The Nature of Genies

How I make genies make sense in my campaign

Many years ago I was trying to figure out why efreet and djinn would be fairly routinely associated with magic items. I also really liked the Arabian Knights as a kid, as well as other fairytale stories. Eventually I came up wiht an idea that has evolved over years into what I call the Genie Compact. This is a bit of discussion about how it workds from an “internal document” that will eventually be part of the bestiary for my ‘heartbreaker’ clone of AD& D 1e.

The Nature of Genies

In the many different universes of the Prime Panes, the Blessed Planes, the Accursed Planes, the Elemental Planes, and more there are many beings that grant power in exchange for worship, for services, for obedience, and more. Clerics, druids, and many more enter into an agreement meant to be mutually beneficial to one degree or another and magical power is the result.

Some mortals call some of the powers that grant these abilities ‘gods’ but the difference between a powerful elemental lord, a devil prince, and a Good angelic patron are mainly alignment and outlook – all are powerful beings, but not divine. The name used for them, regardless of alignment, is a ‘Great Power’.

Among the extra-planar beings that grant powers there is a group unlike the others in many ways – the Genies. Eons ago the leaders of the various species of genies forged a mystical alliance so that as a group they were collectively a Great power of their own. The cooperative Genie Compact is now so interwoven with the nature of genies it is essentially inherent and permanent.

The three main ways genies participate in the Compact is through Conjuring, Summoning and being Tasked.

Conjuring refers to calling genies from their homes in the Elemental Planes to provide a service. This can by means of a spell of a magical item such as a Ring to Conjure Djinn.

Summoning refers to how Hinn (‘least genies’) become familiars to Summoners and grant spells in exchange for service.

Tasked are those genies with special skills that are then tied to specific items and exchange their labor for attention.

How the Genie Compact Works