#pazio

When I was a teenager, cracking open the 3.0 Monster Manual for the first time, the Janni didn't excite me. Two decades on, however, they get my vote for the best genies in the d20 games. Why? One of the reasons I appreciate the Janni is they are much closer to the typical benevolent jinn with nary a wish in sight. While jinni in folklore have magical powers, they don't grant wishes; they use other magic to complete their tasks. 

The genies from ʻAlāʼ ad-Dīn's ring and lamp are by far the most famous wish-granters. There is, however, an entire thing about whether the Aladdin stories are genuine or Antoine Galland's inventions because we have no textual evidence for their existence before Les mille et une nuits. There is a wish-granter in the oldest extant version of ʾAlf Laylah wa-Laylah, but the ifrit in The Fisherman and the Jinni is extremely old and desperate. It certainly isn't magically compelled to grant wishes to anyone. 

The Janni are great because they avoid that old orientalist trope entirely and match up well with more modern tales of the jinn too. These genies live alongside mortals on the Material Plane but are often invisible, using their magic to hide from prying eyes. While the elemental planes don't exist in Arabic folklore, there is a belief that other worlds exist and that the jinn have their own kingdoms on those worlds — so janni possessing the plane shift power makes sense. 

Speaking of that plane shift, janni are an easy way to get low-level adventurers onto the planes and back again without portals. They are limited in where they can travel, but they aren't restricted to the Elemental Planes either; remember that the Astral is a valid target for janni. The stat block backs this up; janni are trained in the Arcana skill. This tells us a bit about how they look at the world. They take the approach of philosophy, metaphysics, and intense study — which conveniently loops back around to folklore. Jinn are best known as shapeshifters and tricksters, so get ready to crack out your jann wizards specializing in illusion and transmutation!

Adak the Thunderbolt is one of the premier wizards in the astral city of Yulgamot. While the janni is no slouch with evocation, in reality she is an illusionist — her epithet comes from her bold and decisive mannerism, not out of any affinity for lightning. From Yulgamot, Adak studies the relationship between the Inner Planes and the Astral, hoping to unlock the arcane secrets of matter and mind. She regularly hires adventurers as bodyguards for her expeditions across the planes and she is willing to mentor those who impress her.

The qareen are a Janni lineage who plane shift not to the Astral Plane but to the Ethereal and the Dreamlands. Every qareen has a spiritual double, a mortal on Golarian born at the same moment as the genie. Traditionally, the qareen serve as invisible guardians to their doubles, but many are mischievous pranksters or even sadistic torturers who infiltrate their twin's dreamscape to wreak havoc. When a qareen outlive their mortal counterpart, they join wandering military bands on the ethereal plane, ensuring the dream world and the mortal realm remain separate. 

Janni can only persist on the Elemental Planes for about two days, forcing them to keep on the move. The Opine Vault is one of the few places they can take up permanent residence on the Inner Planes. Upon her ascension to the Peerless Empire's throne, Sultana Ashadieeyah bint Khalid received a flawless moonstone from the reigning Kelish Padishah Emperor. She enchanted this gem to create the Settled Jewel, making the Vault a safe haven for Janni on the Plane of Earth. Janni now serve as administrators and bureaucrats throughout the city, but the Fossilized King Ayrzul plans on stealing the stone and using it for his own purposes. 

Further Reading

El-Zein, Amira. Islam, Arabs, and the Intelligent World of the Jinn. Syracuse University Press, 2017.

Irwin, Robert. The Arabian Nights: A Companion. London: Tauris Parke Paperbacks, 2010.

Pegasi are classic monsters, but they aren’t too complicated either. A standard pegasus is a flying horse with scent, detect good, and detect evil. Since Planescape’s factions tend to recruit based on ethical rather than moral alignment, prior to the Faction War I don’t expect those abilities would be widely used within their ranks. That said, the Guvners could employ them in their trials, while the Mercykillers may use detect evil to track down people who associate with fiends. Post-Faction War, the Sons of Mercy would likely  make extensive use of pegasi, however. Also worth noting is that the first Pegasus was of divine bloodline, so generally they would not have good relations with the Athar, but could be prone to joining the Godsmen.

Speaking of the first Pegasus, some pegasi get a bit more of that divine blood than others. These horses also have resistance to poison and fire, as well as immunity to petrification, and a predilection for attaching themselves to great heroes. While pegasi can commonly be found on the Beastlands, Arborea, and Ysgard, expect this nobles to be found further afield in more hostile climes. While it may not seem logical for a flying horse to be found in the earth-based elemental planes, an extremely common hazard on those planes is petrification. A mount that won’t turn to stone underneath you would be worth its weight in gold on the Elemental Plane of Earth, but good luck convincing it you are worthy.

Ages ago, Zeus placed the original Pegasus in the night sky as a constellation. Since then, many star gods have called upon the winged horses as their servitors, but the eeriest of these are the pegasi of Yog-Sothoth. Unlike many of the Gate and the Key’s followers, these winged horses are radiant, perfectly formed creatures whose beauty often borders on uncanny. They are valued on the planes for their ability to track and scent portal keys. While not evil, many of these pegasi serve as the seed around which Yog-Sothoth’s cults form.

One of Poseidon’s most notorious priests in Sigil is the pegasus Chrysaor. While he is unable to preach through speech, Chrysaor allows his actions to speak for him, encouraging others to embrace Poseidon’s faith that the philosophy of the Transcendent Order.  

If you enjoy this post, please retweet it or boost it. I posted this goofy meme across social media this past week. I received a not-so-goofy response. Long story short, Zephyr the Dream Dragon on Mastodon responded that he’d never want to use wand-wielding conductors as models because he’s worried he’d get sued by J.K. Rowling. Now, I think Zephyr gets it. I think Zephyr realizes that any such…

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