Genasi
Those who think of other planes at all consider them remote, distant realms, but planar influence can be felt throughout the world. It sometimes manifests in beings who, through an accident of birth, carry the power of the planes in their blood. The genasi are one such people, the offspring of genies and mortals.
The Elemental Planes are often inhospitable to natives of the Material Plane: crushing earth, searing flames, boundless skies, and endless seas make visiting these places dangerous for even a short time. The powerful genies, however, don’t face such troubles when venturing into the mortal world. They adapt well to the mingled elements of the Material Plane, and they sometimes visit—whether of their own volition or compelled by magic.
Basic Information
Genetics and Reproduction
Some genies can adopt mortal guise and travel incognito during these visits, a mortal might catch a genie’s eye. Friendship forms, romance blooms, and sometimes children result. These children are genasi: individuals with ties to two worlds, yet belonging to neither. Some genasi are born of mortal–genie unions, others have two genasi as parents, and a rare few have a genie further up their family tree, manifesting an elemental heritage that’s lain dormant for generations.
Occasionally, genasi result from exposure to a surge of elemental power, through phenomena such as an eruption from the Inner Planes or a planar convergence. Elemental energy saturates any creatures in the area and might alter their nature enough that their offspring with other mortals are born as genasi.
Growth Rate & Stages
Genasi mature at about the same rate as humans and reach adulthood in their late teens.
Additional Information
Geographic Origin and Distribution
As rare beings, genasi might go their entire lives without encountering another one of their kind. There are no great genasi cities or empires. Genasi seldom have communities of their own and typically adopt the cultures and societies into which they are born. The more strange their appearance, the harder time they have. Many genasi lose themselves in teeming cities, where their distinctiveness hardly raises an eyebrow in places accustomed to a variety of different people.
Those living on the frontier, though, have a much harder time. People there tend to be less accepting of differences. Sometimes a cold shoulder and a suspicious glare are the best genasi can hope for; in more backward places, they face ostracism and even violence from people who mistake them for fiends. Facing a hard life, these genasi seek isolation in the wilds, making their homes in mountains or forests, near lakes, or underground.
Civilization and Culture
Naming Traditions
Genasi use the naming conventions of the people among whom they were raised. They might later assume distinctive names to capture their heritage, such as Flame, Ember, Wave, or Onyx.
Relationship Ideals
Genasi almost never have contact with their elemental parents. Genies seldom have interest in their mortal offspring, seeing them as accidents. Many feel nothing for their genasi children at all.
Culture and Cultural Heritage
Some genasi live as outcasts, driven into exile for their unsettling appearance and strange magic, or assuming leadership of savage humanoids and weird cults in untamed lands. Others gain positions of great influence, especially where elemental beings are revered. A rare few genasi leave the Material Plane to find refuge in the households of their genie parents.
Genasi rarely lack confidence, seeing themselves as equal to almost any challenge in their path. This certainty might manifest as graceful self-assurance in one genasi and as arrogance in another. Such self- confidence can sometimes blind genasi to risk, and their great plans often get them and others into trouble. Too much failure can chip away at even a genasi’s sense of self, so they constantly push themselves to improve, honing their talents and perfecting their craft.
Common Myths and Legends
Air genesi rarely worship any particular god, although they pay respects to many when they need luck.
Earth genasi for the most part don't pay much attention to religion, but those that do worship the gods of law and order.
Fire genasi worship gods of art, inspiration and music, although they generally don't pay to much attention to them except when they're waiting for inspiration to strike.
Water genasi worship gods of nature, knowledge or fate, they are often extremely pious, spending long periods of time praying and meditating.
Interspecies Relations and Assumptions
Air genasi get along well with gnomes, halflings and half-elves but don't like dwarves, considering them sticks in the mud.
Earth genasi get along well with dwarves and to a lesser extent hobgoblins, but consider halflings,elves,and gnomes untrustworthy.
Fire genasi get along with almost all races fairly well, although few can truthfully claim to have any idea what goes on in the head of a fire genasi, of all the races fire genasi get along with elves and humans the best, as they have a spark of inner fire within them, and dwarves the least as they interpret the fire genasi's unrelenting focus as unnatural.
Water genasi do not get along well with any of the other races, who consider them too strange and slightly disturbing. Elves understand their appreciation for the world, but even they find it strange to spend a whole lifetime observing it.
Lifespan
200 years
Average Height
Varies based on elemental orgin.
Males: Between 5'4" - 6'6"
Females: Betwen 5'2" - 6'4"
Average Weight
Varies based on elemental orgin
Males: Between 120 - 190lbs
Females: Between 100 - 170lbs
Average Physique
Seen in silhouette, a genasi can usually pass for human. Those of earth or water descent tend to be heavier, while those of air or fire tend to be lighter. A given genasi might have some features reminiscent of the mortal parent (pointed ears from an elf, a stockier frame and thick hair from a dwarf, small hands and feet from a halfling, exceedingly large eyes from a gnome, and so on).
Body Tint, Colouring and Marking
Genasi inherit something from both sides of their dual nature. They resemble humans but have unusual skin color (red, green, blue, or gray), and there is something odd about them. The elemental blood flowing through their veins manifests differently in each genasi, often as magical power.
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