Genie Prisons (CShaH)

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One of the most useful powers the sha'irs have involves the imprisonment of genies. While this ability will gain no friends among geniekind, it does give a sha'ir a powerful bargaining chip when dealing with particularly difficult members of the race. It can be very difficult to carry on serious negotiations when bargaining from inside an old wine bottle.
Before sha'irs attempt to trap a genie, some thought must be given to the appropriate containers that will hold the genie about to be trapped. The location of the prison is also a factor; many types of genies must be kept well away from their natural element to prevent their escape from even the best crafted prison.
On page 108 of the AL-QADIM® Arabian Adventures rule book, it states that any type of material or object may be used to trap a genie. While this is true, various genies are easier to trap in certain types of materials. (If you're going to go hunting down genies, it is best to give yourself any advantage that you can find.) If targeted by a material that is especially appropriate for the type of genie being captured, the genie suffers a -1 to any saving throws to avoid being captured. Genies also have weaknesses for certain types of containers, making it easier to trap them within those containers. A genie targeted by a container for which it has a weakness is also at -1 to its saving throw to avoid imprisonment.
Location is more difficult to choose. In order to trap a specific genie, the sha'ir must actually seek out the genie in order to trap it. In this case, there is no way for the sha'ir to pick the location of the prison. Therefore, no advantage can be gained. If the sha'ir can trick that genie into coming to the location of the prison, the genie suffers a -2 to its saving throw to avoid imprisonment. Sha'irs who are not picky about which genie they imprison can always attempt to gain this advantage by using their summon genie power. It should be noted that the prison must remain in the location where the genie was imprisoned. If it is moved for any reason, the genie is allowed another saving throw without the -2 modifier for location. Genies that make this roll are freed from their prisons and are not going to be at all happy.
Due to the necessity of leaving the genie prison where the imprisonment occurred, most sha'irs pick out locations that are close to their homes. This allows the sha'ir to periodically check on the prison and make sure no one is tampering with it. Sha'irs use many sorts of magical guards and wards to make sure that no one accidentally, or intentionally, tampers with the prisons.
The following details several appropriate materials and types of prison, as well as locations for the prisons, to trap the various types of genies:
Dao are among the most difficult creatures to trap because almost everything that you could contain them in would be made from earth. While they have no special ability to escape from earthen prisons, they don't have any special weakness for them either. Ideally, the container for trapping a dao will be something that was once living. Skulls, shells, rib cages, hollowed bones—all of these will serve admirably for the purpose of imprisoning a dao.
As far as the type of container that will best imprison a dao, tools of the earth are most appropriate. Hammers with hollow heads, shovels with a colorful bone sphere in the handle or even a pick with a hollow handle will all work quite well. The dao is naturally drawn to these tools, making them that much easier to capture.
If the sha'ir can pick the location of the prison, it is wise to pick an area suspended above a great pit or chasm. This separates the dao from the earth. While such separation has no real physical effect upon the dao, it is psychologically and spiritually disheartening to the being, which makes it easier to be imprisoned.
Efreet favor metal, which is the material that is best suited for dealing with them. It conducts heat well, but is not overly affected by it. However, while they are very durable, prisons made of metal must be very carefully constructed or they will fail. Sha'irs who choose to use a metal prison must make their Dexterity check at -4 or an appropriate nonweapon proficiency check at -1 in order to create a prison that will work on the weakness of the efreet.
There are a large number of items that are used to trap efreet. Among these are stoves, tobacco pipes, forges, furnaces, and other fixtures associated with flame. A small flame must glow in the prison in order to draw the efreeti closer and make it easier to capture.
The location of a prison for efreet can be a bit tricky. Ideally, the prison should be surrounded by earth, but this is not always realistic. Not only is it difficult to ventilate such a prison (in order to keep a flame burning within it), it is also very hard to see something that is completely encased in stone. The most efficient way around this is to light the fire only seconds before calling the efreeti to the prison and to seal it with a slab of glass. Glass, which is made of sand (and is therefore earth), allows the efreeti to see the prison and be drawn to it. It is expensive though; a large window can cost as much as 1,000 gp to procure.
Djinn favor materials that are as light and airy as they are. Delicately woven silk, fine gossamer cloth, and delicate orbs of spun crystal are all very attractive to the djinn. These are rather difficult to obtain and are prone to breakage, but they are well worth the effort.
The items to imprison a djinni that are most favored are those associated with the air. Small box kites, spun globes, wind socks, and other such items will attract the attention of a djinni. The location of a djinni prison is very important but difficult to secure. Underwater is most favored, usually within a submerged cave that contains an air pocket. These are difficult to find but are also unlikely to be disturbed by a random passerby, insuring the djinni will stay put.
Jann are natives of the wild sands. The material best able to capture them is sand or glass. Sand must be mixed with something (usually a mixture of water and camel urine) in order to make a paste that can be formed into a given shape.
The type of object that will attract a janni most readily is one resembling some desert feature. Wind blown caves, buttes, and twisted spires are all good, and can be made with relative ease out of sand paste. These do not have to be full-sized; small replicas or dioramas will work just fine.
Jann are weakest outside of their native desert and are extremely uncomfortable in the cities. The best way to trap one is to bring it into the city. Sha'irs who intend to trap a number of jann will rent large rooms in the very heart of a city. It is here that the prisons will be set up and maintained.
Marids are another matter. Capturing a marid is an exercise in bravery or foolhardiness. These powerful creatures are not at all easy to imprison, and the materials, items, and locations that will aid a sha'ir in the imprisonment of one are not easy to come by.
Shells, coral, and pearls are the only things that will attract the attention of a marid and ease its imprisonment. Shells must be of a very large variety and typically come from very powerful monsters (such as giant crabs). Coral must come from the deepest parts of the ocean and must be worked into a wondrous cage with intricate patterns (forcing a -1 to the sha'ir's attempt to construct the prison). Pearls are perhaps the most difficult to work into a prison, as they must be carefully hollowed.
The location for a marid prison must be chosen with great care. The deep desert is a good location, but a more viable site is near an underwater magma vent. The heat will weaken the marid, enabling it to be easily imprisoned. It is also possible to create a very hot, dry environment in an undersea cave, though it can be costly both monetarily and magically.
Trapping a genie is a task to be undertaken with great caution and foresight. Proper planning can give the sha'ir a slight but crucial advantage, while carelessness can result in the sha'ir's rather messy demise.