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Under the Cover
I admit that when I first became aware of this series I thought it was ridiculous. The price/content ratio seemed pretty skewed to me, but I must now admit that after taking in the content I was the one being ridiculous. Full color, beautiful artwork, and most importantly the volume is packed with excellent mechanical and flavor additions. The book begins with nine pages focused on the history of the tiefling race and an enjoyable short story. The material here is standard fare, though several pages are spent discussing the noble heritage that all tieflings share due to their demon ancestors. I found this to be particularly interesting as a lot of worthwhile plot hooks could be placed in a character's background due to such a lengthy heritage. I particularly like the idea of a tiefling PC still having some ties to an old noble house of questionable morality.Arcane, Divine, Martial, Primal, and Psionic power sources each receive two to three pages wherein the author discusses various solid character ideas and then proceeds to present a well-crafted Paragon Path for that power source. The three character background ideas for each power source tend to embrace the roguish morally gray tiefling image, but a few do move into more original concepts. The new Paragon Paths include:
Lost Soul exists for those who want to play an arcane character that has traded away their soul for real power. At 11th level the Path gains the ability to deal damage to any enemy within 10 squares whenever the Path takes ongoing damage as well as an action point power that provides Int or Cha mod bonus damage to all arcane attacks until the end of the next turn. The 11th level Encounter power close bursts 1 when struck in combat to deal fire damage and teleport 5 squares, serving as a wonderful escape power. The remaining abilities provide additional defense, on the whole leading to a well-balanced Path that I would happily play at the table.
Hell's Keeper serves the divine by keeping devils imprisoned in the Nine Hells. At 11th level it gains a continual 10 square all ally bonus of +2 to saves against daze, immobilize, stun, and restraint. Given how frustrating those effects can be and how nice a +2 bonus can be, this is a fantastically group friendly power especially for a melee heavy group. The action point power turns slow and immobilize powers into restrain effects until the end of your next turn. The Encounter power deals radiant damage and restrains the target, offering a nice control option. The remaining powers focus on restraining and controlling foes, making this a natural fit for divine controllers or a nice splash for groups that lack a primary controller.
The Turathi Hell-Kite adds Int or Cha to healing surge value, provides an additional healing surge, and knocks all enemies adjacent to the target prone with an action point is spent to make a melee attack. The 11th level Encounter power places Daze on a melee opponent with a Minor attack. Movement, fire damage, and temporary hit points are included to round out this Paragon Path focused on a long lost tiefling-specific fighting style.
Redeemer of the Damned uses primal energy to channel the spirits of tiefling ancestors to fight evil and aid their atonement. At 11th level the Path can spend an Action Point to teleport up to 5 allies within sight up to 10 squares to a a single target enemy, additionally granting them combat advantage. Each time a Redeemer reduces a non-minion to zero HP they gain +2 to defenses and saves until the end of the next turn (or grant the bonus to an adjacent ally). For an Encounter power the Path receives a Close Burst 3 attack that deals 3d10+Str or Wis to all enemies in the burst while dazing them to boot. Throw in necrotic resistance, fire spirits, and a defensive teleport, and you have a nicely rounded Path.
The Infernal Eye has cast her gaze to Hell during a divination, only to have something look back. Now with a glowing Hell-eye she gains a variety of benefits. When spending an Action Point to deliver an attack, if the attack misses any targets, she may unspend the point and retain the attack power. This is a fantastic way to make sure a valuable Encounter or Daily power actually hits its intended target with full force. At 11th level the Path also gains two power points, can use any mental stat for Insight, Intimidate, and Perception, and gains an immediate interrupt burst encounter power that deals extra damage to an enemy struck by another power. Party support and a daily that deals solid ongoing damage complete this Path.
The Feats included here cover all three tiers of play and do a great job of expanding the Tiefling's options. The only problem with them is that some of them seem very strong, though I don't consider this a bad thing given that a particular build is unlikely to use more than one or two of them. Further, a strong Feat for a non-standard tiefling role can help to compensate for ability bonuses that may not be ideal for that Class. My favorite Feat is Tail Trip, a Paragon tier Feat that allows a tiefling fighter who has hit with an opportunity attack or an attack from Combat Challenge to also knock down the target. That's a nice bit of extra control, and I really dig the idea of a tiefling fighter making optimal use of her tail.
The tiny number of new items are neat but unexceptional, and while they are theme appropriate they do little to enhance tieflings so much as provide appropriately themed powers. Finally, the new Epic Desiny, Heir to the Empire, reflects a character who is taking point on the grand task of resurrecting the long lost empire of Bael Turath. It grants a two point bonus to intelligence, charisma, diplomacy, insight, and intimidate at level twenty one. Infernal Wrath knocks the target prone and dazes at twenty four, while at level thirty the first creature to strike the tiefling in melee each encounter is dominated for a turn. The encounter power resurrects a recently slain enemy to fight for the tiefling so long as it continues to fail a save versus domination.
