I’m having some trouble designing the greater paraelemental of silt. I increased the power of the elemental, but it doesn’t feel unique enough. I tried to add an extra ability and change its abilities, but then it felt too powerful.
I’m seeking feedback for my design to make it more unique and not just a scaled up version of the basic paraelemental of silt. I’ve got some great feedback from a few individuals in the past and thank you in advance.
Greater Silt Paraelemental
Climate/Terrain: Any Silt
Frequency: Very Rare
Organization: Solitary
Activity Cycle: Any
Diet: Silt
Intelligence: Average (8-10)
Treasure: Nil
Alignment: Neutral
No. Appearing: 1
Armor Class: 1
Movement: 21
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 (17-18)
XP Value: 10 Hit Dice: 6,000
14 Hit Dice: 10,000
18 Hit Dice: 14,000
Greater Silt Paraelemental
The greater silt paraelemental appears as a vaguely humanoid shape formed entirely out of silt. It has no features and seems to enjoy others reactions to its alien appearance. It has no legs, but rather rolls on a body of loose silt.
Combat: The greater silt paraelemental can travel freely through silt and loose sand. When fighting, a greater silt paraelemental can lash out with a pseudopod of swirling silt. If the paraelemental makes an unmodified (natural) attack roll of 19, or 20, it completely engulfs its opponent. Engulfed victims are powerless to act and their flesh starts being ripped from their bones. Victims suffer 3d6 points of damage per round until they die, at which point their bodies are nothing but bones or chitin. A greater paraelemental can engulf only one creature of size S or M at a time. Once a victim is engulfed, the only way to free him is to kill the paraelemental.
The monster can transform its body into a raging silt storm with a radius of 60 feet. Those caught within the storm must make a successful saving throw versus rod/staff/wand or become blinded for 2d10 rounds. However, nothing can save them from the storm’s physical battering, which causes 1d4 points of damage per Hit Die of the paraelemental. In addition, attackers receive -2 penalties to their attack rolls when trying to target anyone in the silt storm with ranged weapons. Also, the choking dust crawls into lungs and noses, making breathing difficult. Those in the storm receive -2 penalties to all attack and damage rolls due to the tiring effects of breathing the silt.
Adventurers can reduce the penalties imposed by the choking dust if they take precautions. Using moistened clothes to cover the nose and mouth, for example, will filter most of the dust. This reduces the attack and damage roll penalties to -1.
I lack the time to give a heavily detailed feedback on this one, but a concept I always thought would be fun for silt paralementals was the ability to cause Grey Death in an area of effect cloud. If you need a refresher on the rules I believe it’s detailed in City by the Silt Sea and roughly translates as a -2 to most rolls. Turn that into either a breath attack that afflicts that condition on anyone caught inside or maybe characters need to make a saving throw each time the paraelemental hits them in melee to avoid grey death. Bonus points for primitive gas masks and goggles giving a bonus vs the save.
This is a good idea. Let me give it some thought.
Edit: I added some more effects for the silt storm attack from City by the Silt Sea. I don’t think it’s exactly what you were thinking, but it does add something unique to the greater type.
Let me know what you think.
I’m seeking feedback for my design to make it more unique and not just a scaled up version of the basic paraelemental of magma. I’ve got some great feedback from a few individuals in the past and thank you in advance.
Greater Magma Paraelemental
Climate/Terrain: Magma
Frequency: Very Rare
Organization: Solitary
Activity Cycle: Any
Diet: Any Solid
Intelligence: Average (8-10)
Treasure: Nil
Alignment: Neutral
No. Appearing: 1
Armor Class: 1
Movement: 10
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: 4-40
Special Attack: Heat aura
Special Defense: See below
Magic Resistance: 50%/25%
Size: L (8’-16’)
Morale: 10 and 14 Hit Dice: Champion (15-16)
18 Hit Dice: Fanatic (17-18)
XP Value: 10 Hit Dice: 3,000
14 Hit Dice:7,000
18 Hit Dice:11,000
Greater Magma Paraelemental
From the waist up, a greater magma paraelemental resembles a stocky humanoid being, but the lower portion of its body is nothing but an amorphous mass of molten stone. Most of its upper body is black rock, but a reddish heat shines from within – particularly from the eyes and mouth of the creature.
Greater magma paraelementals enjoy melting solid objects into liquid forms. They also derive a bit of sustenance from such actions.
Combat
When it comes to combat, the greater magma paraelemental uses its super-heated touch to inflict damage to a victim and sets combustibles (like wood) aflame. However, the greater paraelemental’s mere presence is also quite dangerous. Anyone within 30 feet of the creature is affected as if he were the target of an enhanced heat metal spell. That is, during the first round in the area, all metallic objects grow hot, inflicting 1d4 points of damage. During the second round, they inflict 2d4 points of damage to anyone in contact with them. In the third round (and all thereafter). anyone touching the scorching metal suffers 3d4 points of heat damage. What’s more, at this point, even victims who aren’t touching any metal sustain 1d6 points of damage from the incredible heat exuded by the monster.
Leaving the area reduces the effect by one step each round. For example, during the third round of close proximity to a greater magma paraelemental, an opponent in plate mail armor suffers 3d4 points of damage. If he leaves the affected area, he suffers only 2d4 points of damage in the next round. In the round after that, he suffers 1d4 points of damage. During the following round, his armor remains uncomfortably hot but inflicts no damage. And in the next round, the plate mail cools to its normal temperature.
Greater magma paraelementals can be struck only by +3 or better weapons, and they’re immune to the effects of heat and flame. They suffer normal damage from cold-based attacks.