ELEMENTAL EVIL Player's Companion - FREE!

The Elemental Evil Player's Companion is available for free download over at DTRPG (and RPGNow). It includes new races (aarakocra, deep gnome, genasi, and goliath) and ove 40 new spells. The PDF is a full-colour 25-page PDF; according to the first page, the genasi in chapter 1 and all of the spells in chapter 2 also appear in the appendices of Princes of the Apocalypse, the adventure due to hit store shelves very soon.

"Not inherently evil, elemental power can be mastered by those with both malevolent and benign intentions. The Elemental Evil Player’s Companion provides everything players need to build a character that is tied directly into the Elemental Evil storyline.

New race options include the aarakocra, deep gnome, genasi, and goliath. Additionally, a plethora of new spells put the elements directly at your command.

The Elemental Evil Player’s Companion, was original designed by Richard Baker, Robert J. Schwalb and Stephen Schubert, with additional design and development by Wizards D&D R&D.

This accessory is specifically meant to support the Elemental Evil–Princes of the Apocalypse adventure product."

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[Sacrosanct]

Why hello Earthbind. A must prepare spell for any adventurer planning on taking on a dragon

And am I the only one who wishes catapult worked on halflings?

 

[Remathilis]

Why hello Earthbind. A must prepare spell for any adventurer planning on taking on a dragon

And am I the only one who wishes catapult worked on halflings?

It does! You just need to prepare it as an 8th level spell. (which does 10d8 damage to the target, and presumably the halfling as well).

 

[I'm A Banana]

I skimmed the DMG, but never got around to finish reading it. I didn't realize that they included stats for the Aasimar, neat!

And the 4e-style eladrin, if you're into blink elves!

This PDF is solid work by Mearls and Co. The Flying on aarakocras is bothersome to me and I would not allow them in my games. Goliaths are looking great though.

I really love how 5e isn't afraid to put options out there that not everyone will use. Rather than trying to water-down the aarakocra to please everyone who doesn't like flying at an early level, they just let the aarakocra be what they are and rely on DMs who don't like the thing to say "not in my game, buddy." That's awesome. It helps say something about games that both allow them and games that aren't interested in 'em, lets the DM take games in their own direction, and doesn't worry about making "knock-offs" that try to please everyone.

Aarakocra aren't fit for every table. Neither are tieflings or dragonborn or eladrin or gnomes or halflings or whatever. It's OK that they're an option. We don't have to treat them as marketable brand identity that must be harped on at every opportunity.

Another interesting note: the races don't fit snugly into the "four elements." Aarakocra are obviously air, but both svirfneblin and goliaths are both earth, and genasi are all four. There's no "just water" PC race or "just fire" PC race. I wonder if there's a story reason for that (ie, the four races here play a big role in the adventure, others don't), or if it was just sort of a random draw.

 

[The Grand User]

I for one quite appreciate the 1st level flight aarakocras. I've long since come to the conclusion that flight at any level, whether 1st or later is only as unbalanced as the GM lets it, and it isn't actually that hard to deal with. It also opens up opportunities for different kinds of puzzles that take flight into account than the pit traps it obsoletes (and that's only if the whole party doesn't have flight).

You do have to be careful to not throw grouned-meleeists when there's only fliers with ranged attacks, but that's actually unlikely to happen in a party situation, there will still most likely be grounded melee PCs to face off against them. And if not, the GM can take that into account.

That said, I can also understand why they aren't going to allow it for the organized play, as not ever GM may be up for dealing with them, and some parts of the adventure might be a bit too easy if one or more (or a whole party) are involved.

 

[Goblinerd]

No Cleric spells though which is interesting?

Disappointing is more like it... Clerics get shafted, their the only Full caster with no new spells. Meanwhile, the other fullcaster classes also get new cantrips... but not the cleric...

 

[bogmad]

Disappointing is more like it... Clerics get shafted, their the only Full caster with no new spells. Meanwhile, the other fullcaster classes also get new cantrips... but not the cleric...

Maybe they're saving elemental priests for Dark Sun or something beyond the scope of a 25 page document? One can hope anyways.

 

[Sacrosanct]

Disappointing is more like it... Clerics get shafted, their the only Full caster with no new spells. Meanwhile, the other fullcaster classes also get new cantrips... but not the cleric...

Shafted seems a weird word to use. This is an optional add on. They don't have to have something for every class. And no class is suddenly getting extra powerful by using these things. They are just additional options.

 

[Sailor Moon]

Thoughts:

• Maybe this will sate the beast for a bit and we won't see so many threads complaining about the 5E release schedule.

You're having a laugh right?

A 25 page PDF with stuff I most likely won't be using does not quench my product thirst.

 

[Goblinerd]

Shafted seems a weird word to use. This is an optional add on. They don't have to have something for every class. And no class is suddenly getting extra powerful by using these things. They are just additional options.

I get what you're saying, but I still feel strongly that at least a few options for clerics and even Paladins should have been incorporated. Clerics already have a single Attack spell, which makes the Potent spellcasting feature a dull affair.

I'm sure if theey'd released the Adventurer's Handbook as planned, there'd have been more options...

 

[Goblinerd]

You're having a laugh right?


A 25 page PDF with stuff I most likely won't be using does not quench my product thirst.

Agreed.