Genie, Tasked, Deceiver
CLIMATE/TERRAIN: Any
FREQUENCY: Very rare
ORGANIZATION: Solitary
ACTIVITY CYCLE: Diurnal
DIET: Omnivore
INTELLIGENCE: High (13-14)
TREASURE: F,U
ALIGNMENT: Neutral evil
NO. APPEARING: 1-2
ARMOR CLASS: 0 (4)
MOVEMENT: 12, Fl 18
HIT DICE: 9
THAC0: 11
NO. OF ATTACKS: 1
DAMAGE/ATTACK: 2-20
SPECIAL ATTACKS: Spells, blinding
SPECIAL DEFENSES: Displacement
MAGIC RESISTANCE: 35%
SIZE: M (7’ tall)
MORALE: Unsteady (5-7)
LEVEL/XP VALUE: 10,000
These tasked genies are djinn perverted to a life of deception and illusion.creatures sworn to mask the face of the world. Their true form is difficult to judge. The layers of deception in which they cover themselves are thick, but powerful sha.irs who have bound them to service claim to have seen their true shapes. According to these worthies, deceiver genies are tall and gaunt, with thin arms and legs and large heads, hands, and feet. They have long fingers, blond hair, and striking eyes, one blue, one brown. Their skin is a mottled grey.
Combat: Deceiver genies are cowards. They are shrouded in a perpetual displacement effect equivalent to that created by a displacer beast. For this reason, the first attack on a deceiver genie always misses. Creatures able to see through this illusion can attack them at their natural Armor Class of 4.
The deceiver genies can use each of the following spell-like abilities at will: change self, delude, false vision, tongues, misdirection, undetectable lie, and whispering wind.
Other abilities are available twice per day: distance distortion, massmorph, spectral force, and shadow magic.
Deceiver genies can use each of the following abilities once per day: disbelief, projected image, solipsism, sundazzle. Once per week, they can use a mass suggestion (on up to 24 levels or HD of creatures), or create a permanent illusion, programmed illusion, or veil.
Their illusions are very tightly woven and are equivalent to those cast by a 24th-level caster for purposes of dispel magic, duration, area of effect, and so on. However, their life of trickery and shifting images makes them susceptible to their own game; deceiver genies save against all illusion/phantasm magic at -4.
Favorite tricks of the deceiver genies include sending hapless ins over illusory bridges, chasing illusory oases, or even making them argue with one another over trivia, rumors, and gossip. They also enjoy sending unnerving messages to sentries, caravan guards, and other watchmen. They have the minds of immature pranksters, and no trick is too low or too difficult. Deceiver genies will gladly give up food, sleep, and treasure in pursuit of a truly cruel scheme.
The only trick they dislike is taking the place of others; although they can alter their outward appearance, they are uncomfortable staying near others for more than a few minutes. They will pretend to be someone else only when a larger plot requires it.
If forced into melee, deceiver genies fight with a hysterical, terrified strength. They can slash and claw with their nails for 2-20 points. On a natural roll of 20, their steel nails tear out one of an opponent’s eyes. If a roll of 20 is 4 more than the genie needs to hit its target, both eyes are torn out. In either case, an immediate system shock roll is required to avoid passing out for 1-6 turns from the pain. Partially blinded foes strike at -2; fully blinded pponents fight at -4 to all attack rolls. All rules for blind-fighting apply. In most cases, deceiver genies call up spectral minions to serve them in battle. These are often reinforced by real minions of the same type; deceiver genies think the resulting chaos is hilarious.
Habitat/Society: Deceiver genies sometimes cooperate with others of their kind to build and then hide a village in remote regions, though most deceiver genies serve the djinn or other genies. They rarely speak the truth, even under magical duress; lying is a habit for them. A deceiver genie under the influence of a charm monster spell or similar magic still lies constantly and shamelessly to its friends.
Deceiver genies are often dangerous to their masters when they are not constantly set to a task; when idle, they spin webs of lies around their masters, generally to provoke them into some disastrous action which the deceiver finds amusing. Deceiver genies see the entire world as a fiction, a game, or a toy created for their manipulation and amusement. While this may be entertaining for those siding with these tasked genies, it is rarely amusing for those they seek to deceive.
Deceiver genies are not very interested in wealth of the standard sort, but they are great fans of the arts, which they consider a somewhat formal but endlessly fascinating form of lying. Deceiver genies will never harm a storyteller, rawun, or tasked artist genie, though they may still confuse them.
Ecology: Deceiver genies are servants of the noble djinn and sometimes of the most powerful of jann. Anyone wishing to bind such a genie must always be on guard for its effects on and promises to one’s servants, cohorts, and loved ones, as loyalty to a master does not include loyalty to a master’s retainers in the code of a deceiver genie.
Originally appeared in ALQ2 - Assassin Mountain (1993).