To build an elementalist.

[Misterwhisper]

New plan.

I want to build a character that focuses on one element and becomes a master of it. Screw versatility I just want to build a caster who is all about casting spells and does most of it with one element.

So what combination can be put together to get the most out of a single element?

Fire is the easiest because it has the most spells and the most class abilities that help it, but it is also the most resisted and one of the most immune elements.

Poison just sucks across the board due to tiny spell choices and many things that are immune.

I have always loved lightning based spells but not sure I can get enough synergy.

Radiant is always a good choice.

So what can we come up with, I already built a magic missile chain gunning aasimar but that got crazy broken pretty fast and I like elemental elements better.

So what can we do with the big three?

Fire

Cold

Electricity.

[JellyPooga]

1) Be a Sorcerer

2) Take Elemental Adept

3) Draconic Heritage for Fire or Cold, Storm for Lightning.

4) Take appropriatre spells.

5) Enjoy.

There's really.little else to be said for a pure elementalist. Maybe dip a little Storm Cleric for Lightning?

[Misterwhisper]

1) Be a Sorcerer

2) Take Elemental Adept

3) Draconic Heritage for Fire or Cold, Storm for Lightning.

4) Take appropriatre spells.

5) Enjoy.

There's really.little else to be said for a pure elementalist. Maybe dip a little Storm Cleric for Lightning?

There are tons of things for fire;

Draconic sorcerer
Celestial warlock gives bonus to fire and radiant
Flames of whatever the racial feat for tieflings.
Elemental adept for whatever

Radiant also has quite a few.
Celestial warlock
Aasimar racial
Zealot barb

Lightning and thunder get

Tempest cleric
Storm sorcerer

Evoker wizard is good for all elements


I am looking for whatever multiclass can feasibly make the most of an element

Ex

Aasimar celestial warlock, evoker wizard, arcana cleric can throw down some major work on radiant and fire.

[Mr.Spastic]

Few quick notes:

1) Avoid Warlock, they work best with eldritch blast, the celestial pact doesn't mesh well with parts of the class. This also applies to Fiend Pact as well. Warlocks are great damage dealers, but not elementalists.

2) Wizard will be inherently versatile by nature. You ironically increase your versatility by only taking one damage type. You can use your other spell picks for a lot more useful spells then if you picked multiple spells to have more damage versatility.

3) Most Druids and Clerics don't work well for this. There are a few exceptions but cleric and druid thrive on the fact that they have a very supportive spell list without a lot of blasting spells.

Best Options:

Side Note: With all of these take the Elemental Adept feat.

1) Draconic Sorcerer. Pick a damage type and roll with. Pretty straight forward. You also get bonus damage to spells and cantrips. Probably the best pick. Good for any element except thunder

2) Evoker Wizard. Sculpt Spells :smallbiggrin:. Wizards have a fire spell for every level, note that some of them are horrible. Great one type blaster with added utility. Good for fire, lightning, and acid.

3) Storm Soul Sorcerer. Great for lightning damage and thunder damage. Gives added mobility and other fun weather based shenanigans.

4) Light Cleric. PRAISE THE SUN!!! Fire spells out the wazoo. The best blaster cleric with spells like Fireball and Wall of Fire.

5) Storm Cleric. Praise Thor! Great for thunder and lightning. Only downside is most thunder spells use a con save and you don't get thunder step.

6) Sun Soul Monk? Possibly the best source of radiant damage in the game. 3 ki point radiant fireball at level 11. Pairs well with an Aarakocra that worships Ra.

[XmonkTad]

First of all, I'm intrigued by your magic missile build, and would love to hear more.

While it's not one of the "Big 3", Death cleric gets "Necrotic Damage Adept" for free at level 6, so if you want to focus on necrotic damage that's one great way to do it.

As for the big 3, you can get a bit of mileage out of a storm herald barbarian, though you're real damage options come from Desert and Sea (Tundra seems more about control/defense).

[Misterwhisper]

First of all, I'm intrigued by your magic missile build, and would love to hear more.

While it's not one of the "Big 3", Death cleric gets "Necrotic Damage Adept" for free at level 6, so if you want to focus on necrotic damage that's one great way to do it.

As for the big 3, you can get a bit of mileage out of a storm herald barbarian, though you're real damage options come from Desert and Sea (Tundra seems more about control/defense).

Short version of magic missile guy.

JC has ruled that magic missile is only one damage roll, it just happens to have 3 or maybe more darts.

Aasimar can add their level in radiant damage to one damage roll per turn.

Evoker can do the same with intelligence.

Depending on the dm, also a celestial warlock can do it with charisma because the aasimar ability just added radiant damage making it qualify.

Ex.

Aasimar protector
Evoker 18 just to be crazy

Magic missile as spell mastery so you can cast it at will at level 1 spell slot.

Normal missile 1d4 + 1
Aasimar adds 18 damage for 1 min a day
Evoker adds 5 because you will have 20 int by the .

That is each missile being 1d4 + 24
Level 1 spell is a minimum 75 damage
Goes up 25 damage per spell level.

Also it is not an attack because no attack roll.
It targets a creature directly so no help from mirror image or the like.

If you went evoker 10 celestial warlock 10

Each missile is 1d4 + 29.
Renewing short rest 5th level spell slots that hit for a minimum 150.

It can be boosted higher with other odd shinadigans but that is the simple way.

[terodil]

Might be worth looking into the Genasi Race introduced in the Elemental Evil Player Supplement (http://dnd.wizards.com/articles/features/elementalevil_playerscompanion) (link to official site, it’s free) for more thematic/RP goodness (of course subject to DM approval) :smallsmile:

[Misterwhisper]

Might be worth looking into the Genasi Race introduced in the Player Supplement for more thematic/RP goodness (of course subject to DM approval) :smallsmile:

They were made official so they are all good.

I am really leaning toward lightning so air might work.
I will look into their racial feats.

[Trustypeaches]

Honestly I feel like Druids will get you closer to feeling like a master of elements than Sorcerer, especially given the latter's low spells known.

[Misterwhisper]

Honestly I feel like Druids will get you closer to feeling like a master of elements than Sorcerer, especially given the latter's low spells known.

Yeah, I so wish there was a more elemental and less beast centered on their ties to to the elemental forces of nature.

If moon can turn into super critters and elementals later and land is based on different areas of the world there should be a subclass for elemental focus.

[Dark Schneider]

Pyromancer :)

Page 9 of the PDF.
https://media.wizards.com/2017/downloads/magic/Plane-Shift_Kaladesh.pdf

You have fire damage in most levels: burning hands, aganazzar's scorcher, fireball, wall of fire, delayed fireball, incendiary cloud, meteor swarm...and most of them are upgradeable, so you have fire spells in all your levels.

Get 2 levels of Wizard and choose Evocation for Scultping.

You could also get pure Evocation Wizard and the Elemental Adept feat. But honestly it does not seems a good feat for a Wizard, as he can change the spells at any time and prepare ones of another element. For a Sorcerer is fine and then focus its elemental attack spells in one element plus Magic Missile as wildcard, so you don't spend too many known spells (limited) on attack ones.

But remember each element is associated to a stat for savings, and fire is DEX. So rogues and monks with Evasion will be your weakness. Also immunity to fire damage. In those cases, you could use Magic Missile or any other force damage attack, or support your allies.

[Vogie]

Pyromancer :)

Page 9 of the PDF.
https://media.wizards.com/2017/downloads/magic/Plane-Shift_Kaladesh.pdf

You have fire damage in most levels: burning hands, aganazzar's scorcher, fireball, wall of fire, delayed fireball, incendiary cloud, meteor swarm...and most of them are upgradeable, so you have fire spells in all your levels.

Get 2 levels of Wizard and choose Evocation for Scultping.

You could also get pure Evocation Wizard and the Elemental Adept feat. But honestly it does not seems a good feat for a Wizard, as he can change the spells at any time and prepare ones of another element. For a Sorcerer is fine and then focus its elemental attack spells in one element plus Magic Missile as wildcard, so you don't spend too many known spells (limited) on attack ones.

But remember each element is associated to a stat for savings, and fire is DEX. So rogues and monks with Evasion will be your weakness. Also immunity to fire damage. In those cases, you could use Magic Missile or any other force damage attack, or support your allies.

And I know at my table, if you wanted to be a cryomancer, vitromancer, stoneweaver or airbender, I'd use either the UA Pyromancer or the Sun Soul Monk as mechanical skeletons to create such classes. It hangs in that gray area between refluff and homebrew.