I definitely have to thank AJ Pickett’s Genasi video for enlightening me on this subject because I have an air Genasi who would have definitely been an Ice Genasi would I have know that genasi from the para-elemental planes existed at the time. So this makes me ask if we’ll ever see the Dust, Smoke, Ooze, Lava, Steam and Ice Genasi in a sourcebook in the future? I’m sure they weren’t originally included in Princes of the Apocalypse just to save room but they didn’t include them in MMOTM which has me worried that they’ve been totally axed from reappearing in 5e.
Also if anyone has ideas for how to homebrew these Genasi as racial options it would be cool to see them posted here.
Additionally, since they do have the Dust genasi here, they could have the other elemental planes represented like Salt, Ash, Vacuum, Radiance, Mineral, Lightning and Steam.
18 races dedicated to the elemental planes may seem like a lot, but there are a lot of elemental and paraelemental planes.
I would be surprised to see them in official 5e or OneD&D content in the near future, they're just too derivative, and there are many more important things to focus on. With Tasha's Cauldron of Everything, it makes more sense to build them as a Custom Lineage. More options is good, but previous editions have shown that there is such a thing as too many option from a playability perspective.
Honestly, I'm skeptical they will ever be an officially released races/subraces. We already have four different types. Most adventure/supplement books have plenty of material to mine for new material without just adding yet another Genasi. I mean, we have 15 Elves now and...how many of those have induced groaning about how we have yet another Elf? In this thread there are requests that, with those already extant, 17 different kinds of Genasi. I'm not sure they're even a particularly popular race anyway, giving them another 13 subraces seems excessive...and when there are other more interesting concepts to use, why use page space on a race that already has four variants?
Your best bet is taking a current Genasi and reflavouring it. Ice would be Water, but resistance swapped out for cold. Maybe you could swap out spells...but you don't need to. Which is another reason why I'm skeptical about getting new Genasi... they're going to be very similar to what we already have.
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If you're not willing or able to to discuss in good faith, then don't be surprised if I don't respond, there are better things in life for me to do than humour you. This signature is that response.
They each get a level-one spell once per day, and an immunity. Forget about the Poison stuff, unless that's all they have, and downgrade immunity to resistance. Add in the languages.
There's your conservative paraplane Genasi (plus ASI's). Maybe tack on an extra mephit skill or effect if your DM is feeling gracious.
Let's remember also the abysal and Athasian genasies from 4th Ed.
It shouldn't be too hard. You get the racial traits, and some spell-like ability is replaced with other, maybe a new catrip created specially for these.
If tielflings are popular, why not abysal genasies as the new bad boys?
And the color of the skins by genasies is radically different: green, red, blue, gray-brown.... They are perfect for players who wants characters style "the new student who has just arrived to the school".
I'd prefer to see something that more clearly identifies which aspect of the element you are from you embody. Water Genasi would be provided an option under their race to opt for an ice based or steam based ability, maybe? Earth could offer dust and mud as options. I think any para-elemental variants would just be a more specific facet of the existing options.
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Talk to your Players.Talk to your DM. If more people used this advice, there would be 24.74% fewer threads on Tactics, Rules and DM discussions.
I suggest as racial feat for genasis something working as the metamagic feat "substitution of energy", or adding energy damage to some attack. For example fire genasi could change to fire damage, earth -> acid, air -> lighting and water-> cold.
Planescape is slated to be introduced in 5e. However based on Spelljammer I anticipate it to be a thin treatment in comparison to the original presentation of Planescape, and it's not going to spend a lot of pages on variant Genasi. You may get planar aligning backgrounds (sorta like what's floating around the first 1D&D release) and feats that could make what you want, but I also think adapting Mephits is an excellent idea.
If you browse homebrew races, you'll see a lot of efforts at these.
After reading through these replies, it does seem that the actual chances of seeing the other genasi is thin at best unless we get a true sourcebook for the elemental planes (which I doubt will ever happen). I’m certainly glad that there are plenty of homebrew options for them, and if I had to give my own input as to how they could be implemented then I would imagine the whole genasi race could be turned into a template similar to what Princes of the Apocalypse did. All of them gain a set of traits based off of one of the main four and can choose a different trait that uses the same element, like an air and water genasi both being able to choose the Ice genasi and such.
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I definitely have to thank AJ Pickett’s Genasi video for enlightening me on this subject because I have an air Genasi who would have definitely been an Ice Genasi would I have know that genasi from the para-elemental planes existed at the time. So this makes me ask if we’ll ever see the Dust, Smoke, Ooze, Lava, Steam and Ice Genasi in a sourcebook in the future? I’m sure they weren’t originally included in Princes of the Apocalypse just to save room but they didn’t include them in MMOTM which has me worried that they’ve been totally axed from reappearing in 5e.
Also if anyone has ideas for how to homebrew these Genasi as racial options it would be cool to see them posted here.
Additionally, since they do have the Dust genasi here, they could have the other elemental planes represented like Salt, Ash, Vacuum, Radiance, Mineral, Lightning and Steam.
18 races dedicated to the elemental planes may seem like a lot, but there are a lot of elemental and paraelemental planes.
That would be so cool if they did that.
I really like D&D, especially Ravenloft, Exandria and the Upside Down from Stranger Things. My pronouns are she/they (genderfae).
I would be surprised to see them in official 5e or OneD&D content in the near future, they're just too derivative, and there are many more important things to focus on. With Tasha's Cauldron of Everything, it makes more sense to build them as a Custom Lineage. More options is good, but previous editions have shown that there is such a thing as too many option from a playability perspective.
Honestly, I'm skeptical they will ever be an officially released races/subraces. We already have four different types. Most adventure/supplement books have plenty of material to mine for new material without just adding yet another Genasi. I mean, we have 15 Elves now and...how many of those have induced groaning about how we have yet another Elf? In this thread there are requests that, with those already extant, 17 different kinds of Genasi. I'm not sure they're even a particularly popular race anyway, giving them another 13 subraces seems excessive...and when there are other more interesting concepts to use, why use page space on a race that already has four variants?
Your best bet is taking a current Genasi and reflavouring it. Ice would be Water, but resistance swapped out for cold. Maybe you could swap out spells...but you don't need to. Which is another reason why I'm skeptical about getting new Genasi... they're going to be very similar to what we already have.
If you're not willing or able to to discuss in good faith, then don't be surprised if I don't respond, there are better things in life for me to do than humour you. This signature is that response.
How to homebrew: Look up mephit under monsters.
They each get a level-one spell once per day, and an immunity. Forget about the Poison stuff, unless that's all they have, and downgrade immunity to resistance. Add in the languages.
There's your conservative paraplane Genasi (plus ASI's). Maybe tack on an extra mephit skill or effect if your DM is feeling gracious.
Let's remember also the abysal and Athasian genasies from 4th Ed.
It shouldn't be too hard. You get the racial traits, and some spell-like ability is replaced with other, maybe a new catrip created specially for these.
If tielflings are popular, why not abysal genasies as the new bad boys?
And the color of the skins by genasies is radically different: green, red, blue, gray-brown.... They are perfect for players who wants characters style "the new student who has just arrived to the school".
I'd prefer to see something that more clearly identifies which aspect of the element you are from you embody. Water Genasi would be provided an option under their race to opt for an ice based or steam based ability, maybe? Earth could offer dust and mud as options. I think any para-elemental variants would just be a more specific facet of the existing options.
Talk to your Players. Talk to your DM. If more people used this advice, there would be 24.74% fewer threads on Tactics, Rules and DM discussions.
I suggest as racial feat for genasis something working as the metamagic feat "substitution of energy", or adding energy damage to some attack. For example fire genasi could change to fire damage, earth -> acid, air -> lighting and water-> cold.
Planescape is slated to be introduced in 5e. However based on Spelljammer I anticipate it to be a thin treatment in comparison to the original presentation of Planescape, and it's not going to spend a lot of pages on variant Genasi. You may get planar aligning backgrounds (sorta like what's floating around the first 1D&D release) and feats that could make what you want, but I also think adapting Mephits is an excellent idea.
If you browse homebrew races, you'll see a lot of efforts at these.
Jander Sunstar is the thinking person's Drizzt, fight me.
After reading through these replies, it does seem that the actual chances of seeing the other genasi is thin at best unless we get a true sourcebook for the elemental planes (which I doubt will ever happen). I’m certainly glad that there are plenty of homebrew options for them, and if I had to give my own input as to how they could be implemented then I would imagine the whole genasi race could be turned into a template similar to what Princes of the Apocalypse did. All of them gain a set of traits based off of one of the main four and can choose a different trait that uses the same element, like an air and water genasi both being able to choose the Ice genasi and such.