Results 1 to 23 of 23
Thread: Elemental classes and PrCs
-
2019-04-18, 09:44 AM (ISO 8601)
- Join Date
- Mar 2017
Elemental classes and PrCs
I will be running an elemental campaign with heavy emphasis on air/earth/fire/water. I want to highlight some classes that have access to all the elements for my players. However, most of what I can think of is elemental specific, like frostrager or stormcaster. To give an idea of what I am looking for, Wu Jen is a nice fit. Broader, sorcerer/wizard is fine because they have lots of elemental spells. Psion is good for the elemental powers. Are there more classes and PrCs that have an elemental focus without being strictly one element?
Edit: no Pathfinder material, but dragon mag is fineLast edited by Mike Miller; 2019-04-18 at 11:23 AM.
-
2019-04-18, 10:01 AM (ISO 8601)
- Join Date
- Oct 2015
- Location
- Berlin
- Gender
-
2019-04-18, 10:07 AM (ISO 8601)
- Join Date
- Nov 2015
- Location
- A Sauna in Hell
- Gender
Re: Elemental classes and PrCs
There's Elemental Savant but it's pretty bad.
And usually direct damage elemental spells are also bad without metamagic abuse, so you'd only realistically have Earth/Air and maybe some Water casters being decent, with Fire being absolutely useless.
-
2019-04-18, 10:17 AM (ISO 8601)
- Join Date
- Jun 2007
Re: Elemental classes and PrCs
The Magus can enchant his weapon with flaming/freezing/shock/corrosive whenever he needs to, so that's elemental versatility.
Guide to the Magus, the Pathfinder Gish class.
"I would really like to see a game made by Obryn, Kurald Galain, and Knaight from these forums. I'm not joking one bit. I would buy the hell out of that." -- ChubbyRain
Crystal Shard Studios - Freeware games designed by Kurald and others!
-
2019-04-18, 11:00 AM (ISO 8601)
- Join Date
- Mar 2017
Re: Elemental classes and PrCs
3.5 Cast - A GitP member made, third edition podcast
D&D 3.5 Discord Chat, Come one come all
The Master Specialist Handbook
Truly Complete List of 3.5e Base Classes
-
2019-04-18, 11:18 AM (ISO 8601)
- Join Date
- Nov 2015
- Location
- A Sauna in Hell
- Gender
-
2019-04-18, 11:23 AM (ISO 8601)
- Join Date
- Mar 2017
3.5 Cast - A GitP member made, third edition podcast
D&D 3.5 Discord Chat, Come one come all
The Master Specialist Handbook
Truly Complete List of 3.5e Base Classes
-
2019-04-18, 12:09 PM (ISO 8601)
- Join Date
- Dec 2017
- Location
- Karrnath
- Gender
Re: Elemental classes and PrCs
Elemental Archon, High Elemental Binder, Bonded Summoner, Elemental Savant (weak), Elemental Warrior (weak), Elemental Scion of Zilargo
Require clerics to take an elemental domain
Give paladins the Elemental Smite feat instead of their innate smiting
Druids all replace animal companion with elemental companion (perhaps even change wild shape into elemental forms instead, although that's powerful)
Planar versions of all the base classes
-
2019-04-18, 12:39 PM (ISO 8601)
- Join Date
- Dec 2004
Re: Elemental classes and PrCs
Ardent has elemental mantles, and Clerics have elemental domains.
There's a version of Pyrokineticist for each element, but Pyrokineticist is pretty bad.
In Dragon 326 starting on page 86 you can find three-level template classes for the Half-Elemental templates in Manual of the Planes. Those work like savage progressions where the benefits of the template are split out into levels that don't give any HD, just a point of level adjustment and some of the template's bonuses.
There's the Kineticist in Pathfinder, but it's generally regarded as one of the weakest PF classes.
Improved Familiar can get a small elemental familiar, and anyone who can cast arcane spells can take Obtain Familiar and even count their prestige class levels that advance their spellcasting toward its benefits.
There's the Elemental Companion ACF in CM which replaces an Animal Companion with an elemental.
The Summon Elemental reserve feat in CM would be thematically appropriate.
-
2019-04-18, 03:21 PM (ISO 8601)
- Join Date
- Nov 2014
- Location
- Seattle area
- Gender
Re: Elemental classes and PrCs
The Water Devotion feat lets anybody summon a water elemental. Making more elemental options would be homebrew, but pretty straightforward along the same lines. Manual of the Planes (3.0) has the para-elementals; ice, smoke, ooze, and magma. I always feel those guys don't get enough love.
-
2019-04-18, 05:10 PM (ISO 8601)
- Join Date
- Jan 2014
- Location
- California
- Gender
Re: Elemental classes and PrCs
Dragon #314 has prestige classes for each of the four elements.
Rhymes with "Protracted."
Handbooks: The Warlockopedia | The Warmagepedia (WIP) | Tier List (2019 Update)
Spreadsheets: Spellcasting classes | Deities | Useful items
Homebrew: Gestalt Theurge | Fighter and Monk fixes | Warlock stuff | Houserules and quick fixes
Original Fiction: The Wizard's Familiar
-
2019-04-18, 06:00 PM (ISO 8601)
- Join Date
- Jun 2016
- Location
- Schwäbisch Hall
Re: Elemental classes and PrCs
The sha'ir has a strong connection to the elemental planes and, although not particularly versed at spells with an energy descriptor, they have some flavorful class features, including a mini-elemental as familiar.
-
2019-04-18, 07:51 PM (ISO 8601)
- Join Date
- Mar 2017
Re: Elemental classes and PrCs
There aren't many elemental martial classes, are there? I can think of frostrager...
3.5 Cast - A GitP member made, third edition podcast
D&D 3.5 Discord Chat, Come one come all
The Master Specialist Handbook
Truly Complete List of 3.5e Base Classes
-
2019-04-18, 07:54 PM (ISO 8601)
- Join Date
- Dec 2017
- Location
- Karrnath
- Gender
-
2019-04-18, 10:29 PM (ISO 8601)
- Join Date
- Jun 2018
- Location
- New England
Re: Elemental classes and PrCs
There's a bunch of wind and cold themed PrCs in Frostburn, someone in this thread called elemental Warrior weak, there was a good thread recently with its pros and cons, not saying it's high op, but it's not awful, and non-casters can qualify.
Hellfire Warlock, not sure if I saw that mentioned yet.
-
2019-04-19, 01:25 PM (ISO 8601)
- Join Date
- Jul 2011
- Location
- Tula, Russia
- Gender
Re: Elemental classes and PrCs
-
2019-04-20, 11:35 AM (ISO 8601)
- Join Date
- Aug 2010
Re: Elemental classes and PrCs
Dragon Samurai, p18, Miniatures Handbook.
-
2019-04-20, 11:54 AM (ISO 8601)
- Join Date
- Oct 2009
- Location
- Boston, MA
- Gender
Re: Elemental classes and PrCs
Stonelord dwarf PrC is martial/Earth, and the Stone Dragon discipline has Earth-y effects too. EDIT: Pyrokineticist is a PrC that requires some psi to enter but adds only martial abilities.
Dragonborn can have a breath weapon or flight. Hm, come to think of it, dragon shaman or dragonfire adept might work too.
Warlocks can have fire or cold attacks, and some other invocations can be tied to an element, like spiderclimb/shatter for Earth or flight for Air. Consider using the warlock invocation style of ability for homebrew; you can make lots of elemental-themed spells into invocations.
Void Disciple PrC also springs to mind.
Binders have a smattering of effects, and as with the warlock, homebrew opens up worlds of options.Last edited by Dimers; 2019-04-20 at 11:56 AM.
-
2019-04-20, 12:31 PM (ISO 8601)
- Join Date
- May 2016
Re: Elemental classes and PrCs
Dragon #310 has a number of class variants, including alignment variants for paladins. The True Neutral variant is the Incarnate, which has some element-themed abilities (including an Elemental Minion in place of a Special Mount).
-
2019-04-20, 12:45 PM (ISO 8601)
- Join Date
- Feb 2009
- Gender
Re: Elemental classes and PrCs
The environmental books (Stormwrack, Sandstorm, Frostburn) have a lot of PrCs that, even if they aren't explicitly linked to one of the Inner Planes, can be pretty easily interpreted to fit the bill.
In the Beginning Was the Word, and the Word Was Suck: A Guide to Truenamers
My compiled Iron Chef stuff!
~ Gay all day, queer all year ~
-
2019-04-20, 03:47 PM (ISO 8601)
- Join Date
- Jun 2012
Re: Elemental classes and PrCs
Elemental Savant also doesn't work well for the circumstances described. He's looking for classes that have a focus on specific elements without shutting the character out from other elements. Savant results in a complete devotion towards a single element, starting with a class feature that automatically changes the energy type and descriptor of all of your energy spells to match your chosen element.
-
2019-04-24, 04:52 AM (ISO 8601)
- Join Date
- Sep 2018
- Location
- Seattle, WA
Re: Elemental classes and PrCs
Jade Phoenix Mage isn't quite melee, but it's at least gish.
Originally Posted by Darths & DroidsOptimization Trophies
Looking for a finished webcomic to read, or want to recommend one to others? Check out my Completed Webcomics You'd Recommend II thread!
Or perhaps you want something Halloweeny for the season? Halloween Webcomics II
-
2019-04-24, 05:59 PM (ISO 8601)
- Join Date
- Jan 2016
- Location
- The Old West
Re: Elemental classes and PrCs
I believe the Shaman (from OA), has a few different elemental spells and domains
Edit: The Pyrokineticist PRC someone mentioned earlier has slight variants for different elements here: http://archive.wizards.com/default.a.../psm/20040625e. You could just ignore the sonic one if you want. Oh, don't forget Dromites have a slight elemental inclination (again, ignoring sonic if you want)Last edited by Luccan; 2019-04-24 at 06:02 PM.
Avatar by linklele
Spoiler: Build Contests
E6 Iron Chef XVI Shared First Place: Black Wing
E6 Iron Chef XXI Shared Second Place: The Shadow's Hand