Origins of the Planetouched for 3rd Edition D&D
The official cosmology of 3rd Edition D&D is outlined in the 3rd Edition Manual of the Planes. One of the problems introduced by the Manual of the Planes is the fact that the Para- and Quasi-Elemental Planes have been removed from the official cosmology. Fortunately, it's very easy to either keep them around (if you've been using them all along) or to put them back in (if this is your first time to run a planar campaign).
However, if you prefer to keep things consistent with the new cosmology, here are a few suggestions on how you can introduce the Para- and Quasi-Genasi into your campaign.
Para- and Quasi-Elemental regions: Even though each Inner Plane is seperate from the other Inner Planes, they still have occasional permanent two-way portals leading to the other planes. These portals allow some of the essence of the destination Plane to leak in, which makes the region around the portal a combination of the two planes. So, for example, a permanent portal from the Plane of Earth to the Plane of Fire would produce a region of Para-Elemental Magma around the portal in both Planes. Likewise, a permanent portal from the Plane of Water to the Negative Energy Plane would produce a region of Quasi-Elemental Salt around the portal. Para- and Quasi-Genasi can then either come from having an anscestor native to one of these Para- or Quasi-Elemental regions, or they could be spontaneously produced from two otherwise normal parents who live in one of these regions.Mixed Genasi Heritage: When two Genasi of the same type get married and have children, the offspring is also a Genasi of the same type. If two Genasi of different elements get married and have children, the offspring will be a Para- or Quasi-Genasi. A male Air Genasi and a female Water Genasi will produce Ice Genasi offspring. (Note that if the two Genasi are of opposing elements, e.g. a male Fire Genasi and a female Water Genasi, the offspring will be either a Fire Genasi or a Water Genasi. (50% chance of either))"The Planes Are Full Of Wonders": This is the "non-answer" answer. Nobody knows how or why Para- and Quasi-Genasi exist. They just do.
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