By Alan McCoy from Dungeons & Dragons: Fundamentals
How to build challenging encounters against a Djinni
Note: This has been prepared utilizing only the 5E Core Rules. The Genies can be found in the Monster Manual pages 141-146. I will be including some NON-RAW recommended changes at the end of the essay.
Djinni are creatures out of story and legend. A Djinni is created when a mortal’s spiritual energy merges with the primordial matter of the Elemental Plane of Air. The transformation is complete, the only vestige of the spirits previous existence is a physical resemblance that includes gender and one or two remnant personality traits.
Genies believe that they are the epitome of the elemental stuff from which they were created. They are haughty and arrogant with a profound sense of entitlement that comes from knowing that they have the kind of power that few can rival. In their palaces on their home planes, the Genies are served by legions of willing slaves that cater to their every whim. Genies view their slaves as living property and exult in their praise. This constant praise serves to validate the genies sense of power and high self-opinion.
Djinni tend to treat their slaves as servants deserving of kindness and protection, almost as if they were pampered pets, enjoying the devotion and subservience that they lavish upon them. Their slaves are still their property however, and they will part with them with great reluctance.
In arcane circles it is well known that genies are masters of the element from which they are drawn, and that a rare few possess the power to grant wishes. For these reasons, Wizards and other spell-casters have been to attempt to bind these creatures into service, using them as the focal point in the creation of bottles, instruments, powerful rings, or iron flasks.
Of all the Genies, the Djinni believe that some periods of servitude are a matter of fate and that no being can resist the hand of fate for long. As a result of this attitude, the Djinni are the most accepting of servitude, though they never enjoy it.
The mortal who desires the brief service of a Djinni may be able to entreat it with fine gifts or use flattery to gain its compliance. They dislike long term service and imprisonment is considered an inexcusable affront. They regard betrayal as the blackest of sins, one that only deadly vengeance can amend.
The Djinn tend to be proud and sensuous, enjoying their ease. They usually appear as attractive muscular beings with blue skins and dark eyes. They dress in airy, shimmering silks designed for comfort and styled to reveal their physical attributes. When they fly, the Djinn appear to be riding powerful whirlwinds, and can even carry passengers. Djinn can manifest a one-handed scimitar should they feel a need for a weapon.
While they are the kindest of the genies, the Djinn still consider themselves to be the intellectual and physical superior to any mere mortal. A Djinni would rather talk than fight, but when roused to battle they can be quite effective and dangerous.
While individual exceptions are possible, most Djinn are Chaotic Good in Alignment.
Step 1) Let’s review what we know about the Djinni
Impressive Strength, Constitution and Charisma, Very high Intelligence, Wisdom and Dexterity.
Amazingly fast in the Air (90 feet/round), Walk (30 feet).
Immune to Lightning and Thunder Damage.
Darkvision 120 feet, Passive Perception (recalculated 15, 13 RAW).
Powerful Spellcasters using Charisma as a spellcasting ability.
Powerful in Melee, it can use its scimitar to attack three times each round. These attacks do additional damage in the form of lightning or thunder (Choice).
Can create a Whirlwind which it uses to capture and restrain enemies. It can move this whirlwind about as it chooses.
Step 2) Determine the probable Strategy
Strategy is always about determining the goals and desires of the creature in question and determining how far they will go to accomplish their goal and attain their desires. As the Djinni have unique personalities and highly developed intellects, trying to determine what an individual’s strategy will be is nearly impossible.
As stated before, a Djinni would rather talk than fight, even using it’s create food and wine ability to provide a more relaxed conversation. Woe to any person that has earned their vengeance.
I will limit myself to the following situation, a Djinni has resisted an attempt by a Wizard to imprison it in a magical ring, it is very angry at the betrayal and is attempting to punish and kill.
Scenario: The Djinni has escaped the confines of the Wizard’s Tower and is taking his vengeance upon the wizard and anyone in proximity. The tower is located on the outskirts of a seaside village, it stands on the edge of a cliff with dungeons below it leading to a sea-cave harbor.
Step 3) Determine Tactics
The Djinni will Conjure an Air Elemental to attack the party, while it flies above the party. It will cast Tongues to ensure that it understands the language used. It will also utilize Detect Good and Evil and Detect Magic to identify the strongest foes and spellcasters.
While the party is fighting the Air Elemental the Djinni will watch carefully for or order the utilization of the Whirlwind ability and will quickly move to the side of anyone flung away and knocked prone. This individual will be the target of one or more attacks from the deadly scimitar (Advantage).
The Djinni can form a whirlwind of its own and move it about as it chooses, in preference the targets will be the spellcasters and ranged. This whirlwind has a speed of 60 feet, more than fast enough to keep it on top of almost opponent the Djinni chooses.
The Djinni will It will utilize its ability to fly to hover at 25 feet, moving down to attack any foe knocked prone by one of the whirlwinds. Rinse and repeat.
The Djinni can produce a powerful illusion with its Major image spell and can use this to alter the landscape such that creatures blunder into dangerous situations.
Using it’s Thunderwave ability, it can knock escaping foes back into either its whirlwind or the elementals whirlwind.
Alternately, it might decide to grapple an opponent, fly high and drop them.
Finally, when the Djinni can banish a truly pesky foe by using its plane shift ability.