NOW LIVE! Today's the day you meet your new best friend. You don’t have to leave Wolfy behind... In 'Pets & Sidekicks' your companions level up with you!

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Message: <blockquote data-quote="Leatherhead" data-source="post: 8613893" data-attributes="member: 53176"><h3>Firenewts (VGtM)</h3>Firenewts are fire elementals that are also amphibians, meaning they live in water instead of being killed by  it. Originally from the Plane of Fire, they like to hang out near hot springs and volcanoes on the Material Plane. In their lairs you can find domesticated Giant Striders (later in this book) and aqueducts that circulate hot water (or other liquids) for comfort. Firenewt society is militaristic, and based around a cult of Imix, where warlocks are given leadership roles.Off the bat you will notice these CR 1 and 1/2 newts are far more sapient than a typical elemental, your party could seek them out for environmental hazard work, Giant Strider husbandry, plumbing services, or to forge a pact with Imix (if you really wanted to do that). Additionally, they are valid summons for Conjure Elemental, off the top of my head, a fire elemental that can swim would be handy for burning down a ship (though with a level 5 spell slot, there are doubtlessly better ways to do that).Firenewt WarriorThe warriors of the Firenewts come equipped with a scimitar, shield and the ability to spit fire for a bit of burst damage. Even accounting for multiattack and a CR of 1/2, actually using one in combat is severely lacking. Let me elaborate:  Despite their amphibious nature, Firenewts lack a swim speed. Meaning they totally suck while fighting in the water, which is about ½ of their entire gimmick. Their scimitar attacks? At disadvantage! And they are totally normal scimitars for no reason, a simple spear would have been better! Their Fire Spit attack? Any creature submersed in water is resistant to any fire damage! Also the range on their only ranged attack is a measly 10’! It’s like they are designed to be as bad as possible on their home turf. Honestly the only thing they have going for them is a synergy with Giant Strider mounts. As I mentioned before, the absolute least that should be done is to give them a spear.  A swim speed, fire damage on weapon attacks, a fire spit that disables fire resistance on a target for a turn or two, all of that would have been ideal for this creature's rework and all of it could have fit in the allotted CR budget. As for what they actually changed? Firenewts were changed from humanoids that practiced alchemy, into proper elementals that can spit fire. Warriors lost a big chunk of AC thanks to walking around without their chainmail, and received 5 hp for the trade. Firenewt Warlock of ImixThe Warlock of Iblix is a previously mentioned leader of the Firenewts. They are a warlock, meaning they get to cast spells, though at CR 1, they don’t have much in the way of teeth. In fact, none of their spells, save for Mage Armor, will actually help them in combat. Instead it will do the warlock thing where it stands around in the background, blasting the PCs with ranged fire rays for steady damage, making them little more than a flavorful archer that can see in the dark. They also have the same underwater problems that their warrior brethren have. As mentioned, the Warlock of Imix lost all of their combat spells (except Mage Armor). Losing gems like: Flaming Sphere for area control, Hellish Rebuke for punishing, and Scorching Ray or Burning Hands  for burst damage. Granted, the Warlock casting mechanic meant they could only really pull off two of those spells. But they could shine in different ways when properly set up, allowing you to stack a few of them in the same encounter without it feeling too samey. They also lost Imix’s Blessing, an ability that gave them temporary HP whenever they managed to down an opponent. If you can’t tell by this point, I am very disappointed with the Firenewt redesign. It is simply amazing how we can go from the elegant design (and redesign) of the Dreadnaught to this, right back to back.</blockquote>

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