Genasi
Those who think of other realms at all consider them remote, distant realms, but realm influence can be felt throughout the world. It sometimes manifests in beings who, through an accident of birth, carry the power of the realms in their blood. The genasi are one such people, the offspring of humans that have come in contact with the chaotic energies of the elemental realms. This exposure can occur due to exposure to a surge of opposing elemental powers, through phenomena such as an eruption from the borders of the realms. Elemental energy saturates any creatures in the area and might alter their nature enough that their offspring with other mortals are born as genasi.
Genasi
Basic Information
Anatomy
No two genasi are alike in appearance. Some can pass as normal humans, bearing the marks of their human ethnicity; for others, their elemental nature is impossible to hide. Their heritage is nearly always evident in one or two physical traits, such as skin or hair color or an elemental aura. Some genasi do not have hair at all; for such genasi, the substance that appears to cover their heads is actually a supernatural expression of their elemental nature. Genasi are about the same size and stature as normal humans, but their bodies display signs of greater physical strength and other subtle indications of their heritage. Regardless of their elemental manifestation, the body of each genasi is etched with strange lines of energy, called szuldar in Primordial, that glows in a color associated with the element that the genasi is currently manifesting. These lines appear in a pattern that is passed along family lines, sometimes extending into small communities as well. Though the patterns can be similar between relatives in a general sense, the specific configurations are unique to each individual and served much the same purpose that fingerprints do amongst humans; the pattern of these lines remains unchanged in most cases. Many genasi, especially adventurers, display these lines with pride, often wearing clothing that leaves a fair amount of skin exposed.Extreme Emotions
Thanks to their chaotic birth, genasi experience emotions much differently than other races. They 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. A genasi artist is wild and exciting, creating pieces similar to their chaotic lineage . Genasi prefer elaborate and bold designs, using bright and vibrant colors to express the wide range of emotions they feel. Sculptures are often explosive in appearance, resembling surges of power more than anything else. Even for relatively simple or functional items, the genasi pour great care into giving it a flamboyant appearance, marking it with swirling patterns, gemstones, or elaborate carvings. Genasi artisans often see their craft as a means of obtaining prestige. These individuals desire nothing more than to be in high demand and so they worked hard to please their customer base. For this reason, many genasi often substitute actual excellence for customization and individuality and while the average genasi swordsmith might not compare with his dwarven counterpart in terms of quality, the genasi would work much harder to tailor the blade to his or her customer's specific needs and wants. This can go so far as to make genasi-crafted items seem uncomfortable or unwieldy in the hands of those for whom they are not intended.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.Genasi Traits
Your Genasi character has a variety of natural abilities common with your ancestry. You will also pick one of the available sub races below.Genasi
Ability Score Increase Choose one of: (a) Choose any +2; choose any other +1 (b) Choose any +1; choose any other +1; choose any other +1
Size Medium
Speed 30ft
Languages. You can speak, read, and write Common and Primordial. Primordial is a guttural language, filled with harsh syllables and hard consonants.
Sub Races
Genasi are divided into four main sub races: Frost, Magma, Storm, Clay. Choose one of the sub races presented below.Frost
Frost genasi have skin tones including snow white, icy light blue, and light gray shades around the other two. Their hair comes in similar shades to their skin, but the skin and hair of an frost genasi rarely match up. Some have snow permanently in their hair or frost covering their skin. They are always cold to the touch, and a rare few even exhale mist all the time, similarly to how other races would in the winter. FrostFrost
Ability Score Increase Choose one of: (a) Choose any +2; choose any other +1 (b) Choose any +1; choose any other +1; choose any other +1
Size Medium
Speed 30ft
Cold Resistance
You have resistance to cold damage.Frost Walk
You can move across difficult terrain created by ice or snow without expending extra movement. While crossing bodies of water, you can freeze a thin layer of water below the soles of your feet, and walk across the surface of water as if on solid ground. The thin ice sheets beneath your soles melt as soon as you lift your feet, and you cannot carry anything heavier than your carrying capacity.Command Over Ice
You know the Frost bite cantrip. When you reach 3rd level, you can cast create or destroy water spell once per long rest. When you reach 5th level, you can also cast the Snilloc's snowball swarm spell once per long rest. Charisma is your spellcasting ability for these spells.Languages. You can speak, read, and write Common and Primordial. Primordial is a guttural language, filled with harsh syllables and hard consonants.
Magma
Magma genasi have have skin the color of stone, usually shades of dark gray. With fiery hair and cracked, jagged skin, their appearance is very much akin to volcanoes. Their hair, akin to charred wisps of smoke, glow white hot when experiencing intense emotions like anger or sorrow. The crevices in their frame emit an orange glow, as if a fire was contained within them, and during these outbursts can be scorching to the touch. MagmaMagma
Ability Score Increase Choose one of: (a) Choose any +2; choose any other +1 (b) Choose any +1; choose any other +1; choose any other +1
Size Medium
Speed 30 ft.
Fire Resistance
You have resistance to fire damage.Inner Flame
As a bonus action, you cause the magma that run in your veins to ignite and cause light to radiate from your body. You shed bright light up to a 20-foot radius and dim light for an additional 20 feet. You can also dim this light as a bonus action on subsequent turns. This light lasts for 1 hour, or until you extinguish it as a bonus action. You give off heat similarly to standing near volcanic magma.Molten Legacy
You know the control flames cantrip. When you reach 3rd level, you can cast the burning hands spell once per long rest. When you reach 5th level, you can cast the heat metal spell once per long rest. Charisma is your spellcasting ability for these spells.Languages. You can speak, read, and write Common and Primordial. Primordial is a guttural language, filled with harsh syllables and hard consonants.
Storm
Storm genasi are wholly unpredictable, quite literally displaying vast shifts in appearance and personality based on the weather. Their skin matches the multitude of ocean hues, from a darkened grey on cloudy days to a bright cerulean in sunlight. Storm genasi always carry the faint smell of petrichor. During lightning storms, the eyes of storm genasi illuminate with a pale yellow glow. StormStorm
Ability Score Increase Choose one of: (a) Choose any +2; choose any other +1 (b) Choose any +1; choose any other +1; choose any other +1
Size Medium
Speed 30ft
Lightning Resistance
You have resistance to lightning damage.Amphibious
You can breathe air and water.Beckon the Storm
You know the shocking grasp cantrip. Starting at 3rd level, you can cast the feather fall spell with this trait, without requiring a material component once per long rest. Starting 5th level, you can also cast the levitate spell with this trait, without requiring a material component once per long rest. Charisma is your spellcasting ability for these spells.Languages. You can speak, read, and write Common and Primordial. Primordial is a guttural language, filled with harsh syllables and hard consonants.
Clay
Clay genasi are slow and patient, prefering to stand their ground as opposed to fleeing. Their skin is smooth and cool to touch manifesting in a variety of shades, from a light tan to a heavy brown, to hue of red and pale grey. On hotter days their skin warms and adheres to garments and surfaces. While these garments can be washed, they rarely stays clean. ClayClay
Ability Score Increase Choose one of: (a) Choose any +2; choose any other +1 (b) Choose any +1; choose any other +1; choose any other +1
Size Medium
Speed 30
Earth Walk
You can move across difficult terrain made of earth or stone without expending extra movement.Poison Resistance
You have resistance to poison damage.Binding Clay
You know the mold earth cantrip. Starting at 3rd level, you can cast the earth tremor spell once per long rest. When you reach 5th level, you can cast the maximilian's earthen grasp spell once per long rest. Charisma is your spellcasting ability for these spells.Languages. You can speak, read, and write Common and Primordial. Primordial is a guttural language, filled with harsh syllables and hard consonants.
by Jason Chan
Comments