Janni (Paths Beyond)
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.
Lebling, Robert W. Legends of the Fire Spirits: Jinn and Genies from Arabia to Zanzibar. London: Tauris Parke, 2014.
