Magic Blasts + Elemental Overcharge Effects

You know what I like? Magical blasts. I mean those really generic sort of energy bolts that certain magic characters or monsters just fling at people as a form of "attack". They give me a feeling of a more holistic magic system then if every magical "thing" is like a specific spell or a set parameter of element + effect = damage of such and such level.

These are a lot like the blasts used by Warlocks as a cantrip for 5th edition D&D. While some people may not like cantrips for trivializing magic, I like the aesthetic of a blast because it essentially allows magical player characters to "feel" magic even at low levels when they don't get shit for spells or whatever, especially in OSR systems where they are reliant on doing things like throwing darts or attacking with a dagger after they use their one and only spell. Doesn't change the game much, just changes the aesthetics. This philosophy is why I created magic rods as a mainstay mechanic in my game- though nowadays I just have rods do "blast" damage, not having an elemental affinity at all.

But what about elements? I like this idea of "blasts" for creatures highly aligned with an element or elemental magic. High level Pyromancers should be able to just throw fire bolts at people without needing a spell slot- they're so magically attached to fire anyway. For instance, I like to say that elementals do "blasts" as a form of ranged damage. But elemental damage just in the form of elemental damage is kind of boring- so how do we spice this up? We'll use Overcharge effects.

Overcharge
Whenever someone or something is hit by an elemental blast that deals at least 6 damage or more, they suffer something called an Overcharge effect. I wrote some up briefly for a very old blogpost, but these are since outdated. So let's talk about them.

Because of this method, small elemental blasts won't do the bonus. Like a d4 reflavored magic missile (irrelevant; I like d6 magic missiles, sue me), or a weak blast by a small elemental won't trigger this. But at least a d6 has a chance to hit an Overcharge effect. If you have a powerful d10 blast, then you'll have a 50% chance for the Overcharge effect to hit- quite a powerful weapon!

I also like the idea of each die used in a blast having a chance to trigger it, to distinguish powerful blasts that are really likely to do the effect once, or slightly weaker blasts that can trigger the effect multiple times. But this brings some confusion; what happens if a blast gets a flat bonus- does it not provide the blast benefit at all even if you roll a high number- because the die itself needs to roll 6 or better to count? If it does, then do you have to split up this bonus evenly among each dice? Might be a little too much added complexity, still, you could totally stack Overcharge effects if you want. Without further ado, here is the list of effects based on each element. 

Elemental Overcharge Effects
Creatures suffer the Overcharge effect of a Blast if they take 6 or more Damage from the hit.

Element	Overcharge Effect
🔥 Fire	Target is ignited, taking 1d4 damage per round until put out.
❄️ Ice	Target has their feet frozen to the ground, requiring a round to break free.
🌩️ Shock	Target is stunned for one round.
🧪 Acid	Target's armor is corroded and loses 1 AC value. Magic armor is immune.

Golementals

[1] Furnace Golem (5 HD, +7 AC, +4 to hit, 1d6+1 fist, 2d8 Flame Breath OR 1d4 Eye Beam, Inner Fire, Construct)
Morale: N/A
Number: One or Two

The Furnace Golem looks like an ancient bearded dwarf. It is made of metal and is both a furnace and a creature. Within the furnace golem is a fire which is its power source as well as its primary weapon- the furnace must be occasionally be fed anything that can be consumed by flames to continue to power this golem. If it's flame is every put out, it will cease to be animated, and can only be lit again by a special, magical flame. As a golem, it has no conscious mind and no will of its own; it will fight to the death every time, and is immune to any spells that target living things or mind-controlling spells.

The Furnace Golem may strike with a steel fist dealing 1d6+1 damage, or may use weapons and will deal the damage of the weapons at +1. Its arms are very inflexible and it cannot use two handed weapons, and prefer just to smash people with its fists anyway unless ordered otherwise. 

Every round it may also release a gout of deadly flaming breath released from its riveted mouth- this deals 2d8 damage to anyone in about a spear's range of its mouth in a cone. However, each time it uses this ability, it loses 1d6 hit points from the loss of its inner flame. In order to preserve its flame, as well as to provide a ranged weapon, the golem may also fire a beam of focused heat and light from its eyes; channeled from its inner fire. This deals 1d4 damage and can travel as far as an arrow from a shortbow- any longer distance and the light fades and its becomes ineffective.

 

[2] Fulgrite Golem (3 HD, +5 AC, +6 to hit, 1d10 electrical cleave, 1d6 retaliation shock, lightning call, construct)
Morale: N/A
Number: One indoors, 1d8 along a beach

Fulgrite Golems appear as long, twisting roughly humanoid figures made from fulgrite. Can only be created with several powerful bolts of lightning trapped away or called by the artificer. They are still charged with this electrical energy after being made. More fragile then the other types of Golementals, the Fulgrite golems move with much greater speed if needed, but pause in place between frantic bursts of speed. It's body is very brittle, and as such it doesn't twist to move but instead prefers to rotate its body fully or hop in unusual motions that make it difficult to predict.

The Fulgrite Golems attack by moving past people; their bodies shedding a skin of electrified sand, magnetic waves, and bits of glass fired in all directions. Because of this nature of attack, they cleave through groups of people who approach them, dealing damage to all with each attack. The electrical energy of the fulgrite golem deals 1d6 damage against anyone who strikes them with a melee weapon made of anything conductive- but the Fulgrite golem takes identical damage as you use up its charge.

Finally; these golems can call lightning. By standing still, they can move the local weather one stage. This ability obviously only works outdoors. Clear skies go to cloudy, cloudy goes to dark, dark goes to stormy. The lightning from this storm won't hit the fulgrite golems (as it hit them already) but will hit anyone who raises up a metal weapon or might strike a tree; once every other round.

 

[3] Riptide Golem (6 HD, +4 AC, +4 AC, swimming, three 1d6 ripcord attacks per round, can grapple at +2, construct)
Morale: N/A
Number: 1d4 laying in wait in a stream

The riptide golems have a central "body" that looks like a sunken barrel or hollow log. When it is activate, its true form is revealed. The golem "walks" and attacks with long loops of cord tied around smooth river stones. The ropes are carefully enchanted so they don't slip off. The golems are known for the distinct sound they make as the river stones are pulled into its central body, made wet with water, and rub against it on the way out, creating a clacking noise. These cords and stones must remain wet; its central body can store a small amount of water for a few minutes outside of a stream or pool, but it must return soon or else it will deactivate.

Every round, it can whip out its loops to strike enemies with the barrage of stones. It can also wrap these cords around people to try and drag them under the water to drown them, but doing so gives up one of its "loop" attacks. Piercing damage done to its main body will cause its water to leak out faster- it can only be out of water for a maximum number of rounds equal to its current HP divided by 6, dropping the remainder. Or in other words, the minimum number of dice its current HP worth of hit points could be rolled with d6s.

[4] Stone Golem (8 HD, +6 AC, +6 AC, slow, crush at 2d10+2, made of stone, construct)
Morale: N/A
Number: Hopefully just one

The stone golem is carved from a block of pure stone, and engraved with magical words that cause it to become alive. It is the slowest of all types of Golementals and can only act once every other turn. It can only move about as fast as a man can walk, but never tires, does not bleed, and will never stop perusing its target once it has been told to. The golem is slow and stupid, cannot jump or fly, and as such could be trapped in a room or a pit with no method of escape.

Since the stone golem is made of stone; it cannot be damaged by bladed weapons unless they are significantly magical; +2 or better for swords or arrows to harm it. Normal blunt weapons will take damage as though you were attacking a block of stone, because that's exactly what you are doing.

Geniementals

Some people think Genies or Jinn only come from lamps. This is incorrect. Some also believe that they intentionally twist wishes to punish mortals- this is also (usually) incorrect. What is true is that, before humans were created, the first Jinn were created from smokeless fire, which is true, but there were more kinds of Jinn created from the purest elements. One for each of the elements, and THESE are where the variety of Jinn came from. All types of Jinn were made before humans were, but all are capable of achieving salvation through Allah.

Each type of Jinn corresponds to an element. Jinn only very rarely intentionally misunderstand orders; they just aren't perfect. As with humans, they can make mistakes. Each Jinn's element determines what wishes they are best at.

All Jinn grant exactly 3 wishes. You can also use this as a random table if you want; 1d4.

[1] Jinn of the Smokeless Flame
Best Wishes- Success in battle, passion, power, Enhancing pride or beauty, destruction.
Worst Wishes- Anything subtle, long term building or creation, humility, peace or serenity.

Found In- Lamps, Swords

Created from the Smokeless Fire; these are the classic Jinn, these come from rubbing a lamp. Their lower bodies appear to be made of smoke, and they often have brightly colored skin. They tend to wear little to no clothing, and have strong personalities to match their element. They are prone to furious anger, but are also the only Jinn known to fall in love with humans.

As they are bombastic, these Jinn take great joy in performing spells relating to fire. Destroying things as much as making them shine like gold. They are also warriors and will gladly help you win your battles- either directly with a cataclysm of force. They are also the best Jinn to make you a King or grant you strength- physical or magical, as they can grow it like an ember to a fire.

Because of their one tract natures- it is hard to get these Jinn to do more complex or nuanced wishes. Wishing for wealth from one of these Jinn is likely to cause them to just steal it from a nearby authority. Raising the dead will result in a moving corpse, as they force life into it without knowing how to fully restore it to how it 'should' be. Many of the stories of twisted wishes comes from these Jinn, who are just trying their best.

[2] Jinn of the Endless Stream
Best Wishes- Changing, transformation, wishes relating to time or space.
Worst Wishes- Material goods, reduction of anything, direct force, love.
Found In- Shells, Cups

Created from the endless source of water; these Jinn are more mystic then the others, and may appear in long robes or hidden behind a veil. Their personalities are cool like water, remaining as business-like as possible. Most believe themselves to be superior to humans, and find wishes made by them to be trifling, or a waste of time, though they must grant them all the same.

These Jinn are representative of water, and as such do best with wishes that mimic water. Changing or morphing one thing to another is their specialty- these Jinn are also called the “Jinn of the Secrets of Life” because of their skill in wishes involving living things. These Jinn are perfect to increase your lifespan- as they will give you both more years to live AND youth in return, as opposed to the other, more clumsy Jinn. They are also the best Jinn at granting or removing mutations or irregularities within living things; though something simple like “make me stronger” is more suited to Fire Jinn. However, water Jinn are not suited at all to returning the dead to life. To them, the dead is in a new form that cannot be changed back to a living form. If you ask one to bring a dead person back to life, they'll simply put their spirit in the newest available shell- which will almost always be a bird, rat, snake, or some other unfortunate creature!

However, the Jinn of the Endless Stream are not known for their wisdom in practical matters. While skilled with life, they are less skilled with the inanimate. Wishing for a precious object or jewels and they are likely to make them with structural weaknesses, or worse yet, making them out of ice. These Jinn also dislike the sensation of reducing anything- removing life from a foe or depleting their wealth would result in strange rebounds from these Jinn, who don't understand the concept of an ending.

[3] Jinn of the Motionless Wind

Best Wishes- Travel, fate, curses, names, knowledge, spreading rumors
Worst Wishes- Eternity, keeping secrets, localized effects
Found In- Fans, Carpets

Created from the breeze that never moves from place to place; this was the wind that was loosed to become the breezes and storms in the world. These jinn are travelers, wise, and know many languages. They always introduce themselves in as many tongues as they can to their new master, and will respond with perfect form in the first their master recognizes (unnecessary; all Jinn can speak every language innately as they are magical creatures), but these Jinn make a show of it. Often they may be partially transparent, or look like ghosts.

These Jinn are tied to the wind and, by extension, magic and language itself. They are also excellent with any spells or learning of secrets, but only secrets known by someone; forgotten secrets are mostly the domain of Earth Jinn. These Jinn are also experts of name- they can give you any name you wish, and all will known you by that name. All Jinn will grant three wishes, but these Jinn will not only take you somewhere on a wish, but return you as one total wish, as the wind goes there and back again.

However, just as the wind is unfaithful, so too are these Jinn. They are unlikely to be able to produce magical effects or grant immortality in a meaningful way. They may grant you great wealth but it will only last a few years before the source of it dries up. These Jinn are noted to be good with secrets, but also bad with secrets. That's because any secret you learn with this Jinn can be gained, but will slip out eventually from that Jinn itself or otherwise. In other words wishing to learn a secret with this Jinn will succeed, but it will not be a secret for long. These Jinn are the masters of curses; both breaking them and causing them, but any curse made by them will be flippant or have a loophole you didn't see.

[4] Jinn of the Bottomless Hole

Best Wishes- Material goods, wealth, returning lost or dead things, legacies
Worst Wishes- Things that change, the body, travel, monsters
Found In- Urns, Shoes

These Jinn are tied closely to the Earth and were created from the dirt at the bottom of the bottomless hole. These Jinn appear the most youthful, and may appear as children. They will also appear dirty, but in an appealing, innocent way like a smudge on the cheek. They wear for themselves dark brown and gray colors and are the Jinn that are the most humble. Most are brought out of their container by flipping them over, which they will tumble out onto the floor with a thump.

These Jinn have dominion with the Earth and everything buried in it. As such, they are also the Jinn most suited to returning the dead to life, as they retrieve their soul and body from beneath the ground. These Jinn can also create piles of treasure and precious gems; they know the hiding places of all riches and are quite good at them. They are stable with their wishes, their power can last for a long time, if not generations- many Kings and Queens may claim their legacy from the bombastic, proud Jinn of Fire, but it is really the humble Earth Jinn which keeps their royal line strong to this day.

However, the Earth Jinn are not well suited to transformations or the physical form. If you ask for a better body they may craft you one out of clay or carved from wood, trapping you in that lesser, though tougher form. They are also tied closely to the natural world and are the worst Jinn of all at summoning, controlling, or destroying magical creatures, though they are quite skilled with normal, down to earth animals. If you ask an Earth Jinn for a unicorn (usually so you can ride it or cut off its horn), it will just bring you a horse with a bit of wood strapped to its head instead. This isn't an attempt at falsehood- you asked for something stupid, a horse with a bit sticking out on its head, so here is what you wished for.

Vagueposting- Elements + The Three Elements

So I talked about elements before; if it be a sort of five elements thought experiment, elementally-challenged undead, or magic items often relating to the elements. I like elemental systems, in video games or tabletop settings. You can infer a lot about a fantasy world based on its elemental systems, if these elements be purely for a combat triangle just for game mechanics, or if they're actually a part of the world itself as the building blocks of everything.

Now most elemental systems fall either into the sort of “magical combat flavors” thing, at least in video games, or a sort of world and magical context thing. In a lot of games, elemental damage is pretty much exclusive to magic spells, which is the primary way that magical people or beings tend to fight. Other magic tends to be “typeless” or be like death damage or whatever, but elemental is usually its own set thing. In these types, elemental damage is usually just tied into specific skills, powers, or effects. In some every single elemental attack is almost identical, you start with a basic fire spell that is the same as the basic ice spell and they just deal different kinds of damage, or your weapons just deal different elemental types as bonus damage. This makes sense and adds granularity to a game's system, but it's kind of boring.

Then you have magic system which encompass all kinds of magic, trying to combine elemental basics into a wide-reaching magic system. Something like the game Magicka is a bit like this, or you can go for the obvious other example with the Avatar anime. In these examples, magic relating to the elements is more holistic, air magic can be used to fly or knock away projectiles, it doesn't just shoot lightning bolts or whatever. These systems can also include things like mixing two or more elements together to create sub-elements, which could theoretically do practically any magic effect you can think of. I tend to like these elemental systems, but moreso when they have that kind of magical realism or mythological feel; the magic of elemental fire isn't JUST fire, but also heat, light, maybe passion and rage somehow tied up in there a bit too. Ars Magica is a nice example of this, as is the Dominions game series; though both of these are not strictly all elemental magic systems.

Elemental Triangles/Quadrangles/Pentagnles

Fire, Frost, Lightning

So in a lot of games, Elder Scrolls and Path of Exile come to mind here, you have the three basic elemental types of Fire, Frost, and Lightning. I like this, it's simple and there is plenty of interplay. The issue here is they don't really have counters. Of course, they don't NEED to counter each other in a combat triangle, but a lot of media does this already and it works well for establishing a sort of basic, easy to understand system.

So for starters, you could say that Fire melts Ice, but Ice doesn't really “counter” lighting, unless it's in water form. Water as a magical element is more common in fantasy media like books and shows I feel, since in video game form it's harder to justify why splashing someone with water kills them. For this reason, I think ice is used as a stand in, though many settings put both under the same umbrella (or annoyingly, they are two separate categories.) Even if we say that Fire melts Ice, Ice absorbs Lightning, we're a bit stuck because Lightning doesn't beat Fire really. Unless you want to get really abstract and say that because Lightning creates fire, it's the master or creator of Fire. I could only see that working in something very hands off, more metaphysical then anything, not a spell or element based magic system- it just doesn't make enough gut-sense to work.

Then we could do it the opposite. Ice extinguishes Fire, but Fire doesn't really beat Lightning on its own, though the Ice/Water element makes sense to get beat by electricity. I think Pokemon starters may also be a good way to establish it; changing out lightning or electric for grass/plant/nature here could work really well. Fire burns grass, Grass drinks/absorbs Water, Water puts out Fire. Easy. The only problem here is you don't get evocative ice magic (unless once again, Water/Ice are the same element) and you lose out on lightning. Grass or Nature doesn't “feel” like blasty elemental magic in the same way as the other ones do.

Fire, Water, Earth, Air

The classic Greek elements. I like these. They're very common and everybody knows them, they shit inspiration. Characters can easily be tied to the elements, you can imagine a lot of useful utility spells and magical blasts based on these, the “bending” of these elements makes for great combat magic or just general flavor. These tend to fit under the second type of “system” that I described above; a sort of holistic magic system where all kinds of effects are made by these elements or by mixing them- pure Air or Water magic (just the element) tends not to lend itself to combat as well, and “Earth” magic as a combat school or class doesn't feel as satisfying since it tends to be “physical” damage and feels like the odd one out. Of course if this is the only way for mages to deal physical damage then it could be cool, but typically a magical wizard or elemental blaster guy should be doing some kind of specific elemental blasts against enemies that they are weak to.

Also I feel like mentioning here is most appropriate; I really like the concept of an “elementalist” conjuring or using all elements of nature. The term “elemental” here referring not to the vague, somewhat modern interpretations of the elements as abstract forces but rather as “the elements” as in the natural world, being outside, all that stuff. Ties in with nature magicky stuff a bit but this is one of my pet favorite interpretations that I see only extremely rarely. Stuff like making the sun beat down on the enemies or conjuring up mists to obscure vision not because you have power over abstract fire and abstract wind, but because those are the elements of nature that you can command. Also allows for more abstract elements that don't FEEL like cherrypicking as much as other elemental systems do; it feels less special-snowflake to have a magnetism wizard if they are channeling the magnetism as an “element” of the world, then if it was a side ability of a generic “metal elementalist”. This is an incredibly specific thing, I'm not giving any examples or explaining it well, but this is Vagueposting so you'll just have to deal with it lol

Fire, Frost, Lightning, Acid

This is a bit of a combination of a traditional four element systems, except with Earth replaced with Acidic or corrosion. Now pretty often you'll see this done but with Earth being “Poison” instead, a bit like Legend of Grimrock, but I have a few problems with it. First I think it works well in a video gamey sort of way, but it doesn't work on everything- you couldn't be much of a venom mage against things immune to venom like zombies, golems, and lots of other stuff that is common in fantasy. Secondly, being immune to venom is a lot more common then fire/ice/lighting at least in terms of average animals. Like there's no normal animal that is immune to fire, it would be something kind of rare like a demon or dragon, but most fantasy settings would have all snakes just conveniently immune to poison, or even entire races like snake/lizard people immune to it. Path of Exile sidesteps this by making their poison element “Chaos” which I kind of like, but it's a little vague in theme. As such, I think acid or corrosion works a little better. Also note I'm using poison and venom interchangeable, I know there's a difference, it's just the name the element is most commonly given.

However, one problem with Fire/Water/Air/Acid systems is that there's no easy or obvious triangle or what beats what. I do like using the more video game adaption for this, hence Fire, Frost, Lightning, and Acid all as damage types. I think this fits well since, as stated previously, “water” doesn't feel as aggressive as Frost and Earth is more physical damage then something like Acid would be, Acid or Corrosion or whatever you want to call it is pretty unique for that reason. However- what bets Acid? And what does Acid beat? One kind of minor interpretation is that Acid beats Fire and loses to Lightning. I personally like this because it implies that Acid could be in a liquid or smoke/dust form, which smothers the fire, but it's not a good fit. Even though there is no real reason this should be how it is, I have a sort of weird fascination with Lightning being the counter to Acid. Maybe in a fantasy world electricity or thunder just somehow gets rid of Acidic stuff. It fits the best in my mind; imagine dipping copper cables into a vat of acid and charging them up, the electrical shock causes the acidic stuff to change color, fizzle, suddenly losing its alkaline properties or even 'shocking' the acid back into pure water? 

I could see Lightning being the best element to kill slimes at least, which are commonly associated with corrosion. The electricity causes the slime to jiggle, sizzle, shrinking and size and hardened into useless left over minerals as the moisture was just boiled out of the poor thing. Why would that work better then an equally hot fire? Like I said, it's not a perfect fit but it is one I like.

The Fifth (Or Sixth) Element

This is a sub category of the above elemental system. The classic Fire, Water, Earth, and Air BUT with the fifth element. Typically, this element is Aether, Void, Prime, or some other ur-element, typically typecasted as “Arcane” damage or perhaps the divine alternative to the other elements. This usually has the rules of the fifth element being able to beat all the other elements, or does shit that none of the others can do, like messing with time, fate, magic iteslf, or the nature of souls. Under this category, we could also include the final element as being “Light”, sometimes with a “Darkness” counter. Sometimes one of them beats all the basic elements, but loses to the other weird element, which in turn loses to all the normal elements. The counter to the counter, if you will.

Eight Elements

Then, some people extrapolate the Four elements into 8, the combinations of each of the basic four into sub elements. Water + Earth = Mud element, Fire + Water could be steam or acid, you get the idea. I don't like this one as much as the other ones, mostly because there are to many elements and it feels a little too mathematical. I'm the type of guy who loves the idea of a “Mud” specialist wizard and would totally give them like magical healing sediments in holy mud they slather on people or summon mud golems and stuff, but sometimes the element is just the element, it's bending but a little less cool, playing a “Steam” wizard would just be lame unless you tied in technology and magitech into it to otherwise bulk up their boring moveset. (Pretty good idea for a GLOG Wizard class though.) Some people instead put in totally different elements into the Octagonal system- Lords of Magic with Order/Chaos and Life/Death along with the four elements is a good example.

Two Elements

This one is a bit of a wildcard. It's less common, most games aren't going to have two elements for something like a combat system, but a game setting or fantasy world might. This harkens back to stuff like the yin and yang, light and dark sides of the force, the light and dark worlds in Metroid or Zelda. It creates a duality. Once again, it's less for something you'd use in a game purely by itself, but in terms of a magic system that encompasses everything it works and is pretty inspired, though it can make a fantasy world feel a bit claustrophobic in a sense. I'm also intentionally avoiding very vague uses of this; you could argue that “man vs nature” or “technology vs magic” or “law vs chaos” could also count as two “elements” for our usage, but I'm keeping this to stuff that is usually conjured by magic or has a sort of chemical/physical/mathemagical properties in the world, less so vague elemental allegiances.

The Three Elements Idea (Background)

This is a concept of a three elemental system. My primary inspiration is coming from The Secret World- my favorite MMO. In that game, the basic materials you used to craft stuff were Metal, Fire, Water, and Dust- there were also glyphs and runes, but these enchanted items with specific effects and go beyond the scope of this essay. Metal was mostly just used for weapons and barrier potions though, the materials you used to craft your charms (equipped gear- since your clothes were all cosmetic in that game to fit with the modern theme), were the three elements of Fire, Water, and Dust. I'm going to extrapolate these into something greater then it was in the game.

Sidebar: I also just want to say I really liked that system for materials because it felt mystical and magical and occult in a way; perfect for that game an atmosphere. I love the high fantasy aesthetic with weird power crystals and I also love the mythological aesthetic of elemental energies being locked in objects that represent them, like still warm embers being infused with fire magic and the like. In TSW though, the materials went up in grades; Base, Imperfect, Normal, Sacred, and Pure. You had to combine 5 of a lower tier to get one of the next tier up. Most shitty enemies dropped Base and Imperfects of course, so it took a bit of grinding since each weapon or item took between 8 and 12 to fill an item in a slot, but it made sense since there wasn't a specific high end material you needed to craft these; you could just use any of the base materials anywhere.

I really like this crafting system and kind of wanted to use it in a game. Mostly because of how mystic it feels; for example you just have generic “Water” but with enough of it of a certain quality you can make magic charms that make people harder to kill. The “Fire” in your inventory never goes out, so is it like an ever burning cool flame or is it like an ember? Is it sealed away in an Orochi-Group container that somehow keeps it in perfect stasis until the time is right to use it? You obviously just can't pick up a handful of dust off the ground and use it for magical purposes; perhaps “base” dust means exactly that, the “base” element is just the stuff you'd find in the real world to some extent, and finding it on enemy drops and not having an unlimited amount of it is just a gaming abstraction.

But anyway this sidebar was just here to talk about how much I loved those tier names. It really gets a vibe going for me; even if you found PURE Water you'd hardly even know what it was, it would just look beautiful and entrancing, somehow cleaner then any other water you've seen, despite it just being water. Despite it just being a literal bit of dirt, the magical “Dust” you have is actually enchanted or infused with some kind of power somehow, and “Pure” Dust is extremely potent indeed. All of this is just very cool mental imagery.

I also like to imagine how the characters are actually purifying these; smashing them together with some sort of magical ability that destroys most of the matter to keep only the best stuff? Are they picking apart the best pieces or sifting through the elemental bits with greater and greater filters or magical methods to keep only the most pure pieces; slowly ascending in overall purity? Or is it some kind of magical combining ritual, where the parts are simply melded together and it reaches the next platonic ideal of its elemental type? Super cool.

The Three Elements

There are three elements that make up the cosmos. They were the first things; it was the three storms. The mighty typhon, the terrifying inferno, and the relentless dust-storm. Once these were calmed by the powers above, their distribute element was scattered and made into the world we know.

Fire burns Dust away, but is extinguished by Water.

Water chokes out Fire, but is lost to the Dust.

Dust absorbs and drains away the Water, but is burnt by Fire.

Fire represents all fire, celestial fire and worldly fire. It can be held in the form of a candle flame, a hot stove, a raging bonfire, and so on. It can also appear in gaseous forms like fumes or hot steam. It's pretty standard here, but is highly tied to things like aggression, offense, damage, and weaponry.

Water is water, obviously, both stagnant and flowing. The more pure water is, the more powerful it is in regards to elemental magic. Water can appear as mist, streams, or blasts as well as be magically potent just in its liquid form.

Dust is where things get interesting. It appears as a cloud, pile, or strewn about as a light covering. It tends to be very neutrally colored and easy to miss, but has magical powers all the same. When a Dust-user conjures Dust, it creates a cloud of swirling particles that may crackle and spark with electricity between them, or it could be blown outwards as a corrosive or blinding mist.

Dust is a quasi-element, a combination of Earth and Air in our normal four piece elemental system. Why? Because I think it fits better in our three element system, and here's why. For one, Fire needs to be beaten by Water in any elemental system, that's a given. It's easy enough to argue why Earth or Grass or Lightning beats water, as discussed above, but finding something that gets beat by fire that isn't a living thing is tough. Fire just likes to kill wood, basically, not much unliving fears the flames. However dust can kind of sort of be a mix of life elements; but with some more obvious offensive powers that don't dip into things like poisons or generic “physical” damage, though physical could also be used in the form of dust ball, dust wind, dust storm, throwing rocks around or getting hit with a tornado, etc.

Also the other reason I think Fire is a good fit for beating Dust here is things that are often considered dusty, like dusty furry creatures in the desert highlands or an ancient mummy, seem pretty flammable, even if that dustiness is just a side effect and not really the root cause of their counter.

Where is Air/Earth?

In this case, Dust IS Air, or rather a combination of Air and Earth. I really like this concept because, to me at least, I can see it in a video game or whatever. I can see the particle effects in my head; a swirling cloud of dust with electricity zapping between particles, just daring you to go inside. In my mind, I think a cloud of particles being able to be electrified makes sense enough, PLUS it makes enough sense that Fire burns it away. Of course realistically, dust or dirt isn't exactly super flammable, but it kind of fits in with that preteaching part of a human mind that knows that fire consumes things faster the smaller and more surface area they have. You could think of elemental dust a bit like a cloud of generic video-gamey dust particles, maybe made of saw dust or finely ground flour, which ignite or even explode very easily. Also; if you're on the fence about dust being tied in with electiricty, I've noticed a trend in games about having the desert level also be electrical themed for some odd reason. Maybe that's just my Breath of the Wild experience talking, but there's some kind of cultural spillover there.

You could also imagine the three elemental system as the “base” elements, with air being equivalent to the aether/void element in other games or worlds. Air is the element where all other elements came from, hence why I references it in the start of this blog post.

Why is 'Dust' so vague?

This is partially to cover up for the inadequacies of other elemental systems I have been writing about and, secondly, because it's kind of cool. Gives it a mystical edge. Water is already hyper varied and probably one of the most attractive choices for elemental magic stuff, Fire is strong but a bit straightforward. I will admit I am imagining this elemental system more in a video game context then a tabletop one, you can just imagine in a tabletop game “oh you conjure fire, ok whatever you want to do with it go ahead”. But in a video game things are more set and can be designed, discussed further down below. Another reason is to give it a wide angle to compete with both Fire and Water, which both have a lot of uses if a bit straightforward ones off the top of your head.

Second, I wanted Dust to be a combination because of how limited air magic tends to be. That may sound a bit crazy, but honestly it's true. The main powers of Air in most games or media is creating wind or air blasts, blocking arrows/air shields obviously, flight, and possibly controlling the weather; this is the capabilities of pure air with some thinking. Compared to fire which can cook food, work with metals, heat up cold people and many more air seems lackluster. Air is often tied in with lightning or storm, and while this is a good addition you'll notice that lightning is almost just as sparse. Beyond shooting enemies with it, lightning can only really be useful in a modern fantasy setting can make use of it, or often the lightning power has teleportation and/or telekinesis (magnetism usually) hooked into it somehow. Earth is a bit TOO all purpose since it's literally everywhere, but in this case we're limiting the earth-power of Dust to just dust, sand, that sort of thing.

How would you present the Elemental Attacks/Spells/Combat Moves(Video Games)?

You could imagine a bunch of different ranges, area of effects, damage upfront vs damage over time, and forms or appearances for Fire magic. Low level red and orange flames, shooting out in arcs or orbs. Higher level blue or white flames that are thrown as big fireballs or can raise walls and shields made of fire. The super endgame fire would be like bright yellow to gold or something- a type of hyper hot and powerful energy.

Water is a little trickier. As mentioned before, Water just splashes people and isn't really dangerous, and any magician or entity that can conjure a huge amount of water at once, enough to hurt or kill someone, could probably sweep away small buildings or flood big areas, making it very dangerous for lots of people or causing huge damage. Water's power doesn't really “scale down” well in an elemental system; Fire, Lightning, and Ice all can be imagined to be dangerous on an individual level, but Water? Not as much. Of course this is only counting the combat potential of these magic systems; water could be the worst in combat because it offers protection, healing, movement, or other various buffs or useful travel powers for people who master it.

Dust is the one I kind of made up for this article, though I will admit some inspirations of course. Wind and lightning attacks are of course closely related, as are generic “dust attacks” from things like Dwarf Fortress forgotten beasts, but usually these have to carry poison or something to make any kind of sense. It doesn't really have to make sense obviously, a video game boss could just flap a wing and deal damage if you're anywhere close to it and it makes enough sense and people accept it, it just isn't super satisfying or obvious the way the other elements are. I think a combination of the above works best; a character does an attack animation and lifts their arms, creating a cloud of smoke that flies at the player character. Maybe it deals damage or stun on a hit, or maybe it just passes through your harmlessly, but electrical energy will start to zap you if you move through it once its set up, or the magician swirls up a bunch of dust around them dramatically before unleashing a powerful chain lightning bolt, which leaves little particles in the air along its trail. It's pretty much the same as lightning as in every other game, but with some added utility.

Conclusion

This idea was mostly based on TSW and my desires to reinvent the wheel. Of course, I do think it's an interesting take on the subject, but I sort of would rather use this as a background for my fantasy setting instead of hard and fast rules. Instead of an elemental system, you are just told about the three ur-elements. But what do you know, a player steals some Sacred dust and is looking for more to find some pure; magical and spiritually cleansed dust they will no doubt use for some holy ritual... or perhaps for an unholy magical ceremony.

The Five Elements (Creative-Process Rant/Tangent)

The “elements” being the basis of a fantasy world is really important, I think. It's not necessarily that it has to be those four base elements- Fire, Water, Earth, and Air. But rather, that the fantasy world is not a faux-simulation of our own world. Giving a fantasy world unreal phyiscs; such as disease actually being caused by miasma and demons, is a great way to seperate the players from their own lives. It's verisimilitude right in the cosmology.

But the question is; what elements SHOULD really make up the fantasy world? Positive and Negative energy? Each God providing something unique? The four elements? I've thought about it a bit, and I quite like the classic four elements, but with one addition.

The Five Elements (Creative Process Tangent)

You see, having alternate element systems is fun. It gives an excuse to make the setting feel a little more alien then traditional Fire/Water/Earth/Air elemental worlds- and I love Wood as an element. But it's not just directly Chinese. Chinese elements annoy me actually; Wood, Fire, Earth, Metal, and Water? Why are there like 3 Earth elements and no wind or “clouds”? This is bullshit.

So instead, we'll just add the “Wood” element into the traditional elements. Fire, Water, Earth, Air, and Wood. In this case, I'd also call it Flora, Plants, Vegetation, “Root”, something like that. Flora sounds a bit close to Fire, but has a mystic feel and is short. Vegetation or Vegetable sounds too clinical and is too long; notice how all the elemental words are really short? “Root” or “Leaf” are also good names, and get a bonus for not sharing a first letter with any of the traditional elements; making for easy shortenings, but are only calling the whole element as PART of the plant, so that sounds kind of weird. PLANT element is a little boring but it works. We'll call it Flora for now.

Imagination

So in my mind, when I imagine world made of these “elements”, I think too literally. This is my fault of course, but in my imagination it's hard to imagine the actual philosophical oldschool ideas of the elements. Think of it this way; Fire is present in everything, but we only imagine fire in the natural world as an “element” as like wildfires, volcanos, the sun/heat/deserts, maybe lightning in some worlds- you get the idea. So I'd like my element system something you can imagine easily.

This is the other reason I chose the element of Flora for my Five Elements system. Because in my mind, I can imagine a world made with these five elements. And you can imagine it without any animals, which are a different class. Of course, in real life, we know that plants are just a different form of living things; but this is a fantasy world.

You can imagine it. The world is shaped by Earth and volcanic Fire. It has clouds and weather and wind, carving the mountains through the element of Air. It has oceans and rivers. But this would end with a four elemental system- like if the elemental “planes” just form together to create a new planet or plane- there's just primordial ooze here. No green hills, no forests, no deserts with shrubs and so on. It's just a rocky, barren feeling planet at this point. This is why I want the element of Plants/Flora in there as my five elements. I can imagine this world, even without creatures. And this makes some fun setting implications; are these worlds formed on their own? Do the God(s) make them? Do creatures “migrate” from worlds to inhabit new ones? The worlds they go to already have plants, landmasses, oceans, everything- it's a virgin world without men or animals or spirits to inhabit it. I like this, as far as imagination goes.

You can imagine that the different varieties of plants are different forms of the element, or mixtures of elements. Grasses form when Flora mixes with wind and/or fire, though fire is normally the enemy of Flora. Marshes and moss is flora + water, with little Earth to balance it out. Trees are the standard, with order/light being the mixture that produces nice happy trees and chaos/darkness is what creates all those pitch black gnarled woods and brier patches. In this fantasy interpretation, plants and trees are not so much living things as they are elements. This means they grow on their own, as long as sunlight and water is present. In the same way fire forms in the right conditions, plants just grow on their own, using seeds to store themselves. That's why you can harvest or eat the element of wood in this sense- it's a magical force of the world itself. As each element has its own properties, so to does Flora have the power to begat life. Maybe.

Envy Flame + Tenfold Flame

Jealous Fire. Envy Flame is the name for a creature that comes from the farthest realms above. Some say it is the coalescence of emotions from the astral and telestial planes, brought down as bright red comets; in the same way that rain coalesces from vapor in the upper atmosphere. Others think they are their own beings, driven mad in covet.

Envy Flames are jealous of living beings. Humans and animals alike; the fire of a living being lasts for many years, some centuries, and some even longer. The spurned Envy Flame is a golem and elemental of fire that can hope for a few hours of a hot smolder, and then death. They despise life, and will attempt to slay any living creature they come across. The cold blooded creatures and people, such as lizard men, can stand absolutely still and not draw the ire of the Envy Flame; it sees the fire in your vein as its rightful property- the cold blooded must sup the flame from others just to live. They are not enviable to the jealous Envy Flame.

-Envy Flame-

HD- 6 to 8

AC- 16

Morale- 14

Numbers- One or Two

Attacks- Flaming Touch 1d6+1 Fire Damage, Smolder Weapon 1d8+1

Abilities- +6 to hit, Fast Movement, Corpse to Ashes, Immune to Fire, 1 in 4 chance to hold a Tenfold Burn instead of a Smolder Weapon

Envy Flames are similar to fire elementals but have key differences. Their bodies are not made entirely out of fire, instead having several tougher and more solid pieces made of folded and formed liquid and solid fire along with volcanic materials and several foreign materials not native to our existence. Some natural scholars believe they are therefore a higher caste or form of fire elemental- or what fire elementals are actually like in their home dimension, instead of working with the inferior forms of fire we have in our own to create their bodies. However if this is the case, then the elemental plane of fire is a truly frightening place if the native inhabitants are like this.

Envy Flames are fast, constantly burning beings. The smell of sulpher and burnt wood and flesh, but this scent is contained to the light white smoke that billows of them when they move or “breathe”, meaning it is possible for them to be stealthy by standing still and holding their breath. They also spark and sound like a crackling fire, but can suspend this as well similar to how a human can hold their breath to become more stealthy. They move faster then other beings and win initiative ties unless the target has a +2 in Dexterity or higher.

It uses both its hands and feet to attack, dealing intense fire damage at 1d6+1, as well as having a second, primary attack with its weapon. Most Envy Flames have dark black weapons created from ash and soot, these smolder weapons are warm to the touch and cut as well as powerful swords, dealing 1d8+1 damage on a normal hit. Envy Flames are skilled with these weapons; enough to burn a target with their inner fire as well as strike with their weapons each round. They can also dodge attacks and their tough bodies are alien enough to resist most simple attacks; their AC is 16. Every Envy Flame that arrives in our world has a 1 in 4 chance to have a Tenfold Flame instead of its normal weapon.

The Envy Flame's body consumes materials much more aggressively then other fires- especially flesh. While the fire has little effect on grass or wooden floors, its feet burn through corpses as though they were butter. Each round the Envy Flame can stab or stomp on a dead body to consume it utterly- the body turns to fine white ash. This makes it impossible for an easy method of regeneration or revival to be made on that being; only a powerful true resurrection spell could be used to restore a being whose physical form was totally destroyed in that way. Even if against powerful opponents, the Envy Flame will spite them by burning their companions instead of retreating, such is its hate. Needless to say, they are totally immune to fire.

Art @cobaltplasma

Tenfold Flame

In the astral realm, burning stars and planetoids gather fire so intensely hot that it does not even go out with no fuel. This fire may also exist in other dimensions; but the Astral Realm is where it collects most easily. It can be hammered into shape by the most powerful of elemental lords or crafty of Wizards, as the forging process most weapons and magic metals undergo would only cool this blade by subjecting it to inferior fires.

The Tenfold Flame can be molded into any weapon shape, including blunt weapons, but it has the same effect. The moment a Tenfold Flame weapon strikes you, your skin bubbles and peels and the wound is instantly cauterized; the fire spreads through your blood and burns you slowly. The searing heat of a Tenfold Flame deals 1d12+2 damage- this is normal weapon damage, as the blade is still a powerful physical force along with elemental fire. It deals double damage to those weak to fire, but can still harm those immune to fire as well. Finally, even holding the Tenfold flame is impossible for most creatures. It deals 1d2 fire damage every round you attempt to use it, the intense heat cooking your hand, even with leather straps and gloves to protect yourself. The only way to use this weapon is to either be immune to fire yourself or craft a specialty magic item to hold it. All Tenfold Flames are also magic weapons and have an Ego of 4, meaning only Fighters level 4 or higher, or half-fighting classes level 8 or higher, can use this weapon without it turning on them.

After being hit by it, the Tenfold flame burns again. Inside the victim's body, the fire blooms through their fat and intestines, finding cool places to heat and bubble over. Every round after getting hit by the Tenfold Flame, you must make a hard saving throw or take another 1d6 fire damage. If you fail ten of these saving throws in a row, your character is burned utterly from the inside out, and explodes dealing another 2d6 fire damage to everyone nearby.

Those who were struck by the Tenfold Flame and successfully made their saving throws still suffer from it; the inside of their body is still being ravaged by supernatural fire. Every season, they must make another hard saving throw or have part of themselves “burnt”. This could be a hand that turns black, or their hair turns white as ash. Others gain a permanent rash on random parts of their bodies, or still others have their eyes become dry and turn dark black like coal- though without any lose of vision, this is merely a sign of internal smoke. Every time this happens, they age another 1d4+1 years and lose the same in maximum hit points. The only way to stop this effect is to find a significant magical artifact of cold and consume it, or quest to the coldest places in the world to dip themselves into water that could kill them on a failed save; it is the only way to quench the endless fire slowly burning them inside.

The Tenfold Flame is not a singular artifact, but is instead a magical material that has found its way into the hands of several demon and draconic warriors- cleaving their foes asunder with fires that burns brighter then any in this world.

8 Ways to do Elemental Planes

[1] Pure Elements

The plane is literally just an endless amount of whatever element it encompasses. Opening a portal to the elemental plane of water would eventually flood the world; it just dumps nothing but pure water. Same for the plane of fire, which is some platonic ideal of fire that burns endlessly without fuel, or the plane of Earth which could just be an entire endless universe of solid stone that can be broken down into stones, grit, sand, soil, etc. This may require additional elemental planes for cross elements or sub elements, like the elemental plane of air and the elemental plane of lightning, OR the elemental planes are what the “pure” element is like and all variations are just things that can occur in the real world. Ie; Ice is just water that gets too cold, not a real element. In this version, Elementals may just be animated forms of elements given life by magic, not a native thing.

[2] Pure Elements+

In this version, elemental planes each are purely of their element and a few sub types. The elemental plane of air is filled with clouds, fog, winds, lightning storms, vapor and so on but has no living beings or complexity within. The elemental plane of Earth may be filled with stones, salt, gravel, soil, as well as metals and ores- with precious metals rarely strewn between or each given its own endless but somehow separate part of the plane if you wanted magicians opening portals to have potentially endless access to gold and diamonds, or maybe these just don't exist in the elemental realm. In this version the elemental planes may have some kind of structure- such as the plane of water having a endless snowy field on top of an endless glacier on top of an endless ocean, on top of an endless lake of brackish water, and abyssal water beneath that and so on- elementals could be native here, living among these types of various elements in an abstract existence living beings barely understanding.

[3] Lived-In Elements

As the Pure Elemental Plane or Pure Elemental Plane+ but with creatures that live among the layers. Humongous leviathans may live in the plane of water, or pheonixes may forever fly through the elemental plane of fire- these could be right there with the elementals or once again separated somehow, the various “tiers” of creatures. The ecosystem is based off of basic and advanced elements and elementals- their environments are foreign but the creatures make sense, or somehow change into something more sensible when they come here.

[4] Abstract Elements

The Elemental Planes may be filled with each element and sub elements, but may also have several “supernatural” elements that don't exist in the physical realms. Things like solid and liquid fires, forever exploding materials, burning air vapor and so on for the elemental plane of fire. The Plane of Earth may have a constantly shaking earthquake element zone, along with breathable soil and mulching stones with magic innate within them and so on. It's difficult for mortals to understand, as it is an inherently alien and foreign place to them. Creatures of this plane may be as Lived-In Elements or may be various tiers and types of elementals; different classes or even kingdoms of these beings could exist in such an abstract realm.

[5] Sensible Planes

In this example; the elemental planes may be much more similar to the normal or real world. Instead, all the planes are filled with enviorments, creatures, and even cultures or beings that simple live around the elements in question. For example, the elemental plane of fire could just be a very hot and barren land like a desert with no rain or snow; these cultures could be filled with elemental spirits or even human-like races that live here and are used to it. The elemental plane of water could just be filled with many oceans and rivers and swamps; the air is thick with mist but beings still live here similar to the prime material world. Additionally, these places may be able to be visited much easier then all the other examples on this list, but the planes could also get much more “extreme” the further they travel, such as in Elemental Directions.

[6] Elemental Directions

The Elemental Planes may actually just be a physical place in the world; the farther out out of the barren deserts you go the hotter it gets until eventually it just becomes nothing but burning sand, and from there on it becomes even worse and an even brighter inferno and so on. I wrote about this concept more here.

[7] Afterlife but for Elements

Similar to the D&D conceptualization of Hell, the Elemental Planes are ordered similarly. There may be elemental lords and lesser elemental ruling over specific types of elements. There may be layers with more intense versions of the elements; up to and including abstract and unreal elements from the Abstract Elements concept. Summoning an elemental is similar to calling forth a demon, just from a non-evil plane, just an elemental one instead.

[8] Not Elemental Planes at all

The Elemental Planes aren't really Elemental planes; they are simply alternate dimensions that people draw from. The Elemental Plane of Air may actually just be a realm called “Zephyr”, filled with flying airship pirates, huge birds, and magical storms. They see the Earth as a strange dimension like any other; its rules and creatures are just as alien and dangerous as you see their simple flying creatures are! With this rule, you can also free dimensions entirely, making every alternate realm or otherspace a different and strange place instead of neatly ordered.

The Four Elements of the Underworld

The primordial forces of the world are the elements. Elementals are the simplest form of life, naturally. But as things are on the surface, the underworld is a dark mirror to it. In the same way that ghosts are weak, insubstantial, and can barely manipulate the elements of the upper world, living things wilt and die to the elements of the lower world. But elements they are all the same.

[1] Bane Fire

Fire is enlightening. It is the symbol of man's domination over nature, as well as civilization. It is a symbol of the candlelight vigil, the torchlight, and the fires of a forge. Banefire is its opposite. Banefire appears as glowing, sickly green flame that gives off little light. Those burned by the banefire have their minds become enfeebled- the opposite of the enlightenment fire brings. For each dice of Banefire damage dealt, save or take 1d4 damage to Intelligence.

[2] Stygian Water

Water is the tool of the healer, the farmer, and a giver of life. Stygian Water is its opposite. The black water cannot be made pure through any amount of boiling or herbalism. If even a small amount is splashed on your character or their clothing, they must make an immediate save or be subject to a minor disease. If they are partially or fully submerged in a large amount of Stygian water, or have a bucket or greater worth dumped on them, they break out in painful blisters and boils on that area which are permanent without treatment if they fail a save. Finally, drinking Stygian waters can stave off death from thirst, but cause permanent aging by 1d6 years as the water saps their life force.

[3] Hell Wind

The Winds of the world are cool and refreshing, bringing forth fresh air and sending away the miasma of rotting corpses and waste. The winds also bring the rains and storms and seasons- these are the domain of the element of air. Not so in the Underworld. There is no rain here, the wind is a dry and hateful thing, the wind is hot and brings the worst smells and sounds from every corner of the underworld to your location. Even the most steadfast of living beings bend under this wind like saplings; the hot wind peeling their skin and bringing no relief. During the hellstorms of the underworld the wind becomes so strong and putrid that it may just suck the breath from your lungs.

[4] Crumbling Earth

Earth is solid, foundation for the rest of the world and the firmament. Beyond providing the basic elements for living things and material to build; the elemental Earth also patrons the blacksmith and merchant alike with useful and valuable metals and gemstones. The crumbling earth in the underworld is the opposite. It is mostly dust; gray and lifeless, which is the same stuff that the undead must eat each day. For mortals, the crumbling dusty earth in the underworld is no steady foundation; it gives way easily leading to falls or sinking into quicksand in wet places. The Earth is also torturous to equipment made of metal and crystal- even once living materials like wood, leather, and bone are not totally spared its wrath. Even leaving your helmet rest on the dirt for a few hours while you rest will result in you finding it half rusted, crumbling at the bottom, turning gray and becoming the same dust you once slept in. Even the ground here despises the living. Only items made in the underworld are immune to the corrosive powers of the soil itself.

4 Elementally Challenged Undead

Dry-Vine Skeleton (1+2 HD, +2 AC, 1d6+1 rusted sword, vine entangles on hit, immune to arrows, takes only 1 damage from spears, weak to fire)

Numbers- 2d6+2 in places overgrown by nature, 1d6 everywhere else

The Dry-Vine skeletons are animated by necromantic energies and magic, but are primarily animated by the dead and dried out vines entangled through their bones. This gives them more structure and speed then normal skeletal undead, as well as advanced strength. Also, whenever they successful hit a target, the target must save or be entangled in vines, which take a round to cut themselves out of or they cannot move or attack for the next turn.

As with all skeletons, they are not hurt by arrows or spears, as they have no organs or flesh to stab. Blunt weapons are required to effectively fight skeletons. Unlike normal skeletons though, the vines help hold these ones together, meaning a simple bash on the head with a club usually isn't enough to scatter their bones across the crypt.

However; these skeletons are weak to fire. Any fire damage at all ignites their vines, dealing 1d6 fire damage against them each round; once their vines are burned away the skeletons fall apart from losing all structure. The Dry-Vine skeletons naturally fear fire, as much as an undead can fear anything, and a confident priest can use a torch or lit candle as a substitute for a holy symbol.

Dust Wraith (2 HD, +4 to hit, 1d4 damage touch, save or level drain, Ethereal, blown away by wind)

Numbers- 1 or 2 in a closed dusted casket, 1d6+1 everywhere else

Dust Wraiths appear as ghostly wraiths animated as clouds of dust. The dust that make up their bodies are the dust from old human graves and the dust of crypts; as such their features are vague as they are probably reanimated from the dust of several dead humans and animals, lacking any sort of personality or resemblance to their living past self.

The Wraiths can float and touch people to deal damage; the life draining energy can cause characters to have their levels drained. Whenever you are hit by a wraith, take the 1d4 damage roll and drain a level if you fail a save. The save is either unmodified or modified by save vs death.

As they are made of dust; treat their AC is 20 vs nonmagic weapons, giving a very low chance to harm them without magical weapons or spells. The dust that makes up their bodies can be easily blown away by the wind or flow of air; as such the dust wraiths only appear in the deepest levels of a catacomb and fear the open spaces of the surface. If you use something like a palm fronds, billows, or hand fan you deal 1d6 damage against them each round if you try to blow them away. Spells that create winds or blast of air kill them instantly, their dust scattered back to the floor of the tomb.

Lotion Zombie (3 HD, +4 AC, 1d6 flabby slaps, easy to smell, sliding motion, water weakness)

Numbers- 1d8 in a loft, 1d3 everywhere else

Loton Zombies appear as regular, bloated zombies with extremely smooth skin. Their whole skin has a pale white thin cream or lard spread across it, which gives them an unusual and distinct smell; doesn't smell like rotting flesh, so it makes them easy to pick out in a crypt. This makes getting surprised by them impossible, along with their wet slapping feet and constant blubbering groans.

Because of both their fat, smooth skin, and unusually powerful method of animation, lotion zombies are very hard to kill. Many attacks may just slide right off their skin from how slippery their lard is. In the same vein, the lotion zombies can slide across the ground, especially smooth tile, very easily. If at a full run and stopped by a warrior's shield or spear, the zombie might just be able to slip underneath to attack the backline. They can build to great speeds if marching downhill, and will deal 1d4 damage plus bowl anyone over who stands in their way.

Lotion Zombies have a weakness; water. Any amount of water splashed on their skin washes away the lotion, and unanimates that area of their body. If their hand is dipped or splashed with water, then it falls limp and instantly begins to rot, losing its power. A bucket full of water deals 2d6 damage to the zombie, and being submerged in water or being put out in the rain will end their animation. Because only very fresh bodies can be animated by the magic cream, once a zombie is washed off it can't be used again as a lotion zombie.

Clay Mask Mummy (1 HD, +2 AC, +2 to hit, 1d8 old weapons, magic shield blocks 1d8 magic damage each round, cunning, fragile)

Numbers- 1d4 in sealed tomb, 1 anywhere else

Clay Mask mummies are specially preserved undead, retaining almost all of their intelligence and skill after death through special preservation methods. However, their entire body is covered by a clay covering to preserve their flesh, especially their face, and they have become so brittle as any physical damage could kill them. Despite being quite powerful, they only use a single hit die for HP, and physical attacks that normally wouldn't do much damage, such an unarmed punch or an improvised weapon, do a minimum of 1d6 damage again them. Any weapon that deals less then 1d4 damage, like a sling or dagger, does 1d6 damage against them as well.

The Clay Mask mummies sit in sealed rooms to avoid all potential damage from animals or other undead; as well as to meditate on the nature of their powers. Clay Mask mummies also carry a magic hide shield that grants them +1 AC and absorbs the first 1d8 magic damage they take each round. This is rolled when the first spell or attack that hits them deals magic damage, and lets them absorb that much of it and all further attacks.

While very fragile, they are also very cunning and prefer to use the dungeon environment or ranged weapons to fight. Some may also carry around a magic scroll that can rot flesh or drain levels, and use that before leading intruders into larger hoards of lesser undead.

[Class] The Four Elemental Warriors

Elemental Warriors

HD- d8

Equipment- All, minus plate

At 1^st level, all Elemental Warriors begin as Elemental initiates. They have a base AC of 10 and have a maximum AC of 16. They also begin with the same to-hit bonus and combat abilities as a first level fighter, but have less health and lesser equipment.

Elemental Initiates can speak to or commune with elemental spirits as they are present in the setting, but do not get a bonus to their reaction roll with them as a shaman or priest would. Also, elemental initiates get +1 to save against all saving throws closely tied to the four elements, such as dragons breath and petrification.

When the Elemental Initiate reaches 2^nd level, they must choose one of the elements to champion and master, abandoning the others except for the base abilities earned at first level.

Warrior of Fire

The moment the Elemental Warrior becomes a Warrior of Fire, he may start fires by holding and blowing on dry tinder up to his mouth at any time, effectively acting as a candle-flame cantrip. He also gains +1 to all saves against fire based spells or breath attacks; and gains an additional +1 to fire-based saves every level from now on.

Once per day per level, the Warrior of Fire may engulf his blade in flames with a strike, dealing an additional +1d6 fire damage. This must be called before the attack is rolled, and on a miss the flames harmlessly singe the target. Even on a miss, this attack could ignite extremely dry or flammable material, such as a creature covered in lantern oil or an animated scarecrow.

At 10^th level the Warrior of Fire may become a living flame once per day. In this form, he can only be harmed by magic weapons or spells and looks like a giant fire. This giant fire can leap and crawl across the ground even without fuel, but will become weak without it. It can also shoot 1d6 damage sparks at anyone within throwing distance. By consuming flammable objects the living flame may grow larger and move faster. The Warrior of Fire can keep the form going for 1 turn. If the fire is extinguished the Warrior of Fire will reappear in the embers of the flame unconscious.

Warrior of Water

Elemental Warriors of Water can identify if a source of water is safe to drink or poisoned by running their fingers through it. They can also identify other liquids like wine by making a save and adding their level to the roll. On a failure, they cannot be sure or not if the liquid is safe. They get +1 to all saves involving water every level from now on.

Warriors of Water can hold their breath underwater for a number of exploration turns equal to their level. Also, Water Warriors can create a spear, arrow, or shield made of ice that has a one time to-hit or AC bonus equal to their level, once per day.

At 10^th level the Warrior of Water can become living water. In this form they can either stay still and imitate a regular body of water, drip through cracks and crevices, or move in a great torrent of water like a crashing wave. You are also immune to non-magical weapons. Instead of attacking, the Warrior of Water could attempt to drown foes or skirt away allies. Enemies only get a save to avoid being knocked over or swept away if they are very large or have a strength modifier of +2 or better. They can sustain their form for as long as they wish, but if too much of their liquid is separated they will be trapped in elemental form until they rejoin.

Warrior of Earth

Elemental Warriors of Earth get to wear platemail and have their maximum AC raised to 18 due to their connection to stone and earth. They get +1 to saves involving petrification, cave-ins, earthquakes, mudslides, and similar Earthy hazards every level.

By stomping their foot, the Warrior of Earth can cause stalactites and shards of stone to jut into their enemies. The Earth Warrior must make an attack roll, with their level as the bonus to hit, against the enemy's AC and on a successful hit deals 1d8 damage. The Earth Warrior can also do this on softer ground like gravel or dirt, but this can only open a pit beneath the enemy to trap or distract them. They can do this once per day per level.

At 10^th level, the Warrior of Earth can transform into an Earth golem. In this form they have 20 AC, stone fists that deal 1d10 damage, and always go last in the initiative order. They also have tremendous strength, and could easily break through thin stone walls or thick wooden ones. Their incredible weight means most wooden bridges or floors couldn't support their weight. They can stay in this form for up to 1 exploration turn.

Warrior of Air

The warriors with the power of Air is closely attuned to the secrets of the winds. They can hear a whisper spoken within 10ft per level as the wind carries it to their ear. Also, Warriors of Air get +1 to saves to avoid all air related saves, including toxic gases or lighting strikes, every level.

Warriors of Air can redirect missed projectiles like arrows back at the targets again for a second attack roll, and can do this once per day per level. These can be spent in advance, such as granting each member of a squad a single magically empowered arrow for a single devastating volley. Warriors of Air can also give up their combat round to give themselves or any of their allies within hearing distance a +1 AC bonus against all incoming attacks by whistling a shield of wind.

At 10^th level, the Warrior of Air can become living wind. This specter is almost invisible and can only be harmed by magic weapons and spells. It is a low flying wind that can only travel near to the ground, but can “climb” up sheer surfaces depending on weather conditions and wind chimes to act as jumping points. The specter can only interact with people or objects by whispering in their ear or with a subtle gust of wind that can blow out candles or shift the pages of an already open book. The air-form must stay mostly together but can pass through objects that are open to the wind; something like a heavy curtain could block them just as it could block the wind.