Earth genasi are patient, stubborn and contemplative in their decision-making. Marked at birth with obvious traits reflecting their heritage, earth genasi are often shunned by others, but their physical gifts make them able to defend themselves against most attackers. Their strength and girth means that they sometimes become bullies, attracting sycophants out of fear and respect for their power.
At least three-quarters of the earth genasi in Faerûn are the descendants of outsiders native to the Elemental Plane of Earth and humans. The rest are descended from earth deities or servants thereof instead of elemental outsiders. Most of the elemental bloodlines originate in the North, particularly near the Spine of the World, as natural portals to the Elemental Plane of Earth form there, allowing meetings between natives of both planes. The bloodlines spring up wherever worship of earth deities is common. It is thought that the Ludwakazar clan of shield dwarves deep in the Earthspurs in Impiltur and the Tobarin family of rock gnomes in the Great Dale have elemental blood, but both are mute on the question and neither would be a true earth genasi, but something quite different.
Earth genasi are obviously not human, but have mostly human features except for one or two distinguishing traits related to their elemental ancestor. Some examples of these features are:
Earth genasi, like all elemental planetouched, are proud of their nature and abilities, but their pride is a quiet, confident sort rather than a boastful one. Earth genasi are pragmatic about their parentage, usually not going out of their way to learn their ancestry but not avoiding the topic either. Earth genasi have no special relationship with others of their kind, although they seem to prefer others who share their physical differences.
Earth genasi have the same life expectancy and age categories as a human.
History: Earth genasi have no common history. Most of their bloodlines derive from chance meetings between humans and earth outsiders, and even those descended from agents of earth deities are spread across the world with no common purpose. Because the outsider features often skip a generation or two, bloodlines seem to disappear for decades only to pop up again unexpectedly in a family that had forgotten its ancestry. Because earth genasi are slightly less fertile than humans, some bloodlines disappear altogether. Because of their varied origins, both planar and geographical, earth genasi may be found among any human racial group.
Outlook: Proud of their heritage despite the opinions of others, earth genasi know they are born of beings touched by the might of the earth itself. Although they know the circumstances of their outsider heritage are rare and mark them as unlike anyone they might meet, each still feels a strong kinship to the earth itself. Earth genasi feel most comfortable when their feet are on the ground and prefer to go barefoot if appropriate for the weather and environment (earth genasi develop thick calluses easily and can even walk on gravel without discomfort). They are used to being treated differently, but have the strength to defend themselves if harassed. Earth genasi respect their earth elemental cousins for their strength but are usually indifferent to other earth elemental creatures.
Earth genasi like to stake out a piece of land as their own and defend it, which makes them particularly valuable homesteaders in frontier regions like the Silver Marches. A few unusual ones come down with a strange form of wanderlust, wishing to plant their feet on every nation’s soil before they die. Such a journey might take thirty years, but with methodical determination certain genasi have become famous for their long-distance travels.
Characters: Most adventuring earth genasi are combat-oriented, whether fighter, warrior, ranger or barbarian. They usually learn styles of combat that rely on their gifts, so an earth genasi armsman is either capable of incredible bloodshed or capable of enduring devastating attacks and remaining unshaken. Earth genasi wizards are uncommon, but those who do embrace arcane magic often learn spells to enhance their fighting skills or become masters of earth magic.
Favoured Class: Fighter. Some earth genasi may opt for a more specialized martial path, but the majority of earth genasi characters prefer the many bonus feats that only the fighter class offers.
Prestige Classes: Earth genasi favour any prestige class that helps them fight better, particularly the divine champion. Earth genasi clerics have an affinity for runes, and often become runecasters.
Society: Earth genasi are among the most isolated of the elemental planetouched. They are indifferent to others of their kind, believing that each should rely on his or her own strength to persevere. The only time this emotional barrier is easily breached is when two or more genasi with the same physical traits meet. The superficial resemblance awakens an echo of sympathy and kinship in the earth genasi, and these similarities often lead to deep friendships and even marriages.
It is among these groups that small clans of earth genasi form, usually military-based groups such as a mercenary company, a squadron of rangers, or a gang of barbarian thugs. The bonds between these individuals can grow very strong, and the bards tell of entire bands of earth genasi meeting to punish a cruel lover or person responsible for the death of one of the band. Because the genasi are patient, sometimes this revenge comes about months or even years after the event, usually in a surprising and painful encounter.
Because of their strength, earth genasi often fall into relationships where they are the dominant person. This means that earth genasi are known to collect like-minded warriors about them, genasi or not, and carve out small baronies for themselves in isolated lands. Several leaders in the history of the Border Kingdoms have been earth genasi.
Language: There is no common language among earth genasi, and they feel no urge to learn Terran unless they happen to be a spellcaster who needs to communicate with summoned elementals. An earth genasi usually learns the language of her parents and possibly other languages spoken in her native region.
All earth genasi are literate, except barbarians.
Religion: Earth genasi have no racial deity or pantheon. Because earth genasi clerics must choose deities who grant the Earth domain, all air genasi clerics worship Callarduran Smoothhands, Chauntea, Dumathoin, Geb, Gond, Grumbar, Luthic, Moradin, Segojan Earthcaller, Urdlen or Urogalan. Those who are not devout enough to be clerics still worship those deities or an earth- or nature-themed deity appropriate to their region.
Revered by earth genasi as the fusion of the powers of earth and life itself, Chauntea is a popular choice among this race. Many of the earth genasi who worship this deity ignore her agricultural aspect and instead focus on her role as the benign Earthmother, a foundation of life and strength that suffuses the ground they walk on. The more gentle worshippers of Chauntea are all too happy to hire an earth genasi of the faith as a guard.
Mulhorand and the lands adjacent to it have a small earth genasi population, most of whom revere Geb, for the children of his divine line become earth genasi instead of aasimar Earth genasi from Geb’s bloodline often have an affinity for bears and sometimes have a faint resemblance to a creature of that type. They may select the Planetouched Animal Affinity feat.
Many earth genasi worship Grumbar, the lord of earth elementals. Although he shows them no more favour than any other worshipper, the genasi respect this and see it as proof that each should rely on his or her own abilities to succeed.
Relations: Earth genasi get along well with gnomes and dwarves but find elves and half-elves too weak and puny to be taken seriously. Halflings would almost be in the same category as elves except that they show a remarkable talent for survival, which the genasi respect. Oddly enough, most elves and half-elves appreciate an earth genasi’s ties to the land, even though the feeling is not reciprocated.
As earth genasi usually have human parents, they get along fine with humans. They have no bias for or against other kinds of planetouched, even the air genasi, whom they consider flighty but skilled. Half-orcs are intriguing to earth genasi, for they have the hot blood of a much stronger race tempered with human nature much as earth genasi do, so the planetouched consider them lesser but similar kin.
Equipment: Earth genasi have no traditional racial weapons or equipment, although an unusually high number of them prefer to carry weapons that they themselves forged. Common weapons are implements that are useful in practical situations as well as combat, such as hammers, axes and picks.
Animals and Pets: When earth genasi take pets or animal companions, they usually favour strong and squat creatures, such as mastiffs, badgers and bears. A few have a fondness for snakes, preferring constrictors to venomous ones.
Regions: Mulhorand, Thay
Source: Races of Faerûn (Page 116), Forgotten Realms Campaign Setting (Page 19)
Your character can be either male or female.
Every player character starts as an adult. You can choose or randomly generate your character’s age. If you choose it, it must be at least the minimum age for the character’s race and class (see Table: Starting Ages). Your character’s minimum starting age is the adulthood age of his or her race plus the number of dice indicated in the entry corresponding to the character’s race and class on Table: Starting Ages.
Alternatively, refer to Table: Starting Ages and roll dice to determine how old your character is.
| Adulthood | Intuitive1 | Self-Taught2 | Trained3 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 15 years | +1d4 (16—19) years | +1d6 (16—21) years | +2d6 (17—27) years |
1 This category includes barbarians, rogues and sorcerers.
2 This category includes bards, fighters, paladins and rangers.
3 This category includes clerics, druids, monks and wizards.
With age, a character’s physical ability scores decrease and his or her mental ability scores increase (see Table: Aging Effects). The effects of each aging step are cumulative. However, none of a character’s ability scores can be reduced below 1 in this way.
| Middle Age1 | Old Age2 | Venerable3 | Maximum Age |
|---|---|---|---|
| 35 years | 53 years | 70 years | +2d20 years |
1 -1 to Strength, Dexterity and Constitution; +1 to Intelligence, Wisdom and Charisma.
2 -2 to Strength, Dexterity and Constitution; +1 to Intelligence, Wisdom and Charisma.
3 -3 to Strength, Dexterity and Constitution; +1 to Intelligence, Wisdom and Charisma.
When a character reaches venerable age, the DM secretly rolls his or her maximum age, which is the number from the Venerable column on Table: Aging Effects plus the result of the dice roll indicated on the Maximum Age column on that table, and records the result, which the player does not know. A character who reaches his or her maximum age dies of old age at some time during the following year, as determined by the DM.
The maximum ages are for player characters. Most people in the world at large die from pestilence, accidents, infections or violence before getting to venerable age.
Choose your character’s height and weight from the ranges mentioned in the appropriate race description or from the ranges found on Table: Height and Weight. Think about what your character’s abilities might say about his or her height and weight. A weak but agile character may be thin. A strong and tough character may be tall or just heavy.
Alternatively, roll randomly for your character’s height and weight on Table: Height and Weight. The dice roll given in the Height Modifier column determines the character’s extra height beyond the base height. That same number multiplied by the dice roll or quantity given in the Weight Modifier column determines the character’s extra weight beyond the base weight.
| Gender | Base Height | Height Modifier | Base Weight | Weight Modifier |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Male | 4’ 10" | +2d10 (5’ 0"—6’ 6") | 120 lbs. | ×2d4 (124—280 lbs.) |
| Female | 4’ 5" | +2d10 (4’ 7"—6’ 1") | 85 lbs. | ×2d4 (89—245 lbs.) |
Source: Player’s Handbook (Page 109)