Interesting Race options for Genie Patron Warlock?

[Eliana Solange]

I'm looking to build a Genie Patron warlock and looking for an interesting race to play that gives at least semi-relevant stat boosts (without using the any race can have any stats rules). It can be from UA (will work with the DM to rebalance if needed) or a published source, but not random homebrew. Half elf is the min-max choice, but... yawn. I will either be going Chain or Tome, and will not be a front-liner. I'm thinking Djinni, so possibly Air Genasi, but looking for other ideas. Thanks!

[Evaar]

Personally, with a story like "I found a genie and was given fantastical powers" I prefer to go human - the story is about having your life transformed by the fantastic, so it works a little better when you're starting from a reasonably mundane beginning.

But that's probably not the answer you're looking for.

Djinn are chaotic good and are air/storm themed.

First thing that comes to mind is a Half Elf with the Mark of Storm - you have good stats and similar theming. You gain access to some elemental summoning abilities you wouldn't otherwise have as a Warlock. However, your DM may not allow Dragonmarks if you aren't in Eberron (although you could try to argue the case that you aren't Dragonmarked, you're Djinnmarked because of your Djinn so...) But that might still be a yawn for you.

You could go with Changeling. You get Charisma, and there's a theme consistency in having no permanent form as a Changeling and having an air-themed patron.

You could go Dragonborn, grabbing 1 point of Charisma, and pick Lightning options.

You could go with Eladrin from Mordenkainen's Tome of Foes to get 1 Charisma and decide how you want the themes of air/storms and seasons to interact. Are you the Summer monsoon? The Winter blizzard? The Autumn thunderstorm? Or the Spring shower?

Those are the options that immediately jump out to me.

[Seclora]

Particularly well optimized, probably not, but I did put together a Dao-patron Avariel, whose patron clipped their wings in order to ensure subservience.

Trance lets you long rest in your bottle from level one, so Elves make for particularly good Genie Warlocks in my opinion. Drow and Eladrin would work particularly well with their charisma bonus and good spell-like abilities.

[Darthnazrael]

I'm planning to do a Goliath Dao Tomelock dipping 1 level of Tempest Cleric after Warlock 3 (and maybe 1 more after W9). Mechanically, this build is taking advantage of the synergies between Armor of Agathys and Heavy Armor Master/Goliath Stone's Endurance.

As for story: one of the PCs from our Princes of the Apocalypse campaign, a Goliath Barbarian named Dragana the Stormbreaker, later ascended to godhood. This goliath (as yet unnamed) is a descendant and worshipper of Dragana, and is training to become a Cleric in her name, when he is caught in a rockslide. As the comparatively scrawny Goliath attempts to climb out of the rubble, he finds a shimmering gemstone, emitting light in the buried darkness. He reaches out and grasps the Amulet of Kuurth, and is saved by the Noble Dao. And I'm certain his deity's history with thwarting the forces of elemental evil have nothing to do with why Kuurth dug him out of that rubble.