Mineral Genasi grow up on a plane where the entire collected treasury of the Merkhant sect pales in comparison to the riches littering the ground within a mile's radius of their home. However, until they leave the Plane of Mineral, most Mineral Genasi do not fully appreciate this fact.

        To roughly illustrate the point, consider your own circumstances. By your coloring, general body shape, complexion, hair color and texture, and accent, I can state with some confidence that you hail from the farmlands near Waterdeep, on the continent of Faerun, on the Prime world Toril. Imagine your homeland, with the grass beneath your feet, the trees and the hills in the middle distance, and so forth. Imagine particularly each blade of grass, and each leaf on the trees. I should think that around your childhood home the leaves and the blades of grass were uncountable. Everywhere you turned, everywhere you looked, you could find grass or leaves in the thousands.

        Now imagine how you would react if you went to a world where one single blade of grass or one single leaf from a tree was worth 500gp each, and you have a rough idea of what a Mineral Genasi experiences when she leaves her native plane to experience the Multiverse-at-large.

        Unfortunately, of the Mineral Genasi who choose to remain outside of their native plane, most make a common mistake. You see, when Mineral Genasi leave their native plane and are confronted with the poor and the indigent -- people whose lives would be profoundly affected if they merely had access to something so utterly common to the Mineral Genasi as mere gems -- their first reaction is to simply head back to the Plane of Mineral, grab a sack of gemstones, head back to Sigil, and give them to the impoverished. Sometimes this has the desired effect, and the recipients of such largesse shrewdly manipulate their sudden fortune in a manner that allows them to rise out of poverty.

        Alas, this is the exception rather than the rule. Far more often, the sudden introduction of this profound level of wealth into what is, essentially, a wealth vacuum usually stirs up chaos. For one thing, there are never enough gems to go around, so only a few get them. And these few are almost always set upon by thugs, who then take the gems for themselves, thus perpetuating the poverty of the very individuals the Mineral Genasi attempted to aid. And of those instances where the original recipients are not set upon by thugs, they're often relieved of their gift by family members or associates. Or they simply squander their gift foolishly and end up no better off than they were before. And more often than we prefer to think about, the intended recipients of this wealth become too greedy in their own right and they mob the Mineral Genasi in order to assure themselves the largest share of her largesse, resulting in her injury or death. Or they'll mob one another, resulting in a riot and many injuries or deaths.

        It is usually at this point that the curiosity of Para- and Quasi-Genasi comes to the forefront. They are still compelled to find some way to help the poor and indigent, and they're intelligent enough to realize that simply handing out gemstones does not produce the desired effect (and, in most cases, actually makes things worse). So they begin to explore methods by which they can aid their less-fortunate fellow beings without causing tumult and chaos.

        Some conclude that it is not the free distribution of charity that is the problem, but rather the large amount they attempted to distribute. So they scale back their efforts and open up soup kitchens, free flophouses, and other small charitable organizations in order to assist the poor and indigent in meeting their basic needs. Other Mineral Genasi conclude that the problem lies with the free distribution itself, and so they open up farms, smithies, or other small businesses within Sigil or on the Outlands or Upper Planes. Then they hire exclusively from the poor and indigent in an effort to provide them with a trade. Others simply make small charitable donations to existing charities, assuming that the existing charities are more familiar with the needs of the impoverished locals. Still others decide that education is the key, and open up small public schools. The list goes on and on, frankly, but one thing remains true: Each, in their own way, does what they can to improve the lives of the downtrodden. Like the Lightning Genasi, the Mineral Genasi's exploration of the Multiverse is an exploration of the heart, and of the soul.

        (It should be noted that, despite what one might think, Mineral Genasi rarely join the Ring-Givers. This is because the Ring-Givers give things away in hopes that of receiving more things in return. Inheritors of the Glittering Stones, on the other hand, are genuinely altruistic. When they help someone, they honestly do not expect anything in return.)

        Planewalking Mineral Genasi tend to think a little bigger with regard to helping out the downtrodden, and they will usually seek out villages, towns, or occasionally entire regions that are down-on-their-luck for whatever reason (usually due to marauding bands of raiders, drought, famine, or something along those lines). When this happens, they'll usually attempt to take whatever corrective action they feel necessary to get the village, town, or region back on its feet.

        In appearance, Mineral Genasi are large, thick and imposing. Their features are sharp and angular, like the gemstones from their native plane. They also have a natural armor class of 8, and will have one or more of the following traits:

• Rough, dark brown skin or smooth, dark grey skin.
• A few small (half-inch diameter) crystalline stones of various colors embedded in their flesh (these crumble to worthless dust if somehow removed from the Mineral Genasi)
• Eyes that seem faceted (like a cut diamond)

        Mineral Genasi can be any class but Ranger or Druid. Mineral Genasi Paladins must be Planewalkers, moving from plane to plane, seeking villages, towns, or regions which are being oppressed by raiders, corrupt officials, or what-have-you. (Note: This excludes locations on the Lower Planes, since these locations are evil by nature, and are not therefore oppressed.) Once a Planewalking Mineral Genasi Paladin finds an oppressed area, he is bound by honor to stay until the area is no longer oppressed. Leaving before that time will cause the permanent, irrevocable loss of Paladin status.

        Mineral Genasi thieves must steal only from oppressive rich individuals (like a greedy merchant or a corrupt sheriff) and give the stolen wealth back to the folks oppressed by these knaves (usually via charity organizations, unless clear ownership can be determined).

        Mineral Genasi can specialize in Earth Elementalism. They can also be specialty priests of Powers dealing with Earth, Wealth or Altruism. Inheritors of the Glittering Stones can be multiclassed fighter/mages, fighter/clerics, fighter/thieves, mage/clerics, or mage/thieves. They can be any Good alignment.

Ability Requirements
--------------------
 STR      DEX      INT      WIS     CON     CHA
 9/18     3/18     3/18     5/18    5/18    3/18


Age and Aging Effects
---------------------
Starting Age:  20+1d10
Middle Age*:  60
Old Age**:  80
Venerable***:  120
Maxium Age:  120+6d10

* -1 Str/Con; +1 Int/Wis
** -2 Str/Dex, -1 Con; +1 Wis
*** -1 Str/Dex/Con; +1 Int/Wis


Average Height and Weight
-------------------------
Height/Male:  67+2d8 inches
    /Female:  66+2d8 inches
Weight/Male:  190+6d10 pounds
    /Female:  140+6d10 pounds


Rogue Racial Adjustments
------------------------
Pick Pockets:  -5%
Open Locks:  -5%
Find/Remove Traps:  -5%
Climb Walls:  +10%


Level Limits:
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Fighter:  14
Paladin:  16
Mage*:  13
Priest**:  13
Thief:  12
Bard:  12

* includes specialist mages
** includes specialty priests