AD&D Efreeti: Wishes, Fire, and Loopholes
Let’s talk about those red-skinned, golden-eyed nightmares from the Plane of Fire. The Efreeti. They're not your average fireball chuckers. These creatures are clever, bitter, and deeply dangerous.
You don’t fight an Efreeti... not right away. You meet one in a crowded throne room or a lavish palace where no one knows it’s in disguise. You hear rumors of gold raining down from rooftops and streets that never grow cold. And behind it all is a smiling, slow-speaking “advisor” who just wants to help.
Sure.
Efreeti grant wishes, but only the ones they can twist. Want wealth? You’ll get cursed treasure. Want power? Your allies will turn on you, one by one. They don’t break rules. They follow every word. And that’s the trap.
So how do you use one in your game?
Drop the Efreeti into a deal gone wrong. A wizard made a bargain a century ago. The contract is still active. The wizard’s descendants don’t even know. But now their family is cursed with fire. The PCs have to find out why... and what the Efreeti really wants.
Or put it in a lamp. The old kind. Dusty. Easy to ignore. The party finds it in a ruin. Rub it, and a giant of smoke and flame appears. But he doesn’t want to serve. He wants to win. And that starts with charming the bard, bribing the fighter, and planting thoughts in the wizard’s dreams.
Efreeti should never be simple monsters. Make them villains who smile while the world burns. Make them manipulators who act like friends. Make them the kind of threat you can’t stab... not until it’s too late.
And if you want a hook?
One of the PCs inherits a mansion from a long-lost uncle. Inside is a fireplace that never goes out... and a contract nailed to the stone.
The signature?
“Signed in ash and fire, by my own hand... Efreeti Khan Yazhul.”
