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Message: <blockquote data-quote="Irda Ranger" data-source="post: 4682012" data-attributes="member: 1003">Just some more thoughts ...I've decided I don't dislike Resistances nearly as much as I dislike Vulnerabilities. I like the idea of the Ice Wizard of the North fighting the Frost Giant with icicles and frozen shackles, and I don't want his allies saying "You know, you'd get an extra 5 damage if you used a Flameburst ..."Shazam!  That's awesome.  Monsters would be "balanced" with their natural habitats, so that if you encounter a Frost Giant in its polar lair, no particular Resistance (though you better have your own).Another way to put it might be "Resistance 10 when not in a XX terrain."-------------On a related topic, I see lots of feats proposed. I think that's the wrong way to go about it because you've already expended a resource (power selection). Elemental "specialization" should be built into the selection of Powers, because the price you pay is the loss of flexibility.  The wizard who doesn't load up on one damage type gets an inherent benefit (flexibility), so there should be an inherent benefit to specialization. My suggestion is that Elemental Specialization should be an Arcane Power Source class feature. Each class that uses the Arcane Power source just gets benefits automatically (at the cost of lost flexibility) when the load up on one damage type. The Flexible wizard bypasses Resistance by switching to a different power. So we have to give the Elementalist a way to bypass it too, to keep encounters (and PC class builds) balanced.Here's the thought:Elemental Mastery (Arcane Power Source Feature)For each power with an Elemental keyword of a particular type beyond the first power with that keyword, the Arcanist gains Terrainborn 5, Pierce Resistance 5. If you have five or more powers of the same type you gain Terrainwalk (Acid, Fire, Cold, Thunder, Lightning) or ???? (Psychic, Necrotic).Terrainborn X: You are immune to the first X damage dealt by an environment of the given type.Pierce Resistance X: You bypass the first X points of damage type resistance.Terrainwalk: You can walk on terrain of a given type as normal terrain. Cold wizards can walk on snow and ice; Acid wizards on liquids of all sorts; Thunder & Lightning wizards (aka, Storm Wizards) on clouds and mist; Fire wizards on flame and lava.????: I haven't thought of a good benefit here. Anyone?Limitation: You can only have one Elemental Mastery at a time and it is always in the Element you have the most Powers keyworded to. If you have 3 Powers with the Fire keyword and 4 with the Acid keyword you are an Acid Master and have no special Fire related abilities. Exception to the Limitation: If you take a Dual-Mastery Heroic Tier Feats (e.g., Burning Blizzard) you may then have Mastery in both of those damage types if you otherwise qualify for it by power selection.</blockquote>

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