as a tiefling, rarer as a wizard, and rarest as a tiefling wizard. Do you try to hide your differences and blend in? Or are you bold and proud? The choice is yours to make.