Genasi are the mythic heritage that is perhaps closest to the world we call home; those mortal lineages touched by the elemental planes whose energies make up the foundation of our material plane. Genasi appear seemingly at random in the bloodlines of people who have at some point in their ancestry been bonded with that energy.
Most genasi closely resemble their mundane ancestry but bear signifiers of their elemental blood. Unusual affinity for the element of their nature, colors of skin ranging across the norms but also occasionally to blue, red, or coal-black, the ability to step through stone or breathe water. The appearance of a genasi is usually less-obvious than a tiefling, revealed by their horns and tail, or an aasimar revealed by their feathers and numerous eyes.
Since genasi appear essentially at random, they have no specific culture or heritage besides that of where they grew up.
Genasi Player Characters
As a genasi you were born from parents belonging to any one of the mundane species of the world; see
Denizens of the World. Your elemental origin is most likely totally inscrutable; at some point in your distant ancestry a member of your bloodline may have made a pact with or been cursed by an elemental spirit or actually mated with a genie. Eventually, this touch of the Elemental Planes made its way to you.
You & the DM can decide what this means for you and your family, what the origin of your Mythic Heritage was (if you wish to define it), and how you were raised.
Your physical appearance is kin to that of your mundane species, but you may bear some markers of your Mythic Heritage. Most commonly genasi people have unusual skin, hair, or fur colors; a sylph or undine may have natural hair as blue as the sky or sea, while an ifrit or oread may have skin literally as black as coal. Depending on how your heritage manifests, you may be able to easily pass as an ordinary member of your mundane species. Some exceptionally rare genasi are more-obvious, though; some famous genasi through history have been an ifrit wreathed in flames like hair, or an oread whose skin glitters like geode gemstones.
Besides your physical appearance, being born a genasi also grants you an affinity and commonality with the element you are related to.
As a genasi, you gain genasi traits, not the traits of your mundane species. The exceptions are your Size, Height/Weight, Age, and Speed, for which you use the traits suggested or given by your mundane species.
Genasi Traits
Ability Score Bonus. You gain a +2 to Constitution.
Age. Genasi tend to live about 25% longer than their mundane relatives. A halfling genasi may live to see 170, while an elvish genasi might age over 950 years.
Size. You use the Size from your mundane heritage - human, dwarf, halfling, etc.
Speed. You use the Speed from your mundane heritage.
Elemental Legacy. Four primary elemental planes wreathe the Material Plane you were born on; your heritage originates from one of those four. Fire, air, water, and earth are the base energies that make up the nature of the world. In the modern age, genasi of each type are given a certain name, which most educated people are familiar with. Choose
one of the following:
Ifrit
Born from the touch of the Elemental Plane of Fire, ifrit take their name from the genies who live there, the efreeti. Some people who know what ifrit are might treat them with the same fear or trepidation they treat a wizard or sorcerer; someone who can fling fire into wooden houses is someone to not accidentally rise to anger.
Ability Score Bonus. You gain a +1 to Intelligence.
Darkvision. You can see in dim light within 60 feet of you as if it were bright light, and in darkness as if it were dim light. Everything you see in darkness is in a shade of red.
Fire Resistance. You have resistance to fire damage.
Reach to the Blaze. You know the
produce flame cantrip. Once you reach 3rd level, you can cast the
burning hands spell once with this trait as a 1st-level spell, and you regain the ability to cast it this way when you finish a long rest. Constitution is your spellcasting ability for these spells.
Oread
Born from the touch of the Elemental Plane of Earth, oread get their name from ancient myths of mountains come to life. Some oread are said to be able to literally glide through rock like water, according to fanciful storytelling.
Ability Score Bonus. You gain a +1 to Strength.
Earth Walk. You can move across difficult terrain made of earth or stone without expending extra movement.
Merge with Stone. You can cast the
pass without trace spell once with this trait, requiring no material components, and you regain the ability to cast it this way when you finish a long rest. Constitution is your spellcasting ability for this spell.
Sylph
Born from the touch of the Elemental Plane of Air, sylph get their name from stories of tricksy creatures who fly on the north wind. Able to levitate by manipulating the air around their body, it was long thought by some that sylph still had invisible wings like their namesake.
Ability Score Bonus. You gain a +1 to Dexterity.
Unending Breath. You can hold your breath indefinitely while you're not incapacitated.
Mingle with the Wind. You can cast the
levitate spell once with this trait, requiring no material components, and you regain the ability to cast it this way when you finish a long rest. Constitution is your spellcasting ability for this spell.
Undine
Born from the touch of the Elemental Plane of Water, undine inherit their name from a particular naiad who was said to slumber at the bottom of the sea after scattering her children across the world. It's possible a few genasi living today may actually be descended from her, if such a tale is true.
Ability Score Bonus. You gain a +1 to Wisdom.
Acid Resistance. You have resistance to acid damage.
Amphibious. You can breathe air and water.
Swim. You have a swimming speed equal to your walking speed.
Call to the Wave. You know the
shape water cantrip. When you reach 3rd level, you can cast the
create or destroy water spell as a 2nd-level spell once with this trait, and you regain the ability to cast it this way when you finish a long rest. Constitution is your spellcasting ability for these spells.
