Para Genasi (5e Subrace)
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Para Genasi
The chill of a blizzard, the slime of a mire, the slow advance of lava, the pollution of carbon - these things are as much a part of the para genasi as flesh and blood.
Physical Description
Para or sometimes called quasi genasi are very similar to most common genasi such as Earth, Fire, Wind, and Water. Their elemental nature is often extremely evident, individuals nearly always display a physical characteristic or two that reveals they are more than simply humans - skin or hair color, a special aura, or some other such manifestation almost always marks them as different.
Origin
Genasi are plane-touched beings, the descendants of a union of a human and an elemental creature or 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. In general, they maintain a contempt for other races and an air of superiority that doesn't endear to them anymore. Like all plane-touched, the exact heritage of an individual genasi is often unknown, and usually very difficult to determine. Most elements have a number of intelligent races from which genasi could have sprung, and normally elemental creatures loath to accept the half-breed and its descendants, or even admit to their parentage.
Genasi Names
Like the normal genasi, para 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 Subraces
Ice Genasi
Unlike many other of these quasi-elemental planes, the Plane of Ice actually has a fair number of humanoid settlements on it. It tends to foster a bolder, hardier individual, that scoffs at the meek, timid, or sickly. What you will find on the plane is a group of hard-drinking, hard-living rowdies with the fortitude of an ox (and, some say, the smarts to match). These traits are usually passed on to their plane-touched offspring. The common joke is that ice genasi must be emotionless since they're so cold-hearted, but the truth is that ice genasi are among the most passionate of all genasi. They like to live life to the fullest and slurp the marrow from the bone of life. They're boisterous, fun-loving, and always on the lookout for the next party.
In appearance, all ice genasi tend towards sharp, angular features. Their skin and hair are either pure white or bluish-white. Additionally, they usually have extremely cold flesh and sometimes have a thin layer of frost in their hair, even during the summer.
Ability Score Increase. Your Dexterity or Wisdom score increases by 1.
Blades of Ice. As a bonus action, you can quickly liquify and reform your hands into blades of ice. These blades are natural weapons, which you can use to make unarmed strikes. If you hit with them, you deal slashing damage equal to 1d6 + your Dexterity modifier, instead of the bludgeoning damage normal for an unarmed strike. While your hands are this way you cannot manipulate objects as you normally would be able to, such as drink a potion or use a door handle.
Elemental Legacy. You can cast the create or destroy water spell once with this trait, requiring no material components, and you regain the ability to cast it this way when you finish a long rest. When you cast this spell you can either create, destroy or freeze water. When you take the freeze water option, you can freeze all water within the spell's range. Constitution is your spellcasting ability for this spell.
Glacial Shard. While your Blades of Ice are active, you can, as an action, fire two frozen projectiles at a creature within 60 feet. These projectiles are natural weapons and use your Constitution modifier for attack and damage rolls. A creature takes 2d6 cold damage on each successful hit. The damage increases to 3d6 at 6th level, 4d6 at 11th level, and 5d6 at 16th level. After you fire both of your Glacial Shard's, your hands return to normal and you can’t use it or your Blades of Ice trait again until you complete a short or long rest.
Ice Born. You are resistant to cold damage and ignore any drawbacks caused by blizzards, snow, ice, and other such phenomena. However, you have disadvantage against the effects of extreme heat, as described in chapter 5 of the Dungeon Master’s Guide.
Ooze/ Mud Genasi
As one might guess, most ooze genasi have a hard time getting respect from the rest of the Multiverse. While the other Inner Planes have something going for them, from the burning majesty of the Plane of Fire to the frozen supremacy of the Plane of Ice, there's nothing particularly inspiring about ooze. The Dwellers of the Mud, as they call themselves, get this repeatedly dumped into their heads from the moment they step off their native plane, and while some develop a crushing inferiority complex, others become over-confident overachievers or live their lives trying to hold mud, ooze, muck and so forth up as being just as worthy of respect and admiration as any other element.
The skin of an ooze genasi always has the color of mud, and sometimes even seems to drip and flow. They also usually have the faint aroma of moist earth about them.
Ability Score Increase. Your Strength or Wisdom score increases by 1.
Elemental Legacy. You can cast the grease spell once with this trait, requiring no material components, and you regain the ability to cast it this way when you finish a long rest. Constitution is your spellcasting ability for this spell.
Mud Flare. When a creature makes a successful melee attack roll against you, you can, as a reaction, cause your mud like body to flare up, grappling the creature. The creature must make a Strength saving throw or become stuck to you. The DC for this saving throw equals 8 + your Constitution modifier + your proficiency bonus. You regain the ability to do this again when you finish a short or long rest
Muddied Form. As an action, you can move through a space as narrow as 1 inch wide without squeezing. In addition, your body is naturally grounded, you are resistant to lightning damage.
Slippery. You have advantage on saving throws against being restrained, and magic can’t unwillingly change your form.
Magma Genasi
"Slow, but burning with intense energy" is the description often used to describe the magma genasi. Like their close cousins the earth gensai, magma genasi tend to be ponderous and deliberate in their outward motions. However, this slow, monolithic movement disguises a fiercely active and intelligent mind. As a consequence, the curiosity typical of all para genasi manifests in magma genasi as a desire to explore, investigate, and truly understand the mysteries of the multiverse. Being lawfully inclined magma genasi are usually drawn towards the organizations, but no matter what faction they find themselves in, magma genasi are usually one of their faction's most profound philosophers due to their constant inquiry into the nature of the multiverse.
Appearance-wise, magma genasi tend to be thick and bulky, but more rounded than their earth genasi counterparts. Their skin is warm, even hot to the touch, and is usually black or dark brown, and laced with streaks of red or bright orange. Their blood is a flowing river of lava and their heart is a molten core.
Ability Score Increase. Your Strength or Intelligence score increases by 1.
Elemental Legacy. You can cast the false life spell once with this trait, but instead of vile necromancy, your skin hardens like obsidian when cast with this trait. This spell when cast with this trait requires no material components, and you regain the ability to cast it this way when you finish a long rest. Constitution is your spellcasting ability for this spell.
Eruption. When a creature within 5 feet of you deals damage to you, you can cause the spot they struck to explode outwards, dealing fire damage and momentarily holding them. The creature must make a Dexterity saving throw or take 2d4 fire damage on a failed save and become restrained until the start of your next turn, they take damage, or they use an action to break free. On a successful save, the creature takes half as much damage and is not restrained. The DC for this saving throw equals 8 + your Constitution modifier + your proficiency bonus. The damage increases to 3d4 at 6th level, 4d4 at 11th level, and 5d4 at 16th level. After you use Eruption, you can’t use it again until you complete a short or long rest.
Heated. When you make a successful unarmed strike you can deal fire damage instead of bludgeoning damage.
Inner Heat. Your heart is a swirling mass of molten earth. You are resistant to fire damage and have advantage on saving throws against the effects of extreme cold, as described in chapter 5 of the Dungeon Master’s Guide.
Slow Crawl. Like lava, magma genasi are generally slower than others. Your base walking speed is reduced to 25 feet, however, you can walk across lava and other molten liquids without taking damage from it.
Smoke Genasi
Smoke genasi always have a faint odor of charcoal about them, and this odor usually indicates their mood. The pleasant odor of smoked cedar, for instance, may indicate that the smoke genasi is in a generous mood, while a sharp and acrimoniously smoky odor might indicate anger or jealousy. Smoke genasi usually also have dark gray hair that moves of its own accords like smoke coming off a fire, and mottled gray skin which seems to change coloring and pattern from moment to moment.
Ability Score Increase. You Dexterity or Intelligence score increases by 1.
Ashen Lungs. You can breathe non-magical smoke or gas without difficulty or discomfort, making you immune to non-magical effects that require you to inhale them such as malice poison[1], a toxic fog, and even the detriments of cigarettes.
Body of Cinder. Your bodies heated form is reminiscent of what is produced by a volcanic shunt, you are resistant to fire damage.
Elemental Legacy. You can cast the fog cloud spell once with this trait, the fog is a thick smoke when cast with this trait, requiring no material components, and you regain the ability to cast it this way when you finish a long rest. Constitution is your spellcasting ability for this spell.
Gaseous Form. Your base walking speed is 35 feet.
Smokey Escape. As a reaction to taking damage, you can disseminate your smokey body, heavily obscuring a 15 foot radius sphere centered on you until the start of your next turn. Until then, you are incapacitated and gaining resistance to all damage. At the start of your next turn, you reconstitute at a point within the cloud of smoke. Once you use this trait, you may not use it again until you finish a long rest.
Random Height and Weight
| Base Height |
Height Modifier* |
Base Weight |
Weight Modifier** |
|---|---|---|---|
| 5′ 1'' | +1d12 | 120 lb. | × (1d4) lb. |
|
*Height = base height + height modifier | |||
References
- ↑ Dungeon Master's Guide p.257-258
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