[RPG] What stowed items can a Tiefling’s prehensile tail retrieve

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The prehensile tail ability is written thus:

Prehensile Tail: Many tieflings have tails, but some have long, flexible tails that can be used to carry items. While they cannot wield weapons with their tails, they can use them to retrieve small, stowed objects carried on their persons as a swift action. This racial trait replaces fiendish sorcery.

The question is what constitutes small items? In my opinion, the immediate things I think about are wands, potions, spell components, metamagic rods, keys, foodstuffs, but is there a definitive list as to the cutoff of stowed items?

For example: I use my prehensile tail to retrieve a dagger stowed in my belt. While I do not use the tail to wield said weapon, I transfer the weapon from the tail to my hand to wield. Is there also weight or shape considerations for this maneuver? (Retrieving a wand is different than say retrieving a ball, or a box, or a plate, etcetera)

Best Answer

The simple answer would be 'GM's discretion'.

There has been discussion on the Paizo forums about possible things you could grab, effectively having 'Quick Draw' for none weapons. Some are suggesting light weapons could be pulled with it, but I believe this traits is more designed for very small light objects less than one pound (which would be potions, scrolls, many magic items, coinage, etc) as explained in more detail in the Grasping Tail feat.

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[RPG] Can Prehensile Hair perform combat maneuvers

Yes you may make combat maneuvers with prehensile hair

Page 199 Core Rulebook: When you attempt to perform a combat maneuver, make an attack roll and add your CMB in place of your normal attack bonus. Add any bonuses you currently have on attack rolls due to spells, feats, and other effects. These bonuses must be applicable to the weapon or attack used to perform the maneuver.

Combat section: Attacks with secondary natural attacks are made using your base attack bonus minus 5.

So the combat maneuver check, which is an attack roll, specifically says incurs the penalties made on attack rolls. Thus you would make the attack roll with your CMB but incur the -5 penalty.

The witch can manipulate her hair as if it were a limb with a Strength score equal to her Intelligence score, thus you would use your intelligence in place of your strength in the CMB.

[RPG] How strong is the tiefling’s Infernal Legacy trait, and what should I consider when homebrewing a racial trait that replaces it

In Unearthed Arcana: That Old Black Magic (2015), they playtested a Tiefling Variant with an Abyssal Tiefling subrace. The Abyssal Tiefling gets this Abyssal Arcana trait instead of the original Infernal Legacy trait:

Abyssal Arcana. Each time you finish a long rest, you gain the ability to cast cantrips and spells randomly determined from a short list. At 1st level, you can cast a cantrip. When you reach 3rd level, you can also cast a 1st-level spell. At 5th level, you can cast a 2nd-level spell.

You can cast a spell gained from this trait only once until you complete your next long rest. You can cast a cantrip gained from this trait at will, as normal. For 1st-level spells whose effect changes if cast using a spell slot of 2nd level or higher, you cast the spell as if using a 2nd-level slot. Spells of 2nd level are cast as if using a 2nd-level slot.

At the end of each long rest, you lose the cantrips and spells previously granted by this feature, even if you did not cast them. You replace those cantrips and spells by rolling for new ones on the Abyssal Arcana Spells table. Roll separately for each cantrip and spell. If you roll the same spell or cantrip you gained at the end of your previous long rest, roll again until you get a different result.

Abyssal Arcana Spells

d6 1st Level 3rd Level 5th Level

1 Dancing lights Burning hands Alter self

2 True strike Charm person Darkness

3 Light Magic missile Invisibility

4 Message Cure wounds Levitate

5 Spare the dying Tasha’s hideous laughter Mirror image

6 Prestidigitation Thunderwave Spider climb

d6	1st Level	3rd Level	5th Level
1	Dancing lights	Burning hands	Alter self
2	True strike	Charm person	Darkness
3	Light	Magic missile	Invisibility
4	Message	Cure wounds	Levitate
5	Spare the dying	Tasha’s hideous laughter	Mirror image
6	Prestidigitation	Thunderwave	Spider climb

I would assume that homebrew could trust this list to be at least somewhat balanced as possible spell replacements, since it made it to UA. However, keep in mind that UA is not strictly canon, but rather playtest material from WotC game designers.

In that regard, the Infernal Legacy trait looks a lot like a Dragonmark (from Unearthed Arcana: Eberron (v1.1)) or the Magic Initiate feat (PHB, p. 168). You could also skin one of those feats into a racial ability, as a homebrew that wouldn't deviate too much from the rules.

And completely RAW, you could always do a Feral Tiefling with the Devil's Tongue trait (SCAG, p. 118), too.

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[RPG] Can Prehensile Hair perform combat maneuvers

[RPG] How strong is the tiefling’s Infernal Legacy trait, and what should I consider when homebrewing a racial trait that replaces it

Abyssal Arcana Spells

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