Water genasi are patient and independent, used to solving problems on their own and not afraid to take a lot of time doing so. At times they are fierce and destructive like terrible storms, but more often than not they present a tranquil appearance, despite whatever emotions run underneath that quiet surface. Because their elemental forebear usually has no interest in them, water genasi are often abandoned by their human parents and raised instead by aquatic creatures such as aquatic elves, dolphins, locathah, merfolk, sahuagin or even aboleths. Water genasi usually leave their parents (real or adoptive) upon reaching maturity, taking to the open sea in order to explore, learn and develop their own personality and place in the world.
Most water genasi are descended from a water elemental outsider such as a marid (water genie) or triton. A rare few are born of outsider servants of the evil water goddess Umberlee (although it is not known why these matings eventually produce water genasi instead of tieflings). Aquatic elves tell of a lost line of sea-elf planetouched descended from minions of Deep Sashelas, but these are not true water genasi, lacking a genasi’s human heritage.
Water genasi look human except for one distinguishing feature related to their elemental ancestor. Some examples of these features are:
Water genasi feel that they are unique and superior to the humans who bore them. They have little or no interest in others of their kind—since they can wander both the land and the seas, they feel there is room enough in the world that water genasi need not crowd each other or even meet. Only in large communities of aquatic elves are two or more water genasi likely to spend much time together.
Water genasi have the same life expectancy and age categories as a human.
History: Nearly every water genasi can be traced back to a unique crossbreed between a water outsider and a human. Water genasi have no common history, although most of them are born in or near the Sea of Fallen Stars. No known record exists of water genasi trying to build a community of their own kind, although from time to time an aquatic hero shows up in the history books, usually associated with rescuing drowning sailors or thwarting sahuagin attacks. Water genasi villains also appear in these tales, from pirates who love to drown their enemies to blue-haired leaders of merrow raiding parties.
Because of their varied origins, water genasi may be of any human stock.
Outlook: Water genasi take pride in their special abilities and can be boastful if in the right mood. Tougher than humans and able to breathe water, these genasi sometimes view human sailors and naval merchants as vulnerable fools who are as likely to drown at sea as they are to get seasick. The people of the Sea of Fallen Stars are familiar enough with the stories of water genasi to recognize them and ignore their rude behaviour.
Water genasi have the best of both worlds. They can walk on land for an indefinite time (unlike aquatic elves, whom they secretly pity) and can always retreat to the tranquil depths of the ocean. Often loners, they sometimes establish a home in a remote underwater cave, going for years without encountering another intelligent being. They feel a kinship to other aquatic creatures, particularly tritons and water elementals, who can easily outswim the genasi.
Water genasi tend to be neutral and therefore avoid extremes in politics, opinion or career. Some find a quiet spot to call home, others enjoy riding the currents for months, allowing the water to take them places hundreds of miles away.
Characters: Water genasi often multiclass between fighter and another class, keeping their levels relatively even.
Favoured Class: Fighter. Water genasi prefer combat styles and weapons that unbalance, bind or disarm their opponents.
Prestige Classes: Water genasi have no particular prestige class preferences.
Society: Water genasi have no society of their own, but often subconsciously adopt traits of the people who raised them, so a water genasi raised by aquatic elves is likely to believe in personal freedoms and good behaviour, while one raised by sahuagin will be bloodthirsty and militaristic. Water genasi from different cultures can be as radically different as a quiet spring and a raging waterfall.
Water genasi do not prefer the company of other water genasi. If anything, it makes them feel less special and unique in the context of the other beings they live near. Accordingly, they rarely live in the same communities and none have been known to marry. This keeps the population of repeat-generation water genasi low, with new genasi coming from new bloodlines or from lines that skipped a generation.
Their self-contained nature makes water genasi unlikely leaders. A water genasi is more likely to guard or support a person he respects and admires than to be a person who attracts or welcomes subordinates.
Language: As most of them are born on the Sea of Fallen Stars, water genasi learn Common because of all the mercantile traffic. Many learn Aquan or Serusan in order to converse with other aquatic creatures, and the ones who live with or near aquatic elves usually learn Elven as well. Those raised by sahuagin learn Sahuagin.
All water genasi are literate, except for barbarians, commoners and warriors.
Magic: Water genasi prefer spells that produce cold, ice, snow and water. Water genasi spellcasters are usually clerics or druids, for they rarely have the talent for sorcery and water ruins scrolls and spellbooks (although at least one water genasi wizard has developed a method for scribing “scrolls” on carved shells).
Spells and Spellcasting: Conjuration spells are most important to most water genasi, because they allow the summoning of water elementals and control of the weather.
Magic Items: Water genasi favour magical nets and items that can be used underwater, such as tridents of warning or horns of the tritons. The first coral dolphin figurine of wondrous power was created by a water genasi mage.
Religion: Water genasi have no common racial deity. Those who live with a community of other aquatic creatures usually adopt the patron deity of their allies. Because water genasi clerics must choose deities who grant the Water domain, all water genasi clerics worship Auril, Deep Sashelas, Eldath, Isis, Istishia, Sebek, Silvanus or Umberlee. Those who are not devout enough to be clerics still worship those deities or another water-themed deity such as Valkur.
While few water genasi enjoy very cold weather, those who do usually worship the Frostmaiden. These eccentric genasi often swim in arctic waters with seals and similar creatures, and are known for their habit of pairing up with a large cold-based monster. They often make friends with frost giants.
Deep Sashelas, the elven god of waves and waters, is a natural choice for genasi who associate with aquatic elves. They often act as emissaries and messengers between colonies of aquatic elves and their land-bound cousins. As the patron of water magic, he also has many arcane spellcasters worshipping him. The most placid and introspective water genasi worship Eldath. Her clerics and druids are benign and helpful beings, which makes them a favourite prey of followers of Malar. Mages who worship Eldath prefer abjuration spells over all other kinds. Istishia’s idea of embracing one’s personal excellence is appealing to water genasi, as is his message of flexibility and overcoming obstacles over time. His worshippers are mediators, often interceding between rival groups using the same body of water, whether two different fishing villages or a colony of aquatic elves annoyed by merchant traffic above their kelp beds.
Rough waters and remote naval exploration are meat and bread to water genasi. Water genasi revering Valkur are welcomed by sea captains and respected by common sailors. Some lack a taste for adventure but love working with boats, and these make a living in coastal communities repairing ship damage below the water line.
Many evil water genasi in the vicinity of Mulhorand, Unther and Chessenta worship the crocodile god Sebek, sometimes becoming lycanthropes. They harass shipping routes and folk living on or near rivers. Like their deity, they constantly feel the need to prove their strength and justify their existence by bullying creatures weaker than themselves. Worshippers of Umberlee, the Bitch Queen, can be the most cruel and temperamental of all the water genasi. They enjoy extorting money for their church, and a shipboard cleric has nothing to fear should the crew decide to push him overboard when the weather turns nasty. Evil spellcasters who practice water magic often worship her as well.
Relations: Water genasi feel closest to their adopted race and indifferent to all others. Aquatic creatures and others who can naturally breathe water are treated less coolly (unless such a creature is a natural enemy of the genasi’s adopted race, such as a sahuagin-raised genasi confronted by a triton). They hold no special animosity toward fiery creatures or fire genasi, and see a similarity between themselves and flying creatures, although they are quick to point out that natural fliers have to come to rest on land eventually while they and other sea creatures can live in the water indefinitely. They laugh at and ridicule aquaphobic creatures, and dwarves are frequently the target of their jokes and pranks (almost always involving a dunking).
Equipment: Water genasi who live in the water use items favoured by other aquatic races — nets instead of pouches, stabbing weapons instead of slashing or bludgeoning, and so on. They have no need to drink while in the water, so they have little need to transport liquids except for potions, for which they use potion bladders.
Animals and Pets: Water genasi who live in the water prefer dolphins, octopi, sharks and other aquatic animals as pets and animal companions. Those who live on the land and water prefer animals that can live in both environments, such as crocodiles, otters and some snakes and birds.
Regions: Chessenta, Thay
Source: Races of Faerûn (Page 127), Player’s Guide to Faerûn (Page 29), Forgotten Realms Campaign Setting (Page 20)
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)