Elements and their relation to ability scores.

[Aelryinth]

From an elemental standpoint, I can just look at the human body and see a large amount of elemental affiliation.


Fire is Charisma...its about force of personality, not skill, not strength, not intellect...it's all about emotion and raw power.

Death is certainly intellect. Intelligence is about rationality, lack of emotion, knowledge, memory, logic. None of those are Active, ALive traits. The Dead have no life...they make their force of personalty their life force. They have no empathy...it is not wisdom. Yet you can almost certainly rank the power of the undead by their Intellect.

Constitution is all about Life. The undead don't have it is completely Justifying this association. Look at your digestive system...you make Life out of Death. Undead don't digest the dead...they try to feed on the living.

I'd actually make Water associate with Strength. It's fluidity and control as well as power. Fluidity of movement..think of muscle. Muscle is NOT solid. Muscle and strength DESTROY solidity.

Earth and Wisdom actually makes good sense. Sensory awareness, stubborness...senses are all about how your environment interacts with you...it's about MATTER and your perception of it. Earth represents stubborness better then water. and your senses are you interacting with the material world. It also represents resistance on the mental level. remember we are talking LIVING ELEMENTS....dead matter sitting there doesn't represent anything.

Air and Dex are best. Absolute flexibility. Speed and control while still being solid and having force. Lightning reflexes...moves and runs like the wind...fire has no business with Dex.

You could Swap Water and earth easily...both work in both stats...power vs solidity, sensitivity vs resistance of will.

==Aelryinth

 

[VirtualWizard]

I have a elemental rune system that I'm playing with. This is how I decided to attach each rune to an attribute.

Element Attribute Notes
Air Intelligence Dream/Thought
Death Wisdom Completion/Foresight
Earth Strength Might
Fire Charisma Power/Energy/Passion
Life Constitution Life force
Water Dexterity Flow/Speed/Time

 

[Karanaj]

Str = Earth
Dex = Air
Con = Life
Int = Fire
Wis = Water
Cha = Death

I'll have to go with Nifft on this one. The only question that popped up in my mind as I read it was the cha = death, but now I tend to agree -

Originally posted by Doppleganger
(Death means loss of physical power, the dead are powered by inner strength and sheer force of will)

I agreed with just about all of his reasonings, except for str/life and con/earth

Life does give you strength, but your constitution is the very essence of life in D&D. (HP of course, judges how long you stay alive; and Fort saves are a representation of how healthy you are - resist posion, disease, etc.) And yes earth is durable, but it seems to just fit better as strength to me.

 

[Doppleganger]

Yep I can see that way too. Constitution is the essence of life, Camarath even had the same blueprint.

But the reason I chose different matchups was because of the "opposites" that Technik described. These "classic" opposing forces have strong meaning and significance for me, they help in fleshing out campaign storylines, motivations, and confrontations. Placing earth opposite death doesn't work for me.

Here's the how the opposing forces might look:

Air/Earth
Floating/Grounded
Motion/Stability
Dex/Con

Fire/Water
Seeking/Flowing
Logic/Intuition
Int/Wis

Life/Death
Blooded/Ghostly
Physical Muscle/Mental Muscle
Str/Cha

 

[The Proconsul]

Fire is not destruction. It is creation, and the basis of civilization. Without mastering fire, we would not survive a harsh winter, and without the fire of a forge, we would not be able to work even the simplest metal.

Therefore, fire stands for intelligence.

Death is the beginning and the end. It is the inevitable fate of all that live. Only by understanding death, and thus destiny, can one truely reach enlightenement.

Therefore, death stands for wisdom.

Water ist the ultimate strength. A clumsy fall into water is far more deadly than on soft ground. With the power of erosion, water can bring down even the mightiest mountains.

Therefore, water stands for strength.

Air sourrounds us at all times, and yet it is invisible. It can travel swiftly, and cover enormous distances. It is able to enter even the most remote spots.

Therefore, air stands for dexterity.

Earth ist endurance. That which is made for eternity is strong in earth. Even when we drop a thousand Fireballs on a countryside, it still stands firm, bloodied (so to speak) but unbowed.

Therefore, earth stands for constitution.

Life is the quick laughter of a child, the sweet taste of victory, and the force which gives our lives a purpose. Undeath twists these forces. It lacks the understanding and wisdom necessary to understand that all must have an end, and is thus weak in death, not strong. But it is also weak in Earth, for while it believes itself made for eternity, it is in truth already long gone.

Therefore, life stands for charisma

 

[Thresher]

I would have used asian elements to draw a comparison-

Water: Solitude, privacy, introspection, philosophy, mystery, truth, honesty, anxiety, nervousness, insecurity.

Wood: Leadership, assertiveness, creativity, planning, decision-making, competitiveness, conflict, anger, frustration.

Fire: Self-expression, emotional extremes, empathy, extrovert, attention-seeking, sociable, talkative.

Earth: Caring, supportive, nourishing, family-oriented, stability, grounding, "mother hen", worrier.

Metal: Precise, meticulous, logical, analytical, moderation, self-control, morality, tendency to pessimism

Being a fantasy campain I see no problems with introducing Air into the equation with a bit more work.