Brainstorming: Water Elemental PCs

[Aeolius]

I have a prospective player who wishes to play a water elemental character in my undersea campaign. Savage Species provides an option for playing such a character with "monster class" levels up to 13, but the player doesn't want wait that long (campaign is currently Level 5-7).

I had considered a host of new templates; Styx-Poisoned, Potable Gold, Oerthblood-Infused, Blackwater-Tainted, or Pearl-Laced. The player thought it might be cool to have a skull floating within the elemental, so I might also devise a Bone-Bound template.

What other sorts of options are there, for a water elemental PC with a traditional character class?

 

[Dannyalcatraz]

You've gotten off to a good start by looking at Savage Species.

I'd also check out the Genasi.

Then, if you don't mind doing a little customizing, you could use the Geomancer PrCl's Drift rules as a guideline to building up something similar to that for a quasi-elemental. Every level, he'd get a little more...liquid.

Ditto the Green Star Adept, Verdant Lord (3Ed) and other PrCls that transform PCs into something...other.

I'd also look very carefully at the list of characteristics, immunities and vulnerabilities that elemental creatures get.

If you REALLY want to do it right, though, take a look at AU/AE. The racial classes there are a little bit better than the ones in Savage Species- for one thing, they're full class levels with all of the typical advancements (BAB, saves, etc.) that sometimes don't occur in Savage Species. In a sense, they're like PrCls with only 1 prereq: you must be this race.

Your player could start off taking levels in Water Elemental (I suppose it would have to be based on some kind of humanoid race...see Genasi again), and might not take a "real" class level for quite a while.

 

[Shin Okada]

How about using Half-Elemental template in Manual of the Planes?
You can download 3.0e to 3.5e update booklet from the following link

http://www.wizards.com/dnd/files/DnD35_Manual_of_the_Planes.zip

In 3.5e, LA is +3.

 

[SelcSilverhand]

edit: Bah, reading comprehension is down this early in the morning, you already mentioned you didn't want to do monster classes.


I ran into a similar situation in a game I ran. A player desperately wanted to play a Rakshasa because he thought they were so cool. With the HD and LA it would have never worked in my game. After reading through the Savage Species book, I came across the entry about Monster Classes (pg 25). It covers rules on making a monster a class that slowly grows in its powers until it reaches its full potential.

If you player wanted to be a water elemental, find out what class they plan on taking and build it something like this:

Level 1: BAB +1, Fort +2, Small Water Elemental, +2 Natural armor, Water Mastery, Drench, Swim Speed, Darkvision, stat bonuses.
Level 2: BAB+1, Fort +1, character class abilities
Level 3: BAB+1, Will/Reflex +1, character class abilities
Level 4: BAB+0, Natural armor +2 Power Attack, Elemental traits: Lesser Fortification, character class abilities
Level 5: BAB+1, Reflex +1, character class abilities
Level 6: BAB+1, Will+1, Natural armor +2, character class abilities
Level 7: BAB+1, Medium Water Elemental, Cleave, Vortex, stat bonuses.
Level 8: BAB+0, Will +1, Reflex +1, Natural Armor +1, character class abilities
Level 9: BAB+1, Fort +1, Elemental traits: Medium Fortification, character class abilities.
Etc

With something like the above you character can play the race they like and still advance with the character class of their choice. For my Rakshasa player at certain key levels I lumped new abilities into it and said that at that level he didn't get a character class level but instead gained increased DR, stat bonuses, and Spell like abilities. That way he character closely mimicked the actual race but didn't have levels where he was suddenly dramatically more powerful than the rest of the party. I worked out quite well for us.

 

[Dannyalcatraz]

Here's an idea...

Let the player use something like a mephit, mephling or one of the small Druidic elemental sidekicks as the basis for his PC.

 

[Aeolius]

Here's an idea...

Let the player use something like a mephit, mephling or one of the small Druidic elemental sidekicks as the basis for his PC.

I considered that, but apparently being amorphous is important to their enjoyment of such a character. I might also propose an elementite swarm (Planar Handbook).

 

[Dannyalcatraz]

Well doesn't the 3.5 PHB2 (or some other splatbook) have rules for Elemental familiars/animal companions? As I recall, they're the real deal: itty-bitty bits of sentient elements. I can't imagine they'd be too big if they're to be in line with PHB familiars or companions.

If there isn't one in WotC's material, I'd bet you could find something in Green Ronin's or Goodman Games' publications.

 

[Starbuck_II]

I considered that, but apparently being amorphous is important to their enjoyment of such a character. I might also propose an elementite swarm (Planar Handbook).

How about a mephit but is described as amorphous. Amorphous (at least the water elemental type of amorphous) itself provides no benefit: so it is roleplay only.

I see no reason a DM would block that flavor.


Edit: Do you mean the immune to Critical aspect of being a elemental?

 

[Dannyalcatraz]

FWIW, if you go the "reflavored" Mephit route- the Mephlings actually have a lower ECL.

Me
Well doesn't the 3.5 PHB2 (or some other splatbook) have rules for Elemental familiars/animal companions?

I found what I was talking about.

Elemental Companion ACF
CompMage p33-34

Prereq: Druid 1st.

1st lvl: PC gains 1 size S Elemental Companion; not extra HD, Str, Con, NatArm, or Companion Tricks. Has all special Animal Companion abilities except Multiattack

(Stats for size S Water Elemental found here: Elemental :: d20srd.org. Don't forget the characteristics for the Elemental type.*)

4th lvl: EC becomes size M

10th lvl: EC becomes size L, or +2HD, +2Str, +2Con, & DR 5/-

16th lvl: EC becomes size H, or additional +4HD, +4Str, +4Con, & DR 5/-

Using that as a basis, you could then use the size/ability improvements as Racial Substitution levels or some such.

For convenience, here are the stats for Elemental Type:

Elemental Type
http://www.d20srd.org/srd/typesSubtypes.htm#elementalType

An elemental is a being composed of one of the four classical elements: air, earth, fire, or water.
Features

An elemental has the following features.

* 8-sided Hit Dice.
* Base attack bonus equal to ¾ total Hit Dice (as cleric).
* Good saves depend on the element: Fortitude (earth, water) or Reflex (air, fire).
* Skill points equal to (2 + Int modifier, minimum 1) per Hit Die, with quadruple skill points for the first Hit Die.

Traits

An elemental possesses the following traits (unless otherwise noted in a creature’s entry).

* Darkvision out to 60 feet.
* Immunity to poison, sleep effects, paralysis, and stunning.
* Not subject to critical hits or flanking.
* Unlike most other living creatures, an elemental does not have a dual nature—its soul and body form one unit. When an elemental is slain, no soul is set loose. Spells that restore souls to their bodies, such as raise dead, reincarnate, and resurrection, don’t work on an elemental. It takes a different magical effect, such as limited wish, wish, miracle, or true resurrection, to restore it to life.
* Proficient with natural weapons only, unless generally humanoid in form, in which case proficient with all simple weapons and any weapons mentioned in its entry.
* Proficient with whatever type of armor (light, medium, or heavy) that it is described as wearing, as well as all lighter types. Elementals not indicated as wearing armor are not proficient with armor. Elementals are proficient with shields if they are proficient with any form of armor.
* Elementals do not eat, sleep, or breathe.