Good Classes for Elementals

[Milo v3]

Currently making a setting where the only outsiders are elementals and their is no alignment, so I was planning on making the different variations of outsiders being elementals with class features or at least class templates.

So what classes work well with the standard Air, Earth, Fire, Water, Ice, Magma, Storm, Mud elementals?

[Hazrond]

Recently a playtest was released for a book called Occult Adventures, inside said playtest is a class called the Kineticist which is what you would get if you combined the various Benders from avatar, with a 3.5 Warlock, it comes in 5 flavors, Air, Water, Earth, Fire, and Force

[Vhaidara]

I can also recommend the Spheres of Power system. Each of the classes can be customized, but the Elementalist is a Warlock-style class that gets the Destruction Sphere automatically. You can then pick up the appropriate elemental Talent along with shape talents. Other spheres you could grab are Nature (geomancing, covers earth, air, fire, water, and plants) and Weather (exactly what it sounds like)

[avr]

Aren't elementals really dumb? A 4 or 6 intelligence creature might make more sense advancing as by size as they do rather than with classes.

That said, for air elementals I might look at a class which helps them do sly combat maneuvers - disarming, dirty tricks, whatever. Maneuver Master monk allows them to bypass the intelligence requirement for those feats.

Earth elementals are already into shoving people around. Barbarian would make them better at it.

Water elementals ... Hmm. Rogue might be the easiest way to add damage, and the description says they like to hide, though they haven't developed the skill.

Fire elementals do mobility, by their feats. They can't possibly be stealthy. Fire is scary and is a metaphor for vengeance. A monk again, Kata Master this time? Between the parry and menacing swordplay ability I think you have something appropriate which might work.

[Milo v3]

I can also recommend the Spheres of Power system. Each of the classes can be customized, but the Elementalist is a Warlock-style class that gets the Destruction Sphere automatically. You can then pick up the appropriate elemental Talent along with shape talents. Other spheres you could grab are Nature (geomancing, covers earth, air, fire, water, and plants) and Weather (exactly what it sounds like)

Can't use spheres of power since it costs money that I lack. Only non-PRD stuff I've allowed so far was Akashic Mysteries and Path of War, since they're either playtest or on PFSRD, and I'm familiar with them.


Aren't elementals really dumb? A 4 or 6 intelligence creature might make more sense advancing as by size as they do rather than with classes.
But then every elemental would be the same and that is boring. With some of them having class levels in addition to hit dice, it means I can have more than just eight types of elementals.

[Der_DWSage]

You might actually consider using the Monstrous Codex templates for this.

Air - Rogue (http://www.d20pfsrd.com/bestiary/monster-listings/templates/simple-class-templates/rogue-creature-cr-1-or-2) or Bard (http://www.d20pfsrd.com/bestiary/monster-listings/templates/simple-class-templates/bard-creature-cr-1-or-2)template.
Earth - Paladin (For Lay on Hands, if nothing else) (http://www.d20pfsrd.com/bestiary/monster-listings/templates/simple-class-templates/paladin-creature-cr-2-or-3) or Fighter (http://www.d20pfsrd.com/bestiary/monster-listings/templates/simple-class-templates/fighter-creature-cr-1-or-2)template.
Fire - Barbarian (http://www.d20pfsrd.com/bestiary/monster-listings/templates/simple-class-templates/barbarian-creature-cr-2-or-3)or Monk (http://www.d20pfsrd.com/bestiary/monster-listings/templates/simple-class-templates/monk-creature-cr-2-or-3) template
Water - Cleric (http://www.d20pfsrd.com/bestiary/monster-listings/templates/simple-class-templates/cleric-creature-cr-1-2-or-3)or Bard (http://www.d20pfsrd.com/bestiary/monster-listings/templates/simple-class-templates/bard-creature-cr-1-or-2) templates.

...With the other four picking from the templates as you see fit. Sadly, as much as I'd like it to fit, I can't see any of them working with the Druid template (That mostly offers wildshape) or Wizard template (Due to Intelligence penalties) or Ranger template (because two-weapon fighting doesn't work too well for them, though I suppose they could go against the grain and grab weapons? Or form weapons out of their element, that could be neat.) Sorcerer could work easily, though I would definitely recommend grabbing a list of standard spells for each element to throw in.

That said, I will also second the vote for them becoming Kineticists. That'd work beautifully for them.