Editing DjinnTheBinding (section)

==Universal djinn abilities==

'''The Gift of Tongues'''<br>
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'''<br>
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.