Genasi, Fire

Note: This race may only be selected by spending a Greater Award!

Fire genasi are usually thought of as hot-blooded and quick to anger, and they have earned that reputation. Mercurial, proud, and often fearless, they are not content to sit and watch the world pass them by. Fire genasi have obvious physical traits that mark them as different from Humans, and they are often the target of mistrust and persecution. Some fire genasi are able to use their quick wits to turn the tables on their tormentors, while others find that their barbed words only make their foes more angry. Many fire genasi are destroyed as infant by their own parents, who fear that they are demonspawn.

Most fire genasi in Faerun are descended from the efreet that once ruled Calimshan. Planetouched of this derivation live all over the Lands of Intrigue, and some have traveled away from their ancestral homeland to escape the fear and prejudice. Chult, the Lake of Steam, and Unther also have a small number of fire genasi, for those lands bear volcanoes that sometimes act as natural portals to the Elemental Plane of Fire, allowing efreet and other fiery outsiders to make contact with Humans. A large family of fire genasi like halflings was known to live in Unther, but the way with Mulhorand has displaced them and their current whereabouts are unknown.

Appearances

Fire genasi are proud of their ancestry and consider themselves superior to normal Humans, although the smarter ones don't make an issue of it. Because the efreet-descended genasi of Calimshan have almost no chance of finding their original elemental ancestor (who have long since been slain, banished, or imprisoned when their empire was overthrown), they make no effort to do so and enjoy the gifts that the ancestor's blood has granted them. Fire genasi enjoy the company of their own kind and have been known to form elite groups of mages or fighters that hire themselves out of the basis of their skill and heritage. They have been known to adopt fire genasi children of Human parents as well.

Fire genasi are obviously not fully Human, having mostly Human features except for one or two exceptional traits related to their elemental ancestor. Some examples of these features are:

• Charcoal gray or deep red skin.
• Red or orange hair that waves like flames.
• Eyes that glow brightly when the genasi is angry.
• Unusually warm skin.
• Large red teeth.
• Always smell of smoke.

Mind that some (unmentioned) traits could be not or otherwise supported in the models and are therefore in principal not allowed (like glowing eyes).

However, as per the Arelith remarks upon creating a subrace: Due to racial dilution, on Arelith, the skin tones noted are VERY faint. Characters who choose deep colors for these races that are outside of the offered features will be asked to remake, or deleted. Certain obvious racial characteristics WILL prohibit or limit greatly interaction with certain groups or individuals. Common sense dictates that any creatures of monstrous appearance will be treated as monsters, and players who choose these characteristics will interact accordingly, or be asked to remake, adjusted, or deleted at the DM's discretion.

What this comes down to: when considering the overall appearance of the character, is it 'slightly creepy' (on a par with a creepy mundane) or is it 'monstrous and scary' on a par with an ogre walking down the street? The latter is where the line has been crossed (and yes, good-aligned monstrousities can still be scary). If you are in doubt, try contacting a DM to clarify whether your idea is viable or not, or accept the consequences it may have if you decide to take the gamble (like, as mentioned above, adjustment/removal of character).

History

Most fire genasi in Faerun are the result of Human-efreeti unions that occurred thousands of years ago in Calimshan. These efreet rules took Human lovers, and their half-elemental offspring served their outsider parents as guards, advisors, diplomats, and eventually having children of their own, which as often as not were fire genasi. The overthrow of the genies resulted in a great slaughter and scattering of all the planetouched in that land, and since that time those people carrying the bloodline of efreet have mixed with Humans in other lands. Now fire genasi of these bloodlines might be of any Human race, and many do not resemble the people of Calimshan at all.

Fire genasi who originate in other lands have no common history, as their bloodlines are rare and unassociated occurrences.

Outlook

The fire genasi are a proud people, known that they are born of great genies. They prefer to dress elegantly and flamboyantly, reveling in their differences and advertising their superior taste and abilities. Fire genasi respect their pure elemental kin, and most treat efreet and other large fire outsiders with a great deal of courtesy and respect, bother out of a sense of the creature's power and as a subtle gratitude for their own bloodline-granted talents. Because of their high opinions of themselves, fire genasi often elect themselves the leader and spokesperson of a group, even if they have no particular talents in those areas.

Fire genasi are impatient and don't take well to pursuits that require alot of time and study. They like to travel, if only to escape the presence of their enemies or people who frustrate them. Fire genasi enjoy collecting trasure, preferring jewelry to bags of coins.

Society

Fire genasi are competitive among their kind, but their rivalry rarely lethal. Even two fire genasi of radically different alignments or philosophies are capable of putting down their swords for a talk on elemental nature and comparative histories, and should they come to blows they are more likely to ask for and grant mercy than slay each other outright. Although they have hot tempers, arguments between fire genasi quickly burn out, although their allies or minions might suffer the smoldering aftereffects.

Other than this friendly banter, fire genasi often go for years without seeing one of their own kind. Descended from beings who have a strong and close (if argumentive) society, fire genasi still have a tendency to collect in groups when circumstances allow. Children raised by two fire genasi parents see a wide range of emotions in their parents, from phenomenal passion and epic poetry to screaming matches and thrown furniture. This is accepted as normal, and they are taught that a life not lived vigorously is not worth living.

Creating new character on Arelith

Prerequisite

• Any "base race": Human, Half-Elf, Half-Orc, Moon Elf, Lightfoot Halfling, Rock Gnome, or Shield Dwarf
• No alignment restrictions

Abilities

Abilities adjustments will depend on base race.

From base race:

Int +2, Cha -2

Darkvision

ECL +1

25% fire immunity

5/- fire resistance

Starts knowing the Fire Elemental Stream

"Spot Weld" ability (use the special abilities widget item) used once per day to repair a forging item up to 20 charges.

Appearance

Fire genasi are obviously not fully human, having mostly Human features except for one or two exceptional traits related to their elemental ancestor. For some examples of these features see the appearance description above.

Aging

Age (Human Planetouched)		Bonus
Adulthood	18 Years	+3d20
Middle Age	45 Years
Old	68 Years
Venerable	90 Years

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