DjinnTheBinding

Djinn: the Binding

A Storytelling game of Suppressed Fury

"The word Islam... is derived from the Arabic verb Aslama, which means 'to accept, surrender or submit.' Thus, Islam means acceptance of and submission to God..." - Wikipedia

"Well, it may be the devil or it may be the Lord \ But you're gonna have to serve somebody." - Bob Dylan

Themes: Bondage (literal and figurative), self-restraint, atonement

Mood: Turmoil

Inspirational sources: The Bartimaeus Trilogy, Hancock

Djinn are supernatural weapons of mass destruction. The raw power available to djinn far exceeds that of other supernaturals, especially at high levels, but they must constantly struggle to keep that power under control. (The "fury" of the subtitle doesn't mean that djinn are constantly angry; it's fury in the metaphorical sense, as in "the fury of the storm".) Unleashing their power wantonly can lead to untold destruction to everything around them, and ultimately to the djinn itself. The last time this happened, the djinn were seized by Michael's angelic host and bound for thousands of years.

A djinn's power stat is called Naphsha (an Aramaic word meaning "life", "soul" or "self") and its energy stat is Rukh (Aramaic for "spirit", "energy" or "wind"). Its powers are called Workings.

Stability is a djinn's version of Morality. If a djinn fails to contain the chaos that is its nature, its control gradually slips. The facade begins to crack, exposing more and more of its inhuman side. Mortals find the djinn's presence increasingly disturbing as its Stability erodes. Furthermore, strange and chaotic events occur around the djinn, growing in frequency, scope and severity as Stability goes down. The djinn effectively becomes a walking wild magic zone. Instead of gaining derangements, a djinn who fails a Stability roll suffers an effect known as Turbulence which is mechanically similar to Paradox. The severity of the effect is determined using 7 - Stability as the number of "successes" (per the table on p. 124 of Mage) and Naphsha in place of Arcanum. A Havoc result is interpreted as a Working gone awry, while a Manifestation means that an angel or other celestial servant shows up to punish the djinn for its transgressions. The djinn may choose to contain the Turbulence just as a mage chooses to suffer Paradox backlash, but the damage is aggravated rather than bashing.

Sins against Stability include excessive use of Workings (especially the more violent ones), being ruled by your passions, treating mortals callously, and breaking oaths or strictures (discussed below). If a djinn's current Rukh pool is lower than its Naphsha, it suffers a one-die penalty to degeneration rolls. This reflects the fact that more powerful djinn have a harder time keeping their power in check.

Acts which threaten Stability are, naturally, referred to as destabilizing acts. These are listed below

Stability Destabilizing Acts

• 10: Giving in to your Vice (roll five dice)
• 9: Intentional vandalism (roll five dice)
• 8: Injury to a mortal (accidental or otherwise) (roll four dice)
• 7: Allowing your passions to rule you (roll four dice)
• 6: Killing a mortal through careless or negligent behavior (roll three dice)
• 5: Intentional, mass property damage (arson) (roll three dice)
• 4: Impassioned act of violence (manslaughter) (roll three dice)
• 3: Planned act of violence (murder) (roll two dice)
• 2: Casual/callous act of violence (serial murder) (roll twice dice)
• 1: Massive environmental destruction, utter perversion, heinous act (mass murder) (roll two dice)

Suffering a dramatic failure with a Working also triggers a degeneration roll, with a die pool equal to 6 minus the dot-value of the Working (minimum two dice).

Universal djinn abilities

The Gift of Tongues
Djinn can understand and communicate in any written or spoken language, including sign language, Braille and Morse code. However, this doesn't grant the ability to decipher encrypted messages or to understand programming languages, nor does it mean that a djinn can speak any language at will. If a djinn sees a deaf person using sign language, it can understand what's being signed and respond in kind, but a djinn can't confound eavesdroppers by signing to another djinn, unless both of them have learned the language in the normal way. Djinn also have their own secret language which is known to all djinn.

Damage Resistance
A djinn's body is highly resistant to physical damage (including poison and disease), although magical attacks do aggravated damage to them. Djinn have a number of extra health levels equal to their Naphsha, and don't take aggravated damage except from magical attacks. (This includes damage from enchanted weapons as well as powers used by other supernaturals which employ mystical energy, such as a Promethean's Transmutation Jolt. Indirect magical attacks, such as using magic to guide a bullet's trajectory or collapse a building on top of a djinn, don't count, nor does the use of powers which enhance otherwise physical attacks, such as Potence.)

Djinn can also spend Rukh to speed up their rate of healing. One point of Rukh can remove a level of bashing damage or convert a level of lethal damage to bashing damage. The process takes about a minute of focussed effort per point of Rukh, so it can't usually be done in the middle of a fight unless the djinn can find someplace to hide or hole up and rest. The total damage healed per scene cannot exceed the djinn's Naphsha, nor can any given injury be "shifted" more than one level by spending Rukh. Body parts which are amputated or pulverized can't be regrown except by means of Healing Workings.

Example: A djinn with a Naphsha of 4 takes two levels of bashing damage and one level of lethal damage in a street fight. He spends one point of Rukh to convert the lethal damage to bashing, and another two points to remove the bashing damage, leaving him with one level of bashing damage which must heal naturally.

If a djinn is incapacitated by lethal damage, its natural defenses take over, spending Rukh to remove lethal damage up to the limit of its Naphsha. Bashing damage is not automatically healed, however, so the djinn will remain unconscious for at least 15 minutes.

Anchors and Vessels

A djinn's human body is only a temporary vessel; its true form is a roiling cloud of elemental energy. However, djinn in service to archangels have their spiritual essence bound into an inanimate object called an Anchor (usually an item of jewelry or a container of some sort, although any portable object can be used). This makes it very difficult for the djinn to leave the earthly realm. Regardless of what it's made of, an Anchor can only be destroyed using special rituals or weapons. A djinn cannot free itself from its Anchor, although non-djinn may do so if they know the right method. However, a djinn who persuades someone to free it earns the enmity of its angelic masters.

If a djinn's vessel is killed, it decomposes rapidly into its component elements (peris dissolve into vapor, marids melt into saltwater, ifrits burn to ash, ghuls crumble into dust, and utukku turn to mulch). The djinn's spirit retreats to its Anchor, where it must remain until it can create a new one. This takes one day and 5 Rukh per health level. A djinn can choose to create a weaker vessel if it's in a hurry or low on Rukh. A vessel must have at least the minumum number of health levels per its Size and Stamina, but the djinn does not have to add all of the bonus levels from its Naphsha. Non-human animal vessels can be created, but the Size of the vessel can't exceed the djinn's Naphsha + 4.

Djinn without Anchors (which includes most Shaitan) suffer from certain drawbacks which counterbalance the increased freedom they enjoy. Unanchored djinn suffer a one-die penalty to degeneration rolls, and if their vessel is killed, they're banished from the earthly realm and can't come back unless someone summons them.

Strictures

A djinn must have one stricture for every dot of Naphsha. Strictures are self-imposed taboos which allow djinn to maintain their self-control ("With great power comes great responsibility"). Violating a stricture is a sin against Stability. Players should feel free to come up with whatever strictures they like, but they shouldn't be silly, trivial or meaningless, nor should they involve things which are unlikely to ever happen.

Examples of good strictures:

• Never accept a gift without giving something of equal value in return.
• Always remove your shoes before entering a home or holy place.
• Never harm someone while you're a guest in their home, or they in yours.
• Always show respect to officers of the law.
• Always give fair warning before an attack.
• Never strike the first blow.
• Never consume alcohol.

Examples of bad strictures:

• Always wear blue on Tuesdays.
• Always turn around three times clockwise before sitting down.
• Howl at the moon every night.
• Never hurt an elephant.

Oaths

Any oath sworn by a djinn is binding, even more so than a stricture. Attempting to break an oath causes crippling pain and is a sin against Stability. However, so long as they obey the literal wording of an oath, djinn can freely twist its meaning. On the other hand, a djinn can't dissemble by swearing an oath by something that's not really sacred to them.

Violating a stricture is a four-die sin against Stability, and attempting to break an oath is a three-die sin. However, a djinn should never be able to ignore strictures or oaths, no matter how low its Stability.

Bondage and Pacts

Djinn can be bound and enslaved by magic rituals passed down from King Solomon, which make use of the secret language of the djinn. These rituals can be learned by mortals as well as true mages, and those who wield them – whether mage or mortal – are known as sorcerers. If a sorcerer knows a djinn's True Name or is in possession of the djinn's Anchor, they are powerless to resist. A sorcerer can also use a ritual to bind an unanchored djinn into a new Anchor. A djinn under a sorcerer's control must obey its master's every command, although it is free to twist the wording to pervert its intent.

Some sorcerers prefer to negotiate for a djinn's services rather than enslaving them. Djinn may form pacts with sorcerers, which grant both parties certain benefits in exchange for obligations, in much the same way as Changeling contracts. Violating a pact has the same consequences as violating a stricture, in addition to any punishment the sorcerer may exact on the wayward djinn.

Castes

Each Caste is associated with a different environment and has Workings of manipulation over a specific "element". The djinn's associated element also manifests in the use of other Workings -- for example, a marid using Transmutation Workings will find it easier to create things out of water than out of earth.

Ifrit - djinn of the desert (fire)

• Ifrit have forceful personalities and suffer from tempestuous passions and hot tempers.
  • +1 to Presence or Resolve
  • [Picture: A brawny man stands astride a Harley at the outskirts of town, backlit by the setting sun. He looks like a typical biker: shaved head, goatee, shades, leather vest. Stylized flames are tattooed on his bare arms and the sides of his head. His skin appears swarthy, but it's hard to tell whether it's his natural complexion or just shadow; his features might pass for Hispanic. Behind him the road disappears into a desert landscape; to the sides are low, rundown concrete buildings that look like low-rent office blocks.]

Marid - djinn of the sea (water)

• Marid typically have placid dispositions, but are prone to sudden mood swings.
  • +1 to Stamina or Composure
  • [Picture: A thirtyish woman in a charcoal-grey business suit (jacket, blouse, skirt, hose, high heels) stands on a coral reef. More coral is visible behind her, and tropical fish swim around her. Despite being underwater, she doesn't appear to be the least bit wet. She has straight, shoulder-length black hair and Mediterranean features. There's a slight smile on her face as she holds a cell phone to her ear with her right hand; her left hand is outstretched slightly to the side, fingers spread as if trailing in the current.]

Peri - djinn of the winds (air)

• Peri tend to be carefree, mischievous and often vain, and hate being confined.
  • +1 to Dexterity or Wits
  • [Picture: A young woman, dressed in embroidered jeans, a Barenaked Ladies t-shirt, and lots of bangles, balances on the railing at the edge of a rooftop. She is bent slightly at the waist, her face thrust forward and her arms spread out and back like wings. Her blond hair is whipping in the wind, her eyes are wide open and she has an expression of joy on her face.]

Ghul - djinn of the mountain caves (earth)

• Ghuls are usually grim and morbid, and have a disturbing air about them.
  • +1 to Stamina or Resolve
  • [Picture: A sinister-looking man stands looking out from the mouth of an alley. His hands are thrust into the pockets of a dark trenchcoat, and his eyes glower from beneath the brim of a fedora. He has a short, dark beard and his mouth is set in a grim line.]

Utukku - djinn of the forest (plants)

• Utukku are straightforward and single-minded by nature, not known for their guile. They tend to be humorless and prone to foul moods.
  • +1 to Strength or Resolve
  • [Picture: A grizzled homeless man sits on a park bench. His long, grey hair trails from beneath a broad-brimmed hat and mingles with his unkempt beard. His arms lie limp by his sides and he has a blank expression on his face as if his mind were elsewhere. Grass is sprouting through cracks in the concrete around his bare feet.]

Each Caste also grants a minor defensive ability related to its associated element. These can be activated by spending one point of Rukh, and last until the end of the scene:

• Ifrits take no damage from heat or flame.
• Marids take no damage from water (i.e. drowning, hypothermia, pressure, the bends).
• Peris take no damage from falling, and always land on their feet.
• Ghuls take only half damage from physical attacks while standing on natural stone or earth (shaped stone such as flagstones will do, but not concrete or asphalt).
• Utukku take no damage from wooden weapons or plant-based toxins.

Camps

The djinn are divided into five Camps, each consisting of djinn who've entered into voluntary servitude to a specific archangel. (I chose the word "camp" for the Bedouin feel and the military connotations.) These aren't opposing factions; in fact, they often work together towards common goals (though they may disagree about methods and priorities).

Michaelites (the Guardians) gain Workings of Protection, which do just what you'd expect them to do. Concepts: Neighborhood watch, bodyguard, social worker, hostage negotiator

Gabrielites (the Heralds) gain Workings of Revelation, allowing them to speak prophetic truths. These aren't detailed predictions about the future, but rather insights into the workings of Fate and the true natures and motivations of those they encounter. A Gabrielite can't keep this knowledge to itself; revelations must be spoken so that at least one other person can hear them, and in many cases the Gabrielite itself doesn't even know what he'll say until he's said it. Concepts: Prophet, mentalist, mediator, motivational speaker

Raphaelite (the Healers) gain Workings of Healing which encompass mental and emotional healing as well as physical. Concepts: Doctor, physical therapist, confessor, counselor

Urielites (the Judges) gain Workings of Judgment, which can be used to detect lies, see through supernatural disguises, perceive guilty secrets, compel others to speak the truth, and mete out poetic justice (for example, by cursing an adulterer with impotence, or causing a habitual liar's tongue to swell up). Concepts: Police officer, bounty hunter, lawyer, activist

Azraelites (the Reapers) gain Workings of Death. The most powerful of these can be used to kill someone with a touch and make it look like natural causes, which is often much more desirable than using brute-force elemental attacks. However, Azraelites are more than just executioners; they can also use Workings of Death to sense the approach of death, to discern the cause of a death, to speak with the dead and even to bring someone back from the brink of death. Concepts: CSI, paramedic, vigilante, mortician

Some djinn are not allied with a specific Camp, but still cooperate with them to serve the greater good. These djinn are known as Freelancers (with reference to the military origin of the term, not its modern artistic usage).

Workings

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The following Workings can be learned by any djinn, regardless of their Caste or Camp. Each Working is rated from one to five dots, and you must learn Workings of each previous level in a group before you can advance to the next level. However, if there are two or more Workings of the same level in a group, you don't have to learn all of them before advancing.

Antimagic Workings These Workings allow djinn to detect the use of magic, shield themselves against it, or even turn it back against its wielder.

Entropic Workings These Workings allow a djinn to unleash a tiny portion of the chaotic energies that roil within its being. They're not as versatile as direct elemental control or as precise as an Azraelite's killing touch, but they can be just as damaging. At low levels, they simply accelerate the natural process of decay; at high levels, they can cause instant disintegration.

Illusion Workings These Workings allow the creation of illusory images, sounds or scents. The higher the level, the larger and more elaborate the illusions that can be created. They can also allow a djinn to magically disguise its appearance, or at higher levels become invisible.

Luck Workings These Workings allow a djinn to manipulate probability for itself or those it chooses to bless or curse. The more improbable an event, the more difficult it is to cause -- making a traffic light turn green at just the right moment is trivial, for example, while winning the lottery is a lot harder. These Workings can't be used to cause the impossible; a djinn could direct lightning strikes during a storm, but it couldn't call lightning down from a cloudless sky. They also can't be used to alter what's already happened. For example, a djinn can't reach into its pocket and "just happen" to find a flashlight there. However, when searching for a specific file in a filing cabinet, it might "just happen" to open the right drawer on its first try.

Mindbending Workings A djinn can't control a mortal's actions like a puppeteer pulling strings, but it can influence them by altering their perceptions. At their simplest level, these Workings allow a djinn to appear supremely charming or frightening. At higher levels, they can cause hallucinations, manipulate emotions, erase or fabricate memories, and ultimately, drive a mortal insane.

Morphic Workings These Workings allow a djinn to alter its own body -- to increase or decrease its size, grow extra limbs, change into the shape of an animal or dissolve into smoke. Unlike Transmutation Workings (see below), changes a djinn makes to its own form have no limit to their duration; they last until the djinn decides to change back. The normal limitations on a vessel's size don't apply here, but changing your size via Morphic Workings doesn't add or remove health levels.

Sensory Workings These Workings allow a djinn to increase the acuity of its senses beyond the normal human range. At low levels it simply has unusually sharp senses. At mid levels it can see like a hawk, hear like a bat or scent like a bloodhound. At high levels it may use them to see in total darkness, peer through walls, listen to radio and cellular transmissions, or detect electrical currents.

Transmutation Workings These Workings are used to transform the substance of objects -- for example, they can change pebbles to gold, create food from sand or palaces from clouds, or turn people into pigs. The higher the level, the larger the scope of the transmutation and the longer it lasts. Truly permanent transmutations are impossible, but durations can be as long as a year and a day. (The most powerful of djinn can even effect transmutations lasting a whole century, although these must always include an escape clause.)

Travel Workings This includes all movement-related Workings, from increased speed to flight to teleportation.

Naphsha and Rukh

As Naphsha increases, so does your maximum Rukh pool and the maximum Rukh you can spend per turn, as shown on the following table. (These numbers are tentative, subject to playtesting.) The final number on each line is your Turbulence threshold, as described below.

NAPHSHA	STAT MAXIMUM	MAX RUKH	SAFE RUKH/TURN	TURBULENCE THRESHOLD
1	5	10	5	15
2	5	15	6	14
3	5	20	7	14
4	5	25	8	13
5	5	35	9	13
6	6	45	10	12
7	7	55	12	12
8	8	70	15	11
9	9	85	20	11
10	10	100	25	10

Turbulence

All power comes with a price, and the Workings of the djinn are no different. As mentioned above, failing a Stability check results in a phenomenon known as Turbulence. However, this can result from the excessive use of Workings as well as from Stability loss. Anytime a djinn attempts to use a Working, successfully or not, the dot-value of the Working and the amount of Rukh spent on it are added to a Turbulence pool. Violent Workings (defined as those with the potential to directly cause damage) count as one dot higher for this purpose.

Once the Turbulence pool exceeds its threshold (as shown on the table above), a Stability check must be made every time a Working is used (including the one that pushed it over the threshold). Failure results in an episode of Turbulence, which is mechanically similar to Paradox. The severity of the effect is determined using 7 – Stability as the number of "successes" (per the table on p. 124 of Mage) and Naphsha/2 (rounded up) in place of Arcanum. A Havoc result is interpreted as a Working gone awry, while a Manifestation may mean that an angel shows up to punish the djinn for its transgressions, or that the turbulent energies spontaneously generate an entity known as a natija (described below under "Antagonists"). The djinn may choose to contain the Turbulence just as a mage chooses to suffer Paradox backlash, but the damage is aggravated rather than bashing.

An episode of Turbulence resets the Turbulence pool to zero. The Turbulence pool can also be reduced by the same methods used to regain Rukh (see below); however, you cannot do both at the same time – you must declare that you are "spending" the Rukh to bleed off Turbulence rather than adding it to your pool.

Regaining Rukh

• You regain one point of Rukh each day at sunset.

• You regain one point of Rukh for every 24 consecutive hours spent confined to your anchor.

• You regain one Rukh for every hour spent meditating in your associated element, as defined below:
  • Ifrit: sitting in the middle of a bonfire
  • Marid: in a body of water out of sight of land
  • Peri: outside during a windstorm
  • Ghul: in a lightless cavern or mine (basements don't count)
  • Utukku: buried in soil in the middle of a forest, out of sight of man-made structures
    • You also recoup any Rukh spent to prevent damage during this process.

• When you fulfill an oath to perform a service for someone else, you regain 1-5 Rukh depending on the difficulty of the task (Storyteller's discretion; players shouldn't be allowed to abuse this rule by making a lot of oaths to perform trivial tasks). Also, Workings performed in the service of another cost one less Rukh than normal. (One-dot Workings therefore cost nothing, but still count normally against the maximum Rukh per turn.)

• When you use a Working to grant a wish that fulfills the wisher's cardinal virtue or vice, you recoup the Rukh spent on the Working. (Although this doesn't result in a net gain of Rukh, the wisher may feel indebted to you as a result. However, granting a wish that feeds somone's vice incurs a degeneration roll.)

• When you twist the wording of a wish to subvert the wisher's intent, you recoup the Rukh spent on the wish, plus 1-5 points depending on how badly it went wrong:
  • 1 Rukh if the wish comes with a significant inconvenience or setback
  • 2 Rukh if the wish is rendered useless, but the wisher is no worse off than before
  • 3 Rukh if the wish creates major problems for the wisher
  • 4 Rukh if the wish causes a disastrous outcome for the wisher
  • 5 Rukh if the wish leads to the wisher's death
    • However, you also incur a degeneration roll if you play a cruel trick on someone who doesn't deserve it (as opposed to giving a greedy or selfish person their just deserts).

• You regain 1-5 Rukh by promoting your cardinal virtue or your Camp's goals in the minds of people (Storyteller's discretion as to what qualifies; the Rukh regained depends on the number of people influenced).

• You regain 1 Rukh by participating in an important ritual of a monotheistic religion with at least 50 other people. However, you can only regain Rukh in this manner once a day.

• You regain full Rukh by visiting a major monotheistic holy site (including Amarna). However, you can only benefit from visiting a given site once a year.

Antagonists

Sorcerers are natural enemies of djinn, of course, and mages of all stripes can be a threat, since magic bypasses a djinn's natural resistance to damage.

The Bound are djinn who have been enslaved by sorcerers, and are often used as weapons against other djinn. Most Bound djinn chafe against their restraints and seize every opportunity to subvert their masters' wishes and do them harm. However, a djinn's spirit breaks if it's Bound for too long, and it loses the capacity for free will or judgment. These "Chained" djinn are pitiable creatures and also dangerous, since they fulfill every command in the most literal fashion without consideration for intent or consequences.

A few rare mortals, whether through forbidden sorcery or simply an ill-conceived wish, become infused with the power of a djinn. These individuals are known to the djinn as False Ones. They are effectively immortal, but the human body was never meant to contain so much power, and their minds tend to crack under the strain of keeping it under control.

Mechanically speaking, False Ones gain all of the abilities of djinn (including knowledge of their secret language) but can only ever have one vessel – their body will reform if destroyed, and can be altered with Morphic Workings, but it's not the same as creating an entirely different vessel. They also must have an anchor; severing their bond to the anchor makes them mortal again, while destroying the anchor kills them. False Ones pick a Caste and gain access to the appropriate elemental Workings, but no Camp will accept them. Finally, False Ones suffer a permanent one-die penalty to degeneration and Stability rolls, and can never have a Stability higher than 6.

Vagabonds are djinn who are just out for themselves. They're dangerously irresponsible, and are viewed as recalcitrant criminals by the angelic Camps. They're not an organized group, so they gain no special Workings. Some Vagabonds call themselves Anaists, from the Arabic first person singular pronoun "Ana", because they claim that one's first and highest duty is to self. However, most djinn belonging to the Camps call this pretentious philosophical drivel.

Shaitan are rebellious djinn who follow the example of Iblis. They're not an organized group, but they share the common goal of creating anarchy, and they gain Workings of Corruption from their leader to help them do that. These Workings expose and magnify flaws, allowing them to tempt mortals to indulge in their Vices or to weaken their wills and make them malleable to suggestion. Some Shaitan use this ability to gather cult-like followings. High-level Workings of Corruption can produce physical effects such as disease or pestilence (they don't create vermin, but only gather those that are already present).

Sometimes, a djinn's Turbulence is sufficiently powerful that it creates a creature of pure Turbulence, known as a Hungry Vortex, or a Natija. A Natija needs Turbulence to sustain itself, and seeks out djinn (especially the djinn who created it), and seeks to cause them to create Turbulence, which they are quite effective at doing, given that they can shapeshift, perform certain Workings, and cause Turbulence on their own. Hungry Vortexes come in many forms, each with their own preferred form of Turbulence.

Djinn Society

Currently, this section consists of a glossary of terms:

Bands are small groups of like-minded djinn who spend a lot of time together. This is the term used for PC groups.

Caliphs are the djinn leaders of the Camps, reporting directly to their archangelic superiors.

A Caravanserai is a safehouse or watering-hole for djinn. Caravanserais are usually run by djinn, although they may be staffed by mortals who are "in the know".

Harem/Harim refers collectively to a djinn's mortal servants. In modern times the term is mostly used with tongue in cheek, although some Vagabonds and Shaitan actually do collect sex slaves. Harem is the Djinn version of the Merit: Retainer.

Janissaries are djinn who serve as the personal honor guard of high-ranking djinn.

Rings are formal social gatherings of djinn, usually organized to discuss a matter of import to the djinn community.

Satraps are regional rulers appointed by the Caliphs.

Sharifs are djinn who assist high-ranking djinn in protecting and policing the djinn community. (Although the title is not related to the word "Sheriff", they fill a similar role.)

Sheikhs are the heads of each Caste. Although they don't directly control any territory, they still command respect from other djinn of their Caste and wield considerable political influence.

Sultans are self-styled rulers who claim authority over a particular area but lack the divine mandate of the Caliphs and Satraps.

Viziers are djinn who serve as advisors to high-ranking djinn.

Other Supernaturals

Mages: "Tread warily around them. As a great storyteller once said: do not meddle in the affairs of mages, for they are subtle and quick to anger."

Werewolves: "They may be dogs, but dogs have teeth."

Prometheans: "Pathetic wretches... it's not their fault that their creators stole our fire."

Changeling: "Those of us who feel kinship with the True Fae, and contempt for their escaped slaves, would do well to remember what it feels like to be enslaved."

Vampires: "The Azraelites call them abominations, and the ghuls hate them for misusing their name. Personally, I care not one way or the other."

Sin-Eaters: "I know little of them, but the Azraelites tell me they're mostly a good lot."

Geniuses: "Who would have thought mere mortals could be capable of such feats?"

Leviathans: "Be very cautious of them, for their forebears are creatures older and more powerful even than us."

Princesses: "They claim to have fallen from great heights. I know how that feels."

Q&A

If djinn are so powerful, how do they stay hidden?

• In the first place, most djinn rein in their more potent and obvious powers out of fear for the consequences. Secondly, mortals don't usually connect the effects of uncontrolled power use to the djinn that caused them. They're more likely to be explained away as natural disasters, freak weather events, or even terrorist attacks.

In that case, what stops djinn from abusing their power?

• Risk of losing Stability and/or creating Turbulence. Risk of attracting unwanted attention from mages or enemy djinn. Risk of getting in hot water with their angelic superiors. Risk of collateral damage.

Do djinn start out as mortals?

• No. You don't become a djinn, or discover that you're really a djinn. A djinn's human vessel is only a facade for something much, much older.

If djinn are thousands of years old, shouldn't PCs start at a higher power level?

• If you want to do that, go ahead. If not, the best excuse I can think of for starting off at the bottom of the ladder is to say that you've only recently been released from your supernatural imprisonment. As you prove yourself to your angelic parole officers, they'll unbind your powers, allowing you to increase your Naphsha.

What sort of Prelude would a djinn PC have?

• I can think of at least two possibilities: playing out the djinn's original capture and imprisonment (possibly including the crimes for which it was imprisoned), or its recent release and attempts to integrate into human society. Since djinn are immortal, "recent" doesn't have to mean within the last decade; this is a great opportunity to play around in different historical periods.

Can djinn reproduce?

• A djinn can use its human vessel to engage in intercourse either with humans or other djinn's vessels (although both are frowned on by the archangels), but neither produces offspring. Remember that a djinn's human form is nothing more than a disguise worn by a spirit of elemental chaos; it can no more reproduce than a man in a cat costume can conceive a litter of kittens. Djinn themselves are sexless and can form vessels of either gender. They may have other djinn as "lovers", but this is a spiritual union rather than a sexual one.

Can djinn shapechange?

• Only by using Morphic Workings. A djinn can create a vessel to look however it wants, but once formed, the vessel can't be changed. If the vessel is destroyed or if a djinn voluntarily assumes its bodiless form, it takes time and Rukh to create a new one.

What's the signature city for Djinn: the Binding?

• Las Vegas. It's an oasis in the desert, it's colorful and exotic, and it provides lots of opportunity for granting wishes and using Luck Workings. Since so many people are constantly coming and going, it also allows a djinn to encounter a wide array of plot hooks without ever having to leave the city.

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Game Fiction