Haughty and Cruel.The efreet are deceptive, cunning, and cruel to the point of ruthlessness. They despise being forced into servitude and are relentless in pursuit of vengeance against creatures that have wronged them. Efreet don’t see themselves in this light, naturally, and regard their race as fair and orderly, even as they admit to an enlightened sense of self-interest.
Spiteful Slavers.Efreet view all other creatures as enemies or potential serfs. They raid the Material Plane and the elemental planes for slaves, which they capture and bring back to their homes on the Elemental Plane of Fire. The efreet rule as oppressive tyrants, promoting only the cruelest among their slaves. Those overseers are given whips to help keep the rank-and-file slaves in line.
Planar Raiders.Most efreet reside on the Elemental Plane of Fire, either in great domed fortresses of black glass and basalt surrounded by churning lakes of fire, or in the fabled City of Brass. Additionally, efreet military outposts thronging with their minions and slaves can be found scattered throughout the planes.
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Age: 33 | Sex: Male | Languages: French and English | Roles: DM and Player
Cultural thing. Djinn (and all djinn-like beings), can be bound to give wishes, at a minimum. They'll keep a promise to a lowly mortal rather than break it. Presumably, they themselves think they answer to a higher law. Also, I think there's mythological stuff. They're traditionally just a sly, wicked version of a djinni, predating D&D.
Islamic mythology has a few different categories of supernatural beings - you have angels and demons representing good and evil (like in their sister Abrahamic religions), but they also have a third category--the neutral djinn, which could be good or evil depending on how they were swayed, sort of a supernatural analog to how humans could walk either the path of good or evil.
In the Quran, ifrit are called "ifrit of the djinn", indicating they are a type of djinn--but they appear to be closer to a demons in their characterization. In other sources, they seem to generally be defined as fiery underworld demons, divorced from any "djinn" category. Though there is some ambiguity, the one common thread is that they are evil creatures--either evil by their nature (as a type of demon) or evil by their decisions (as a djinn that walks the path of evil).
Cultural thing. Djinn (and all djinn-like beings), can be bound to give wishes, at a minimum. They'll keep a promise to a lowly mortal rather than break it. Presumably, they themselves think they answer to a higher law. Also, I think there's mythological stuff. They're traditionally just a sly, wicked version of a djinni, predating D&D.
Thank you. This does make me wonder what in universe has caused them to tend towards lawful evil. I know they're often associated with Devils, so could that be it?
"In-universe," you'll just have to make up something on your own. I think there was a 2e Aladdin/Arabian Nights-themed box set, they might have written more about it there. Overall, there's never been much djinn-lore in published D&D, afaik.
As for their connection to devils, you're welcome to make that up, too; but I don't think it exists in folklore. I think they share an interior decorator with devils, but that's all. In mythology, they are made explicitly distinct from devils. They don't exist to mislead and deceive humans and really have no particular connection to humans at all. Once in a while, a powerful sorcerer might trap one in a lamp, and after a thousand years, a hero might find the lamp and the Ifrit might do them three favors in gratitude. They're really just their own thing.
I think it has to do with the standard depiction of the more sinister genies in fiction: the kind who are cruel and malicious and like to twist the exact words of a wish into something harmful.
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Find your own truth, choose your enemies carefully, and never deal with a dragon.
"Canon" is what's factual to D&D lore. "Cannon" is what you're going to be shot with if you keep getting the word wrong.
If you want your Efreeti to turn from their evil ways, their actions, habits, and even appearance will change. They cease to be Efreeti. Look to the non-evil equivalent to satisfy the need for non-evil Efreeti.
Human. Male. Possibly. Don't be a divider. My characters' backgrounds are written like instruction manuals rather than stories. My opinion and preferences don't mean you're wrong. I am 99.7603% convinced that the digital dice are messing with me. I roll high when nobody's looking and low when anyone else can see.🎲 “It's a bit early to be thinking about an epitaph. No?” will be my epitaph.
If you want your Efreeti to turn from their evil ways, their actions, habits, and even appearance will change. They cease to be Efreeti. Look to the non-evil equivalent to satisfy the need for non-evil Efreeti.
I know that rule applies to Fiends (and probably Celestials), but is there any source material for what you're saying about genies?
If you want your Efreeti to turn from their evil ways, their actions, habits, and even appearance will change. They cease to be Efreeti. Look to the non-evil equivalent to satisfy the need for non-evil Efreeti.
I know that rule applies to Fiends (and probably Celestials), but is there any source material for what you're saying about genies?
That rule doesn't even apply universally to Fiends or Celestials. It doesn't apply at all to genies, which are a type of Elemental.
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Find your own truth, choose your enemies carefully, and never deal with a dragon.
"Canon" is what's factual to D&D lore. "Cannon" is what you're going to be shot with if you keep getting the word wrong.
Genies aren't cosmically bound to evil, so they are capable of redemption. It's because of their culture that they are evil, as is explained on page 7 of the Monster Manual.
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Panda-wat (I hate my username) is somehow convinced that he is objectively right about everything D&D related even though he obviously is not. Considering that, he'd probably make a great D&D youtuber.
"If I die, I can live with that." ~Luke Hart, the DM lair
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Title. I genuinely don't get why. Is it something in the very essence of their being, like with devils? Or is it a cultural thing for some reason?
Read their description:
Age: 33 | Sex: Male | Languages: French and English | Roles: DM and Player
Cultural thing. Djinn (and all djinn-like beings), can be bound to give wishes, at a minimum. They'll keep a promise to a lowly mortal rather than break it. Presumably, they themselves think they answer to a higher law. Also, I think there's mythological stuff. They're traditionally just a sly, wicked version of a djinni, predating D&D.
Islamic mythology has a few different categories of supernatural beings - you have angels and demons representing good and evil (like in their sister Abrahamic religions), but they also have a third category--the neutral djinn, which could be good or evil depending on how they were swayed, sort of a supernatural analog to how humans could walk either the path of good or evil.
In the Quran, ifrit are called "ifrit of the djinn", indicating they are a type of djinn--but they appear to be closer to a demons in their characterization. In other sources, they seem to generally be defined as fiery underworld demons, divorced from any "djinn" category. Though there is some ambiguity, the one common thread is that they are evil creatures--either evil by their nature (as a type of demon) or evil by their decisions (as a djinn that walks the path of evil).
Thank you. This does make me wonder what in universe has caused them to tend towards lawful evil. I know they're often associated with Devils, so could that be it?
"In-universe," you'll just have to make up something on your own. I think there was a 2e Aladdin/Arabian Nights-themed box set, they might have written more about it there. Overall, there's never been much djinn-lore in published D&D, afaik.
As for their connection to devils, you're welcome to make that up, too; but I don't think it exists in folklore. I think they share an interior decorator with devils, but that's all. In mythology, they are made explicitly distinct from devils. They don't exist to mislead and deceive humans and really have no particular connection to humans at all. Once in a while, a powerful sorcerer might trap one in a lamp, and after a thousand years, a hero might find the lamp and the Ifrit might do them three favors in gratitude. They're really just their own thing.
I think it has to do with the standard depiction of the more sinister genies in fiction: the kind who are cruel and malicious and like to twist the exact words of a wish into something harmful.
Find your own truth, choose your enemies carefully, and never deal with a dragon.
"Canon" is what's factual to D&D lore. "Cannon" is what you're going to be shot with if you keep getting the word wrong.
If you want your Efreeti to turn from their evil ways, their actions, habits, and even appearance will change. They cease to be Efreeti. Look to the non-evil equivalent to satisfy the need for non-evil Efreeti.
Human. Male. Possibly. Don't be a divider.
My characters' backgrounds are written like instruction manuals rather than stories. My opinion and preferences don't mean you're wrong.
I am 99.7603% convinced that the digital dice are messing with me. I roll high when nobody's looking and low when anyone else can see.🎲
“It's a bit early to be thinking about an epitaph. No?” will be my epitaph.
I know that rule applies to Fiends (and probably Celestials), but is there any source material for what you're saying about genies?
That rule doesn't even apply universally to Fiends or Celestials. It doesn't apply at all to genies, which are a type of Elemental.
Find your own truth, choose your enemies carefully, and never deal with a dragon.
"Canon" is what's factual to D&D lore. "Cannon" is what you're going to be shot with if you keep getting the word wrong.
Genies aren't cosmically bound to evil, so they are capable of redemption. It's because of their culture that they are evil, as is explained on page 7 of the Monster Manual.
Panda-wat (I hate my username) is somehow convinced that he is objectively right about everything D&D related even though he obviously is not. Considering that, he'd probably make a great D&D youtuber.
"If I die, I can live with that." ~Luke Hart, the DM lair