Guide:Races Guide by Phantomsplit: Difference between revisions

Guide:Races Guide by Phantomsplit (edit)

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Added Tieflings, assumed fetal position

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 |+ Gnome Subrace Features
 |-
-! Deep Gnomes !! Forest Gnomes !! Rock Gnomes
+! [[Gnome#Deep_Gnomes|Deep Gnomes]] !! [[Gnome#Forest_Gnomes|Forest Gnomes]] !! [[Gnome#Rock_Gnomes|Rock Gnomes]]
 |-
 | [[Superior Darkvision]] out to 80 ft || [[Darkvision (Passive Feature)|Darkvision]] out to 40 ft || [[Darkvision (Passive Feature)|Darkvision]] out to 40 ft
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 Each of the Gnome subraces bring a lot to the table as well. This is a Larian game, so a Forest Gnome being able to [[Speak with Animals]] at will is a wonderful ability to have and will certainly open new paths up to players to explore if you don't already have somebdoy with such an ability. The Rock Gnome's expertise in History is a bit more niche and specifically useful for high Intelligence characters like [[Wizard|Wizards]] where it will get the most mileage in ensuring you succeed on History checks. And I have seen many suggest that Deep Gnome is the best race overall for stealthy characters as having advantage on stealth checks permanently is not something you will likely not be able to get elsewhere barring magic items. Combine this with [[Pass Without Trace]] from a caster in your party with access to the spell and possibly [[Expertise]] in [[Stealth|stealth]] from playing either a [[rogue]] or a [[bard]] to become practically undetectable.
-== Remaining Races are Work in Progress ==
+== [[Tiefling|Tieflings]] ==
+====Lore====
+{{FRWiki|Tiefling|Tieflings}} are descended from a human and fiend such as a devil or demon (in Forgotten Realms lore Devils and Demons are very different creatures at war with each other, and these terms are not synonymous). A devilish ancestor is far more common than others, and this could be anything from a powerful lord of the {{FRWiki|Nine Hells}} to something more tame such as a [[Cambion]]. Either way their fiendish ancestry appears in them in some shape or another. This often is in the form of horns, a tail, eyes without pupils, and/or altered skin color. Whether an offspring is a Tiefling or not has some element of chance, a bit like a recessive gene (but not entirely). Two tieflings may give birth to a normal human. Two humans may give birth to a Tiefling due to dormant fiendish ancestry from past generations. The exact rates and mechanisms of tiefling birth has changed with different Dungeons and Dragons editions. Despite their fiendish heritage Tieflings are not naturally inclined towards evil, though many are too biased by a tiefling's appearance to consider this possibility.
+Baldur's Gate 3 allows you to pick from three Tiefling subraces. The first and most common are the Asmodeous Tieflings, meaning that they were descended from some devil with ties to {{FRWiki|Asmodeous}}. Asmodeous is the lord of all devils and resides in {{FRWiki|Nessus}} the lowest of the Nine Hells. During the {{FRWiki|Spellplague}} Asmodeous captured and devoured the weakened god {{FRWiki|Azuth}} and the two shared a body as Asmodeous achieved divinity. Azuth was later released and restored back to godhood, but part of this deal also ensured that Asmodeous was able to devour another deceased god and maintain his own divinity status. When Asmodeous initially achieved divinity it caused strange effects to ripple through the planes, turning all Tieflings into Asmodeous Tieflings. This is a major part of why Asmodeous Tieflings are now the most common type on Toril.
+The next subrace of Tieflings are Mephistopholes Tieflings, which have some tie to {{FRWiki|Mephistopheles}} who is the second greatest devil of all and the right hand of Asmodeous. As is typical for devils, Mephistopheles seeks to overthrow Asmodeous and take the throne of Lord of Devils for himself, but is too afraid of Asmodeous's rage to attempt anything without absolute certainty of success. Asmodeous is well aware of Mephistopholes's intentions. I have not seen much connecting Mephistopheles to the plot of BG3 so far.
+The last subrace of tieflings in BG3 are Zariel Tieflings, and there are a lot of references to {{FRWiki|Zariel}} in BG3. Zariel was once an angel and served {{FRWiki|Lathander}} god of light, where she was tasked to monitor the ever raging {{FRWiki|Blood War}} between Devils and Demons. Zariel wanted the angels and celestials to get involved and squash the demon and devil armies, but the celestials refused her requests. Nearly 150 years before the events of BG3 Zariel went rogue and came to the city of {{FRWiki|Elturel}} in the {{FRWiki|Sword Coast}} region of Faerun, where she hand trained a militia to enter the upper most realm of the Nine Hells named {{FRWiki|Avernus}} to take the fight to the Demons and Devils. However her forces were defeated and Zariel was knocked unconscious and captured. Zariel was brought to Asmodeous, who praised her for her battle prowess and presented her with the offer to become the Archdevil of Avernus so she could command the devil forces and take the fight to the demons. Zariel accepted this offer and was transformed from an angel to a Devil. Only a few of her militia survived and returned to Elturel. They became known as {{FRWiki|Hellriders}} and went on to train future generations of Elturel's defenders. The origin character [[Karlach]] is one such recent generation member of the Hellriders.
+There are more recent events with regards to Zariel and tieflings which will spoil events revealed in the [https://www.dndbeyond.com/sources/bgdia Baldur's Gate: Descent into Avernus] tabletop campaign module.
+<div class="bg3wiki-spoiler-warning">{{Quote|size=100%|noitalics=yes|{{color|#ebb73f|'''Spoiler warning:'''}} The following content may contains spoilers for the [https://www.dndbeyond.com/sources/bgdia Baldur's Gate: Descent into Avernus] tabletop campaign module. Read at your own risk.}}</div>
+It turns out that the surviving Hellriders were not as brave as they claimed. They were overwhelmed by the terrors of Avernus and instead fled shutting the Avernus portal behind them, trapping Zariel and the brave Hellriders with her in hell. The surivors never revealed this secret to anyone, claiming they fought bravely until the fight was clearly lost. But Zariel did not forget, and kept an eye open for a chance to get revenge. About 50 years before the events of BG3 that opportunity came. The city of Elturel came under the control of vampires, and a man named {{FRWiki|Thavius Kreeg}} made a deal with Zariel to save the city and meanwhile look like the hero. A brilliant magical sun was placed over the city Elturel and destroyed the vampires within. This saving light remained over the city and came to be known as the Companion, and Thavius claimed he prayed to the gods who sent the Companion to save them in the city's time of need. In fact he had made a deal to control the city and then use that authority to sell the city to Zariel in 50 years. When that time came the companion turned black and pulled the city Elturel off of the face of Faerun, where it appeared in Avernus as it slowly lowered to the river Styx which would make all of Elturel's citizens easily convertible into devils in Zariel's army. The events of Baldur's Gate: Descent into Avernus revolve around figuring out what happened to Elturel and saving the city. The canon ending is that Elturel is saved but Zariel remains the archdevil of Avernus. When Elturel returned to Toril the city's inhabitants took a xenophobic stance towards tieflings, senselessly fearing their ties to devils. As a result most tieflings from the city have left the city in search of a new home. {{FRWiki|Ulder Ravenguard}} the Grand Duke of the city Baldur's Gate was present in Elturel when these events unfolded and he played a role in saving the city. The city of Baldur's Gate will also be impacted by Tiefling refugees who are leaving nearby Elturel.
+</noinclude>
+====World Interactions====
+Tieflings don't have distinct relations with other races, as they are the offspring of humans and will usually be found in Human settlements and share their history. Their often devilish descent does sometimes give them a knack for being charming or even deceptive, and they often make excellent diplomats. But the reaction they are most met with by the more uneducated is fear and uncertainty given their fiendish physical features. Tieflings at the precise time and location of BG3 are likely to be met with an unjust xenophobic reaction by many as a result of events discussed in the Descent into Avernus spoiler section above.
+====Mechanical Traits====
+All [[Tiefling|Tieflings]] are granted:
+* [[Hellish Resistance]] granting them resistance to fire damage.
+* [[Darkvision (Passive Feature)|Darkvision]] out to a range of 40 feet
+The Tiefling Subraces additionally obtain:
+{| class="wikitable"
+|+ Tiefling Subrace Features
+|-
+! [[Tiefling#Asmodeus_Tieflings|Asmodeous Tiefling]] !! [[Tiefling#Mephistopheles_Tieflings|Mephistopheles Tiefling]] !! [[Tiefling#Zariel_Tieflings|Zariel Tiefling]]
+|-
+| The ability to cast the following spells using [[Charisma]] as the spellcasting ability modifier when applicable:
+* [[Thaumaturgy]] (available at level 1)
+* [[Hellish Rebuke]]* (one free cast per long rest, available at level 3)
+* [[Darkness]] (one free cast per long rest, available at level 5)
+|| The ability to cast the following spells using [[Charisma]] as the spellcasting ability modifier when applicable:
+* [[Mage Hand]]** (available at level 1)
+* [[Burning Hands]]** (one free cast per long rest, available at level 3)
+* [[Flame Blade]]** (one free cast per long rest, available at level 5)
+|| The ability to cast the following spells using [[Charisma]] as the spellcasting ability modifier when applicable:
+* [[Thaumaturgy]] (available at level 1)
+* [[Searing Smite]]*** (one free cast per long rest, available at level 3)
+* [[Branding Smite]]*** (one free cast per long rest, available at level 5)
+|}
+ * For Asmodeous Tiefling's Hellish Rebuke see the [[Guide:Baldur's Gate 3 Races Guide#Racial_Spellcasting|Racial Spellcasting]] section.
+ ** For Mephistopheles Tiefling's Mage Hand, Burning Hands, and Flame Blade see the [[Guide:Baldur's Gate 3 Races Guide#Racial_Spellcasting|Racial Spellcasting]] section.
+ *** For Zariel Tiefling's Searing Smite and Branding Smite see the [[Guide:Baldur's Gate 3 Races Guide#Racial_Spellcasting|Racial Spellcasting]] section.
+====Build Synergy====
+[[Darkvision (Passive Feature)|Darkvision]] is always great to have, and fire damage is very common (only behind poison in frequency, depending on the monsters the DM has you up against) so this is one of the best damage resistance options to have. [[Tiefling|Tieflings]] have two pretty good features that can benefit any character. I struggle to recommend them above some other standout races like [[Drow]] or [[Elf]] or [[Gnome]] based on these features alone, but this is still a good starting point. If the subrace spells can offer something further for your build then they could be an optimal choice.
+* In my opinion Mephistopheles Tiefling is the most difficult one to say has clear synergy with specific builds. [[Mage Hand|Mage hand]] is a nice utility spell and good to have as a cantrip. [[Burning Hands]] conversely does pretty good damage at low levels, but scales very poorly by the time you are character level 4. [[Flame Blade]] is a great spell for some builds, but the fact you can only cast it once per long rest and it requires concentration can make it tough to recommend building a character around this spell when you get it from a racial feature. Because if you do not have another source of this spell, you build your whole character around using this spell, but then lose [[Concentration|concentration]] then your build has just shut down until you long rest again. If you are able to cast Flame Blade using spell slots then it could be worthwhile. Unfortunately only [[Druid|Druids]] get access to this spell and they use [[Wisdom]] for their spellcasting ability modifier while this racial form of Flame Blade uses [[Charisma]], meaning you will have a tough time getting the spell to work well in both casting scenarios. The only situation I see this spell being useful enough to consider building a character around is on a Pact of the Blade [[Warlock]] who can use it using Charisma, and if they lose concentration on Flame Blade then they can revert back to using their typical weapon attacks.
+* Zariel Tiefling is a great option for [[Charisma]] based spell sword characters, whether that be a Pact of the Blade [[Warlock]], [[Paladin]], Swords [[Bard]], Valor [[Bard]], or even a [[Fighter]] or [[Rogue]] who had some [[Ability Scores|ability score]] points to spare and put them in Charisma. The two smite spells let you do a bit more damage in combat and are not something to scoff at. [[Thaumaturgy]] is also a great spell for party face characters to have, which this high [[Charisma]] character can likely fill the shoes of.
+* Asmodeous Tiefling is nice for anyone, but definitely favors Charisma casters like [[Sorcerer|Sorcerers]] and [[Bard|Bards]] and [[Warlock|Warlocks]]. Other races can certainly make use of the [[Darkness]] spells both in and out of combat, whether that be to blind the enemies you are fighting or to sneak through difficult locations. [[Thaumaturgy]] once again goes great with a party face character which a Charisma caster can likely fill the shoes of. And [[Hellish Rebuke]] does scale off Charisma, but its damage is not so substantial that you should be worried about this spell being a waste in the event your character does not have a high Charisma. This race is actually what my first character will be. Save the best for last.
 [[Category:Guides]]