Rules edition: This guide builds a Tiefling Warlock with the 2014 Dungeons & Dragons Basic Rules. It uses the basic Tiefling and the Archfey, Fiend, or Great Old One patron options. You can make the character with the free Basic Rules; optional books, magic items, and paid character options are not required. Ask your DM which rules the campaign uses, since the revised 2024 Tiefling and Warlock are different.
A low-cost Tiefling Warlock that works
The 2014 Tiefling and Warlock share a useful ability score: Charisma. The Basic Rules Tiefling increases Charisma by 2 and Intelligence by 1, while Warlock uses Charisma for spell attacks and spell save DCs. You can make an effective character with the free rules, starting equipment, and ordinary level-up choices. You do not need a supplement full of subclasses or a collection of magic items to make the build function.
Start with Charisma, Constitution, and Dexterity
Use the standard array or point buy and put your highest score in Charisma. For example, assign 15 to Charisma, 14 to Constitution, 13 to Dexterity, 12 to Wisdom, 10 to Intelligence, and 8 to Strength. After the Tiefling increases, you have 17 Charisma and 11 Intelligence. Constitution helps you survive and maintain concentration; Dexterity improves initiative, Dexterity saves, and your Armor Class in light armor. You can raise Charisma with your 4th-level Warlock Ability Score Improvement.
The 2014 ability increases are fixed in this Basic Rules option. Do not move them unless your table has chosen an optional rule from another source. A later rule variant is not needed to make the character playable.
Pick a patron for its features and story
The free 2014 rules offer three Otherworldly Patrons, chosen at Warlock level 1. The Fiend is a natural fit for a Tiefling if you want its temporary hit points and fire-themed abilities, but your character’s ancestry does not require a Fiend pact or an evil personality. The Archfey and Great Old One offer different control and story tools. Choose the patron whose features and relationship with your character interest you; the Tiefling’s heritage does not dictate whom they serve.
At Warlock level 3, choose a Pact Boon. Pact of the Tome adds cantrips from other class lists, Pact of the Chain gives you an enhanced familiar, and Pact of the Blade creates a pact weapon. A character who mainly casts spells can begin with Tome or Chain; choose Blade if you want the pact weapon to matter to your combat plan. These are class features in the 2014 Basic Rules, not Tiefling subraces.
Build around reliable, inexpensive tools
Choose eldritch blast as a Warlock cantrip if you want a dependable ranged attack. At level 2, Agonizing Blast adds your Charisma modifier to its damage, making it a strong use of an invocation without equipment costs. Use your other cantrip and spell choices to cover a different need: a utility option, defense, or a spell that fits your patron and party.
Warlocks know a limited number of leveled spells, and their Pact Magic slots are few but return when you finish a short or long rest. Choose spells you expect to use, then remember that you can replace one known Warlock spell when you gain a Warlock level. Do not spend every slot on the first turn of every fight; cantrips, positioning, and teamwork remain useful between rests.
The Tiefling’s Infernal Legacy is separate from Warlock spell slots. In these 2014 rules, you know thaumaturgy; at character level 3 you can cast hellish rebuke once per long rest as a 2nd-level spell, and at character level 5 you can cast darkness once per long rest. Charisma is the ability for these racial spells. Their free uses help conserve Warlock slots, but they do not grant unlimited castings.
Use starting gear before shopping for upgrades
The Warlock’s listed starting equipment and your background are enough to begin adventuring. Keep the focus or component access needed for your spells, wear the light armor you start with, and let the campaign’s treasure provide upgrades over time. A magic item can be a welcome reward, but this build does not depend on one. If you later choose a feat, multiclass, or option from an additional book, check its rules and availability with your DM first.
Handle darkness with the whole party in mind
At character level 5, darkness can block sight and disrupt enemies, but it also affects allies who cannot see through it. It requires concentration and can interfere with your party’s attacks and spells. The Devil’s Sight invocation can let you see through magical darkness, but that is a choice with an invocation cost, not an automatic Tiefling benefit. Use the spell when its position helps the group, and leave a clear route or target for allies when possible.
Outside combat, choose skills that suit the character rather than assuming every Tiefling is a smooth talker or every pact is sinister. A Warlock can negotiate, investigate, study, or keep a low profile. Decide with your DM what the patron wants and how much that bargain appears in the campaign. That gives the character a story hook without forcing the Tiefling’s ancestry to determine their values.
Official Rules Sources
These official 2014 Basic Rules pages cover the character options described above:
