Guardian Genie [Tasked]

Guardian genies are former efreet reshaped to guard specific places and objects without rest, held to their oath word for word. Each has two faces, one looking forward and one back, four heavily muscled arms, a hairless head and dark red hide as thick as a rhinoceros's. They stand about 10 feet tall and weigh 2,700 pounds. They wear no armor, which would only slow them, but use protective magic items their masters supply.

Despite their bulk they gain -4 on initiative, though the result can never fall under 0. They go for spellcasters first, fight with a weapon in each of their four hands at no penalty and can fight four foes at once, though they usually focus on one or two. They favor scimitars, great scimitars, cutlasses and thrown axes and daggers, gaining the benefits of 20 Strength. Hearing that catches a feather landing on stone a hundred paces away and all-around vision mean they are never surprised, and they never sleep.

Twice daily each they can use wyvern watch, guards and wards, detect invisibility, alarm, shout, silence 15' radius and the sepia snake warding spell, plus blade barrier once a day. Illusion/phantasm and enchantment/charm magic never affects them; other spells work normally if they beat the genie's magic resistance. Once a day a guardian can exhale a 30-foot cloud of green fire directly ahead for 14d6, half on a successful save vs. breath weapon, much like a bazaar fire-eater's trick. There is a 20% chance of extra powers and a 30% chance that 1-4 listed powers are swapped for others, such as flight, detect lie, hold portal, dimension door, glyph of warding or explosive runes.

Solitary and humorless, guardians speak in clipped phrases and discourage questions, following their routines precisely. They freely say what they guard and for whom, since part of their terms is being told everything about the item, but never how they will stop a thief. They will not guard living beings, attack anyone who tries to bribe them and prefer warnings to violence, though they are masters of both. Contracts usually run 101 or 1,001 years, so the masters who must renegotiate them are often long gone.

Unlike craftsman genies, guardians never complete a job and move on, so they are frustrated beings bound to eternal watchfulness. Other genies refuse to lay a finger on such a hoard, though some will advise others how to steal it.