A player of mine wants to summon a water elemental as an ally, but he just wants a basic water elemental that shoots water and changes shape. We've already got enough party members that JUST attack and this will just add to the top of the pile and make it pretty weak.
when pressed he was unable to think of anything he actually wanted this water elemental to have other than shape change. but i dont want to punish this player for being uncreative and give him something weak, instead ill give it additional powers that he might use.
What are some powers/abilities you might think effective? system doesnt matter, i can work with anything.
- Bonus to stats when in water - Can trap smaller enemies within itself - Can trap larger enemies within itself at cost of movement - can shoot X water projectiles for free, then after they run out it costs life points to cast more - shape change/hardening allows them to form into weapon of choice - become transparent?
Thats what I've gotten in the hour since i spoke to the player, any and all ideas to throw on top would be helpful.
Oh, additionally the player is a warlock who uses both magic and sword, so they hoping for this guy to be a bodyguard type.
New power i thought of - become barrier (becomes a wall intended to protect this behind it)
Ryan Bell
Can it adjust its chemical state/temperature at will? I'm thinking ice barriers to tank attacks, throwing icicles, covering the ground and freezing to limit enemy movement, turning into a steam cloud to block visibilty or momentarily blind/burn the eyes of enemies, scalding/cleaning wounds, maybe even turning into a soothing bath for it's master after a long day of adventuring.
Ryan Watson
Can he also fuck it?
Sebastian Johnson
The elemental can become a mirror pool through which portentous events and prophecy can be seen.
Kayden Turner
To be fair, ridiculous malleability is a HUGE utility in a number of noncombat situations. Nothing like being able to flow under a door and unlock it from the other side.
Moreover, it sounds like you're trying to solve a problem that nobody has but you. Some people are fine with combat being a simple exchange of blows rather than a highly tactical deployment of key abilities. If all he wants is a wet, squishy bodyguard, you might actually be making his elemental less fun for him by trying to load it up too much. Remember, every additional ability you give it is another possibility he has to consider on every combat round. I've seen choice paralysis in action, and it isn't fun for anyone. Especially in situations in which he realizes too late that he SHOULD have used one of its abilities, but had forgotten about it at the time. That's just frustrating and makes a player feel bad about having the thing.
Remember, this is something for him, not you. Don't focus so much on what you would want. Think about his character and the sort of thing he actually likes to do. If he has expressed an interest in other things, but just can't think of any, that's fine. But if he said he just wants X, and all further conversations have been the result of your prodding, be aware that you may end up making it less fun for him. He may not care whether or not it's weak, so long as it's wet.
Jeremiah Green
This
Answer plx
Levi Martinez
>Remember, this is something for him, not you.
People forget the the GM plays to have fun too. You don't have to make GMing a selfless act of charity, players should work with the GM so that he can have fun too.
Michael Kelly
You absolutely have a point when it comes to story, developments, and NPCs. Less so when it comes to something more or less entirely under the player's control.
Brayden Thomas
>if you're brave enough Additionally, if it can change shape and harden then you could, however neither water nor steel is comfortable to fuck
