Elementals & elemental spirits, same critters?

[BlkBunny]

Elemental spirits summoned by shaman have a CHA equal to their size (pg 144) but elementals in the monster section lack such characteristic (pg 167).

Can I have an exemple of the benefit of an invest elemental spirit (ex. the damage of a burning touch)?

Thx

 

[Kravell]

Here are two I designed. I haven't playtested them yet.

Firebrand (Intensity 1, salamander spirit 1 cubic meter)—INT 1, POW 8, CHA --, CA 2, SR +5, HP 10, Spirit Damage +1d6, Persistence 32%, Spectral Engulf 40%. Shaman does an extra point of fire damage with weapons or an unarmed attack. Shaman can use a candle flame to heal himself of 1 hit point on one location thrust in the flame.

Zephyr (Intesity 2, sylph spirit 2 cubic meters)—INT 2, POW 14, CHA --, CA 2, SR +7, HP 20, Spirit Damage +1d8, Persistence 52%, Spectral Drop 70%. A shaman firing a missile causes it to inflict an additional 1d6 points of damage. A shaman may push away an item or creature of up to 2 SIZ or 2 ENC in a straight line 8 meters long (Resilience roll to resist).

 

[BenQ]

Zephyr (Intesity 2, sylph spirit 2 cubic meters)—INT 2, POW 14, CHA --, CA 2, SR +7, HP 20, Spirit Damage +1d8, Persistence 52%, Spectral Drop 70%. A shaman firing a missile causes it to inflict an additional 1d6 points of damage. A shaman may push away an item or creature of up to 2 SIZ or 2 ENC in a straight line 8 meters long (Resilience roll to resist).

Thanks - that's helpful. I'm still trying to get my head around elemental design so its useful to see concrete examples. Can I ask a couple of questions?

Spectral drop? I presume that's the Spectral Combat score (POWx5%)? I guess its the same for the Spectral Engulf? Does the rule book specify these names somewhere or is this your own interpretation?

The abilities you've assigned to it - the enhanced missile fire etc. - these are ones you've added to it? Other spirit types specifically say to add abilities and give guidelines and examples, but with elemental spirits this isn't so clear.

Thanks!

 

[Antalon]

These two elemental spirits seem good examples.

There could be more variation within a type of elemental too: an air elemental spirit based on a certain prevailing wind (like the Chinook winds, or certain prevailing winds found in the Alpes http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chinook_wind#Folklore

 

[Kravell]

Spectral drop? I presume that's the Spectral Combat score (POWx5%)? I guess its the same for the Spectral Engulf? Does the rule book specify these names somewhere or is this your own interpretation?

The abilities you've assigned to it - the enhanced missile fire etc. - these are ones you've added to it? Other spirit types specifically say to add abilities and give guidelines and examples, but with elemental spirits this isn't so clear.

Thanks!

I designed the attack names used in the spirit world to be similiar to the attacks used by physical elementals. Physical salamanders engulf and sylphs engulf, toss, and drop enemies. I just added Spectral to the names to indicate the use is for Spirit Combat only.

So if a shaman wants to use one of these spirits and doesn't start the game with it, he has to go to the Spirit Plane and either negotiate for a one time effect like those listed or defeat them in Spirit Combat and then bind them to a fetish to use those powers all the time (see below).

Each elemental I designed can be kept in a fetish and give the shaman two abilities they can use one at a time by using a Magic Point. I tried to keep the power similiar to Divine Magic spells as suggested in the Designing Spirits box on p. 143.

As I said, I haven't playtested these spirits yet, but they seem fairly well balanced on paper in comparision to nature spirits and power provided by Divine Spells. They may be slightly underpowered (closer to Common Magic spells) but I'd rather add power later than take something away from an Adventurer if possible.

 

[BlkBunny]

@ KRAVELL Thanks a lot for your interesting examples of invested powers.^^

Your elemental spirits also lack CHA; for little ones (1 or 2 cubic meters) it's not big deal but when you will try to bound larger elemental spirits it'll becomes too easy compared to others spirits.(Spectral combat equals POW+CHA; not an existing skill for elementals in the creatures chapter anyway, Strike rank equals (INT+ CHA)/2).

Also can a shaman discorporate and fight in the spirit plane an elemental manifested and summoned by a sorcerer or a priest ?

Is a combat round in spiritual combat as long as a combat round in the physical plane and is the target helpless in the "real" world during his forced “discorporation”? (The discorporate skills can be used as a pretty effective way of getting rid of powerful but weak-willed opponent)