5E Infernal Constitution Racial Feat Guide

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The second of two racial feats that were added via Xanathar’s for Tieflings, and it lives up to its name. Focusing on common resistances that many of infernal blood have, and the inherently strong Constitutions that inhabiting the hells must have, this is yet another flavorful feat that adds some interesting benefits to takers.

Infernal Constitution is a racial half-feat for Tieflings that grants +1 Constitution, advantage on saving throws against being poisoned, and resistance to both poison and cold damage.

So is this a good half feat? Is it one that falls a little bit short once we break it down more? Let’s jump in to look at the pros, cons, and whether this one is worth your time or a hard pass.

Tiefling barbarian raging
Tiefling barbarian probably doesn’t need it (especially with Totem of the Wolf) but the rest of our Tiefling characters can always use a boost. (Picture Source)

Breaking Down the Infernal Constitution Racial Feat

Before breaking down each part of the myth point-by-point, let’s take a look at the exact wording for this Tiefling-friendly feat from Xanathar’s.

Directly from Xanathar’s Guide to Everything:

Prerequisite: Tiefling

Fiendish blood runs strong in you, unlocking a resilience akin to that possessed by some fiends. You gain the following benefits:

  • Increase your Constitution score by 1, to a maximum of 20.
  • You have resistance to cold damage and poison damage.
  • You have advantage on saving throws against being poisoned.

Xanathar’s Guide to Everything, p.75

So let’s break down these benefits of the Infernal Constitution racial feat in more detail.

Benefit #1: Increase your Constitution score by 1 to a maximum of 20.

Constitution is one of those ability scores that is always important and helpful, no matter what class. If you don’t have a feat or ability score improvement in mind during the level ups where there’s an ability score improvement, you dump it into Constitution, take the hit points, and be done with it.

I’m not generally big on hyping up ability scores while taking a feat since these serve more as damage control as opposed to actual boosts, Constitution is a rare one and a good one to take from an odd number to an even one.

Benefit #2: Gain resistance to poison damage.

This can potentially be a very good boost. If your DM likes to use poison damage, or you’re finding yourself up against rogues, assassins, and the types who like to use poison, being able to take half damage is a pretty good deal.

And yes, this means if you make a Constitution save to take half damage, your resistance cuts that damage in half – meaning you take only a quarter of the original poison damage in that situation.

Benefit #3: Gain resistance to cold damage.

Very situational, but when you need it you’re glad to have it. In the right games this can be a major bonus, though admittedly you aren’t likely to see it all that often. Resistance is a powerful bonus, however, and worth looking at.

Benefit #4: You have advantage on saving throws against being poisoned.

Solid bonus. Arguably might make benefit 2 a bit weaker in a vacuum, but these two actually go together very well and it’s good to know you have that many more chances to dodge, avoid, or minimize damage.

How Good Is The Infernal Constitution Feat?

This is a hard feat to judge. Infernal Constitution in many ways seems to be the epitome of a “It Depends” feat. I have literally played in campaigns where this would be a D feat, and others where it would be an S-Tier feat. My inclination is to say that it’s a solid to good feat that in niche situations will be spectacular.

The +1 Constitution is always a good benefit. Since usually poison comes out at some point the advantage on saving throws against poison and resistance to poison damage are a 1-2 punch that makes you feel very good about your chances of surviving even multiple poison attacks that would otherwise be dehabilitating.

The resistance to cold damage is the most niche as I’ve gone whole campaigns before without cold damage. But it never hurts to have that resistance for the odd enemy or attack…and then there was that time we were transported to the land of the Frost Giants…

So the combination of all these makes for a solid feat that gives you a lot of tools against a lot of damage types and that occasionally will veer upwards to being truly top notch…and maybe even life-saving.

Pros:

  • +1 Constitution is one of the better +1 options for Half Feats available
  • Damage resistance of any kind is very rare in 5E so to get it for not one, but two types of damage is pretty great (even if it is situational)
  • The 1-2 combo to defend against poison is fantastic and can often come into play in campaigns
  • The combination of all the benefits of this feat work well together and allow you to focus on other aspects of building your Tiefling character

Cons:

  • Damage resistances are still very situational
  • Still a half feat
  • Would it be better than a +2 Constitution boost or other feat in most builds/campaigns?

Who Should Take Infernal Constitution?

  • Tieflings in a heavy Arctic (where cold damage is common) or Swamp/Jungle (where poisons are often common) settings
  • Tieflings who need health and are not barbarians

There are many benefits that can come with the Infernal Constitution feat and for many Tiefling builds it’s going to be a tempting choice. It’s not a bad option at all, and will provide plenty of options for protection especially for the right campaign settings. For a squishy build like a sorcerer or wizard, those damages only need to kick in once to be potentially life-saving.

Final Thoughts for 5E Infernal Constitution Racial Feat

This is one of those good feats that is amazing or maybe even S-Tier in certain settings depending on what type of setting your DM is using and what types of damage are appearing most often in your campaign. Like many of the racial feats, this does a good job of really adding to the flavor of a Tiefling and their traditional lineage while also adding legitimately useful mechanics.

All in all, this is a very good racial feat that no DnD player should be afraid of taking for their next Tiefling build.

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