When you say quasi elemental genasi do you mean combinations of the four elements such as mud and ice, additional ones like light and time, or real ones like carbon and hydrogen?
Either way there is nothing strictly stopping you from creating them. Elements other than the big four may need some stretching.
"The relevant equation is: Knowledge = power = energy = matter = mass; a good bookshop is just a genteel Black Hole that knows how to read." - Terry Pratchett
When I say quasi-elemental, I mean elemental planes touched by positive (air=lightning, earth=mineral, fire=radiance, and steam=water) equivalents of the primary 4 planes and negative versions as well.
Mud (earth/water) and ice (air/water) were para-elemental realms to my knowledge.
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.
Following something along this line could make your rare genasi breed lore-appropriate.
Following something along this line could make your rare genasi breed lore-appropriate.
Well, they're "new," but I'd say they aren't rare. The idea is that the quasi-planes are trying to increase their mortal population. The only ones that would be rare are the elementals that only recruit the "creme de la creme" to have a stronger humanoid population.
The hard part now is trying to balance sub-racial abilities.
1) +1 Ability Score 2) a set of abilities keyed to their element 3) A set of Spells keyed to their element
The Paraelementals should be easy. Take a set based on the "parent" planes and/or choose new spells that are a better fit. Since there are only 4: Ice, Ooze, Magma, Smoke.
Quasi elementals are harder because they are a little "weirder" and also more esoteric... but I'd say keep the same basic elements for: Lightning, Vacuum, Steam, Salt, Mineral, Dust, Radiance, and Ash.
Choosing new spells are going to give you the most flexibility.
I've got a few sub-race ideas for light-quasi-elemental genasi, but I'd like to know if it's lore-friendly for them to be there in the first place.
There are no quasi-elemental planes in 5th edition. Indeed, some of the para-elemental and quasi-elemental planes have changed as well.
We have Earth, Fire, Wind and Earth as planes, and then there's Ice (wind and water), Mud/ooze (earth and water), Magma (earth and fire) and Ash (now mix of fire and earth instead of fire and negative energy). There are also dust mephits (earth and wind) as well as steam mephits (water and fire) with no associated quasi-elemental plane.
As far as I'm aware, lightning powers has made appearances on air elementals now, such as the Air Elemental Myrmidon, Djinni, Tempest Elder and Yan-C-Bin, the Prince of Evil Elemental Air itself.
I have not seen anything specifically relating to minerals in terms of an elemental's abilities; however earth elementals (including base elementals, Dao, flail snails, the Prince of Evil Earth Ogrémoch, Xorn) seem to be made up in part from gems, crystals and other minerals, and the description of the Plane of Earth from the DMG seems to include the minerals that used to be exclusive to the Plane of Minerals in previous editions. Heck, the Plane of Earth now has an entire City of Jewels made up of minerals, crystals and gemstones.
Vaccuum and Salt are just not mentioned at all as far as I'm aware, not even any magic that relates to those concepts. Radiance seems to have been merged with the Positive Energy Plane that suffuses the upper Outer Planes, removing Radiance as a quasi-elemental plane entirely.
Now, none of this is to say that you can't homebrew something that deals with the old quasi-elemental planes. But there's no official support for any of this, and given how the 5th edition planes work, I would not expect any either. Everything would need to be ported over from previous editions wholesale first.
1) +1 Ability Score 2) a set of abilities keyed to their element 3) A set of Spells keyed to their element
The Paraelementals should be easy. Take a set based on the "parent" planes and/or choose new spells that are a better fit. Since there are only 4: Ice, Ooze, Magma, Smoke.
Quasi elementals are harder because they are a little "weirder" and also more esoteric... but I'd say keep the same basic elements for: Lightning, Vacuum, Steam, Salt, Mineral, Dust, Radiance, and Ash.
Choosing new spells are going to give you the most flexibility.
I wanted to start with lightning and give them flight, because touching ground is almost anathema to them, but I can't think of anything else that wouldn't be overpowered when combined with a movement buff like that.
For mineral genasi, I was thinking of rolling a d6 and giving them an AC buff depending on their roll (1-3 is +1, 4-5 is +2, and 6 is +3), plus they could theme a metal or gem around their dice roll. Males would have metallic skin, while women would have gemstone skin.
I'll make another forum post asking for advice on racials, but I'm pretty sure I want lightning to have flight.
Vaccuum and Salt are just not mentioned at all as far as I'm aware, not even any magic that relates to those concepts. Radiance seems to have been merged with the Positive Energy Plane that suffuses the upper Outer Planes, removing Radiance as a quasi-elemental plane entirely.
Salt is inherently tied to acid, while radiance can be tied to spells that blind your opponent. Vacuum is tough, but I always associated it with spells that exhausts your opponent, like you're stealing his energy and taking it for yourself, or with portals, like you're sucking away the area between 2 points in space. But that's just me and I'm here looking for advice, so make of that what you will
You asked about lore-friendly, so I brought up as much lore as I knew. *Shrugs* The rest all depends on what you and your DM.
I know I'm just splitting hairs, but I always liked elemental lore, and it kinda bugged me that only the 4 original elemental planes got genasi. But, thanks for the feedback.
I've got a few sub-race ideas for light-quasi-elemental genasi, but I'd like to know if it's lore-friendly for them to be there in the first place.
When you say quasi elemental genasi do you mean combinations of the four elements such as mud and ice, additional ones like light and time, or real ones like carbon and hydrogen?
Either way there is nothing strictly stopping you from creating them. Elements other than the big four may need some stretching.
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"The relevant equation is: Knowledge = power = energy = matter = mass; a good bookshop is just a genteel Black Hole that knows how to read." - Terry Pratchett
When I say quasi-elemental, I mean elemental planes touched by positive (air=lightning, earth=mineral, fire=radiance, and steam=water) equivalents of the primary 4 planes and negative versions as well.
Mud (earth/water) and ice (air/water) were para-elemental realms to my knowledge.
This bit from the Genasi info page might help:
Following something along this line could make your rare genasi breed lore-appropriate.
Well, they're "new," but I'd say they aren't rare. The idea is that the quasi-planes are trying to increase their mortal population. The only ones that would be rare are the elementals that only recruit the "creme de la creme" to have a stronger humanoid population.
The hard part now is trying to balance sub-racial abilities.
I think this is a cool idea.
I think balance should be easy.
Each Gensai gets 3 bonuses.
1) +1 Ability Score
2) a set of abilities keyed to their element
3) A set of Spells keyed to their element
The Paraelementals should be easy.
Take a set based on the "parent" planes and/or choose new spells that are a better fit. Since there are only 4: Ice, Ooze, Magma, Smoke.
Quasi elementals are harder because they are a little "weirder" and also more esoteric... but I'd say keep the same basic elements for: Lightning, Vacuum, Steam, Salt, Mineral, Dust, Radiance, and Ash.
Choosing new spells are going to give you the most flexibility.
There are no quasi-elemental planes in 5th edition. Indeed, some of the para-elemental and quasi-elemental planes have changed as well.
We have Earth, Fire, Wind and Earth as planes, and then there's Ice (wind and water), Mud/ooze (earth and water), Magma (earth and fire) and Ash (now mix of fire and earth instead of fire and negative energy). There are also dust mephits (earth and wind) as well as steam mephits (water and fire) with no associated quasi-elemental plane.
As far as I'm aware, lightning powers has made appearances on air elementals now, such as the Air Elemental Myrmidon, Djinni, Tempest Elder and Yan-C-Bin, the Prince of Evil Elemental Air itself.
I have not seen anything specifically relating to minerals in terms of an elemental's abilities; however earth elementals (including base elementals, Dao, flail snails, the Prince of Evil Earth Ogrémoch, Xorn) seem to be made up in part from gems, crystals and other minerals, and the description of the Plane of Earth from the DMG seems to include the minerals that used to be exclusive to the Plane of Minerals in previous editions. Heck, the Plane of Earth now has an entire City of Jewels made up of minerals, crystals and gemstones.
Vaccuum and Salt are just not mentioned at all as far as I'm aware, not even any magic that relates to those concepts. Radiance seems to have been merged with the Positive Energy Plane that suffuses the upper Outer Planes, removing Radiance as a quasi-elemental plane entirely.
Now, none of this is to say that you can't homebrew something that deals with the old quasi-elemental planes. But there's no official support for any of this, and given how the 5th edition planes work, I would not expect any either. Everything would need to be ported over from previous editions wholesale first.
I wanted to start with lightning and give them flight, because touching ground is almost anathema to them, but I can't think of anything else that wouldn't be overpowered when combined with a movement buff like that.
For mineral genasi, I was thinking of rolling a d6 and giving them an AC buff depending on their roll (1-3 is +1, 4-5 is +2, and 6 is +3), plus they could theme a metal or gem around their dice roll. Males would have metallic skin, while women would have gemstone skin.
I'll make another forum post asking for advice on racials, but I'm pretty sure I want lightning to have flight.
Salt is inherently tied to acid, while radiance can be tied to spells that blind your opponent. Vacuum is tough, but I always associated it with spells that exhausts your opponent, like you're stealing his energy and taking it for yourself, or with portals, like you're sucking away the area between 2 points in space. But that's just me and I'm here looking for advice, so make of that what you will
You asked about lore-friendly, so I brought up as much lore as I knew. *Shrugs* The rest all depends on what you and your DM.
I know I'm just splitting hairs, but I always liked elemental lore, and it kinda bugged me that only the 4 original elemental planes got genasi. But, thanks for the feedback.
what about a genasi that is all four original elemental planes? that might be too op though. /: