D&D 5E Proposed feat: Elemental Master

[Doug McCrae]

ELEMENTAL MASTER

Prerequisite: Elemental Adept

Spells you cast ignore immunity to damage of the same type you chose for Elemental Adept. If you have more than one Elemental Adept feat then choose one damage type from the types previously selected.


What do you think of this? Too powerful? Too weak? Is it wrong to introduce feat chains into 5e?

 

[Umbran]

I wouldn't use it. Not because of the feat-chain thing (though, it isn't my favorite). I'm just not up for a feat flat out breaking immunity.

You cannot burn a fire elemental. I'm sorry. It just doesn't work.

 

[Leatherhead]

You cannot burn a fire elemental. I'm sorry. It just doesn't work.

Other points aside, I see this as a failure of the simplified system. There should ideally be three tiers of "resistance":
Resistance
Immunity
Absorption

A fire elemental shouldn't be immune to fire, it should eat that Fireball you just tossed at it and grow stronger.

 

[DnD Warlord]

Immunity is immune to it... I say no

 

[Umbran]

A fire elemental shouldn't be immune to fire, it should eat that Fireball you just tossed at it and grow stronger.

Thematically, perhaps. But, as a game element, it is kind of pointless. That old school, "Surprise, you just healed the monster!" only works once, and the gotcha isn't all that impressive.

And, I don't want PCs bringing up elementals, and then healing those elementals. If I want a baddie able to heal elementals, I'll give them a power/spell that does that specifically.

 

[Krachek]

Next step, ignore spell resistance, ignore legendary resistance, ignore portent, ....

 

[Doug McCrae]

A fire elemental shouldn't be immune to fire, it should eat that Fireball you just tossed at it and grow stronger.

And, I don't want PCs bringing up elementals, and then healing those elementals.

In the 5e MM the shambling mound and several golems (clay, flesh, iron) already have this power. Lightning, acid (clay golem), or fire (iron golem) restore their hit points.

The black pudding and ochre jelly also benefit from certain types of attack - they split into two when subjected to lightning or slashing damage, and are immune to both.

 

[Umbran]

In the 5e MM the shambling mound and several golems (clay, flesh, iron) already have this power. Lightning, acid (clay golem), or fire (iron golem) restore their hit points.

So, the fact that precedent exists is not an argument that you should go ahead and do the thing.

 

[Doug McCrae]

So, the fact that precedent exists is not an argument that you should go ahead and do the thing.

I think shambling mounds and golems are an argument against Elemental Master because it would be tricky to adjudicate. Is the iron golem simultaneously damaged and healed by the EM's fire? That would be weird.

The only precedent is Elemental Adept afaik. EM is like EA but more so. Though I appreciate that killing a fire elemental with fire is crossing a line. That line crossing is exactly why I like the idea! I like the sheer ridiculousness of it.

 

[Doug McCrae]

Elemental Master is intended to be used by my completely ridiculous PC, Flaming Helen, who tries to solve every problem by burning it with fire.

The character was a 3e warmage with the Fiery Burst reserve feat from Complete Mage and would be a draconic bloodline sorcerer in 5e.