D&D 5E What do intelligent, fire elementals want?

[PnPgamer]

Now that is an interesting idea. It might be even more interesting if it wanted to be the Sun - for its flame to usurp the star itself, and thus also the solar system. It's such a nice neighborhood, really, with intelligent life in orbit, worshipers and all that ...

I'm sure Ra / Pelor / whatever sun god and its clerics would have serious problems with that.

Or even more amusing, what if it was supposed to take over for the flame of the current sun, which is starting to die? If the PCs don't find a way to level up this Fire Elemental to ascend to his rightful place in time life as we know if on the planet could be wiped out by its sun going into a red giant phase or a white dwarf phase. Or, heck, since it is fantasy the whole thing could just go nova or collapse into a black whole because fantasy physics is way more entertaining than astrophysics.

Marty Lund

I like the way you think.

 

[Herobizkit]

As I understand Elementals, they are the purest form of, um, themselves. For example, even in a vacuum, Elemental Air would flourish, Elemental Water would never evaporates or become impure, and Elemental Earth would remain, um, unbreakable (?)... by the same token, Elemental Fire would burn without needing fuel.

That said, an "intelligent" Fire Elemental might seek out areas and creatures of the Prime Material that are particularly flame-friendly (volcanoes, red dragons) and claim them as his birthright.

But I really like the Prometheus and Sun God recommendations the best.

 

[Wednesday Boy]

To be a star, a sun. The question is how that could happen: find a location that would provide the fuel, then portal to get the fire elemental there. Contacts could gather that information and perform or provide the materials to get the elemental there.

If you go this route you could connect the plot to the Far Realm and warlocks associated with it. I don't recall the backstory for 5E Great Old Ones but in 4E some stars were portals through which entities from the Far Realm (GOOs) could influence the Material Plane. A GOO and its warlock minions might want to corrupt a fire elemental before it becomes a star so it turns into ones of those special GOO portal stars instead of a normal star. Another portal into the Material Plane would give the GOO greater influence for whatever it's trying to do.

 

[Beleriphon]

Perhaps the fire elemental seeks the legendary fifth element that is beyond the understanding of a creature of any of the four elements, thus the foray into the material plane for insight and helpers?

Is that element the multipass?

 

[trentonjoe]

I took many of your ideas in making this....

It's a rough draft, I am sure there are some grammar issues but I think it makes sense. Mostly. At least to me.....


The Domain of Ftttsz is a small yet infinite sub plane in the Elemental Plane of Fire. It is not known by many scholars, or more accurately is incorrectly labeled as merely a sub-section of the larger Elemental Plane, because of its physical similarity with the rest of the plane.


Ftttsz is ruled by Ignacia, the 1st brightest flame of Ftttsz. Ignacia is a contemplative elemental that spends much of its time in eternal meditation. Ignacia demands gifts from his vassals in the form of slow burning materials. It rarely leaves its flame pit and is often in a sour mood when forced to. Ftttsz ultimate goal is to gain a cult of worshippers and ascend to godhood.

S’Zans is the 2nd brightest flame of Ftttsz and the hands on, de facto ruler. S’Zans is driven by the need to expand. He wishes to expand his own massive size, his area of control, and the size of the domain of Ftttsz. S’Zans is quick to act and a very poor military leader. Only his sheer personal power keeps his opponents from attacking him and seizing his brightness. S’Zans acts as if he is the leader of Ftttsz but is down right terrified of Ignacia and always pays the best tributes.

Ena is the next most influential flame of Ftttsz. Ena is nearly as large as S’Zans and close to four times as intelligent. While Ignacia and S’Zans look to grow, Ena looks to destroy. Luckily for the rest of the sentient beings in the multiverse, Ena is focused on destroying water creatures. She has a particularly disdain for water elementals, cults who worship water deities, dolphins and octopuses. Ena is a brilliant tactician and believes her goal of destroying all water based life will be met a puff of steam at a time. Ena has given up trying to convince S’zans to join her fight but is willing to aid her superior when he asks her to lead a flame vs water opponents to further his aims.

Aine is the fourth brightest flame of Fttsz. The most <insert adjective> of the bright flames Aine uses her powers to change the multiverse and create. Aine is the smallest of the bright flames and the only one without a home. Aine’s lastest plan seems to change on a whim to outside observers but always deal with the destruction of something in order to create something new and better. Aine thinks long term (which frustrates mortals she deals with) and often has more than one pot in the fire. She thinks nothing of laying waste to a forest that is a home to tens of thousands if she thinks it will regrow in a millennia or three.



Neci is the fire of passion. His flame while averaging the 5th brightest flame of Ftttsz is the only one of the bright flame that can actually burn brighter than his superiors, all but Ignacia. Neci is very charismatic (although many would say he has sulfur between his sparks) and is the most likely of the brightest flames to deal with mortals. Neci spurs the heat of passion in the lesser beings. He kindles the fires of romances, sparks rebellion, inflames mobs. His fire burns brightest when his spirit flares in others and consumes them. The other flames of Fttsz don’t like dealing with him. They often feel manipulated by him.

Arati is the most altruistic of the bright flames. Once much brighter than the 6th brightest flame of Ftttsz, it has given away much of its power to those who lived without fire. Arati gives fires to those who live in darkness, the cold, or ignorance. Many sentient creatures owe their civilizations to the gifts of Arati. Arati doesn’t always differentiate between those who want or can use fire and has been known to provide to much fire to some (failed) life forms.

And Fszzzt, the seventh brightest flame of Ftttsz. Or Fszzzt the purposeless as his peers call him. The other bright flames see Ftttsz and barely their equal as he has no clear drive. They see him as a bungler without purpose. A being to manipulate, a being to force into dangerous work, a being to order around. What they don’t realize is that Fszzt has a goal, it is to burn bright, brighter than them, brighter than anything. Fszzzt serves his slightly brighter peers but only to gather information, he seeks to learn from them, to slowly weaken them, and to ultimately burn brighter than them.

 

[EzekielRaiden]

I took many of your ideas in making this....

It's a rough draft, I am sure there are some grammar issues but I think it makes sense. Mostly. At least to me.....

I like it! I can definitely detect the influence of my ideas in there, without seeing them placed as the end-all, be-all of the story. I especially like how you have a mix of temperaments (friendly, neutral, unfriendly), while still maintaining the..."alien-ness" of a sentient fire elemental's thought processes. E.g. Arati is clearly a "friendly" elemental, since it's willing to give up some of its power for others...but it also doesn't really seem to think too much about whether its gifts are good for the recipients either.

 

[kalil]

Maybe the elemental loves good literature? Visiting the grand libraries of the world and reading the original manuscripts of the masterworks. Such as the original version of the spell fireball. Or Bigbys Big Handbook of Spells.