Greater Rain Paraelemental
Climate/Terrain: Overcast, Rainy, or Shaded Areas
Frequency: Very Rare
Organization: Solitary
Activity Cycle: Any
Diet: Water Vapor
Intelligence: Average (8-10)
Treasure: Nil
Alignment: Neutral
No. Appearing: 1
Armor Class: 1
Movement: Fl 26 (A)
Hit Dice: 10, 14, or 18
Thac0: 10 Hit Dice: 11
14 Hit Dice: 7
18 Hit Dice: 5
No. of Attacks: 1
Damage/Attacks: 5-40
Special Attack: See Below
Special Defense: +3 or better weapon to hit
Magic Resistance: 50%/25%
Size: L-H (8’-16’)
Morale: 10 and 14 Hit Dice: Champion (15-16)
18 Hit Dice: Fanatic (17-18)
XP Value: 10 Hit Dice: 7,000
14 Hit Dice: 11,000
18 Hit Dice: 15,000
Greater Rain Paraelemental
A greater rain paraelemental resembles rain drops in a vaguely humanoid shape with lighting running through it. Rain paraelementals enjoy watering plants and electrocuting and freezing those who harm plants.
Combat
In combat, the greater rain paraelemental uses its lightning bolts to harm its enemies. These rays have a range equal to the greater rain paraelementals hit dice in yards. These lightning bolts may jump between targets that are using metal weapons or wearing metal armor. A target using metal weapons or wearing metal armor, within a number of feet equal to the hit dice of the greater rain paraelemental must make a saving throw vs breath weapon or take the same amount of damage as the primary target.
The greater rain paraelemental may forgo it’s attack and instead cast a cone of cold spell as a caster of the paraelemental’s hit dice. The rain elemental may do this an unlimited times per day.
Greater rain paraelementals possess an ability which allows them to turn into gigantic rain storms upon command. When using this ability, the paraelemental’s appearance changes to that of a large storm cloud. This cloud is 45’ high. The greater rain paraelemental’s width when in this form is dependent on its Hit Dice. Greater rain paraelementals of 10 Hit Dice are 50’wide , those of 14 Hit Dice are 70’ wide, and 18-Hit Die elementals are 90’ wide. Creating and dissipating this form takes one whole turn.
Once created, the storm lasts for three melee rounds and allows the grater rain paraelemental to attack every target underneath it with lighting bolts that cause 2d8 damage. In addition, the storm saturates the area with rain.
Greater Rain paraelementals can be struck only by +3 or better weapons, and they’re immune to the effects of cold and lightning. If wounded in some way, a rain paraelemental finds succor in rainy environments. When in contact with natural rain, it automatically heals 1d10 hit points per round, up to its normal maximum.
I’m having some trouble making the greater sun paraelemental distinct from it’s less powerful versions. This is basically a powered up version of the standard sun paraelemental. Please criticize and offer suggestions.
Lesser Sun Paraelemental
Sun Paraelemental
Greater Sun Paraelemental
Climate/Terrain: Anywhere in Sunlight
Frequency: Rare
Organization: Solitary
Activity Cycle: Day
Diet: Sunlight
Intelligence: Average (8-10)
Treasure: Nil
Alignment: Neutral
No. Appearing: 1
Armor Class: 1
Movement: Fl 24 (A)
Hit Dice: 10, 14, or 18
Thac0: 10 Hit Dice: 11
14 Hit Dice: 7
18 Hit Dice: 5
No. of Attacks: 1
Damage/Attacks: 7-42
Special Attack: See Below
Special Defense: +3 or better weapon to hit
Magic Resistance: 50%/25%
Size: L-H (8’-16’)
Morale: 10 and 14 Hit Dice: Champion (15-16)
18 Hit Dice: Fanatic (17)
XP Value: 10 Hit Dice: 7,000
14 Hit Dice: 11,000
18 Hit Dice: 15,000
Greater Sun Paraelemental
A greater sun paraelemental resembles a miniature sun with glowing red eyes and mouth. Their diameter is equal to their hit dice in feet. Greater sun paraelementals enjoy absorbing sunlight during the hottest parts of the day and burning things that block sunlight.
Combat
In combat, the greater sun paraelemental uses its heat rays to burn opponents with super heated air. These rays have a range equal to the greater sun paraelementals hit dice in feet. However, the paraelemental usually prefers to attack by emitting rays of light. It can release six different beams, each with its own effect:
Dark Red beam: inflicts 5d8 points of heat damage.
Red beam: inflicts 5d8 points of acid damage.
Red-Orange beam: inflicts 5d8 points of electrical damage.
Orange beam: inflicts 5d8 points of bludgeoning damage.
Orange-Yellow beam: inflicts 5d8 points of piercing damage.
Yellow beam: inflicts 5d8 points of cold damage.
Each beam is 1 foot wide and has a range equal to the Hit Dice of the paraelemental in tens of yards. The creature can emit only one beam each round, but it can otherwise use the rays as often as it likes. The beams don’t automatically hit their target; the paraelemental must make an attack roll. Sun paraelementals may forgo their attack and instead flare brightly and attempt to blind their foes. Foes looking at the sun paraelemental when is flares must succeed at a saving throw vs death magic or be blinded for 2d10 days. Sun paraelementals can be struck only by +3 or better weapons, and they’re immune to the effects of heat and flame.
Greater elementals aren’t too difficult in ADnD as most tend to follow the same pattern. They have the ability to conceal themselves by altering their size and shape so they appear as an ordinary aspect of their environment (fire elementals shrinking to blend into a torch flame), they also gain a special bonus against specific enemies their element easily influences (earth elementals smashing apart stone enemies and structures with earthen foundations), as well as a single extremely powerful new attack (air elementals turning into a tornado, earth elementals creating earthquakes).
I’ve personally never been a fan of the Radiant Elemental’s use of multicolored beams that do different types of damage, at least for Sun Paraelementals (even prismatic themed enemies should have a diverse variety of effects for each color, but that’s its own discussion). The way I see it a Sun Paraelemental’s radiance would emphasize more the fact it blinds its foes, cooks people alive, harms undead, and banishes shadow/darkness related spells/abilities.
So I first would allow a sun paraelemental to alter its intensity and size to appear as all manners of lightsources, especially from a distance. Lanterns, glass containers, gems, hell it might be clever enough to make it seems as if a normal object is just radiating light (abuse the fact it’s easy to convince PCs glowing fungus/plants are natural).
Next I would say the Sun Paraelemental would have an inherent bonus against undead or illusions, both if you feel generous. It could have bonus damage vs undead, the ability to dispel illusions, or the ability to turn undead as a cleric of half its hit dice. There’s a lot of approaches to take into account these two natural banes. That said it might surprise some folks to think sun/light is the bane of illusions but sunlight carries the theme of revealing the unknown and light in general is a metaphor for truth much as darkness symbolizes deception and the unknown.
Now as for the sun paraelemental’s special ability this is where a DM has license to come up with some crazy as hell powers. The first two that come to my mind is a flash of blinding light that cooks all nearby enemies alive or a storm of searing beams that burn through enemies and can reflect off metal armor/shields to strike another nearby enemy. Have fun with these!
Otherwise I see the Sun Paraelemental as being midway between Fire and Air elementals when it comes to physical threat. They should probably be able to ignite their enemies and fly, but they would not be as fast as air elementals and the save to avoid being ignited would likely be easier.