BUILD YOUR OWN WORLD Like what you see? Become the Master of your own Universe!

Remove these ads. Join the Worldbuilders Guild

Elemental

Elementals are creatures from one of the Elemental Planes that are made up completely of one of the four elements of air, earth, fire or water. This means that they do not have anatomies and nervous systems as do most other creatures. As a result, they cannot be stunned, poisoned or paralyzed, do not breathe, eat, or sleep, and do not have a blindside or vulnerable areas that can be targeted by their enemies.

Basic Information

Anatomy

Not all elementals are lumbering, humanoid-shaped creatures. Some take on the forms and natures of animals and beasts from the Material Plane. These creatures often behave in ways similar to their Material Plane counterparts, even though as elementals they lack the animalistic instincts mortal creatures have when it comes to hunting, reproducing, and the like. Elemental creatures are favorites of conjurers due to their small size, relative ease of summoning, and varied abilities.

Genetics and Reproduction

"Civilized" Elementals

Some elementals, such as Invisible Stalkers, Xorn, and Salamander, have specific cultures and personalities that elevate them beyond simple magical creatures or manifestations of living energy. These creatures are often found in larger settlements or living alongside Genies  on their respective planes.

Monstrous Elementals

Some elementals are more than living incarnations of air, earth, fire, or water. Creatures like the genie, the Uthul, or the Zaramuun have their own complex ecologies and societies. While these creatures originally hail from an Elemental Plane, they can often be found on the Material Plane as well.

Ecology and Habitats

Diverse Elementals

The Elemental Planes are more than expanses of sky, rock, fire, and ocean. Clouds of fog, dust, and storms float through the Plane of Air. The Plane of Earth includes verdant groves, shining metal and crystal, and irradiated wastelands. The Plane of Fire features magma, suffocating smoke, and radiant firelight. Amid the endless sea of the Plane of Water are pockets of ooze and brine, plus the otherworldly environs of the deep.

Additional Information

Geographic Origin and Distribution

The Elemental Planes—primordial realms defined by aspects of air, earth, fire, or water—are home to a diverse group of beings known as elementals. Spellcasters on the Material Plane call upon elementals for aid, though these enigmatic creatures can also travel to the world of mortals via interplanar gateways and rifts. The elementals on these pages exemplify the creatures of the Elemental Planes, but this list is by no means exhaustive.

Elemental Vortexes

  Where the boundary between planes wears thin, elementals manifest in the world through churning vortexes. Such gateways might lie at the heart of a volcano, a deep ocean trench, in regions beset with earthquakes, or within great storms.

Other Elementals

When energies from elemental planes mix, unusual elemental life can form. The combination of fire and earth, for example, can spawn magma elementals, while air and water can create ice elementals. Lightning elementals form from a conjunction of fire and air, while water and earth give birth to mud elementals. It’s possible that in the vastness of the Great Beyond, even more unusual elementals might exist, although they are as rare as they are strange.

Civilization and Culture

Major Organizations

Elemental Lords

The most powerful elementals are demigods known as elemental lords. Until recently, only four evil elemental lords ruled over realms on the Elemental Planes. However, recent events have allowed the previously imprisoned good elemental lords to return to their realms, causing massive conflicts that could lead to planar wars.

Primal Elementals

The most well known of all elementals are the primal elementals, creatures composed entirely of air, earth, fire, or water with roughly humanoid shapes. Many primal elementals are named after natural disasters, ranging from those relatively small in scale (and roughly the size of Medium humanoids) to much larger ones (often the size of small buildings). Primal elementals can often be found in areas where their namesake disasters have recently struck.

Elemental

Elementals are creatures directly tied to an element and native to the Elemental Planes. Elementals don’t need to breathe.
— Core Rulebook pg. 631 2.0
Conservation Status
Elemental Beings

Remove these ads. Join the Worldbuilders Guild

Articles under Elemental


Guild Feature

Display your locations, species, organizations and so much more in a tree structure to bring your world to life!

Comments

Please Login in order to comment!