Hello,
I have a question. Do creatures with the Elemental type need to breathe, eat, sleep, or any other of the basic humanoid traits?
I would assume the answer is no, but reading the entry for a Genie (Marid MM p. 146) it says:
Amphibious: The marid ca breathe air and water.
I would assume being an Elemental creature, a Marid (or any Elemental Type Creature) would not have to breathe in the first place, so that seems redundant… On that same note, I would assume an elemental does not need to eat, or sleep, or poop, or any of that messy stuff humanoids, beasts, giants, aberrations and many other creature types would need.
However an elemental entry (mm p. 123) says:
Elemental Nature: Does not require air, food, drink, or sleep.
But a Galeb Durhr (mm p. 139), another elemental has no such entry. But it does have:
Stone Guardian. A galeb duhr doesn't age or require sustenance, making it an excellent sentinel…
All good and well, but that doesn’t cover Sleep... or air... so it doesn't seem like such an excellent sentinal to me 
I just don’t see much consistency here.
What do you all think?
Have any of you house ruled this?
Wizards, we need a little more consistency here. I miss the simple template system.
Creature type need not inherently carry traits - leaving it to each specific type of creature within a type enables such things to be different as needed for each creature.
The simple truth is this: sleep, eating, and breathing are assumed to be things a creature has to do unless something in its own description says otherwise (or the DM decides to impart such traits on their own).
In this case, inconsistency is a good thing - it adds variety, and it leaves more potential points of interaction with such creatures instead of just covering them all in a blanket "that doesn't work"
Have any of you house ruled this?
Although this is the "rules forum", and some might police it as such and want this post moved / edited, since you asked about house rules on the topic . . .
Yes, I went through the various creature types and made sure there was some consistencey for my game. I had not added anything for elementals, but I did add some things for other creature types, some for flavor having to do with my game, and some to do with old rules, such as undead being unaffected by mind spells, or having immunity to necrotic damage. Necrotic was left out on many undead . . . strange to me, but 5e makes no assumtions from previous editions. Glad 5e suggests DMs house rule things all over! 
BTW, I am not posting them for the invaluable critique I am sure I will get :P
Anyways, here are the examples from my game:
Aberrations
Condition Immunity frightened;
Damage Immunity psychic
Dragons
Condition Immunity frightened, stunned
Fey
Condition Immunity charmed
Undead
Condition Immunity charmed, exhaustion, frightened, paralyzed, poisoned
Damage Immunity necrotic, poisoned, psychic
SadisticLeprechaun wrote:
Awesome