A Player’s Guide to the Water Genasi in 5e

Water Genasi Skin

Some Water Genasi have unusual skin tones often in greens and blues. They also often have a thin layer of moisture on their skin, almost as if they just finished bathing.

Despite their general, mortal shape, Water Genasi usually have unusual skin qualities which differentiate themselves from their humanoid kin. Often times, these qualities take the form of atypical skin tones for a Water Genasi’s parents. But, those aren’t the only ways a Water Genasi character’s skin tone can indicate their elemental ancestry.

Your ears may take on a more aquatic shape or maybe you don’t have ears at all. Maybe you have small, scale-like markings along the backs of your calves. Or, perhaps you have webbed fingers and toes.

Basically, take features suitable for aquatic creatures and use them as inspiration for your Water Genasi character’s skin.

Examples of unique skin appearances for Water Genasi:

• Small beads of moisture perpetually cling to your skin
• Your ears resemble fins
• You have a green-blue skin tone
• You always smell a little bit like the ocean
• Light subtly dances across your face as if it were shining through water

Water Genasi Hair

Water Genasi characters sometimes have hair which appears to float on its own as if it were suspended in water. It also often comes in atypical shades for your mortal heritage, growing green or blue.

Much like with skin features, Water Genasi have a wide variety of hair appearances to demonstrate their ties to their elemental heritage.

A Water Genasi’s hair may be ordinarily mundane but have a natural color that would ordinarily be unnatural for their mortal ancestry. Alternatively, you have the freedom to give your character more fantastical hairstyles in-line with their aquatic nature.

Examples of unique hair feature for Water Genasi:

• Your hair clumps togethers to appear like tentacles
• Even when standing still, your hair slightly floats and sways as if suspended in water
• Your hair is always wet no matter how much you try to dry it
• Your hair appears more like the spines of an urchin than actual hair
• You have no hair, instead you have small, fin-like ridges running back along your scalp

Water Genasi Eyes

Water Genasi often have slightly larger than normal (for their mortal heritage’s) eyes. Additionally, their eyes are usually very dark.

The default description for a Water Genasi’s eyes describes them as "somewhat overlarge." So, they basically have an almost fish-like appearance.

Aside from that as inspiration, you can add mystical effects to your Water Genasi character’s eyes like the shimmering of light on water or they reflect light back.

Examples of eye appearances for Water Genasi:

• They appear as normal but with a slight shimmer like a gently running creek
• Your eyes are a little bulbous, almost sticking out of your head
• Your irises are bright golden-yellow
• The entirety of your pupil- and iris-less eye is a shimmering silver color
• You have no irises, just small, black pupils

Water Genasi Voice

When some Water Genasi speak, their words sound as if resounding underwater or maybe underlaid with with the sounds of a trickling of water.

Vocal qualities are an often underused feature when creating a character. Yes, people may do accents or speak at a certain cadence, but when it comes to the more mystically-inclined character races, you can add more unnatural aspects to your character’s speech.

With Water Genasi, you can give them aquatic vocal qualities like resounding as if underwater or perhaps underlaid with whale tones.

Example vocal qualities for Water Genasi:

• Your words have a deep, droning sound beneath them
• When you speak, the distant sound of a burbling creek accompanies you softly
• Every now and then, you sound as if you have water in your throat
• Your voice has a slight echo to it as if you were in a seaside cave
• When you speak words with "sh" or "ch", there’s a slight sound of a crashing wave with those sounds

Water Genasi Artificer

Artificer isn’t a terribly good choice for default Water Genasi. Their lack of Intelligence Ability Score Increase means they’ll struggle more as an Artificer than other classes. Also, while the Water Genasi offers spells not included in the Artificer’s list, the class’ Infusions can cover what the racial traits do.

The biggest advantage Water Genasi bring as an Artificer is their extra spells. But, the class has a feature through their Infusions which cover much of what the Water Genasi can do.

On the other hand, having these innate spells frees up the Infusions for other options. So, that may be an argument worth making.

Water Genasi Barbarian

Barbarian isn’t a bad class option for Water Genasi. The Constitution Ability Score Increase and acid damage resistance both play well for this class, but the lack of Strength means you’ll work best on defense than on offense.

Assuming you aren’t playing with the rules in Tasha’s Cauldron of Everything, playing a Water Genasi Barbarian suffers from a lack of an increase in Strength. Due to this, your attacks would suffer. Your character would still have a decent amount of hit points thanks to the bonus to Constitution, though.

Aside from that, the Water Genasi’s racial traits don’t lend much to playing a Barbarian. The acid damage resistance is nice if you’re not playing a Path of the Totem Warrior Barbarian. But, you can’t cast spells while Raging, so the ones you get from this race lose a lot of use.

That said, having a swim speed means your attacks suffer less while fighting within the water. But, that situation needs to arise to benefit from this trait. So, it’s situationally useful.

Water Genasi Bard

Bard isn’t a great choice for Water Genasi. You don’t get any Charisma bonus from this race but the additional spells Water Genasi get supplement the Bard’s list.

Basically, the greatest benefit for playing a Bard as a Water Genasi is getting the extra spells from Call to the Wave trait. This frees up options for the Bard’s Magical Secrets feature. But, again, the spells you get are very situationally useful.

Water Genasi Cleric

Cleric is a good option for Water Genasi. Their default Wisdom stat increase aligns with the Cleric’s Spellcasting Ability and the Constitution increase and acid damage resistance lends to a more Tanky character despite acid damage being fairly uncommon.

If you’re playing with the default racial Ability Score Increases, the +1 Water Genasi get make them a good pick for playing a Cleric in 5e as it supports this class’ spellcasting.

Additionally, the acid damage resistance is good for playing a more Tank-focused Cleric. But, is only so useful as previously mentioned due to its relative uncommon use.

The same applies to the Water Genasi’s spells. They’re only situationally useful and aren’t really helpful for how you normally play a Cleric.

Water Genasi Druid

Druid isn’t a bad option for Water Genasi characters. The Wisdom Ability Score Increase aligns with the Druid’s Spellcasting Ability, but that’s about everything the race offers for these characters. The spells a Water Genasi brings to the Druid are mostly already available to the class, so it’s either redundant or it frees up some options for your character.

Like the Cleric, the Water Genasi is an decent racial pick for playing a Druid thanks to their default +1 to Wisdom which the class uses in its spellcasting.

Unfortunately, everything the Water Genasi does can get covered by the Druid’s Wild Shape feature.

Want a swim speed or the ability to breathe underwater? Reach 4th-level to gain access to 5e’s beasts with swim speeds.

Yes, your Ability Score Increase supports the Druid’s spellcasting. But, the Water Genasi’s racial traits aren’t really beneficial on a whole.

Water Genasi Fighter

Fighter is okay for Water Genasi due mostly to the base Genasi Constitution increase.

The biggest benefits to playing a Water Genasi Fighter are the acid damage resistance and the Constitution Ability Score Increase.

If you’re fighting in the water, the swim speed and ability to breathe underwater become very helpful. But, that depends on your game and the adventures your Game Master runs.

Unfortunately, Water Genasi doesn’t really offer much to supplement dealing damage as a Fighter. With the default Ability Score Increases, you don’t get a stat focused on attacking or dealing damage. But, at least you get a bonus to your hit points.

Water Genasi Monk

Monk is an okay class option for Water Genasi with their Wisdom stat increase. That said, nothing else really benefits the Monk class. The lack of Dexterity Ability Score Increase means a Water Genasi Monk suffers in combat and the spellcasting doesn’t offer much in how the class plays.

Nothing the Water Genasi offers really benefits playing the Monk.

Your greatest benefit is the default bonus to Wisdom as this boosts the Monk’s abilities. On the other hand, this doesn’t really help them that much. The Monk only has a few features which force saves based on your Wisdom score.

Aside from that, the acid damage resistance is nice when you need it. But, the other traits aren’t really helpful for playing a Monk.

Water Genasi Paladin

Paladin is a decent class choice for Water Genasi all things considered. The default Wisdom increase doesn’t really help, but the bonus to Constitution aids in how Paladins typically play. Also, the spells a Water Genasi gets helps supplement the Paladins few casting capabilities.

That said and once again, the spells you get from playing a Water Genasi are very situational and aren’t all that helpful for how you would typically play a Paladin.

Paladin is one of the classic Tank classes in D&D 5e. As such, the shape water cantrip and ability to cast create or destroy water don’t really benefit the Paladin. They don’t really offer any damage dealing or mitigation with maybe preventing future damage through extinguishing flames.

The biggest benefits the Water Genasi gives to playing a Paladin is the +2 to Constitution and acid damage resistance. If you find yourself fighting in water often, the swim speed and water breathing is also nice, but is very situational.

Water Genasi Ranger

Ranger plays well with the default Water Genasi Ability Score Increase in Wisdom. The race’s spells also help supplement the class’ few spellcasting capabilities but aren’t terribly helpful in most situations.

Since Rangers also suffer from having a low number of spells available to cast, supplementing the amount of spells you know with the Water Genasi can help. But, yet again, the spells you do get are situationally helpful.

Rangers also aren’t primarily casters. So, the default +1 to Wisdom only helps so much. The +2 Constitution increase and acid damage resistance is nice for melee focused Rangers, but the lack of Strength or Dexterity improvements means your attacks suffer slightly.

Again, if you find yourself fighting in or around water often, the swim speed and water breathing are nice to have.

Water Genasi Rogue

Rogue isn’t a great option for Water Genasi. The spells you get don’t really help Rogues in any way and the default Ability Score Increases don’t support the Rogue’s core stats.

Nothing the Water Genasi offers benefits the Rogue.

If you play a Rogue carefully, the default Constitution increase shouldn’t be that helpful as you avoid or reduce most damage dealt to you. And, the Wisdom increase does nothing for the class.

Honestly, the acid damage resistance probably comes in the most handy for Rogues. This class usually scouts ahead, checking for and disarming traps they come across. Traps are usually a good way for using acid damage in any given D&D game, so a Water Genasi Rogue might get the most use out of this trait.

Aside from that, the swim speed and water breathing are situationally useful. But, the spells you get do basically nothing for playing a Rogue.

Water Genasi Sorcerer

Sorcerer is an okay class for Water Genasi. Since Sorcerers have a strict number of spells known, the extras granted through racial traits basically supplement their limited spellcasting even if those spells are situationally helpful.

Since Sorcerers have an explicitly set number of spells known, the bonus spells from the Water Genasi’s Call to the Wave trait help supplement their capabilities. The biggest drawback is those spells are only so helpful.

The default +2 Constitution Ability Score Increase is nice for spellcasters in boosting their Concentration saving throws. Sorcerers also get proficiency in Constitution saves, so this stat improvement is even better. On the other hand, the +1 Wisdom doesn’t help Sorcerers so you’d need to use the Customizing Your Origin rules to change that to Charisma.

Having the ability to breathe underwater is situationally nice, but the swim speed is less helpful for spellcasters. Spells are generally less affected by water than weapons, so you won’t have as much need for good maneuverability in the water.

Water Genasi Warlock

Warlock is an alright option for Water Genasi in that the race gives you spells the class normally doesn’t have access to. That said, those spells are only helpful in specific situations.

Like the Sorcerer but in a different way, Warlocks have a limited ability to cast spells. So, supplementing that with the Water Genasi’s natural spellcasting is good to have if you can make use of those situational spells.

The default Constitution increase, again, is good for Concentration saves. But, the Warlock uses Charisma as its Spellcasting Ability, so the base Water Genasi Ability Score Increases are only so helpful.

Unless you’re playing the Hexblade Warlock Patron, the acid damage resistance shouldn’t come up too often as you want to avoid damage as much as possible as a spellcaster.

Finally, the swim speed wouldn’t really benefit a Warlock as their spells normally won’t get hindered by the limited movement. The exception here is, again, the Hexblade Warlock as its a more martially-focused subclass.

Water Genasi Wizard

Wizard isn’t a great class for Water Genasi as the class can do anything the racial traits offer through their enhanced spellcasting. Also, the default Ability Score Increases offered by Water Genasi don’t help the Wizard in any way short of boosting their concentration saves.

Being the most magically capable class, the Wizard already has the ability to do pretty much everything the Water Genasi offers a character.

How Tall Are Water Genasi?

Water Genasi are roughly as tall as their mortal parents but most often resemble humans. As such, they’re usually anywhere from under five to over six feet tall and count as Medium for their Size.

When it comes to their Size category in 5e, Water Genasi count as Medium-sized creatures. They take after their mortal parents, so their height ranges accordingly. That said, most Water Genasi have human heritage, so they typically fall anywhere between five and six feet tall.

How Long Do Water Genasi Live?

Water Genasi age at the same rate but a bit longer than humans up to 120 years old.

Easy as that. Water Genasi may live up to 120 years old but they age at the same rate as humans. So, they reach maturity at roughly 20 years old, experience middle age somwhere between 40 and 50, and become elderly in their 70s or 80s.

What Language Do Water Genasi Speak?

Water Genasi can speak Common and Primordial.

Plain and simple. Water Genasi get proficiency in both the Common and Primordial languages thanks to their default racial traits. Of course, if you’re using Tasha’s Cauldron of Everything Customizing Your Origin rules, you may switch out what languages your Water Genasi character knows.

Can Water Genasi Breathe Underwater?

Yes, Water Genasi can breathe underwater thanks to their Amphibious trait.

The Water Genasi’s Amphibious trait explicitly states "You can breathe air and water." So, these characters have no problem breathing underwater.

Are Water Genasi Made of Water?

No. Water Genasi are not made of water. They are made of flesh and bone like other living beings.

Water Genasi are made of solid matter due to their mortal parentage. While they have physical elements tied to water elementals, they themselves are not made of water.