Suggest Elemental Emotional/Psychological Aspects

[PhoenixPhyre]

I'm working on my elemental (and demi-elemental) planes, and feel like they should each have a unifying "aspect". A descriptor, an emotion, or a psychological focus of sorts. Something to draw them together, to build on. But I'd like some help brainstorming appropriate ones.

So far, I have the following:
Earth-Aligned Planes
Clay
Stone : Wealth/Commerce
Coal : Industry

Fire-Aligned Planes
Lava
Flame : Destruction
Lightning : Speed

Air-Aligned Planes
Smoke
Wind : Discovery/Travel
Cloud

Water-Aligned Planes
Ice : Hatred/Vengeance
Ocean : Secrets/Knowledge
Mud : Lassitude


The only ones that are fixed (because they've appeared in previous campaigns) are Ice and Stone.

[redwizard007]

I'm working on my elemental (and demi-elemental) planes, and feel like they should each have a unifying "aspect". A descriptor, an emotion, or a psychological focus of sorts. Something to draw them together, to build on. But I'd like some help brainstorming appropriate ones.

So far, I have the following:
Earth-Aligned Planes
Clay
Stone : Wealth/Commerce
Coal : Industry

Fire-Aligned Planes
Lava
Flame : Destruction
Lightning : Speed

Air-Aligned Planes
Smoke
Wind : Discovery/Travel
Cloud

Water-Aligned Planes
Ice : Hatred/Vengeance
Ocean : Secrets/Knowledge
Mud : Lassitude


The only ones that are fixed (because they've appeared in previous campaigns) are Ice and Stone.

Clay - malleability
Lava - inevitability/slow, steady grind
Smoke - concealment/obfuscation
Cloud - potential/promise

Maybe change Lightning to spontaneity, sudden or momentary change, something transitory.

There also seems to be a distinct negative vibe to the list (which I continued.) You may want to consider both a positive and negative aspect of the plane. For example, fire is warmth and comfort... Hearth perhaps? Or try to use more neutral sounding terms.

[PhoenixPhyre]

Clay - malleability
Lava - inevitability/slow, steady grind
Smoke - concealment/obfuscation
Cloud - potential/promise

Maybe change Lightning to spontaneity, sudden or momentary change, something transitory.

There also seems to be a distinct negative vibe to the list (which I continued.) You may want to consider both a positive and negative aspect of the plane. For example, fire is warmth and comfort... Hearth perhaps? Or try to use more neutral sounding terms.

I've shifted to trying for a positive and negative for each of them, adding Greed to Prosperity (reworded) for Stone, Contentment to Lassitude for Mud, and Preservation to Hatred for Ice.

Now the list (plus some that I added) looks like

Clay
Aspect: Flexibility / Unsteadiness

Stone
Aspect: Prosperity / Greed

Coal
Aspect: Industry / Slavery

Lava
Aspect: Conquest / Inevitability

Flame
Aspect: Destruction / Liberation

Lightning
Aspect: Spontaneity / ????

Smoke
Aspect: ???? / ????

Wind
Aspect: Discovery / Irresponsibility

Cloud
Aspect: ???? / ????

Ice
Aspect: Hatred / Preservation

Ocean
Aspect: Secrets / Knowledge

Mud
Aspect: Lassitude / Contentment

[noob]

Smoke
Aspect: Loss / Fiscal evasion.

Cloud
Aspect: Innocence / Ignorance.

Lightning
Aspect: Spontaneity / sudden return to local societal values.

[PiperThePaladin]

How about:

Lightning
Aspect: Spontaneity / Selfishness

Smoke
Aspect: Wisdom / Grief


Cloud
Aspect: Creativity / Vanity

[KatteLars]

Really like the smoke: Wisdom with the religious aspects smoke has often had. Staying in that vein how about Smoke: Wisdom/Secrecy (as it also conceals)

Lightning: Spontaneity/Carelessness, it strikes where it wants regardless of what is or isn't there

[Wizard_Lizard]

lightning could also be creativity and innovation...

[Squire Doodad]

I find correlating the 4 classical elements with the 4 temperaments to be very useful.
Fire-Sanguine
Air-Phlegmatic
Earth-Melancholic
Water-Choleric