Gen

Gen are small elemental genies who willingly serve as magical familiars to the sha’ir, the special mages of the Land of Fate. Sha’ir cannot work magic without them, as gen are the creatures responsible for seeking out the magic which a sha’ir wishes to use, searching through the elemental planes for pockets of elemental and other magic to power their master’s spells. The various gen are also called wind gen or djinnlings, sand gen or daolani, sea gen or maridans, and fire gen or efreetikin.

Gen resemble the province they represent. Wind gen are small air sprites with bluish skin and white hair. They are unnaturally thin and their skin seems almost transparent in bright light. Their color and mood are sometimes related to the weather; a wind gen before a storm turns dark grey and fidgety, a wind gen on a beautiful calm day is quiet and pale blue.

Fire gen are miniature fire spirits with ebony skin and long, flame-red hair. Their fingers end in long, reddish claws that they wiggle constantly. They are hyperkinetic – getting a fire gen to sit still is impossible. Fire gen are also pyromaniacs and must be tightly controlled to prevent them from playing the arsonist.

Water gen are small water spirits with greenish skin and bluish eyes and hair. Their hair is often wet and matted with seaweed or tangled with bits of flotsam. They are graceful whether in or out of water. They enjoy decorating themselves with pearls, shells, and other treasures of the sea.

Sand gen have tan skin and jet black hair, and their bodies are squat enough to resemble globes with limbs. They tend to move with a certain clunky weight. They care nothing for gems and jewelry except insofar as they are tasty.

All gen are short, a maximum of 1’ tall. When appearing and disappearing to fetch and return with spells for their masters, they fade into their element. Sand gen sink into the floor, fire gen slow down and fade like dying coals, wind gen disappear like a sudden breeze, and water gen either dissolve into the nearest body of water or evaporate into the sky.

Combat: Wind, fire, and water gen are weak in combat, causing only 1d6 damage with their tiny hands or claws. However, all gen have various elemental abilities they use to their advantage. The wind gen can fly and will avoid melee whenever possible. Flame gen can produce flame at will and generally do unless prohibited by their sha’ir. They will not use this flame to burn an opponent, but may attempt to ignite clothing or some part of an opponent’s surroundings, causing burn damage indirectly. Water gen can breathe underwater and swim well. Sand gen use their great strength to inflict greater damage (2d6) than might be expected for their size.

All gen make saving throws at twice their master’s current level or HD. All attack forms based on any gen’s element suffer a -2 penalty, all saving throws against that element are at +2, and all damage from that form of attack is at -2 per die. This magical protection applies to the gen at all times.

Habitat/Society: Gen are menial servitors among the elemental planes, fetching and carrying for their masters. When its master dies, it returns to its elemental plane. When a gen dies, the sha’ir suffers, but a gen can be restored to life.

Wind gen are often aloof and moralistic. They tend to give their masters unwanted advice about everything that they are doing wrong and how people could be better and happier.

Fire gen are malicious and judgmental. If given a moment alone, they will start fires, pry into places they are not wanted, and pontificate on the faults of everyone they see.

Maridans are capricious and playful. Their feelings are hurt easily when their pranks and playfulness are rebuffed.

Sand gen are tactless and direct. They simply tell what they know, and they have little sympathy for anyone in trouble. They think about their own needs first, and they are not shy about letting their masters know what they want.

Ecology: When left to themselves, gen rarely form societies of their own; they are almost inevitably captured and bound to servitude by more powerful creatures of the elemental planes. Their simple needs are provided for by their masters, and gen are fanatically loyal to their masters.