#jiovanni

Trying to figure out a design for the awesome Earth Genasi Monk character idea that I had. 

I’ll explain his backstory in detail later, but the basic wacky concept that I had for him is “earth elemental but with an abysmally poor sense of direction.” It’s okay, though: he doesn’t get fazed by much. You could say, he’s good at staying “grounded.”

Outfit designs for my Dungeons & Dragons Earth Genasi Monk, Jiovanni (aka Jii, Jio, or JiJi), named after a mysterious genie named Jiode (pronounced like “geode”). For simplicity, he’ll probably go by “JiJi” most of the time. I like that it sounds a little like “genie” and like “GG,” as in “good game,” as in, “regardless of the outcome of the match, I enjoyed playing with you and respect your talent.” It feels very fitting for a pacifist monk character. Whether he stays a pacifist for the whole adventure will depend on what happens to him and his companions, but at least I have a fun starting point for him!

For his outfit designs, his regular clothes (left) are meant to look sort of ninja-like, skintight with dark colors to help his crystals stand out more vibrantly. This outfit has a large hood attached, to make him a bit more inconspicuous among the general public. The crystals attached to his belt/boots are taken directly from the Monastery where he grew up.

His performance outfit (right) is meant to be reminiscent of a Dao, specifically Jiode, who played a part in founding the Monastery. I gave JiJi the “Entertainer” background, which gives him an instrument and a costume in his starting equipment, among a few other proficiencies. His particular performance specialty is Storytelling and Instrumentalist (he plays the dulcimer; imagine its haunting melodies echoing through an underground monastery), so I devised that he used to tell the Monastery’s origin story by way of theatrical presentation. His jewelry is made of cheap materials meant to look like precious stones and metals, and the tattoos are impermanent. His glittery skirt is designed to resemble the dust cloud that trails the lower bodies of the Dao. And, I’ll be honest, I really wanted to take the opportunity to draw him wearing something fanservicey. As you can see, literally all of his hair is crystals. A++ Earth Genasi. I love him already.

A friend of ours might be doing a Lost Mine of Phandelver campaign soon, so I’m thinking about using JiJi for that. Since one of his character traits is “being emotionally ‘grounded’ in the face of danger,” it might help counteract my familiarity with the campaign (having DM’d it in the past). My lack of surprise at the story’s various threats, twists, and turns can be played right into my character’s tranquil nature, also preventing me from outright taking the lead as a consequence of knowing what exactly is going on. While I don’t have any desire to metagame, I fear that it may be inevitable in some cases. Playing as JiJi would be a good remedy for that. It also helps that he can’t be trusted to lead the party in the right direction.

Bonus: Screenshot of JiJi’s finalized stats. Monks shouldn’t technically have low WIS (it affects their Unarmored Defense, which should be as high as possible since they don’t rely on armor for their abilities), but I wanted to convey his terrible sense of direction by giving him poor Survival skills, thus, low Wisdom. I instead gave him high Constitution to make up for it (bolstered by his Earth Genasi heritage). I am all about unconventional character creation and not about min/maxing. I’ve been bitter ever since I saw someone complain that a Dragonborn Bard is a waste of the race’s natural Strength.