After the positive reception and help I got finishing up my Ice Paraelemental from yesterday, I decided I wanted to finish up all of the missing Paraelementals that we lacked from the Monster Manual. I based this one's Ability Scores off of the Water Elemental this time, and I'm just looking for feedback to see if this particular creation is still in line with the CR 5 difficulty ratings of the other elementals. I also plan on doing the more Paraelementals for fun...
Also, wondering if I should add the Fire Elemental's "Illumination" trait to this beast?
When primordial flame and stone collide on the fringes of the Planes of Fire and Earth, a Magma Elemental takes form. Their hearts are furnaces of volcanic force that churn deep inside bulbous, lumpy shells of molten rock. As they plod onward, they leave nothing but melted devastation in their wake.
Unlike a pure Fire Elemental, a Magma Paraelemental's burn is far less controlled or concentrated. Instead, the Magma Paraelemental personifies furious, wild heat. As such, it's boiling body can liquify steel and eat through even the toughest armor, and close proximity can cause metals to grow red-hot.
Magma Paraelemental
Large Elemental, Neutral
AC: 15 (Natural Armor)
HP: 114 (12d10+48)
Speed: 30 ft.
STR: 18
DEX: 14
CON: 18
INT: 5
WIS: 10
CHA: 8
Damage Vulnerabilities: Thunder
Damage Resistances: Bludgeon, Piercing, Slashing from Nonmagical Weapons
Damage Immunities: Fire, Poison
Condition Immunities: Exhaustion, Paralyzed, Petrified, Poisoned, Unconscious
Senses: Darkvision 60 ft., Passive Perception 10
Languages: Terran, Ignan
Challenge Rating: 5
Molten Form: The elemental can freely pass through unworked, nonmagical lava, superheated rock, or other molten materials and even walk upon it's liquid surface. While doing so, it is unaffected by difficult terrain or movement-impairing effects that would be caused by volcanic conditions. A creature who touches the elemental or hits it with a melee attack suffers 3 (1d6) Fire Damage. In addition, any nonmagical weapon made of metal, stone, or wood that hits the Magma Paraelemental begins to melt. After dealing damage, the weapon takes a cumulative -1 Penalty to damage rolls. If it's penalty reaches -5, the weapon is destroyed. Nonmagical ammunition made of metal, stone, or wood that hits the elemental is destroyed after dealing damage. The Elemental can burn through 2-inch-think, nonmagical wood, stone and metal in 1 Round.
Heat Wave (Recharge 4-6): The Magma Paraelemental can release a burst of extreme heat in a 15 ft. Radius around it, centered upon itself. Creatures within range wielding a metal weapon or wearing a suit of heavy or medium metal armor feel it grow red-hot and suffer 2d8 (8) Fire Damage if in physical contact with the object. Should a creature take damage in this way, it must succeed on a DC 15 Constitution saving throw or drop the object if it can. If it doesn't drop the object, it has Disadvantage on attack rolls and ability checks until the start of it's next turn.
Water & Cold Susceptibility: For every 5 feet the elemental moves in water, or for every gallon of water splashed on it, the Magma Paraelemental takes 1 Cold Damage. In addition, whenever the elemental takes Cold Damage, it partially freezes and it's speed is reduced by 20 feet until the end of it's next turn.
Illumination: The elemental sheds bright light in a 10ft radius and dim light for another 10ft.
Multiattack: The elemental makes two Slam attacks.
Slam: Melee Weapon Attack, +7 to Hit, reach 5 ft., one target. Hit: 1d8 Bludgeoning + 1d8 Fire + 4 Damage (13). Nonmagical armor worn by the target is partially melted and takes a permanent and cumulative -1 to the AC it offers. The armor is destroyed if the penalty reduces it's AC to 10.
Hey this is pretty cool. I'm actually leading my group through an adventure that is about to reveal forces from the elemental planes that are converging to attack the prime. So monsters like this are something I'd definitely love to throw in to my game. If you made a pdf with all this stuff Id gladly plunder it!
Each section of the invading army is scattered throughout the elemental planes, the Feywild and the Shadowell and the commander of each is a Genie from the respective planes (I made up Genies that identify with the Feywild and the Shadowfell).
Would you ever consider creating para-mirror-plane creatures? Just a thought...
Once again, totally awesome!
As far as a side by side comparison with the others, I left my MM at home unfortunately, but it looks like it would be even. The only thing that kind of made me wonder was the AC of 14, just couldn't think if that was maybe a little low, but only because I wonder if the elemental would have more hardened areas like in the picture that would make it15 or something?
BUT, when I saw the Molten form trait and its ability to effect nonmagical equipment, I feel like it evens it all out and, like I said, everything looks fair and right as far as stats. To my eye anyway.
So ya, super cool man!
wow.. great job i run a dark sun campaign and this is something i would use. i am wondering dark sun paraelmentals are a bit diffrent .. think you could come up with RAIN, SILT, and SUN ?
That's cool. I actually created my own Magma Paraelemental a few weeks ago for a game I was running. (This was a little touch-and-go, so the CR might not be exact, but I was only creating it for one adventure, so whatever. Also, my stat block and terminology doesn't match the MM, but I wans't intending to share it). What you came up with is similiar, but more unqiue, than what I threw together. Here take a look ...
Magma ParaElemental, Large, Move 30, Burrow 30, AC: 15 (Natural), HP: 114 (12d10+48 HD)
Str 18, Dex 8, Con 18, Int 5, Wis 10, Chr 7 ~ Darkvision 60 ~ Speaks Terran and Ignan*
Vulnerable to Thunder
Resistant to non-magical weapons. Immune to Fire and Poison
Cannot be Exhausted, Paralyzed, Petrified, Prone, or Unconscious
Molten Form. The elemental can move through medium spaces without squeezing and can squeeze into tiny spaces. Furthermore, any creature that touches the elemental or hits it with a melee attack, while within 5 feet of it, take 5 fire damage.
Earth Glide. The elemental can burrow through nonmagical, unworked earth and stone without disturbing the material it moves through.
Siege Monster. The elemental deals double damage to objects and structures.
Illumination. The elemental sheds bright light in a 10’ radius and dim light for another 10’.
Water Susceptibility. For every 5 feet of water the elemental moves through (or for every gallon splashed on it), the elemental suffers 1 cold damage.
Multiattack: Slam (Reach 10). +7 to hit, 16 damage (11 blunt, 5 fire) If the target is a creature or flammable object, it ignites. Until someone uses an action to douse the fire, the target continues to take 5 fire damage at the start of each of its turns.
Death Burst. If the elemental is destroyed, it explodes in a burst of fire and magma. Each creature within 15 feet must make a DC 11 Dex saving throw or suffer 7 points of fire damage (half on a successful save). Unattended, flammable objects are ignited.
CR 7 (2900 XPs)
*(EDIT: In my campaign, I just roll all the elemental languages into Primordial)
Once again, great work.
I was looking at this and thinking it would be cool to represent it's amorphous nature somehow.
If I ran it I'd probably give it an ability along these lines:
Reshape: The Paraelemental can spend a bonus action to either lose Multiattack and gain +2 AC or lose all it's attacks and gain +4 AC.
Basically I just want to narrate it as a pulsing pile of rock that will deflect most ranged attacks until it gets close, at which point it heats up, melts that rocky armour into lava-fists and attacks.