Large elemental, neutral
Armor Class 14 (natural armor)
Hit Points 114 (12d10 + 48)
Speed 30 ft., swim 90 ft.
Proficiency Bonus +3
Proficiency Bonus +5 (5th Edition Advanced Mode)
| STR | DEX | CON | INT | WIS | CHA |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 18 (+4) | 14 (+2) | 18 (+4) | 5 (-3) | 10 (+0) | 8 (-1) |
Saving Throws (suggested) Str +7, Con +7
Damage Resistances acid; bludgeoning, piercing, and slashing from nonmagical attacks
Damage Immunities poison
Condition Immunities exhaustion, grappled, paralyzed, petrified, poisoned, prone, restrained, unconscious
Senses darkvision 60 ft., passive Perception 10
Languages Aquan
Challenge 5 (1,800 XP)
Freeze. If the elemental takes cold damage, it partially freezes; its speed is reduced by 20 feet until the end of its next turn.
Water Favored Terrain (suggested). The water elemental gains advantage on hit rolls and +2 bonus on damage rolls when engaged in water combat, whilst the opponent suffers disadvantage on its hit rolls.
Water Form. The elemental can enter a hostile creature’s space and stop there. It can move through a space as narrow as 1 inch wide without squeezing.
Actions
- Multiattack. The elemental makes two slam attacks.
- Slam. Melee Weapon Attack: +7 to hit, reach 5 ft., one target. Hit: 13 (2d8 + 4) bludgeoning damage.
- Slam (suggested). Melee Weapon Attack: +7 to hit, reach 10 ft., one target. Hit: 21 (5d6 + 4) bludgeoning damage.
- Whelm (Recharge 4-6). Each creature in the elemental’s space must make a DC 15 Strength saving throw. On a failure, a target takes 13 (2d8 + 4) bludgeoning damage. If it is Large or smaller, it is also grappled (escape DC 14). Until this grapple ends, the target is restrained and unable to breathe unless it can breathe water. If the saving throw is successful, the target is pushed out of the elemental’s space. The elemental can grapple one large creature or up to two Medium or smaller creatures at one time. At the start of each of the elemental’s turns, each target grappled by it takes 13 (2d8 + 4) bludgeoning damage. A creature within 5 feet of the elemental can pull out a creature or object out of it by taking an action to make a DC 14 Strength and succeeding.
5th Edition Advanced Mode
Limiting the power of a character and making the overall difficulty of the game harder, does not reduce the creativity, indeed it does quite the opposite.
The Game Master has the option to use any and all of the instances proposed in this guide, or just some of them according to their preference.
It is the lack of something that move and motivate characters, not the abundance of it
DESCRIPTION
A water elemental is a living, animated body of water. It can take any shape, but usually appears as a swirling mass of liquid with a vaguely humanoid form. A water elemental has no facial features, but two glowing eyes can be seen within its watery depths. A water elemental can vary in size and power, depending on the amount of water it is composed of and the source of its animation. Some water elementals are created by powerful magic, while others are native to the Elemental Plane of Water. A water elemental speaks Aquan, the language of water-based creatures.
A water elemental can be conjured in any area containing a large amount of water or watery liquid. At least one thousand cubic feet of liquid is required to create a shell for the water elemental to inhabit. Usually a large pool serves this purpose, but several large kegs of wine or ale will do just as well. The water elemental appears on the Prime Material plane as a high-crested wave. The elemental’s arms appear as smaller waves, one thrust out on each side of its main body. The arms ebb and flow, growing longer or shorter as the elemental moves. Two orbs of deep green peer out of the front of the wave and serve the elemental as eyes. Like all other common elementals, water elementals rarely speak on the Prime Material plane, but their voices can be heard in the crashing of waves on rocky shores and the howl of an ocean gale.
COMBAT
A water elemental is a formidable opponent in combat, especially in aquatic environments. It can move through water with ease, and can enter the space of any creature without squeezing. It can also create powerful currents and waves to knock down or drown its foes. A water elemental attacks with its slam attacks, which deal bludgeoning damage and can grapple and restrain its targets. A water elemental can also use its whelm ability to engulf and suffocate creatures within its body. A water elemental is resistant to acid damage and nonmagical physical attacks, and immune to poison and many conditions. However, it is vulnerable to cold damage, which can freeze and slow it down.
In combat, the water elemental is a dangerous adversary. It prefers to fight in a large body of water where it can constantly disappear beneath the waves and suddenly swell up behind its opponent. When the elemental strikes, it lashes out with a huge wave-like arm. Water elementals are also a serious threat to ships that cross their paths. A water elemental can easily overturn small craft (one ton of ship per hit die of the elemental) and stop or slow almost any vessel (one ton of ship per hit point of the elemental). Ships not completely stopped by an elemental will be slowed by a percentage equal to the ratio of ship’s tons over the hit points of the attacking elemental.
HABITAT / SOCIETY
A water elemental can be found in any body of water, from oceans and rivers to lakes and ponds. Some water elementals are summoned or created by spellcasters or other beings, while others are naturally occurring or wander from the Elemental Plane of Water. A water elemental has no society or culture of its own, but may serve or ally with other water-based creatures, such as nereids, merfolk, or sahuagin. A water elemental may also be hostile or territorial towards intruders or threats to its watery home.
ECOLOGY
A water elemental is not a living creature in the biological sense, but a manifestation of elemental energy. It does not need to eat, breathe, or sleep, but it does require a source of water to sustain its form. A water elemental can merge with or split from any body of water, changing its size and shape accordingly. A water elemental has no natural predators or prey, but may fight with other elementals or creatures for dominance or survival. A water elemental has no impact on the environment, except for creating ripples or splashes in the water it inhabits.
Water Elemental is employed as component to empower the following spells: