Elemental Associated Powers

[Day_Dreamer]

I'm currently making an entirely homebrew system, and am busy writing rules for "spiritcalling" mechanics. The notion is that spiritcallers call supernatural entities into their own bodies to gain enhanced abilities as well as new powers.

One of the big parts of the system is that every type of magic operates under some kind of point-buy for effects table; in the case of spiritcalling, every unique spirit has a set number of points it can spend (for each element) to buy cool things to give to the caller.

I'm currently trying to think of some cool and unique discrete abilities or enhancements that the various elements can give. For reference, the elements are: Wind, Fire, Stone, Water, and Wood.

Any thoughts? I'm trying to keep the abilities fairly discrete from the (finished) arcane magic system, which lets you do most of the things that D&D wizards can.

For reference, the base game is d10-based (kind of like oWoD in terms of dice-handling), and is set in a fantasy world that is conceptually pretty D&D or Pathfinder compatible.

[erikun]

Any reason why you are picking those five particular elements, rather than the Chinese five elements and all it implies, or with applying Japanese implications to the traditional four elements? Heck, those links might give you some ideas anyways. Somewhat on topic:

Wood: camouflague, stealth, regeneration, vitality, sun, growth, healing, entangle

Wind: flight, evasion, invisibility, gusts of wind, storms, weather, whirlwinds

Water: constant movement, slippery terrain, high ground, distortion, swimming, tripping

Earth: hard armor, hard strikes, earthquakes, tremorsense, grappling, hurling stones

Fire: light, burns, pain, explosions, heat, warmth, suddenness, spreading

[Day_Dreamer]

Any reason why you are picking those five particular elements, rather than the Chinese five elements and all it implies, or with applying Japanese implications to the traditional four elements? Heck, those links might give you some ideas anyways. Somewhat on topic:

Wood: camouflague, stealth, regeneration, vitality, sun, growth, healing, entangle

Wind: flight, evasion, invisibility, gusts of wind, storms, weather, whirlwinds

Water: constant movement, slippery terrain, high ground, distortion, swimming, tripping

Earth: hard armor, hard strikes, earthquakes, tremorsense, grappling, hurling stones

Fire: light, burns, pain, explosions, heat, warmth, suddenness, spreading

These are good! Many thanks.

The elements actually kind of tap into the five types of elemental damage (lightning, fire, force, cold, and corrosive) and a general way that things are grouped into 5.

Also, the guys in-setting who have this stuff don't have very good metallurgy, so a Chinese-based system doesn't much much sense. There's a plan to add two "forbidden" spirit-types of Soul and Void, which is why I didn't go with Japanese.