Efreeti

Efreeti

Species	hemitheioc
No. Appearing	1
Behaviour	servant
Range	Astral, Gehenna
Size	12 ft. tall
Weight	1,400 lbs.
Intelligence	11
Armour Class	2
Hit Dice	10
Action Points	6
Max. Stride	14
THAC0	15
Hp/Die	d12
Attack Forms	sword
Damage	4–32
Special Attacks	create illusion, enlarge, gaseous form, immune to fire, invisibility, polymorph, produce flame, pyrotechnics, wall of fire, wish

Efreeti, also ifrit, efreet or affreet, are supernatural beings associated with djinni, described within Islamic texts as "rebellious" among that number. Efreeti dwell in the City of Brass, in the Land of Jahannam upon the rim of Gehenna, separated from Hades by the River Phlegethon. In appearance they are an enormous horned creature, either male or female, with a body comprised of smoke and fire. They are powerful, formidable beings who despise humanoid races and fear the power of Allah and the Angels. The gate between Gehenna and the astral plane is defended by the Archangel Gabriel.

Behaviour

Generally ruthless and wicked, Efreeti are known to enslave mortals and weaker spirits, often binding them to serve within the burning palaces and forges of the City of Brass. Their civilisation is ancient and rigidly hierarchical, ruled by tyrants and judges who command through fire and divine knowledge twisted to suit their will. Though inherently magical, efreeti often practise sorcery and elemental craft rather than clerical magic, rejecting divine favour in favour of raw destructive force. They speak many tongues, including the languages of fire, ash and pain, though among themselves they communicate in a guttural dialect of Ignan shaped by the rhythms of breath and flame.

Encounters with efreeti are perilous, as they are deeply prideful and easily enraged. They view most beings as beneath them, yet may bargain or parley when it suits their aims, especially if doing so advances their standing or humiliates a rival. Summoning an efreeti is a dangerous enterprise, as even bound efreeti look for ways to twist commands or subvert control. Their knowledge of ancient lore, metallurgy and planar geography is vast, making them valuable sources of information — but at a terrible cost. Their hatred of djinn and rivalry with other elemental powers further complicate dealings, as efreeti rarely act without layers of intent and long grudges.

Blood feuds between tribes of efreeti have continued for millennia, with defeated individuals condemned to centuries of servitude before they're able to re-incorporate and take their place in the tribe once again. Thus conflict and hatred are unrelenting among their number. These feuds are remembered in precise detail, recorded in flame-etched scrolls or spoken aloud in ritual recounting before battle or judgment. Each tribe maintains a complex history of honour, betrayal and vengeance, and violations of tribal law or insult to lineage are never forgotten. Servitude is not only a punishment but a deliberate humiliation, during which the fallen are stripped of name, rank and even physical form, their bodies reduced to flickering cinders until their sentence is fulfilled or they are restored by the favour of a superior. Even then, reintegration is not guaranteed and may require trials by combat, ordeal or public submission. The constant churn of rivalry feeds the brutal structure of efreeti society, where strength is admired but treachery is expected. Alliances are fleeting and often end in fire. Among efreeti, peace is a weakness and vengeance is sacred.

Summoning

Efreeti are bound to their native realm and do not appear elsewhere unless drawn through acts of dweomercraft or through the influence of enchanted instruments capable of reaching across planes. Summoners, often indifferent to the harm they unleash, are typically motivated by the promise of a single wish. In return for their liberation into the Prime Material Plane, efreeti offer this service as the cost of their freedom — an exchange the summoner is all too willing to accept, blind to the ruin that follows.

Once loosed, the creature conceals itself carefully, working in secret to carry out vengeance rooted in its deep hatred for the faithful, particularly those who serve Islam. It incites betrayal, provokes bloodshed within families and communities, and corrupts institutions through deception and cruelty. When its presence becomes known, coordinated efforts arise to remove it — though mortal means often prove inadequate, requiring divine intervention from angels and archangels to drive the creature back.

The summoning of such a being is regarded as an act of black magic, an affront condemned by most religions. Those responsible are not easily forgiven, regardless of the benefit gained, and are hunted as heretics or warlocks, their lives forfeit in the eyes of both law and faith.

While many imagine the wish as a moment of boundless gain, in truth the efreeti's interpretation is malicious and exacting. They are known to answer with technical obedience while creating outcomes that punish ambition or pride. Entire cities have been plunged into ruin through such bargains — plagues, famines or uprisings engineered by the letter of the wish, not its intent. In rare cases where the wish is carefully worded and narrowly scoped, the efreeti may fulfil it cleanly, often because it sees greater opportunity in the summoner's future downfall than in sabotaging the request directly. Ancient texts warn against even indirect dealings with efreeti, noting that their presence distorts the natural order. Weather grows volatile, fires rage longer than they should, and tempers flare among mortals and spirits alike. The longer an efreeti remains on the Prime Material Plane, the greater the instability it causes, even without direct interference. Temples may darken, protective wards grow thin, and celestial agents begin to withdraw, as if the very air recoils from the creature's presence. In the most severe cases, the efreeti may attempt to anchor itself permanently by constructing a hidden lair or forging pacts with mortal cults, creating footholds that must be rooted out to fully banish it.

Advantages

An efreeti cannot grant its own wish, nor the wish of any other efreeti. It can only satisfy the wishes of other creatures. However, among its abilities, it is able to perform the following abilities at will: invisibility, assume gaseous form, enlarge, polymorph self' or others, create an illusion or create a wall of fire. From its own body, an efreeti is able to likewise produce flame or pyrotechnics.

These powers may be performed at will, which means by expending 1 action point (AP). They require no verbal invocation or material components, as they are innate to the efreeti's elemental nature. The illusions it creates are frequently accompanied by heat distortion and faint embers, a telltale signature of their origin. Its use of polymorph is especially dangerous, as it can transform itself into a seemingly harmless creature or assume the likeness of a trusted figure, manipulating its surroundings with calculated precision. When it enlarges, its size may double, allowing it to dominate confined spaces or overwhelm unprepared foes with sheer physical presence. The wall of fire, a favourite in battle, is summoned with a gesture or roar, often used to divide opponents or to encircle its victims before closing in. The flames it conjures from its body can be hurled or used to ignite weapons, clothing or structures, while its pyrotechnic displays can blind or terrify enemies, often used as a distraction before a strike. These effects, while familiar to seasoned mages, take on a unique and often more violent character when used by an efreeti, whose command of flame is both artistic and brutal.

Efreeti are naturally immune to fire and heat effects. This resistance is absolute, allowing them to pass through infernos unharmed, dwell within molten environments, and endure magical or natural sources of extreme temperature without discomfort or injury. Flames bend around them as though repelled, and even the most intense magical conflagrations — such as dragon breath or high-order spells — fail to touch them. Their immunity extends to the equipment they carry and wear, which may remain intact within conditions that would melt steel or boil blood. Some efreeti use this to their advantage, walking through walls of flame or lava flows during combat to intimidate or corner enemies, knowing that most foes cannot follow. This invulnerability also allows them to rest and regenerate in volcanic regions or in the heart of destructive wildfires, making pursuit into such places particularly dangerous.

The sword wielded by an efreeti is enormous and is fundamentally magic, but it has no bonuses to hit. Its magical nature lies in its durability and the sheer elemental force it channels rather than in enchantments that guide its aim. Forged from otherworldly materials found only in the furnaces of the City of Brass, the weapon burns with a heat that can blacken stone and sear flesh on contact. This accounts for the damage it causes.

See Bestiary