In this post, I’m going to cover the abilities for four of the different types of elementals I thought up here. I am not wedded to these numbers, and it might make sense to have a maximum on the bonuses that depend on the size (and therefore difficulty) of the elemental. Each elemental should have a “favored terrain” that gives them bonuses fighting against creatures that strongly embody their nature. At the same time, they are harmed and healed by opposite or alike actions nearby, respectively. Lastly, they each have a way to take, consume, or utilize important aspects of an adventurer’s resources that aren’t just their hit points or damage potential.
Gold Elemental: Generally an Earth or Fire elemental that spends too long around trade centers and treasure.
Made up of treasures, antiques, trade goods, and other signs of wealth. Most are damaged by constant movement and impact but the magic of the elemental keeps them looking good while alive. After death, most or all are good only for scrap.
The Gold Elemental inflicts a cumulative -1 penalty to attack and damage made by creatures possessing items with combined worth more than 10, 50, 100, 500, 1,000, 5,000, 10,000, 50,000, 100,000, and 500,000. It has an attack and damage bonus on its attacks of a cumulative +1 against targets on the same scale. Similarly, it has a bonus on its saves against creatures using supplemental equipment or scrolls and inflicts a penalty on saving throws against its abilities by those with defensive magic items.
Destruction, not usage in the case of a disposable item, of an item of value within 120 ft. forces the Gold Elemental to make a DC 15 save, or take 1d6 damage for every 100 of value of the item and lose its next action in a howl of grief. On a successful save, it takes half damage.
As an action, the Gold Elemental may consume a valuable item that is not currently held, broken, or secured. The item is added to its form, healing it for 1d4 hit points for every 100 of value of that item. On death, the item can be retrieved from the Gold Elemental, but it takes 1 point of damage each minute it remains in the elemental’s form, ignoring hardness. Alternatively, if the Gold Elemental is helpless, a creature can make an opposed strength or dexterity check as an action against it at disadvantage to pull the desired item from its body.
Tomes Elemental: Usually Fire or Air elementals exposed to too much text, justice, and philosophy
Its form is an agglomeration of books, scrolls, tapestries, bookshelves, writing utensils, and desks. Any text on its submsumed items flows and intermingles, leaving any item consumed by it rendered into meaningless or chaotic jumbled sentences from a multitude of different sources.
Tome Elementals fight in the realm of experience and prowess. Against foes with abilities and powers, they gain a bonus equal to the highest spell level (or equivalent level for non-spell abilities per the class level the ability is earned at). This applies to their attacks, damage, saving throws, and opposed rolls. Similarly, those creatures fight with an equal penalty against the Tome Elemental.
Destroying knowledge, prowess, or important texts cuts right to the heart of all nearby Tomes Elementals. Discharging a spell or ability without using it, wasting it on no targets and gaining no benefit from it, deals 1d6 damage for each spell level or equivalent. Tomes Elementals within 120 ft. must make a DC 15 save in order to take half damage. This also stuns the elemental and it loses its next action recategorizing its own mental library to route around the lost knowledge. Destruction of a significant text, deed, scroll, or similar repository of knowledge, philosophy, or law functions similarly. The damage dealt is based on the value of the text, including its rarity and importance, 1d6 per 100 of value, to a maximum of 5d6, and this damage does not cause the Tomes elemental to lose its next action.
If a creature within 120ft. regains an ability, spell slot, or power, the Tomes Elemental heals 1d4 hit points per spell level, or equivalent, of that ability.
As an action, the Tomes Elemental may make a single slam attack to attempt to dislodge and utilize an ability of their opponent. If the disarm attempt is successful, the creature loses one use of the target ability or the spell slot and the elemental picks it up. A translucent engraved stone is added to its form. It can utilize that stolen ability using either its own ability scores or the original owner’s, whichever are higher. The ability can be retrieved from the elemental’s corpse or if it is helpless by making a wisdom or intelligence opposed check at disadvantage. The ability, if unused, will be slowly eaten by the elemental and gone after 10 minutes per spell level of the ability, it cannot be regained until the elemental finishes digesting it or it is retrieved.
Sand Elemental: Commonly an Air or Water elemental kept restful too long, in service to hospitals, or astral/psychic wielders
Sand Elementals are constantly shifting humanoid shapes made of fine grains of crystal, sand, shells, and dust. Their form is in constant flux, morphing between indistinct dream-addled or nightmarish forms.
When fighting against a creature, the more well-rested and healthy the creature, the greater hold the Sand Elemental has against them, anchoring itself in their still half-remembered dreams. This manifests as a +½ bonus on all rolls and checks against creatures for each hit die they have remaining, doubled against creatures that have more than half their hit points remaining. This also applies as a penalty to attacks, damage, rolls, and saving throws by those creatures against the Sand Elemental.
Any creature that wastes a healing or other restorative or regenerative ability within 120 ft. of the Sand Elemental causes some of its form to slough off. This includes abilities that restore spell slots, ability uses, or hit dice, but they must be expended to no effect. For every spell level of the ability (or equivalent for non-spells), the elemental takes 1d6 damage and loses its next action trying to claw back its lost sand into itself. If it succeeds on a DC 15 saving throw, the damage is halved and it does not lose its next action.
Should a creature within 120 ft. receive any healing, the Sand Elemental heals for 1d4 hit points for every 5 hit points that creature recovered. A Sand Elemental can freely go above its normal hit point maximum, losing one hit point each minute if above its normal hit point maximum.
As an action, the Sand Elemental forms itself into a dream-nightmare combination of a creature within reach and slams into them. If that creature fails on a Constitution or Charisma saving throw, the elemental steals half of their remaining hit dice, rounded up, or their highest level healing spell. This round and at the start of each turn after, it expends one of those hit dice or one die of healing from that spell to heal itself, using the original creature’s bonuses to that healing if applicable. The remaining hit dice or spell can be retrieved from the elemental’s corpse or if it is helpless by making an opposed Constitution or Charisma check at disadvantage. Once all the dice for the spell have been consumed, the spell slot will recover normally at the next appropriate rest.
Feast Elemental: Most often an Water or Earth elemental kept in service to one community for generations or primarily tasked to crops
This many limbed humanoid form is made of countless platters of food, tables, tablecloths, festive ribbons, and serving ware. Its magic keeps the food fresh, hot or cold, and appetizing, as its nature attempts to keep things mostly whole on the surface of its body.
Feast Elementals draw strength from and live partially within the concept of community, alliances, and comradery. They gain a +½ bonus, rounded up, for each ally a creature has within 30 ft. of themselves. This applies to attack and damage rolls, contested skill checks, and saving throws against effects of those creatures. In the same vein, those creatures suffer that bonus as a penalty on their attack and damage rolls, contested skill checks, and saving throws against the elemental’s abilities. This bonus is doubled against a creature that gave or received aid from another creatures since the start of its previous turn.
Infighting, paranoia, and backstabbing are toxic to the Feast Elemental and cause patches of its form to rot and die. If a creature within 120 ft. takes a hostile action against a neutral or allied creature, the Feast Elemental takes 1d6 damage for every 2 HD of the creature making the hostile action. The elemental must make a DC 15 saving throw to reduce the damage by half. On a failed save, the elemental reels back, trying to balance platters and serving ware from falling off to no avail, wasting its next action.
Should a creature within 120 ft. act beneficially to a neutral or enemy creature, however, the Feast Elemental draws upon that emotional energy. Even unintentional aid heals the elemental so long as it protects, boosts, heals, or otherwise positively benefits a creature in a measurable way. It heals for 1d4 hit points per 2 HD of the creature taking the beneficial action.
As an action, a Feast Elemental reaches out with its many limbs wielding cutlery, slamming down onto the target creature. If that creature fails on a Charisma or Wisdom saving throw, the elemental steals their aid or loyalty. If the target has a summoned creature, henchman, conjured familiar, retainer, or other NPC, one of their loyalty changes to the Feast Elemental. Alternatively, the elemental commands that creature’s loyalty, and that creature is considered to be aiding the elemental, mostly through subconscious movements, granting the elemental one roll with advantage each round. Loyalty can be retrieved from a dead Feast Elemental or from a helpless one with a Charisma or Wisdom check at disadvantage by pulling free a symbolic memento of the chosen creature. Unretrieved loyalty is consumed by the Feast Elemental, making the creature neutral to it and any former masters, it can then be re-earned or re-bought as normal. While a creature’s aid is held the Feast Elemental, they cannot aid another creature, and if it is consumed, they cannot use the help action until they complete a short rest.
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