Is this too powerful or how it works normally

[Railak]

So in my current campaign I've got a character who can use elemental body at will into an earth elemental. I've been ruling it while in that form he doesn't need to eat sleep or breath, is that too powerful or is that normal for it?

[Batcathat]

So in my current campaign I've got a character who can use elemental body at will into an earth elemental. I've been ruling it while in that form he doesn't need to eat sleep or breath, is that too powerful or is that normal for it?

I don't think it should be that overpowered (except possibly not having to breath, in some situations) but I guess it depends on how much of an issue those things usually are for the party. If they have to spend a lot of time gathering food in order to survive, not having to eat is suddenly a lot more useful than if buying food and eating just sort of happens in the background.

[Kayblis]

In 3.5 this is a 7th-level 1hour/CL spell. If going by standard progression, your players are around lv13 or above. In PF, it's a 4th-level spell, so around lv7. A clarification on which would be welcome, but doesn't change the point.

At these levels, eating and sleeping aren't really issues you're concerned about. The main thing here would be breathing, which lets the player stay inside walls and floors if he gets something like Earth Glide. Still, it's less an issue of breathing and more an issue of the mechanic he uses later. This is not a significant gain for the level the players supposedly are. You don't scavenge for food to survive at lv7, much less at lv13. The few things this player can ignore are not an issue to the party to begin with.

[Morty_Jhones]

I personaly have no main problem with this, though i would note that earth elamentals do actualy eat. rair earths but otherwise not really an ishue.

The one thing I would rule is that time aplieys so when he changes back he must eat what he should have so supper long deration tranformations would end in as pig out.:smallsmile:

Also when transformed his wieght would go up by about x4 as hes now made of stone and rock so he would be very heavy. not neading to eat or breath is fine... but now your walking home from that shipwreck, glope, glope....:smallbiggrin:

[Troacctid]

If you eliminate the need for sleep, magic items become somewhat easier to craft, since you can work through the night without repercussions (assuming your class doesn't require rest to recover daily resources). It also lets you keep watch at night for free. Power-wise, that's mainly what you're looking at. Neither of those things is really a big deal.

I would personally treat it like spending time on a timeless plane, where once you get back to normal, the hunger catches up to you. However, I don't think it matters much for game balance; I just feel like it improves verisimilitude.

[Vaern]

Elemental Body in 3.5 says that it makes your body appear to be made of your chosen element and gives you a variety of cool new abilities, but expressly says that your actual type is unchanged and you are not actually an elemental. You wouldn't gain the traits associated with the creature type, except as listed within the spell itself, and would still have to eat, sleep, and breathe.

Pathfinder doesn't make the same specification about creature type in the spell description and, as far as I can tell from the SRD, there is no mention of whether your creature type is changed by polymorph spells in general. However, the spell description does list specific abilities that you gain and mentions that choosing to become a water elemental gives you the ability to breathe water. I think it's safe to take this to mean that, in your elemental form, you do still need to worry about breathing. And if your necessity for breath remains unchanged, we can guess that your need for food and sleep remain unchanged as well.

In both cases, I would say that it looks like you do still have to eat, sleep, and breathe while under the effects of elemental body. I don't think that ruling otherwise would be terribly gamebreaking, though, for what it's worth.

[Crake]

I personaly have no main problem with this, though i would note that earth elamentals do actualy eat. rair earths but otherwise not really an ishue.

Elementals:
Traits - Elementals do not eat, sleep, or breathe.

You might be thinking of xorn, which are outsiders, and do indeed eat gems and whatnot.

[Vaern]

Elementals:
Traits - Elementals do not eat, sleep, or breathe.

You might be thinking of xorn, which are outsiders, and do indeed eat gems and whatnot.

Although, it's also worth noting that xorns don't actually need to eat.


Outsiders breathe, but do not need to eat or sleep (although they can do so if they wish)

[Crake]

Although, it's also worth noting that xorns don't actually need to eat.

While that's true, their monster entry does seem to imply they're driven by desire to eat, as it specifically says they will attack adventurers carry a large quantity of gems and rare earth metals, being able to smell such within 20ft, despite normally being rather docile.

[weckar]

If you eliminate the need for sleep, magic items become somewhat easier to craft, since you can work through the night without repercussionsYou're still not allowed to work for more than 8 hours on magic item crafting, are you?

[Troacctid]

You're still not allowed to work for more than 8 hours on magic item crafting, are you?
No, but it allows you to do it during normal adventuring days, similar to a dedicated wright homunculus.

[weckar]

Fair point :smallsmile: