Triumph of the elements

[Shining Wrath]

Reading through PHB, I just finished the character classes section, and I noticed a couple of things regarding the elements.
First, that druids worry about keeping air, earth, fire, and water in balance, because if one gets too far advanced it could mean The End.
Second, a couple of references to "evil elemental cultists". Whom I surmise fully intend to get things out of balance and bring about The End.

I suspect that this will be A Thing in D&D going forward - worshipers of an element trying to make it supreme.

OK ...

The Fire Apocalypse is pretty easy to understand; everything burns.
The Water Apocalypse, everything drowns and the sky fills with clouds and the air is filled with drops of water.
The Earth Apocalypse, earth absorbs EVERYTHING like a sponge, even the air.
The Air Apocalypse, a giant whirlwind picks up everything, even the roots of the mountains, and everything swirls and whirls.

This does make me think that there ought to be Earth Elementals that have the characteristics of oozes, though. I may have to homebrew some.

[Human Paragon 3]

I believe this is a reference to the Temple of Elemental Evil module, but I'm not 100% sure.

[Giant2005]

Does it actually say if Earth gets unbalanced it absorbs everything like a sponge? If not, I would assume it would take the more obvious route by destroying everything via a bombardment of powerful Earthquakes.

[Shining Wrath]

Does it actually say if Earth gets unbalanced it absorbs everything like a sponge? If not, I would assume it would take the more obvious route by destroying everything via a bombardment of powerful Earthquakes.

No, it doesn't say that, but I invented that because an earthquake doesn't affect Air at all. If you're a Cloud Giant family living on a cloud, you float serenely above the earthquakes. "Oh, look, another gaping fissure swallowed screaming mortals!" "Pass the salt"

[TripleD]

Physics in D&D is wonky at the best of times, but maybe it's that the earth will grow larger and larger until everything is crushed under the gravity.

With enough gravity, even air will become a solid.

[pikeamus]

I can imagine monotone voiced, dull eyed, no-necked earth-cultists, who insist stone is the only pure element, that all else is inevitably chaos and flux, and that the cosmos will only reach stability once all is transformed to stone, even the air itself, and the fires of the earth are quenched. They are terrifying because they are implacable in pursuit of their goal; untouched by anger, fear or doubt they will never stop until everything is transformed to rock.

Not sure how they're going to go about it, but I like the image anyway.

[Giant2005]

No, it doesn't say that, but I invented that because an earthquake doesn't affect Air at all. If you're a Cloud Giant family living on a cloud, you float serenely above the earthquakes. "Oh, look, another gaping fissure swallowed screaming mortals!" "Pass the salt"

Volcanic activity can solve that issue.

[hawklost]

I could see it this way

Fire - Everything burns, charred land everywhere (Think major forest fire, but that doesn't stop). Possibly volcanoes
Water - Huge flooding, destroying all the land, tsunamis and floods occur everywhere.
Earth - Earthquakes, Volcanoes, Noxious Gas released from the earth, Fissures that go miles deep
Air - Tornadoes, Hurricanes, Sand Storms, winds that are so powerful that an F5 looks like an F1 in comparison.

I honestly don't see an Apocalypse being required to destroy everything with the element, just enough to make the world unlivable. If any of these occur, it would destroy all the ecosystems (even those cloud cities) and in time would wipe out all living creatures. Note that there are usually some kind of safe place for a short time during the apocalypse.

[Breltar]

I believe this is a reference to the Temple of Elemental Evil module, but I'm not 100% sure.

Probably, since that is the next module that is supposed to come out after Tyranny of Dragons is over.

[Shining Wrath]

I could see it this way

Fire - Everything burns, charred land everywhere (Think major forest fire, but that doesn't stop). Possibly volcanoes
Water - Huge flooding, destroying all the land, tsunamis and floods occur everywhere.
Earth - Earthquakes, Volcanoes, Noxious Gas released from the earth, Fissures that go miles deep
Air - Tornadoes, Hurricanes, Sand Storms, winds that are so powerful that an F5 looks like an F1 in comparison.

I honestly don't see an Apocalypse being required to destroy everything with the element, just enough to make the world unlivable. If any of these occur, it would destroy all the ecosystems (even those cloud cities) and in time would wipe out all living creatures. Note that there are usually some kind of safe place for a short time during the apocalypse.

I submit that noxious gasses are Air. Although I think a case can be made for poison itself being Earth.

The usual dichotomy is Earth:Air, Fire:Water. For Earth to achieve final dominion it must somehow destroy Air, and vice-versa. Absorption is what I came up with on the one hand, and whirlwinds that reach the roots of the mountains on the other.

And fire hot enough to burn the very oceans versus water drenching all things.

[hawklost]

I submit that noxious gasses are Air. Although I think a case can be made for poison itself being Earth.

The usual dichotomy is Earth:Air, Fire:Water. For Earth to achieve final dominion it must somehow destroy Air, and vice-versa. Absorption is what I came up with on the one hand, and whirlwinds that reach the roots of the mountains on the other.

And fire hot enough to burn the very oceans versus water drenching all things.

I will counter submit that it doesn't have to destroy Air in the sense of fully taking it out. It must destroy its purity. Air that is not breathable becuase Earth has combined its particles into it is not so much air as flying dust/poison, which is a power of Earth, not air.

[Totema]

Everything changed when the Fire Nation attacked...

[micahwc]

Wouldn't it basically just transform the world into the elemental plane of whatever element? Like if ranch dressing takes on too much power and the elements become unbalanced, than the world would basically become the same as the elemental plane of ranch dressing.

[MustacheFart]

Wouldn't it basically just transform the world into the elemental plane of whatever element? Like if ranch dressing takes on too much power and the elements become unbalanced, than the world would basically become the same as the elemental plane of ranch dressing.


....And Paul Newman would rule as a god.

[Shining Wrath]

....And Paul Newman would rule as a god.

You say that as though he doesn't, already.