Water Elemental

Water Elemental

Species	essence
No. Appearing	1
Behaviour	protective servant
Range	Astral
Size	10 ft. tall
Weight	8,000 lbs.
Intelligence	5 to 6
Armour Class	2
Hit Dice	16
Action Points	6
Max. Stride	8
THAC0	11
Hp/Die	2d8
Attack Forms	2: battering fists
Damage	5–30 (fists)
Special Attacks	capsizing, control water, +2 weapon to hit, natural immunities

Water elementals are beings native to the elemental Plane of Water, and are formed from the essence of that substance and considered an elemental creature. They possess traits associated with water, consisting of a fluid and amorphous form that lacks solidity or fixed shape. They can change their shape at will, and move through water with ease.

Water elementals are typically translucent, resembling clear or flowing water; this makes them difficult to see in an aquatic environment and contributes to their opportunities to surprise opponents.

Behaviour

Due to their nature, water elementals are dependent on there being a substantial volume of water or watery liquid nearby. As such, they cannot venture more than 60 yards (36 hexes) from a source of water that must have a minimum volume of at least 1,000 cubic feet. Being out of water has no effect on their combat abilities, movement or strength.

Nor are these creatures bound to a single source of water. They can, at will, spread themselves out and move through the capillaries of groundwater, to seek out another place from which they can emerge. Their movement while doing so is but 30 ft. per round. In this state, they cannot manifest above the ground, while being nearly impossible to detect. It's enough to say that they can leave one pond and emerge from another, or enter a river, which they often do as a means of travelling great distances.

Unlike most sentient beings, water elementals lack an intrinsic purpose. Some serve as guardians of natural water resources, while others are tasked by summoners, who give them specific tasks and orders. Beyond this, the water elemental possesses an enigmatic and mystical quality, one that's difficult for mortal beings to fully comprehend — for these creatures are immortal. If "destroyed," they are cast back to the plane of water, where their memories and existence remain unaltered.

Advantages

Capsizing vessels. Water elementals pose a significant danger to all types of seafaring vessels. They possess the ability to capsize any craft weighing less than a ton, including its occupants and cargo, at their discretion. Moreover, when overturning isn't feasible, they can inundate boats by pouring a substantial 40 gallons of water into them every round. Tall ships are not exempt from this, as these elementals can direct a forceful stream of water onto their decks.

A single blow from its fists that causes more than 21 points of damage destroys one hull point of a ship's exterior; should three such points be taken, the water elemental can breach the ship's interior, wreaking havoc within. Once inside, a water elemental requires only 15 points of damage to wreck either an exterior or interior hull point, further amplifying its destructive potential.

Control water. In addition to forcing water to flow outwards or upwards, water elementals can create a whirlpool that will affect any creature within a radius of 20 ft. All swimmers within this pool must make a saving throw against paralysis. Those with less than 30 swimming ability are pulled in and forced underwater for 3-18 rounds, during which time they're helpless; and if they fail save, they are drowned (though if recovered within 10 rounds, they can be restored by a character with diving or free-diving skill. Otherwise, there's nothing that can be done for them. Those with authority-status swimming who fail their save are pulled into the whirlpool like a lesser swimmer, and must make save again; if this second save fails, the individual is likewise likely to drown.

+2 magic to hit. Water elementals are only hit by +2 magical weapons or better. Note that this precludes physical attacks by spells like magic stone and chromatic orb, or most spells that require touching the creature, such as shocking grasp.

Natural immunities. They are also immune to cold-based, heat-based and fire-based attacks, both normal and magical. Water elementals and fire elementals cannot actually hurt one another, though they can wrestle for a time and produce considerable amounts of hot, scalding steam.

There are a great many other immunities that are difficult to account for, arising from the water elemental's lack of flesh and ordinary physicality, and the fact that it's made of water. This should be explained by the Dungeon Master to the players at the outset of a combat, so that they're able to make the best decisions while knowing what spells would be useless to employ.

Summoning

Water elementals may be summoned through spellcasting or creating a gate between the Prime Material and Plane of Water. If summoned by spell, the binding upon the creature is brief; otherwise, the creature must be bound into service by some other means. Elementals are dangerous and summoning can be risky, in that these creatures are very large and able to cause damage against things that might do better otherwise.

See Bestiary