Fire/Water Elemental

Conjuring a fire elemental requires a big open blaze. To give it a sufficient body of material flame, a fire built for the purpose should be at least six feet across and four feet high. On the material world it takes the form of a towering curtain of fire with two armlike limbs that keep flickering back into its body and darting out again a moment later. Its only features are two large, glowing spots of vivid blue flame that serve as eyes. Like other common elementals it seldom speaks here, but its voice can be heard in the hiss and crackle of a large fire.

Resenting being dragged to this plane, a fire elemental attacks head-on and with savage glee, reducing the fragile creatures and things of the material world to ash. Its lashing limbs deal 3-24 points of damage, and any flammable object struck must save vs. magical fire at -2 or catch fire at once.

It cannot cross water or nonflammable liquids, so leaping into a nearby lake or river is sometimes the only thing that saves even a strong party. Creatures with innate fire powers, such as red dragons, resist its attacks: each die of damage dealt to them is reduced by 1, to a minimum of 1 per die.

Conjuring a water elemental requires a great volume of water or similar liquid, no less than a thousand cubic feet, to give it a body. A big pool usually serves, though several large barrels of ale or wine work just as well. On the material world it appears as a tall, cresting wave with two smaller waves for arms that surge and recede as it moves, and two deep green orbs peering out of its front as eyes. It rarely talks here, but its voice can be heard in surf crashing on rocks and the roar of a storm at sea.

It is a deadly foe, happiest in deep water where it can sink out of sight and rise suddenly behind an enemy before slamming down with a massive wave-arm for 5-30 points of damage. It is also a menace to shipping: it can capsize small boats of up to one ton per Hit Die and halt or slow nearly any vessel up to one ton per hit point. A ship too large to halt loses speed by a percentage found by dividing its tonnage by the elemental's hit points.

Though strongest in open water, it can be sent to fight on dry land near the water it rose from. Its movement on land is the most limited of any elemental: it cannot travel more than 60 yards from its source, and out of the water each die of damage it deals drops by 1, to a minimum of 1 per die.