Djinni Genie [Al-Qadim]

Djinn (singular djinni) look like very tall, powerfully built men and women with handsome, noble faces. Skin runs from pale blue to the olive and tan of desert folk. Most have brown eyes; blue-eyed djinn are thought marked by Fate for great deeds, and for a stronger evil eye. They wear airy, shimmering silks chosen for comfort and to show off their muscles.

Limited telepathy lets them speak with any creature of low intelligence or better, which makes them handy but unreliable translators, since they like to add their own spin. They also speak the common trade tongue and the genie language, their dialect soft and musical like wind in an orchard.

Once each per day a djinni can create food for 2d6 people and water or wine for 2d6, make lasting wooden items (9 cubic feet) or soft goods (16 cubic feet), create metal that soon vanishes (harder means shorter: gold lasts a day, steel an hour) and cast illusions.

Also daily it can whip up a whirlwind to ride or steer from afar, within sight: a cone up to 70 feet tall, 10 feet wide at its foot and 40 at its crown, speed 18 and maneuverability A. It must touch earth, water or another solid surface or it dissolves; forming or fading takes a turn, during which it does nothing, and it persists while the djinni keeps concentrating. Nonflying creatures below 2 HD must save vs. breath weapon every round of contact or be swept up and slain; stronger beings and all flyers take 2d6 per round. The djinni and up to three genie-sized or six man-sized passengers ride unharmed, but loose cargo must save vs. crushing blow or be destroyed.

Air-based creatures and attacks suffer -1 to hit and damage against a djinni, which saves at +4 against air attacks and spells, including poison gas, gaseous breath, cloudkill and control normal winds. Force works poorly; an outmatched djinni flies away and buffets pursuers with its whirlwind.

A djinni carries 600 pounds untired, walking or flying, and 1,200 for three turns afoot or one aloft, adding a turn per 100 pounds less (1,000 pounds allows five turns walking, three flying), after which it rests six turns. These limits do not apply to the whirlwind.

Djinn travel freely to all elemental planes and the Prime Material, Ethereal and Astral, though they mostly keep to Air and the Prime, and may be summoned by magic.

Drifting islands of rock and soil, from 1,000 yards to miles wide, carry their landholds: gardens, fountains, topiary and flame sculptures, with stairs and ramps for walking servants. Each houses 3d10 djinn, 1d10 jann and 1d10 dim air elementals under a sheikh with maximum hit points, who answers to loosely allied caliphs, with emirs, beys and viziers beneath them. Above all stands the Great Caliph, Master of the Air; all ranks from sheikh upward are noble djinn. Defying a caliph brings punishment, defying the Great Caliph death. Attacked landholds summon others until the whole nation stands ready, so few dare raid them.

Many djinn escape to the Prime Material's open deserts to ride whirlwinds and visit jann; those in the deep wastes want solitude. They like mortals, second only to jann, but adore pranks, such as illusory people begging favors, and torment anyone who flies by wings or carpet. They avoid tricking important mortals or other djinn. Short service they accept as Fate, but long service irks them, imprisonment is unbearable and betrayal demands deadly revenge. Gifts, feasts, gems and flattery buy brief, safe favors; powerful genie-callers can simply bind them.

Djinn need no food or drink but love rich flavors, perfumes, silks and velvets, and prefer lasting crafted goods to their own creations, which draws them to mortals. They are friendly with jann, cool toward haughty marids, and despise dao and efreet. Since one djinni is weaker than either, attacks come as ambushes or through a duped mortal ally.