Elemental Creature Template
Creating an Elemental Creature
When you choose to apply this template, pick one of the following descriptors: air, earth, fire, or water. When using the template, apply only those abilities that relate to the subtype you chose.
“Elemental” is an inherited template that may be added to any animal, elemental, humanoid, or vermin. When applying this template to an elemental creature, consider what particular form of matter the fusion of two elements represents. For example, the combination of an earth elemental with the water subtype could create a mud paraelemental.Note that it is possible to create creatures that incorporate two or three elemental types by applying this template to the same creature in successive iterations. If you opt to apply the template to a creature more than once, you must choose a different elemental descriptor each time you use the template. Furthermore, a creature may not be given the elemental template that corresponds to its original subtype, if any. For example, you could not choose the earth option below when applying this template to an earth elemental.
An elemental creature uses its base creature’s characteristics except where noted below. Remember, apply only those modifications listed for the particular subtype you chose. Do not recalculate the creature’s Hit Dice, base attack bonus, saves, or skill points if its type changes.
Challenge Rating: As base creature +1.
Size and Type: Size is unchanged. The creature’s type changes to elemental and it gains a new subtype corresponding to the chosen descriptor. Elemental creatures encountered on the Material Plane have the extraplanar subtype.
AC: Elemental earth creatures gain a natural AC bonus of +4. This bonus stacks with the base creature’s existing natural AC bonus.
Speed: Depending on the subtype chosen for use with the template, the base creature may gain new movement modes.
- Elemental air creatures may fly at twice their walking speed with good maneuverability.
- Elemental water creatures gain the ability to swim at twice their ground speed. If the base creature can fly, the elemental creature may opt to use this speed as its swimming speed.
Attacks: All paraelemental creatures gain a slam attack if they do not already have this attack mode. The creature’s size determines the damage inflicted by this attack. An elemental earth creature counts as one size larger when determining the damage its slam deals. Thus, Gargantuan elemental earth creatures inflict 3d8 damage with a slam attack.
| Size | Slam Damage |
|---|---|
| Fine | 1d2 |
| Tiny | 1d3 |
| Small | 1d4 |
| Medium | 1d6 |
| Large | 1d8 |
| Huge | 2d8 |
| Gargantuan | 3d6 |
| Colossal | 3d8 |
Damage: Elemental fire creatures gain the ability to inflict fire damage in addition to the normal damage inflicted with their physical attacks. When fighting with natural weapons, the creature deals damage listed below. When fighting with melee weapons, the elemental fire creature also deals additional fire damage.
| Creature Size | Physical Attack Dmg | Melee Weapon Dmg |
|---|---|---|
| Fine | +1d2 | +0 |
| Tiny | +1d2 | +0 |
| Small | +1d3 | +1 |
| Medium | +1d4 | +1 |
| Large | +1d6 | +2 |
| Huge | +1d8 | +3 |
| Gargantuan | +2d6 | +4 |
| Colossal | +3d6 | +5 |
Special Attacks: The elemental creature retains all the special attacks of the base creature and also gains the following special attacks determined by its new elemental subtype.
Air
Whirlwind (Su): Three times per day, an elemental air creature may create a small whirlwind. Treat this whirlwind as one created by an air elemental two sizes smaller than the base creature. If the base creature is smaller than Large size, it cannot use this ability. The whirlwind lasts for five rounds. The elemental air creature may command and direct the whirlwind as a free action. The whirlwind uses stats appropriate to the air elemental to which it corresponds.
Earth
Push (Ex): Elemental earth creatures are strong and dense enough to start a bull rush without provoking an attack of opportunity.
Fire
Burn (Ex): Any creature hit by a elemental fire creature must make a Reflex save or catch fire. This ability applies only to the elemental fire creature’s slam attack. The creature’s size determines its save DC. Burning creatures take 1d6 points of damage per round for 1d4 rounds. A creature ignited in this manner may automatically douse its flames as a move action that provokes an attack of opportunity.
| Creature Size | Burn Reflex DC |
|---|---|
| Fine | 6 |
| Tiny | 8 |
| Small | 10 |
| Medium | 13 |
| Large | 16 |
| Huge | 19 |
| Gargantuan | 22 |
| Colossal | 25 |
Water
Drench (Ex): A elemental water creature can extinguish torches, bonfires, and similar mundane conflagrations with a touch. This ability works on any fire of size Large or smaller. If the elemental water creature attempts to douse a magical fire, it can dispel the flames as if it cast dispel magic (caster level equal to its HD).
Vortex (Su): Three times per day, a elemental water creature may generate a whirling vortex in a body of water. Treat this vortex as one created by a water elemental two sizes smaller than the template creature. Medium and smaller template creatures cannot use this ability. Otherwise, treat the vortex as a water elemental under its creator’s mental control. The water creature may direct the vortex with a free action. The vortex lasts for 5 rounds.
Special Qualities: The elemental creature retains all the special qualities of the base creature and also gains the following:
Elemental Traits: Darkvision out to 60 feet. Immune to critical hits, paralysis, poison, sleep, and stunning.
The following special qualities apply to a specific elemental subtype granted by this template.
Air
Air Mastery (Ex): Flying creatures, or any other airborne opponent, suffer a -1 penalty to attack rolls and damage rolls against an elemental air creature.
Earth
Earth Mastery (Ex): Elemental earth creatures gain a +1 bonus to attacks and damage if it and its opponent both stand upon the ground. If the elemental earth creature’s foe is airborne or waterborne, the elemental earth creature suffers a -4 penalty to attack and damage.
Fire
Fire Subtype (Ex): Elemental fire creatures gain immunity to fire and vulnerability to cold.
Water
Water Breathing (Ex): Elemental water creatures can breath normally when submerged.
Water Mastery (Ex): Elemental water creatures gain a +1 bonus to attack and damage if it and its foe are in water. If either creature is standing on solid ground, the water elemental suffers a -4 penalty to attack and damage.
Abilities: Each of the four elemental subtypes grants a different set of modifiers to the base creature:
Air: +4 Dex.
Earth: +4 Con.
Fire: +4 Dex.
Water: +2 Str.
Environment: The appropriate Elemental Plane.
Level Adjustment: Same as the base creature +2.
