Dao
Dao
Dao are greedy,malicious GENIES from The Elemental Plane of Earth.They adorn themselves with jewelry crafted from precious gems and rare metals,and when they fly,their lower bodies become columns of swirling sand.A Dao isn't happy unless it is the envy of other Dao.
All that Glitters
The Dao dwell in complexes of twisting tunnels and glittering ore-veined caverns on the Elemental Plane of Earth.These mazeworks are continually expanding as the Dao delve into and reshape the rock around them.Dao care nothing for the poverty or misfortune of others.A Dao might grind powdered Gems and Gold dust over its food to heighten the experience of eating,devouring its wealth as mortals consume a precious spice.
Lords of The Earth
A Dao never assists a mortal unless the Genie has something to gain,preferably treasure.Among the Genies,Dao are on speaking and trading terms with the EFREETI,but they have nothing but scorn for DJINNI and the MARID.Other races native to the Elemental Plane of Earth avoid the Dao,which are always seeking new slaves to mine the mazeworks of their floating earth islands.
"Welcome to the Great Dismal Delve,Gem of The Inner Planes.You are now slaves of The Mighty and Merciful Khatun Zafara Al'Yil Jin Zarain,Queen of The Mantled Depths,Pontiff of The Diamond Cathedral,Protector of The Malachite Scepter,and so on and so forth." -Gargoyle Seneschal's standard greeting
Proud Slavers
The Dao trade for the finest slaves that money can buy,forcing them to work in dangerous subterranean realms that rumble with earthquakes.
As much as they enjoy enslaving others,the Dao hate being enslaved.Powerful Wizards have been known to lure Dao to The Material Plane and trap them in the confines of magic gemstones or iron flasks.Unfortunately for the Dao,their greed makes it relatively easy for mages to trick them into service.
Additional Information
Perception and Sensory Capabilities
Civilization and Culture
Major Language Groups and Dialects
- Terran (Elemental Earth)
Variant Genie Powers
Genies have a variety of magical capabilities,including spells.A few have even greater powers that allow them to alter their appearance or the nature of reality.Disguises
Some Genies can veil themselves in illusion to pass as other similarly shaped creatures.Such Genies can innately cast the Disguise Self spell at will,often with a longer duration than is normal for that spell.Mightier Genies can cast the True Polymorph spell one to three times per day,possibly with a longer duration than normal,Such Genies can change only their own shape,but a rare few can use the spell on other creatures and objects as well.Wishes
The Genie power to grant wishes is legendary among mortals.Only the most potent Genie,such as those among the nobility,can do so.A particular Genie that has this power can grant one to three wishes to a creature that isn't a Genie.Once a Genie has granted its limit of wishes,it can't grant wishes again for some amount of time (usually 1 year),and cosmic law dictates that the same Genie can expend its limit of wishes on a specific creature only once in that creatures existence.
To be granted a wish,a creature within 60 feet of the Genie states a desired effect to it.The Genie can then cast the wish spell on the creatures behalf to bring about the effect.Depending on the Genie's nature,the Genie might try to pervert the intent of the wish by exploiting the wish's poor wording.The perversion of the wording is usually crafted to be to the Genie's benefit.
Comments
Author's Notes
Original Article written for D&D Monster Manual 5e by Wizards of the Coast (WotC)