This is a post not connected with any particular system, so don’t expect crunchy rules. Just use it as an inspiration.

It happens that it is raining in every place you go, wind always blows your hat from your head, a strange root makes you fall and you always burn your fingers when lighting a cigarette. This can’t be an accident, can it?

The idea of elements bothered people since the ancient times. Ground, air, fire and water were considered the materials from which everything was build. Not surprisingly, people believed there were certain ghosts or gods connected with the elements, Poseidon, Greek god of seas, as best known example.

This served as inspiration for ‘elementals’ – the creatures we know from RPGs.

Despite the fact that elementals are very common in our myths, fables and legends they seem to be rarely used by game masters. This is a big mistake. Elementals suit very well for all kinds of adventures and campaigns, fantasy or modern, heroic or horror. They can be both huge and small, move in groups or solitary. They may also divide themselves into smaller ones. This makes lots of combat opportunities.

The way I like to use them is making them special enemies. Something that is hard to defeat but also hard to encounter. They can be guards of sacred woods, deep caves, magic lakes. They can be executors of the anger of nature, punishing the people that do not respect it (enough). Water elemental drowning folks polluting a lake? Fire elemental setting a city on fire? Ground elemental collapsing a miners’ tunnel? Air elemental completely destroying a village of ?

I plan to write an article about each of the elementals, as they seem to be a great topic.

Firstly, air elementals. The important ability of those creatures is that they can be practically invisible. As I mentioned, GMs rarely use elementals as serious enemies, so it would take time for the players to realize what they are dealing with. Also, air elementals are almost impossible to catch – ever tried catching a piece of air? Imagine an invisible enemy, following the PCs - they are aware of his presence but can’t do anything about it. Players know the enemy is all around them, but have no clue what to do. Even better, it is almost impossible to hide from air elemental – it can get practically everywhere (as long as the place is not completely leak proof.

A strong blast making a character fall down a precipice? Roof of a tavern where the characters stay, being blown off? Combine those with plenty, ‘ordinary’ enemies and it starts getting interesting.

Describe all those situations well, so the players could feel the fury and power of the element. It makes an interesting adventure, or maybe small campaign.

Here are some examples of adventure hooks that come to my mind when writing this:

• Sacred forest into which PCs accidentally come, releasing the anger of nature.

• Probably mad druid has a powerful ally…

• There is a building which PCs desperately want to enter, however a strong wind always prevents them.

  And many others…

How to defeat such an enemy – you may ask. Forget about all the stats you know from all your monster manuals for a minute. Defeating this elemental may be extremely difficult, as it includes catching it. Catching an air elemental into a perfectly leak proof place or dish. Than again – how can you attack air? There is not much this creature should be afraid of, except one thing. Fire. It uses extreme amount of air. To get rid of a fire elemental – catch it, than burn it.

Have you ever used an elemental as a main enemy for the PCs? How did they deal with it? Do you like the way I see them, or do you have a completely different view?