Planetouched, Genasi (Steam)
| Personality: Like their Magma, Dust, and Salt Genasi cousins, Steam Genasi are ardent, enthusiastic explorers of the Multiverse. But the Lanterns of the Mists specialize in (and excel at) the exploration of the obscure.For some steam genasi, this means investigating hidden darks and unearthing lost (or forbidden) knowledge. This could be anything from uncovering the dark of why Nemausus has gone missing from Arcadia, to discovering the pattern of a shifting portal in the Hive Ward, to capturing the murderer of the late Colonel Halvart. But for most steam genasi -- the overwhelming majority, in fact -- this means taking the first portal out of Sigil and striking off for parts unknown. Steam genasi have a burning curiosity about those areas of the Planes about which there is little (if any) information. Find a spot on the Planes that nobody knows anything about and you can bet that a steam genasi will find some way to get there and return alive to tell the tale. One steam genasi, a sod named Strom, is systematically mapping Agathion, the fourth layer of Pandemonium. Another steam genasi, Kaul Wildmarten, is exploring the nether reaches of Pelion, on Arborea. And an unknown steam genasi is wandering about on the Great Glass Sea, on the continent of Taladas, on the Prime world of Krynn. Given all this exploration of the unknown, it's no wonder why most bashers tend to be respectful of steam genasi. For one thing, a lot of the knowledge collected about the lesser-traveled regions comes directly as a consequence of the Lanterns of the Mists. And for another, anybody who wanders into unknown areas of the Planes and lives to tell about it is not someone a body would want to cross. After all, it's one thing to visit Jangling Hiter after consulting with sages and planewalkers to find out the preparations needed to come back from the visit with all your skin still attached. It's another thing entirely to just gad about the lesser-traveled portions of the layer of Minauros without any prior knowledge of who may be out there or what it might take to keep 'em from putting you in the dead-book. Most sods would call such exploring barmy, but experienced steam genasi can do it and return six weeks later to toss the chant about it over a cup of mead and a game of dice. Most people on the planes have heard the phrase "Curiousity killed the steam genasi." They are the most curious of all races on the planes. So they are generally friendly to anyone they feel they can get chant from. By: Mark RobertsImported from a previous version of Planewalker.com |
| Physical Description: Appearance-wise, steam genasi are the most human-looking of all the plane-touched. All steam genasi have one or more of the following traits: |
| Relations: While steam genasi get along well with most Planewalkers, they don't really get a good reception when they return to their home plane. They are called "half-solid" by most of the races there. At best they are treated like half-elves, which may be why they choose to roam the planes. |
| Alignment: Lawful Good |
| Lands: Not really welcome in their plane of birth, they usually have a case in Sigil. |
| Religion: As there are no Powers that have a dominion over Steam, Lanterns of the Mists are not commonly clerics. Those who do follow a power typically follow a Power with dominion over travellers. They also like the few Powers who have their Realms in the Astral, like Celestian, as he allows his priests to not lose much power when wondering the Outer Planes. |
| Language: Steam Genasi speak common, can communicate with any race on the Plane of Steam, and usually pick up many other languages in their travels. |
| Names: None |
| Male Names: None |
| Female Names: None |
| Family Names: None |
| Adventurers: As previously mentioned, practically all Steam Genasi are adventurers. There are a couple that stay "close to home", but the rest go out to the Outer Planes, Astral Plane, and/or Ethereal Plane to find out the dark. They pride themselves on being wise to the dark that few others know. They tend to specialize in categories. As such, they most often become Loremasters(Prestige Class). The Guvners try every chance they can get to hear them rattle their boneboxes about the places they have wandered. Sensates too like having them record their experiences when they have the inclination. (Most times they don't.) |
| Racial Traits: Ability Scores: Steam Genasi have earned a well-deserved reputation for being tough to kill, and this is doubtless due to their +2 bonus to Dexterity and Constitution. However, they do seem more susceptible to mind-controlling spells (-2 penalty to Wisdom), and they're not particularly powerful (-2 to Strength).Water/Steam Breathing (Ex): Lanterns of the Mists can breathe both water and steam as though they were air, but they suffer the same movement penalties underwater as if they were any other land-based race. Saving Throw Bonus (Ex): They gain a +1 bonus to their saving throws vs. water- and necromantic-based magic every five levels.Spell-like Abilities (Su): Steam genasi can Obscure themselves once per day. This is a spell-like ability identical to the 2nd-level Wizard spell Obscurement, and steam genasi cast it as though they were 5th-level casters.Favored Class: Wizard |
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