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. 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.
Heirs to Elemental Power
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.
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).
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. 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 few genasi leave the Material Plane to find refuge in the households of their genie parents.
Wild and Confident
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.
Genasi Lands
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 do not have communities of their own and 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.
Genasi Names
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.
Genasi traits
Your genasi character has certain characteristics in common with all other genasi.
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Age. Genasi mature at about the same rate as humans and reach adulthood in their late teens. They live somewhat longer than humans do, up to 120 years.
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Alignment. Independent and self-reliant, genasi tend toward a neutral alignment.
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Languages. You know Common and an additional language appropriate to your background.
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Size. Genasi are as varied as their mortal parents but are generally built like humans, standing anywhere from 5 ft to over 6 ft tall. Your size is Medium.
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Speed. Your base speed is 30 ft.
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Elemental connection: There are four major variants of genasi. Choose one of air, earth, fire and water.
Genasi Class Options
When you select one of the following classes as a genasi, the following changes are made. In addition, each type of genasi might have additional changes.
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Cleric
Genasi sometime choose to completely dedicate themselves to worship of the elemental plane of their ancestors and the powerful creatures ruling those planes. If you are one of those, you have the Tempest (air), Desert or Forge (earth), Light (fire) or Ocean (water) domain. In addition whenever the Cleric class description mentions your Wisdom modifier, you may instead use your proficiency bonus.
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Cursed
You may choose Wisdom or Charisma as your spellcasting ability instead of Intelligence. You make this choice at level 1 and cannot change this later.
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Druid
Whenever you use the conjure minor elemental or conjure elemental spells, you can only conjure elemental creatures of the same type as you are. In addition you have advantage on checks to keep your concentration with those spells.
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Sorcerer
If you are a sorcerer appropriate to your heritage, then whenever the Sorcerer class description mentions your Charisma modifier, you may instead use your proficiency bonus.
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Warlock
As a genasi warlock, you have access to the following eldritch invocation:
Me Fit Better
Prerequisite: 5th level, Pact of the Chain
When you cast find familiar, you can choose to summon a mephit befitting your subrace. If the mephit has a breath attack or spell, you can use your action to order it to use it. Once it has used one of these actions, you must finish a short rest before it can use that action again.
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Wizard
Whenever you use the conjure minor elemental or conjure elemental spells to conjure elemental creatures of the same type as you are, you have advantage on checks to keep your concentration with those spells.
Air Genasi
As changeable as the weather, an air genasi’s moods shift from calm to wild and violent with little warning, but these storms rarely last long. Air genasi typically have light blue skin, hair, and eyes. A faint but constant breeze accompanies them, tousling the hair and stirring the clothing. Some air genasi speak with breathy voices, marked by a faint echo. A few display odd patterns in their flesh. They are also known as Sylphs.
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Ability Scores. Your Dexterity ability score, both current and maximum, increases by 2.
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Unending Breath. You can hold your breath indefinitely while you’re not incapacitated.
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Mingle with the Wind. You know the air mastery cantrip. Once you reach 3rd level, you can cast it once with this trait as if you had a 1st level spell slot, requiring no material components. You regain the ability to cast it this way when you finish a long rest. Constitution is your spellcasting ability for this spell.
Air Genasi Class Options
Air genasi approach some classes a bit differently than other folk. In addition to the common genasi class options, classes are changed as follows:
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Druid
The ever-changing patterns of weather seem simple to you, due to your deep connection to the skies. Over the course of 1 minute, you can meditate to find out the following information about your local region:
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Current temperature and approximate wind speed.
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Weather for the next 8 hours.
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General trend of the season (drier, wetter, warmer, colder).
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Whether or not any outside force has acted on the weather in the past 24 hours.
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Swashbuckler
The fluidity and grace of air genasi makes them ideal swashbucklers. Whenever the Swashbuckler class description mentions your Intelligence modifier, you may instead use your proficiency bonus.
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Warlock
As an air genasi warlock, you have access to the following eldritch invocations:
Breezy Embrace
Prerequisite: 5th level
You can cast feather fall at will, without expending a spell slot or material components.
Thunderstruck
Prerequisite: 5th level
You can cast call lightning without expending a spell slot or material components. You must finish a long rest before you can use this invocation again.
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Earth Genasi
As an earth genasi, you have inherited some measure of control over earth, reveling in superior strength and solid power. You tend to avoid rash decisions, pausing long enough to consider your options before taking action. An earth genasi is also known as an Oread.
Elemental earth manifests differently from one individual to the next. Some earth genasi always have bits of dust falling from their bodies and mud clinging to their clothes, never getting clean no matter how often they bathe. Others are as shiny and polished as gemstones, with skin tones of deep brown or black, eyes sparkling like agates.
Earth genasi can also have smooth metallic flesh, dull iron skin spotted with rust, a pebbled and rough hide, or even a coating of tiny embedded crystals. The most eye-catching have fissures in their flesh, from which faint light shines.
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Ability Scores. Your Strength ability score, both current and maximum, increases by 2.
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Earth Walk. You can move across difficult terrain made of earth or stone without expending extra movement.
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One with the Earth. You know the mold earth cantrip.
Optional traits
Your form is extreme, even for an earth genasi. At character creation, you may choose one of these traits:
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Crystalline Form. You have a high amount of crystals in your skin. This allows you to use you reaction to gain advantage on saves against any light-based attack or give disadvantage on a target attacking you with a ray or light-based attack. However, all you Stealth checks are at a disadvantage due to light reflecting in your skin.
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Granite Skin. You have a rocky exterior granting you an AC of 14 + Dexterity modifier when wearing no armor. You can still use a shield and get the benefit. However, your speed is reduced to 20 feet and you weight is doubled.
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Iron Skin. You exterior is a thin layer of iron. You can use the blade ward cantrip, but you are vulnerable to lightning damage and you are affected by magnets.
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Earth Genasi Class Options
Earth genasi approach some classes a bit differently than other folk. In addition to the common genasi class options, classes are changed as follows:
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Barbarian
You have access to the Path of the Quake bringer.
In addition, you gain the following ability at level 1:
Tremor strike
You may strike the ground to cause a small tremor in an area 10 ft around you. Make one unarmed attack and apply it to each target in the area. The ground becomes difficult terrain.
When you have used this feature, you cannot use it again until after a short rest.
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Sorcerer
You can almost communicate with metal and bend it to your will. As a ritual, you can cast the mending spell, affecting only metal objects.
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Warlock
As an earth genasi warlock, you have access to the following eldritch invocation:
Earth Glide
Prerequisite: 15th level
As an action, you can connect with the ground beneath your feet. For 1 minute, you can burrow through nonmagical, unworked earth and stone. While doing so, you don’t disturb the material you move through. Your movement speed in this state is equal to your normal movement speed. You can’t take this action again until you finish a long rest.
Fire genasi
As a fire genasi, you have inherited the volatile mood and keen mind of the fiery efreet. You tend toward impatience and making snap judgments. Rather than hide your distinctive appearance, you exult in it. Nearly all fire genasi are feverishly hot as if burning inside, an impression reinforced by flaming red, coal-black, or ash-gray skin tones. The more human-looking have fiery red hair that writhes under extreme emotion, while more exotic specimens sport actual flames dancing on their heads. Fire genasi voices might sound like crackling flames, and their eyes flare when angered. Some are accompanied by the faint scent of brimstone. They are also known as Ifrit.
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Fire Resistance. You have resistance to fire damage.
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Reach to the Blaze. You know the control flames cantrip. Constitution is your spellcasting ability for these spells.
Fire Genasi Class Options
Fire genasi approach some classes a bit differently than other folk. In addition to the common genasi class options, classes are changed as follows:
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Barbarian
Your rage appears as a visible, fiery aura around you, and your bonus rage damage deals magical fire damage.
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Fighter
If you take fire damage, you can use your reaction to activate your Second Wind ability. Used this way, you heal additional damage equal to your class level.
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Warlock
As an fire genasi warlock, you have access to the following eldritch invocation:
Localized Inferno
Prerequisite: 7th level
You can cast wall of fire without expending a spell slot or material components. You must finish a long rest before you can use this invocation again.
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Water genasi
The lapping of waves, the spray of sea foam on the wind, the ocean depths; all of these things call to your heart. You wander freely and take pride in your independence, though others might consider you selfish.
Most water genasi look as if they just finished bathing, with beads of moisture collecting on their skin and hair. They smell of fresh rain and clean water. Blue or green skin is common, and most have somewhat overlarge eyes, blue-black in color. A water genasi’s hair might float freely, swaying and waving as if underwater. Some have voices with undertones reminiscent of whale song or trickling streams. They are also known as Undines.
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Amphibious. You can breathe air and water.
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Swim. You have a swimming speed of 30 feet.
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Call to the Wave. You know the shape water cantrip. Constitution is your spellcasting ability for these spells.
Water Genasi Class Options
Water genasi approach some classes a bit differently than other folk. In addition to the common genasi class options, classes are changed as follows:
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Alchemist
Alchemy is mostly about mixing liquids, which comes naturally to you. Whenever the Alchemist class description mentions your Intelligence modifier, you may instead use your proficiency bonus.
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Barbarian
As a bonus action you can heal 2 hp, as long as you are submerged completely within a body of natural water. Stagnant, poisoned, or trapped water (such as an artificial pit) does not activate this ability. You can heal up to 2 hp per level, after which you have to finish a long rest to use the ability again.
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Ranger
You can sense vibrations in water, gaining blindsense 30 ft against creatures in contact with the same body of water.
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Sorcerer
Your fire spells are imbued with elemental water, causing them to manifest as superheated steam. The altered spell works normally underwater. Unlike fire, the steam cannot ignite objects or set creatures on fire. As the spell still deals fire damage, fire resistance or immunity still applies to the spell’s effects.
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Swashbuckler
The fluidity and grace of water genasi makes them ideal swashbucklers. Whenever the Swashbuckler class description mentions your Intelligence modifier, you may instead use your proficiency bonus.
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Warlock
As an water genasi warlock, you have access to the following eldritch invocation:
Master of the Waves
Prerequisite: 5th level
You can cast water walk on yourself at will, without expending a spell slot or material components.