Efreeti Monster Card art by Victor Sanchez

Efreeti Culture, Psychology, & Lore

by Vassar Oenbring

“Every so often, a zealous Prince seeks to upend the natural order by promoting foolish concepts like equality, liberty, and democracy. I have one in my dungeons as we speak. Come, let us turn the hose on him and listen to him howl.”

– Iginar Thermbarbas, Efreeti Emir

Culture and Psychology

Along with their well-earned reputation for arrogance and brutality, Efreeti are consummate merchants and negotiators. Efreet society is hierarchical and bureaucratic in the extreme, with dominant individuals wielding absolute power over those of lesser status. For most Efreeti, the pursuit of wealth and influence trumps all else, and they are willing to undertake almost any scheme that helps them climb in status.

The most powerful Efreeti are those descended from the Harem of the Sultan Pashasha.  Princes and Princesses of the City of Brass, these beautiful, haughty, and rich royals flaunt their power and wealth at every opportunity. Insulted in the street by one of lesser status, they may buy the offender’s Salamander out from under him for an extravagant price, then kill it before his eyes.

Royal Efreeti fund many enterprises in the Material Planes. They are infamous for their cavalier approach to business with non-Efreeti, and bankroll projects no one else would touch. They enter into these agreements variously, sometimes requiring elaborate contracts, and at other times without signing any documents at all. They may provide chests of gold without so much as a handshake, and occasionally hold their associates to promises made in dreams. Efreeti are known to extract violent revenge when their investments are not handsomely repaid. They burn ships, raze keeps, and murder their cronies and confederates when dealings go awry.

Below the royal class churns a shifting array of minor nobility, merchants, warriors, and peasantry. Individual Efreet are constantly altering their alliances, striking bargains, and hatching plots against one another. Only strict adherence to the Efreet Code, a set of complex laws dealing exclusively with relationships between Efreeti, keeps their contentious society from fragmenting.

Some Efreeti spend their lives studying the convoluted laws of the Efreet Code. Usually this is done for personal enrichment but occasionally it derives from a genuine love of scholarship. Efreeti form special societies to debate the legal minutia of the Code. Occasionally, they hire out their keen legal minds to other races at great cost, but woe to the unwary client who does not carefully read their contract with the Barrister. Efreeti Barristers are notorious for seizing upon loopholes, both written and verbal, that bias existing agreements to their advantage.

When disputes arise between Efreeti that cannot be legally resolved, the aggrieved parties may declare a Ra’Kazat, a grudge duel. Ra’Kazat is fought atop a towering basalt column in the center of the City of Brass, with thousands of spectators in attendance. The dueling pitch is ringed by portals to the Outer Planes, which the adjudicator opens and closes at whim. Blasts of icy water, howling sandstorms, frigid blizzards, torrents of mud, and the occasional otherworldly creature may pour from these portals to assail the duelists. Ra’Kazats are almost always fought to the death, as the loser will be enslaved by the victor for life, per contract of course.

Efreeti esteem a keen eye for profit and a silver tongue as the highest virtues. Sincerity and altruism are considered weaknesses. For all their scheming and maneuvering, Efreeti are generally lawful with each other, as the Efreet Code severely punishes acts of overt violence.

Special Tactics

Efreeti use their fire affinity to their advantage whenever possible. They are infamous for setting buildings ablaze while fighting within them.

Whenever faced with strong foes, an Efreet will evade direct combat first by summoning a fire elemental, then by casting Fly and Invisibility on itself. If forced to the ground, it will Enlarge itself before engaging in melee.

Multiple Efreeti are rarely encountered together outside the Plane of Fire, but when they are, one will usually Enlarge itself and fight in melee while the others soar above the battlefield and pelt their opponents with spells.

Qualities

Aloof. Arrogant and prideful, Efreeti consider themselves the rightful masters of all lesser beings. They roll at Disadvantage on Insight checks made to resist flattery and taunting.

Avaricious. Riches, particularly magical items, are irresistible to Efreeti. While they will not steal, they will attempt to barter useless items or illusionary coins for the goods they covet. They may also make bargains or sign contracts pertaining to the future procurement of rare or valuable items. For example, if adventures sign an Efreet contract promising to deliver the Jade Heart of Winter from the Tomb of Azerbijan, their Efreeti partners may happily furnish the party with gold and supplies. If the Jade Heart is not promptly delivered, however, the adventures may pay with their lives.

Bound by Law. Efreeti obey the letter of their own laws according to the Efreet Code. They are otherwise almost completely without morals or ethics. If an activity or deed is not explicitly prohibited by Efreet Code, an Efreet will act upon it without compunction.

Cruel Masters. Terror is an Efreet’s motivational tool of choice and they take pleasure in frightening other creatures. They have Advantage on all Intimidation checks made against non-Efreeti, of Large size and smaller.

Weaponry

Melee 1. Glaive (2d10+6 Slashing, reach 15). Efreeti soldiers often use reach weapons when fighting in groups.

Melee 2. Falchion (4d4+6 Slashing + 2d6 fire). These heavy two-handed swords are intricately decorated hereditary status symbols.

Ranged 1. Great Bow (2d8+6 piercing, range 300/600). These massive bows are used when fighting beyond the range of an Efreet’s Hurl Flame attack.

Ranged 2. Mancatcher (no damage, reach 15, DC 15 DEX Save or be Grappled). Slavers use polearms with pincers to capture slaves of Large or smaller size. An Efreet with a mancatcher does not need to role a Grapple check if the attack hits.

Special Units

Barrister. These pompous Efreeti specialize in legal knowledge and contract wording. They have Advantage on Insight and Persuasion checks related to negotiation, diplomacy, and business.

Emir. As minor nobles of Efreeti society, Emir use their royal bloodline to command any creatures native to the Elemental Plane of Fire. This takes the form of the Suggestion spell, with the DC 15 WIS Save made at Disadvantage. Emirs may use this power 3 times per long rest.

Investigator. The enforcers of the Efreet Code may be encountered anywhere in the planes. They appear whenever a suspected breach of law or contract has been reported, and are able to use the Scrying spell 3 times per day. They may also cast Teleport 2 times per day.

Slaver. Grim and avaricious even by Efreeti standards, Slavers roam the planes in search of prey. They have Advantage to all Intimidation and Deception checks, and may use the Dimension Door spell once per day. Slavers plunder the possessions of their slaves before selling them, and are therefore likely to possess magical weapons and trinkets.

Tycoon. Successful Efreeti merchants tend to avoid conflict whenever possible in favor of signing contracts and building trade networks. They have a unique ability, Summon Coin, which they will use to buy their way out of trouble if at all possible. Summoned coins last for 24 hours, then turn to red sand.

Special Abilities

Absorb Heat. Three times per long rest, an Efreet may take a full-round action to heal 3d20 Hit Points by absorbing fire damage. This works with all types of flame or heat, including magical effects. Efreeti are known to start fires with Hurl Flame before leaping into the center of the blaze to heal their wounds.

Contract Wish. Some Efreeti manage to forge contracts with major Demons. These contracts allow them to grant themselves a single Wish, using the Demon as an intermediary. This is frowned upon by Efreet Code and an Efreet will use Contract Wish only in the most dire circumstances, typically once in a lifetime.

Flame Wave. An Efreet may channel its Hurl Flame ability into a single, massive burst of flame that emanates from its body for 30 feet in all directions. This wave of flame does 5d10 damage, DC 15 DEX Save for half damage. Once Flame Wave has been used, an Efreet loses its Hurl Flame ability until it takes a short or long rest.

Summon Retinue. Many powerful Efreeti provide their assistants with amulets that can be expended in order to summon them to their master’s side. If pressed, some Efreeti may summon 1d4 less-powerful Efreeti to aid them.

Movement

Run. Good. Efreeti are quick, strong, and have great stamina.

Climb. Good. Efreeti rarely climb, and look down upon the activity, since they can fly. But when the need arises, they are quite good at it.

Swim. Poor. Efreeti abhor water. They can, however, swim in magma.

Burrow. Poor. Digging seems a little too much like real work for Efreeti.

Fly. Excellent. The grace and speed of Efreeti has been compared to the flames of a bonfire rising into the night sky.

Grudges

Efreeti dislike and distrust creatures associated with the Plane of Water, for reasons that are probably obvious. They reserve their real animosity for creatures of Chaos, such as Demons and Slaad, though they are not above making pacts and striking deals with the most powerful members of these species. In general, the practice of lawlessness, disorganization, and anarchy arouses sharp scorn amongst the legalistic and hierarchical Efreeti.

Most humanoid races are beneath even the contempt of the Efreeti, who think of them as little more than work animals, when they think of them at all.

See the full blog here.

© 2021 Dubious Merit Games