If you're the sort of adventurer that likes things to be wet and wild in Dungeons & Dragons, then the water genasi is the species for you. These slippery people are the perfect choice for your aquatic campaign, able to slip between the waves and experience the underwater world of adventure as easily as they can breathe on land.
Admittedly, water genasi don't have a lot else going for them, so if your campaign isn't going under the sea, you might want to consider a different flavor of genasi (or an entirely non-genasi species). But if the plan is to experience the shape of water, you can't go wrong with a water genasi.
Water genasi details can be found in Mordenkainen Presents: Monsters of the Multiverse.
The History Of The Water Genasi
Like all genasi, water genasi are born from those who dwell in the Elemental Planes--in this case, the Elemental Plane of Water. Some Genasi can trace their lineage to an efreet (or djinn) who journeyed to the Material Plane and fell in love with a mortal, while others are born to non-genasi parents who just happened to live next to a pond imbued with an efreet's water magic.
Either way, water genasi reveal their aquatic heritage by having a blue or greenish skin tone that seems to glisten as though constantly wet. Their hair is often long and wavy and sometimes can even look like a burbling brook. Water genasi can breathe underwater, and can even generate water by magic.
As a water genasi, you're a medium or small-sized creature with a walking speed and swimming speed of 30 feet. When choosing to play as a water genasi, increase one ability score by two points and another ability score by one point.
Water Genasi Features
Acid Resistance | You have resistance to acid damage. |
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Lots of animals have acid spit or acid breath, so damage resistance to acid can be a nice perk of playing a water genasi.
Amphibious | You can breathe air and water. |
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Never worry about drowning again. As a water genasi, you can breathe underwater, meaning you'll never need to cast a water breathing spell or drink a water breathing potion. Make your adventuring party jealous as you swim underwater breathing as naturally as you would on land!
Darkvision | You can see in dim light within 60 feet of you as if it were bright light and in darkness as if it were dim light. You discern colors in that darkness only as shades of gray. |
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Darkvision can come in handy for a water genasi as it gets pretty dark as you go deeper underwater. It's also good to have for an aquatic campaign as it's hard to light torches underwater.
Call to the Wave | You know the acid splash cantrip. Starting at third level, you can cast the create or destroy water spell with this trait. Starting at fifth level, you can also cast the water walk spell with this trait, without requiring a material component. Once you cast create or destroy water or water walk with this trait, you can’t cast that spell with it again until you finish a long rest. You can also cast either of those spells using any spell slots you have of the appropriate level. Intelligence, Wisdom, or Charisma is your spellcasting ability for these spells when you cast them with this trait (choose when you select this race). |
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As a water genasi, you have innate water-based magic. Acid splash isn't the most damaging cantrip, but create or destroy water is a very handy spell to have.
Water walk is situational, but keep in mind that it allows you to walk across harmful liquids like lava and acid as though you were moving across solid ground.
The Best Classes For Water Genasi
Even though water genasi are innate magic users, that doesn't mean you have to play as a magic-wielding character. Just as water changes to fit any container, water genasi can adapt to any class.
However, there are a few classes that we'd recommend above others for a water genasi character.
Bard | Every spell that a water genasi can cast on their own is something that a Bard can't learn without using Magical Secrets. Acid splash is better than vicious mockery as a damage cantrip, and acid resistance and Darkvision are also nice things for a Bard to have too. |
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Paladin | Paladins also don't learn any of the water genasi's spells (except for the Oath of the Open Sea subclass), so you'll be expanding your magical repertoire as a Paladin. Acid splash is a decent ranged damage option, and acid resistance is always helpful. |
Warlock | Eldritch blast is far better than acid splash as a ranged damage cantrip, but the other two spells aren't something most Warlocks can learn on their own. Just don't pick The Fathomless as your subclass or Gift of the Depths as your Eldritch Invocation--you already know those spells, and you can already breathe underwater. |
Sorcerer | Sorcerers can already learn everything that a water genasi brings to the table, but having those spells innately means being able to learn different spells. |
Wizard | Just like Sorcerers, Wizards can learn everything that a water genasi already knows. But just like a Sorcerer, this frees up some prepared spells for something else. Plus, acid damage resistance might be helpful in keeping your delicate hitpoints from disappearing. |