Genasi

Born where the elements surge closest to the surface of the world, Genasi are living echoes of primordial power — fire, water, air, earth, and rarer forces still. While some might trace their lineage to genies or other sentient elemental entities, some could also be the result of elemental convergence, often born near leyline nexuses, storm-forged landscapes, deepsea trenches, or volcanoes that breathe as if alive. Some arrive in moments of violent upheaval. Others are born in stillness — the quiet between disasters — shaped by the slumbering presence of something vast and ancient.

No two Genasi are alike, and many feel this deeply. Where other peoples are anchored by history or heritage, Genasi often walk alone, defined by the world around them. Some form tight communities near elemental fonts, while others live nomadic lives, pulled by tides, tremors, and changing skies.

Fire Genasi

“The world is too slow. I carry the urgency it forgets.”

Fire Genasi glow with a heat that never fully fades. Their skin may flicker with emberlight or gleam like molten bronze, and faint trails of smoke or sparks can rise from their hair. Their breath steams in cold air, and their voice crackles with restrained energy. Movement comes in bursts — all sharp turns and sudden stillness, as though fire simmers just beneath the surface.

Fire Genasi are drawn to conflict and creation alike, often serving as smiths, spellwrights, or relentless visionaries in moments of crisis. They burn bright in every room — and sometimes too hot to hold. Their flaw is excess: when driven by emotion, they blaze uncontrolled, consuming not just problems, but people. Mastering their fire means learning when to burn, and when to bank the coals.

Water Genasi 

“I am calm. Until I am not.”

Water Genasi flow with an unspoken rhythm. Their skin may shimmer like wet stone or ripple like tideglass, with hair that drifts and flows as though caught in unseen currents. Their voices are soft, their movements smooth — every gesture carrying weight, like waves pressing against the shore.

Water Genasi are often drawn to roles that demand grace and resilience: healers, navigators, lorekeepers, and spiritual interpreters. But beneath their calm lies pressure — slow-building, relentless. When pushed too far, they crash. Their flaw is depth unspoken: emotions that flood inward, until release is unavoidable. To thrive, they must learn to move with the current, not drown beneath it.

Air Genasi

“I follow the sky’s example: move or be moved.”

Air Genasi seem to drift even when still. Their skin carries hues of mist, cloudshadow, or pale sky, and their hair dances as if stirred by a breeze no one else can feel. Their eyes are clear, their feet often silent — and when they speak, it’s with the uncatchable rhythm of wind.

Air Genasi are scouts, messengers, and thinkers — drawn to ideas in motion and places where nothing stays still. They carry inspiration like a storm carries scent. But their flaw is flight: the tendency to drift from hardship, to abandon roots for open sky. In mastering the wind, they must learn not just to move — but to return.

Earth Genasi

“I do not break. I bear.”

Earth Genasi are shaped like permanence. Their skin is rough or smooth like stone — streaked with quartz, metal, or clay. Their eyes gleam like polished mineral, and their voices are low, heavy, and patient. They move with the weight of someone who has never hurried — and never had to.

Earth Genasi serve as wardens, builders, and anchors in places torn by motion. They carry burdens quietly, and often carry more than they should. Their flaw is inflexibility — a reluctance to yield, even when the ground itself shifts beneath them. To endure, they must learn that strength is not the same as stillness.

Legacy in Eldareth

The Genasi do not trace their history through kings or bloodlines. They trace it through events — when mountains cracked, when skies split open, when tides rose against the land. They are not solely born from lineage, but from convergence — moments when the world itself remembers what it means to stir, to burn, to rise.

Though often rare and scattered, Genasi leave deep marks where they walk. They become symbols in times of crisis, envoys between druids and stormseers, or living omens of places where the elements still speak. Some are worshipped. Others are feared. Most are misunderstood.

But in their struggle to balance chaos and clarity, instinct and control, Genasi reflect a deeper truth:
They are not just born of the world —
They are its feelings, made flesh.

Genasi General Traits

Combine the following traits with the traits associated with the lineage you select.

Ability Score Increase. When determining your character’s ability scores, increase one score by 2 and increase a different score by 1, or increase three different scores by 1. You can't raise any of your scores above 20.

Creature Type. You are a Humanoid.

Size. You are Medium.

Speed. Your walking speed is 30 feet.

Darkvision. You can see in dim light within 60 feet of you as if it were bright light and in darkness as if it were dim light. You discern colors in that darkness only as shades of gray.

Languages. Your character can speak, read, and write Common and one other language that you and your DM agree is appropriate for the character. The Player’s Handbook offers a list of languages to choose from. The DM is free to modify that list for a campaign.

Air Genasi Traits

Fleet of Foot. Your walking speed is 35 feet instead of 30.

Unending Breath. You can hold your breath indefinitely while you’re not incapacitated.

Lightning Resistance. You have resistance to lightning damage.

Mingle with the Wind. You know the Shocking Grasp or Gust cantrip.

Starting at 3rd level, you can cast the Feather Fall spell with this trait, without requiring a material component. Starting at 5th level, you can also cast the Levitate spell with this trait, without requiring a material component. Once you cast Feather Fall or Levitate with this trait, you can’t cast that spell with it again until you finish a long rest. You can also cast either of those spells using any spell slots you have of the appropriate level.

Intelligence, Wisdom, or Charisma is your spellcasting ability for these spells when you cast them with this trait (choose when you select this race).

Earth Genasi Traits

Earth Walk. You can move across difficult terrain without expending extra movement if you are using your walking speed on the ground or a floor.

Merge with Stone. You know the Mold Earth or Blade Ward cantrip. If you select Blade Ward to use with this trait, you can cast it as normal, and you can also cast it as a bonus action a number of times equal to your proficiency bonus, regaining all expended uses when you finish a long rest.

Starting at 3rd level, you can cast the Earth Tremor spell with this trait. Starting at 5th level, you can cast the Meld into Stone spell with this trait, without requiring a material component. Once you cast Earth Tremor or Meld into Stone with this trait, you can’t cast that spell with it again until you finish a long rest. You can also cast either of those spells using any spell slots you have of the appropriate level.

Intelligence, Wisdom, or Charisma is your spellcasting ability for these spells when you cast them with this trait (choose when you select this race).

Fire Genasi Traits

Fire Resistance. You have resistance to fire damage.

Reach to the Blaze. You know the Produce Flame or Control Flames cantrip.

Starting at 3rd level, you can cast the Burning Hands spell with this trait. Starting at 5th level, you can also cast the Flame Blade spell with this trait, without requiring a material component. Once you cast Burning Hands or Flame Blade with this trait, you can’t cast that spell with it again until you finish a long rest. You can also cast either of those spells using any spell slots you have of the appropriate level.

Intelligence, Wisdom, or Charisma is your spellcasting ability for these spells when you cast them with this trait (choose when you select this race).

Water Genasi Traits

Ocean's Embrace. You have a swimming speed equal to your walking speed.

Acid Resistance. You have resistance to acid damage.

Amphibious. You can breathe air and water.

Call to the Wave. You know the Acid Splash or Shape Water cantrip.

Starting at 3rd level, you can cast the Create or Destroy Water spell with this trait. Starting at 5th level, you can also cast the Fog Cloud  spell with this trait, without requiring a material component. Once you cast Create or Destroy Water or Fog Cloud  with this trait, you can’t cast that spell with it again until you finish a long rest. You can also cast either of those spells using any spell slots you have of the appropriate level.

Intelligence, Wisdom, or Charisma is your spellcasting ability for these spells when you cast them with this trait (choose when you select this race).