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What Happens when a Fire Elemental is Dropped in Water?

TheAuldGrump said:
Going to the SRD: A body of water is an impassible barrier unless the fire elemental can step or jump over it.

It really doesn't have a lot of leeway.

I would rule that impassable means impassable - he just can't do it. So now drwn, no steam, no 'hey I am immune to drowning!' He just can't do it.

The Auld Grump

I picture it like a drop of water on a hot griddle, just skittering all over the place on a cushion of steam. Keep moving him say 50' a round in a random direction until he runs ashore.
 

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That is effectively what he did, qaarl, though he full out ran (240 ft).

And Fire Elementals need a source? I thought they just were. Really, his introduction was he walked into the bar from the Elemental Plane of Fire. Since then, he's been paying for Inns by sleeping in their ovens or Fireplaces. And the group never has to worry about waiting for the camp fire to be ready. Just give George a couple of cookies (charcoal briquets) and some skumble and he's rather happy.

As for the names, well... I named him George after seeing that the group was far from serious already. I mean, how could you be serious when you've got a Half-Ogre/Half-Dwarf Druid/Ranger who thinks he is a ninja (and invisible when he puts on his black ninja pajamas).
 
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After reading all this, my opinion is that the fire elemental would not sink, but would indeed float, or, as was so eloquently put above, skitter about on a cushion of steam. I'd also have the character be completely freaked out...

ALso of note: I'd have to rule that the fire elemental is not harmed by being in water... although, as I stated above, also cannot BE in water. Fire is not actually extinguished by water. Not at all. In fact, you can burn several substances under water. People weld underwater with acetylene torches. There is fire. What happens is that water typically seperates the fire from it's source, and not having a source extingushes the fire.

Now, assume that we do have the character go underwater, say dragged there by weight or something... OR perhaps teleported there... Do the rules say they need to breath? Or that they need oxygen to burn??
I'd likely treat them as any other character who does need to breath going underwater, with the exception that I wouldn't allow the character to attempt to swim. Run, perhaps. I see that freaking out and running around as a very valid option.

I can't see the character taking any damage whatsoever from the water. Although I can see the character taking damage from the cold if the water was cold...

Actually, after some thought I'm most liklely rule that the character could not run, or really move, and would float to the top after getting rid of enough weight. At which point it would skitter around. I would allow the character enough movement to drop things and remove armor.

Of course, I'd have some issues with exactly what armor a fire elemental would be allowed to wear...
 

Eureka!!! The perfect steam engine can exist in D&D. All you need is a Decanter of Endless Water and a Huge Fire Elemental. I wonder if that is how the mechs in Dragonmech will be powered. :)
 

To go by the rules I would not damage him. I would treat it like an underwater blowtorch, the elemental fire burns underwater but setting other things alight will be extremely difficult.

For a house rule the lava analogy works fine but that should be a special attribute listed in the fire elemental description (water vulnerability (EX): water applied to a fire elemental is treated as acid for purposes of inflicting non-acid damage). This way a bucket of water is a good weapon against the elemental and there is a clear existing set of rules guidelines to cover situations.
 

Fire elementals don't drown

Fire elementals are exactly that. Elementals. They are not burning objects. They do not breathe. They are harmed by their opposite. The opposite of the heat of a fire elemental is COLD not water. Water is not cold. In fact, water can be heated to any temperature. It can also be cooled to any temperature. The same is true of any 'element.' The cool thing is really that a pure-Sodium Earth elemental would be annhilated by AIR. How about a pure -Radium Earth elemental..would it heat up water?

Now, how about those earth elementals. Are they in fact destroyed by air? Does a tornado come and actually disintegrate and annhilate the grains of dirt? The elemental may be scattered to the wind, but the particles of dirt aren't destroyed are they?

One last thought: Air and Fire are ENERGY. Earth and Water are MATERIAL. If you want to get into chinese (real world) "elements" you also have the element wood.

This is just too goofy. Drowning fire elementals..laugh.

jh
 

Ao the Overkitty said:
As for the names, well... I named him George after seeing that the group was far from serious already. I mean, how could you be serious when you've got a Half-Ogre/Half-Dwarf Druid/Ranger who thinks he is a ninja (and invisible when he puts on his black ninja pajamas).

Just one question for the Half-Ogre Half-Dwarf - who's your daddy?
 

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