Genie, Tasked, Oathbinder
CLIMATE/TERRAIN: Any
FREQUENCY: Very rare
ORGANIZATION: Order
ACTIVITY CYCLE: Diurnal
DIET: Omnivore
INTELLIGENCE: Average (8-10)
TREASURE: C, H, T
ALIGNMENT: Lawful neutral
NO. APPEARING: 1
ARMOR CLASS: - 1
MOVEMENT: 15, Fl 30 (B)
HIT DICE: 12
THAC0: 9
NO. OF ATTACKS: 1
DAMAGE/ATTACK: 4-24+special
SPECIAL ATTACKS: Spells
SPECIAL DEFENSES: Immune to victim’s attacks
MAGIC RESISTANCE: 45%
SIZE: L (9’ tall)
MORALE: Champion (15-16)
LEVEL/XP VALUE: 12,000
Oathbinder genies are reshaped efreet devoted to maintaining solemn oaths sworn between their masters and any consenting sentient being. If these oaths are broken, the oathbinder genie punishes the oathbreaker according to the terms of the vow.
Oathbinder genies have skin as black and glossy as obsidian. Their bodies have a perpetual nimbus of white fire. Their eyes shine with purple fire.
Oathbinder genies speak Midani and the language of the efreet.
Combat: Oathbinder genies are seen only when they are summoned by the magical ceremonial oath that they enforce. Oathbinders are summoned only when an oath that the genie oversees is broken or when the magical oath is dispelled. If an oath is broken, the genie is magically transported to the offender’s location within 1-3 rounds. A dispel magic may be attempted to negate the oath’s binding magic; it is negated if the spell is successful versus 12th level magic.
Regardless of whether the binding is successfully broken, the oathbinder genie appears in order to discover why the magic is being dispelled. The genie will attack if, in its considered opinion, the oath should still be binding. If the conditions of the oath are no longer met, then the genie.s guardianship is withdrawn and the binding oath is void without consequences to anyone (for instance, if the oath applied only to members of a given tribe, and the person now seeking release from the oath has become an outcast of that tribe).
Oathbinder genies attack by projecting a stream of white fire from their hands, somewhat like a burning hands spell but with each hand burning independently. The genie can attack one creature with each hand, causing 4-24 hp damage. The range of the stream is 8 feet.
An oathbinder genie is completely immune to all physical and magical attacks from a creature whose oath it oversees. An oathbreaker slain by this tasked genie does not immediately assume the form of a hama (q.v.) and leave the Prime Material plane. The spirit form of a victim is captured and weakened for months or even years by the genie, and during that time, the victim can neither be contacted with a speak with dead spell nor raised from the dead. Victims. hama are held for one month per level of the victim. Resurrection and reincarnation are effective.
An oathbinder genie has a number of spell-like abilities that aid it in the performance of its duties, It can use each of the following abilities three times per day as a 12th-level caster: command, evil eye, greater malison, hold person, otiluke’s resilient sphere, unluck, wall of force.
Habitat/Society: Oathbinder genies are all members of an order that governs their conduct. They are experts on all aspects of contracts, oaths, vows, and matters of obligation, and they are always glad to debate fine points or split hairs with anyone similarly inclined, regardless of the topic.
Oathbinders refuse to serve the marid, whose word can rarely be counted on.
Ecology: Oathbinder genies have little impact on Zakharan creatures, as their needs are simple and they are never encountered other than as the servants of some powerful genie lord or sha’ir. Genies never break the word they give an oathbinder genie, although they may bend, twist, and wriggle to talk their way out. Oathbinder genies demand more for their services (treasure, respect, goods) when the conditions of the oaths they oversee are more strict or exacting. Oaths of fealty sworn for a lifetime are more demanding to enforce than promises of nonaggression made for the coming year. All oaths of this sort cost a minimum of 1,000 dinars to establish, and may frequently be tens or hundreds of times more expensive.
Originally appeared in ALQ2 - Assassin Mountain (1993).
