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
Oliver Foster
For you
Matthew Wilson
The malleability is going to be a great help, and it was something another player suggested. the warlock is...i dont know how to say it, but hes bad with ideas, very bad, and is more of a tag along character, you know those players that are mostly along for the ride?
When it comes to ideas he can't really think of stuff, so other players often suggest stuff to help improve. and hes always is happier with the outcome.
And yes, for sure I'm worried I'm going to give this thing too many powers, I'm gonna try and keep it succinct but still make it useful, we already have 10 party members (with companions) and 9 of them hit stuff, and all better than this thing does currently. and when we let him keep his things without tweaking them they dont always do well and he gets upset and discards them.
as for >situations in which he realizes too late that he SHOULD have used one of its abilities the WORST offender, hes had everything he needed and will still elect to do nothing or just swing his sword in situations.
so yes i do hear what you are saying and i have definitely considered just giving him a basic water elemental, but someone recently told me that i should take any idea the player has and give a better version to them, that way they still get what they asked for but might be pleasantly surprised at the extra stuff when they figure it out.
Juan Reed
oh and additionally the elemental is under my control and created by the GM the player only gets to say "i want a water creature" and rolls the dice. everything else is up to me. BUT i always try to help give the player what they want and not a giant fish man
Aaron Torres
Well congratulations, you got yourself caught in aquapussy! Now what's the next step of your master plan?
Kevin Jackson
>variable weapon, can turn into a shield or a spear or a sword >swimming aid, he holds onto it and water and it pulls him along real quick >wrap enemies in tendrils of water >some minor buffs, like heals or increased movement speed >if bodies of water are nearby it can use that water instead
Grayson Lopez
Have it wrap around his arm under his sleeve to use as a sick as fuck grappling hook.
Aaron Campbell
bump
Nicholas Reed
If in contact with a water surface it can absorb it and grow in size (to a limit)
Xavier Moore
If it's made of saltwater it can concentrate the salt in it's body into lumps and use them as projectiles/armor/food seasoning Very useful against ghosts
Kayden Cook
Was it Berserk (the manga) that started the meme that a stream of water, when narrowed and concentrated to a thinness less of a human hair and with immense pressure, can cut through even stone?
Anyway water-laser is a must.
Connor Carter
You're thinking of physics. Physics started that meme.
Elijah Brown
>Was it Berserk user do you know what a waterjet is
Adam Jones
assassinates people by slipping in silently through small cracks or available water sources, then getting into their lungs while they sleep.
Brandon Martin
You mean he has the creativity of a rock or that he's just stupid?
How can anyone be ''too'' young or retarted for Veeky Forums, the containment board for underage fuckwits of Veeky Forums?
Jose Price
Water elemental would work very well as a bodyguard with a more pacifying role in mind. Trying to attack the warlock meets a wall of rushing water blocking your path. Giving it the ability to solidify into ice also increases its versatility in that regard. If you want to make it into more of a utility/defense tool than yet another attacker in the party, have its projectiles strictly cost hp. This is balanced out by the fact that most stuff won't be able to damage it anyway. If it hardens itself into ice (to have more stopping power on attacks that would otherwise pass through it to hurt the player), it is damaged more easily, but otherwise it's a sentient pool of water that protects its master. If it's in a body of water it heals its full hp every round. This, scrying portal if the player's class allows for scrying or similar divination abilities.
Austin Wilson
user I hate to break it to you, but Veeky Forums is easily one of the older and well-adjusted boards as far as its regular posters are concerned.
Christopher Morris
>user I hate to break it to you, but Veeky Forums is easily one of the older and well-adjusted boards as far as its regular posters are concerned. Wow that's fucking sad.
Adrian Robinson
well, its true were more "Well adjusted" when you look at /b/ but compared to the other half of boards like /trv/ that aren't worth shitposting in continually. Were tearing ourselves apart from inside.
Daniel Foster
>Water mage
Matthew Peterson
"elemental" is so boring, you can do more with it, you can make anything a water/ice thing
Cooper Parker
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Logan Brooks
>"Well adjusted" when you look at /b/ Wow, what a high fucking bar you set there fuckface.
Carter Gutierrez
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Hunter Brown
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Jace Sullivan
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Wyatt Garcia
Its like you didnt read the post and just wanna call people fuck faces?
Dylan Foster
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Carter Peterson
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Jordan Barnes
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William Hughes
I did read the post, which is why I'm calling you a fucking idiot. It's hard as fuck to be worse than /b/ mate, so saying that you're better than literally the bottom of the barrel is like saying that you're higher than the ground you're walking upon.
/v/ is better than /b/, /pol/ is better than /b/, fucking /mlp/ is better than /b/, but it doesn't make them any better, it just means that they're the least smelly of two turds.
Oliver King
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Angel Miller
>but it doesn't make them any better sooooo to quote you ^
my point stands, Veeky Forums is still the least smelly of two turds. Its still fucking shitty. it looks good when compared to /b/ but its not good.
fuckin christ i fell for bait.
Aaron Davis
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Logan Martinez
Ice Wraith!!
Gabriel Howard
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Caleb Carter
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Jeremiah Adams
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Zachary James
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Eli Torres
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Owen Morris
>Veeky Forums is still the least smelly of two turds. Even that's debatable, if only because of one specific factor that differentiates Veeky Forums from other boards that are used to dealing with shitposters. >fuckin christ i fell for bait. People on this fucking board will bite onto bait no matter how stale, repetitive, and obvious the bait is and they'll have the nerve to try and justify it.
Hell, I could post a "why D&D is garbage" or "martial vs. caster" or "adventure guild" or "HP bloat" or "SJW's and how MtG is garbage" or even "bring back quests!" thread and get to bump limit in less than three days on average just by stringing people along by spouting the same tired argument over and over again until the thread gets archived.
It's pitiful how easily people fall for bait around here while complaining about the influx of shitposters. It's like watching a moron douse themselves in gasoline while wondering why they keep getting burned around matches.
