Prestige Race: Genie

Most scholars believe that Genies, those fabulous Elemental giants of legend, originate entirely upon the Elemental Planes, being part of the apex race of elemental natives common to those realms, much as Dragons and Giants are native to the Prime Material Plane.

Most scholars are wrong.

You're the living proof.

As beings of pure magic that take physical form through the medium the four classical elements, Genies are both fecund as a species and metamorphic as organisms. Your genie has a closer tie to the Prime Material, for such various reasons as:

  1. Parentage - you were one of the Jann - a product of a Genie and mortal alliance or dalliance. Genie-hood is an inheritance that you may or may not have expected and cultivated.
  2. Evolution - you were an elementalist whose divine focus or arcane study unlocked a personal transformation and integration with your favored element.
  3. Devolution - you were an elemental fascinated with the mortal world, either through personal obsession or repeated summoning over mutlple mortal lifetimes. Whatever the case, you have undergone a personal transformation that has integrated your being with the Prime Material realm.
  4. Blessing - you were favored by a Noble Genie capable of granting wishes, and used your last (and perhaps only) wish to become a Genie yourself.
  5. Curse - you were a 'trueborn' Genie from the elemental planes itself, and were banished, exiled, sundered, or otherwise imprisoned in a mortal form with reduced powers.

Racial Features

  • Your natural armor class can never be lower than 13 + your levels in this race, or whatever armor and class features grant you AC, whichever is higher.
  • +2 to CON, and +2 to distribute to up to two attributes of your choice
  • Your flight speed is 15. While flying, your legs are lost from view in a column of appropriately colored smoke, sand, ash, or mist, but this provides no protection or cover.
  • You speak Primordial and the Elemental Language Appropriate to your race.
  • You may innately Detect Evil and Good, as per the spell, once per short rest.
  • Requirement: You must have 10 levels of another class to acquire your first level of Genie.

The Four Elemental Pillars

Choose your native Element (Water, Fire, Air, Earth). You gain four varying resistances, cantrips, immunities, or advantages based on your choice, which may not vary once picked.

  • Air | Djinn | Resistance: Lightning & Thunder | Cantrip: Gust | Cantrip: Thunderclap

  • Earth | Dao | Resistance: Acid | Immunity: Petrification | Cantrip: Mold Earth | Advantage: rolls to resist being knocked Prone

  • Fire | Efreet | Resistance: Fire | Cantrip: Control Flame | Cantrip: Create Bonfire | Cantrip: Produce Flame

  • Water | Marid | Immunity: Water Breathing | "Advantage:" Swim Speed as Land Speed | Resistance: Cold | Cantrip: Shape Water

Genie Magic

The magic of your native element becomes intrinsic. You receive a number of spell slots which you may use to cast Genie spells without spell components. You may also use these slots to power elemental effects as well. This functions like the Paladin's Channel Divinity ability, and is called Channel Element.


Look at the table below. Find the number corresponding with your Proficency + Genie stage. You gain the number of spell slots listed in that column. At Will means the spell can be cast as a Cantrip, at will. If you expend an at-will slot to Channel Element, you recover the slot after a Short or Long rest, or by the use of Elemental Appetite at a higher level.


Your Spellcasting Ability for Genie Magic is Constitution, and the Spell Save DC is (8 + CON + Proficiency).

Spell Chart
Numbers at the top row represent the sum of your Proficency + Genie Stage


Spell & Sum 5 6 7 8 9 10 11
1) 1 3 3 Will Will Will Will
2) 1 1 3 3 Will Will Will
3) - - 1 1 1 3 3
4) - - - - 1 1 3
5) - - - - - 1 2

Genie Magic

Djinn (Air)

  • 1) Thunderwave
  • 2) Dust Devil
  • 3) Call Lightning
  • 4) Storm Sphere
  • 5) Conjure Elemental (air elemental only) & Chain Lightning (d6’s, only 2 extra targets)

Earth

  • 1) Earth Tremor
  • 2) Maximilian’s Earthen Grasp
  • 3) Wall of Sand
  • 4) Stoneskin
  • 5) Conjure Elemental (earth elemental only) & Wall of Stone

Fire

  • 1) Burning Hands
  • 2) Pyrotechnics
  • 3) Stinking Cloud
  • 4) Wall of Fire
  • 5) Conjure Elemental (fire elemental only) & Immolation

Water

  • 1) Fog Cloud
  • 2) Snilloc’s Snowball Swarm
  • 3) Tidal Wave
  • 4) Watery Sphere
  • 5) Conjure Elemental (water elemental only) & Maelstrom

Other Stage Features

Stage One - The Genling

Iconic Weapon Proficency

You gain proficiency with the following iconic weapons

Djinn - Scimitar, Longbow

Dao - Whip, Maul

Efreet - Scimitar, Greatsword

Marid - Trident, Pike, Net

Channel Element (Elemental Adaptation)

Spend a reaction and a second level spell slot to convert your Elemental Resistances into Immunities until the end of your next turn.

Channel Element (Elemental Appetite)

Spend a reaction and a spell slot when targeted by a spell element to which you are immune. You then break the level of spent spell slot into levels which you may recharge other spell slots with. (E.g. A Marid is caught in a White Dragon's freezing breath. It spends a second level genie magic spell slot, and may regain 2 first level genie magic.

Elemental Dissolution

*Upon your third failed death save or death from other reasons, your physical body begins to convert back to pure Elemental matter. Unless you receive preservative magic of some kind, your body will dissolve with six rounds minus your Genie stage. A wish spell or quest may be able to reform your body from the Elemental Plane which is your home.

Lionhart's notes: The base Genie actually gets a lot of versatile low level resembles a buffed up version of the Sorcerer. They also get Genie Magic which is kind of their touchstone feature and slightly similar to metamagic. It gives them access to innate elementally themed attacks and controls, but also powers the Elemental Channel feature which allows them (somewhat like Clerics and Paladins) to convert their spells into other classic Genie effects by expending spell slots. All of these 'cheap' features unlocked at level one of the class is why my version of the Genie is only unlockable after 10th level. At that point, most classes already have werewithal or magic item base to access Flight, damage resistances, immunities, and high base AC.

Combat question - I wonder if Djinn longbows are game-breaking when combined with a martial class and the Elemental Wrath feature below?

Stage Two - The Genie

Elemental Affinity

Your elemental resistances become immunities permanently, and your movement rates and senses increase by the following parameters

Air - Flight +30', Darkvision +30'

Earth - Earthglide (unworked minerals only) +15', Darkvision +15', Tremorsense +15'

Fire - Flight +15', Darkvision +60'

Water - Flight +15', Swim +15', Blindsight+15'

Channel Element (Elemental Wrath)

Spend a bonus action to add 1d6 Elemental Damage per spell slot level to an attack with your iconic genie weapon, or with unarmed combat damage. The level of your spell slot must be equal to or lower than your levels in Genie.

Magic Affinity

As a being wrought from the interface of elemental power and pure magic, you can now Detect Magic with all five of your senses, at the natural or enhanced range of your senses, though it requires Concentration to do so. This grants you Advantage on saves and rolls to detect Illusions since they innately feel magical to you.

Stage Three - Great Genie

Larger Than Life

You may increase your size to Large at-will. This effectively places you under the effect of an Enlarge spell (advantage on strength ability checks, doubled carrying capacity). You gain a damage bonus to melee damage or ranged damage with your iconic weapon, and elemental damage with your Genie magic and abilities, equal to one half your Proficiency rating (round down). Also, if you were not previously immune to being aged, you are now immune.

Elemental Greatness

Your ability score caps in Constitution and your favored abilities increases to 24.

Elemental Alacrity

Your movement rates and senses increase by the following once more

Air - Flight +30' (total 90'), Darkvision +30'

Earth - Earthglide +15 (total 30'), Darkvision +15', Tremorsense +15' (total 30')

Fire - Flight +15' (total 60'), Darkvision +60

Water - Flight +15 (total 60'), Swim +15 (total 60'), Blindsight +15' (total 30')

Channel Element (Elemental Genesis)

You may expend a fourth level slot of Genie Magic, or a fifth level slot of any other spellcasting classes you may have, to cast Creation at fifth level.

Channel Element (Elemental Grift)

You may expend a second level slot of Genie Magic, or a third level slot of any other spellcasting classes you may have, to cast Invisibility or Major Illusion at third level. For each higher level Genie or Spellcasting Slot expended, increase the level at which this illusion is cast.

Channel Element (Elemental Generosity)

*You may expend a third level slot of Genie Magic, or a fourth level slot of any other spellcasting classes you may have, to cast Create Food and Water. Unlike the base spell, you can vary the flavor and menu of the feast with a successful Arcana or Craft: Cooking roll (DC 10 for a common meal, alcoholic beverage, or spiced beverage, DC 15 for Good items of that sort, DC 20 for Fine items of that sort, DC 25 for Divine items, and DC 30 for Legendary items). For each higher level Genie or Spellcasting Slot expended, double the output of food and drink.

LionHart's notes:

At this stage Genies start to be able to manufacture food, drink, and material goods (illusory or otherwise) using Genesis and Generosity. Also, everyone forgets that Genies are Large. Since in 5e that means you are a bigger target, I made it at will. I switched the elemental damage bonus to only function at large size and eliminated the die roll, while keeping the bonus damage similar to the 1d4 average granted by the Enlarge Spell.

Stage Four - Grand Genie

Elemental Channel (Elemental Mutability)

*You can apply any meta magic option to your Genie magic by spending a Genie magic spell slot. You receive 1 sorcery point per level of Genie magic slot used, which you must spend before the end of your next turn.

Elemental Excellence

*You can perform certain thematic Elemental Excellences based off your attuned element. You may use an Excellence once per short rest. You may also power an Excellence with a fourth level Genie magic spell slot.

Air - Create Whirlwind: As an action, a 5-foot-radius, 30-foot-tall Cylinder of swirling air magically forms on a point the djinni can see within 120 feet of you. The whirlwind lasts as long as you maintain Concentration. Any creature but you that enters the whirlwind's spaces must succeed on a DC (8+CON+Proficiency) Strength saving throw or be Grappled by it, taking 3d6 Bludgeoning Damage. You can move the whirlwind up to 60 feet as an action, and creatures Grappled by the whirlwind moves with it. The whirlwind ends if you loses sight of it.

A creature can use its action to free a creature Grappled by the whirlwind, including itself, by succeeding on a Saving Throw vs. the whirlwind. If the check succeeds, the creature is no longer Grappled and moves to the nearest space outside the whirlwind.

Earth - Earthslam: When you take the attack action, you may choose to replace one of the attacks with an Earthslam. Make a melee spell attack or a melee attack with your iconic weapon: the whip or maul. On a hit, the target takes 5d6 bludgeoning damage (without base weapon damage, but with any weapon bonuses or special effects) and is knocked prone.

Fire - Hurl Flame: As an action, make a ranged spell attack with range 120ft. It deals 8d8 fire damage and illuminates the target as if with a lit torch. On a miss, the target still takes 2d8 fire damage and is illuminated. All unattended items in the target square are ignited and begin to burn.

Water - Water Jet: Shoot water in a 60-foot line that is 5 feet wide. Each creature in that line must make a DC (8+CON+Proficiency) Dexterity Save. On a failure, a target takes 6d6 bludgeoning damage and if it is Huge or smaller, it is pushed back up to 20 feet from you and is knocked prone if it is on foot. On a success, a target takes half the bludgeoning damage, but is neither pushed nor knocked prone

Teth and Lionhart's notes

As with the other races, level 4 is the nice martial option one. Here is something they can do twice per long rest, just like Deva and Elheim. Each Genie had a mechanic, so I just ported them over and changed numbers. (Except earth didn't have one, so made it up.)

Lionhart: Prone infliction is the Dao ability from the MM, so I made it work with their iconic weapons as well as a melee spell attack as Teth did. I simplified usage by limiting Excellencies to once per combat, similarly to the Warlock.

Stage Five - Noble Genie

Elemental Emperor

You may use your Elemental Excellence At-Will, but it is probably weaker than your other abilities at this stage, and is easier to defend against.

Elemental Grandeur

While your size is large, your ability score caps in Constitution and your favored abilities increases to 28.

Channel Element (Elemental Transmutation and Translocation)

You can spend a second level Genie spell slot to assume Reduced size (as per the spell) or a third level Genie spell slot to assume Gaseous Form. Both forms can be maintained without concentration or casting. You can spend a fifth level spell slot to cast Plane Shift between your present planar location and any of the four Elemental planes, and back again. The banishment option of Plane Shift on natives of the prime material plane or Elemental Plane to which you are banishing a target to.

Wish Granting (requires DM approval)

*When requested to by another, you may spend all your Genie magic slots to cast Wish on their behalf. You suffer all the commensurate penalties, and you can never grant a Wish to yourself. You may not cast another Wish til you have recovered fully from your previous casting.

Final Thoughts

The Genie Prestige Class is like the Sorcerer on steroids, with flight, sensory enhancements, elemental combat magic, utility magic, and natural armor. At stage five the Genie is a full blown wish granting elemental, which allows them, at 15 levels of base and prestige class, to mimic the thirteenth level wizard's class features without the wizard's squishiness. The built-in limits are that revivification is more diffucult (since Genies don't leave physical remains) and other players or NPCs will be the ones who control the wish-making)