Level Up (A5E) The Genasi Heritage-What special ability do all Genasi have in common?

[Corinnguard]

Shape Element
Transmutation
Level: 6
Casting Time: 1 minute
Range: 30 feet
Area: 50-foot cube of one element (air, earth, fire, or water)
Duration: concentration, up to 1 hour (special)

You take any existing amount of one element (air, earth, fire, or water) and shape it. You can take the fire from a torch and shape it into a wall of fire (which inflicts no more damage than the torch) or create a safe passage through a forest fire. You can take earth from the ground and make it into a bridge or a statue, or create a passageway underground. You can take the air out of a room and shift it elsewhere. You can shape the air to form a continual gusting wind effect in the area (no stronger than a moderate wind). You can, by manipulating either air or water, create a bubble of air under the surface of a lake. You can make a statue out of water, or a wall or a dry passage through a pool. An object you can create can have hinges and latches, but fine mechanical detail isn't possible.

If you maintain concentration for the entire duration, the duration becomes permanent. However, water and air can be fouled or consumed, fire may cease to burn when it runs out of fuel, and an earthen structure may collapse if not structurally sound.

***

Genasi Version
(I'm assuming this is an ability, not a spell)

When you gain this ability, choose one of the following elements: air, earth, fire, water. You can use your action to shape that element in a 5-foot cube, as follows (the element must be nonmagical in nature):

Air: A Medium or smaller creature that is within 10 feet of you must succeed on a Strength saving throw (using either your spell save DC or maneuver save DC) or be pushed 5 feet away from you; you can move an object that weighs less than 5 pounds up to 10 feet away from you; and you can cause a harmless sensory effect, such as rustling leaves or slamming shutters.

Earth: You can move a pile of loose earth, sand, gravel, or mud up to 5 feet away; you can cause shapes, images, patterns and/or colors to appear in the dirt or stone for 1 hour; and you can cause earth- and stone-based difficult terrain to be normal terrain, and vice versa, for 1 hour.

Fire: You can expand the flame 5 feet in one direction, provided there is fuel in the new location; you can extinguish the glames; you can double or halve the area of bright and dim light cast by the flame and/or the flame's color, for 1 hour; and you can cause simple, vague shapes to appear in the flame for 1 hour.

Water. You move or change the flow of water up to 5 feet in any direction; you can cause the water to form simple shapes such as fountains for 1 hour; you can change the waters color and/or opacity for 1 hour; and you can freeze the water, provided there are no creatures in it, for 1 hour, although warm temperatures will cause it to melt sooner.

You can't inflict any damage with this ability. Unless otherwise specified, the changes you make last for 1 round.

I am going to say that Shape Element is an ability for my take on the A5e Genasi. It's something that comes naturally to them.

Like I mentioned earlier in this thread, I can see a particular Genasi gift dictating which element a Genasi can shape with this ability. So if you decided to play a Fire Genasi by picking up the Gift of Flames (?), you would get the ability to shape any existing flame around you. I also think that the size of the affected element could increase at 5th, 11th and 17th level. When a Genasi reaches 5th level, they could shape their given element that exists in a 10-foot cube. By 11th level, it would be a 15-foot cube and by 17th level, it would be a 20-foot cube.

Thanks for the assist, Faolyn.

 

[xiphumor]

I am going to say that Shape Element is an ability for my take on the A5e Genasi. It's something that comes naturally to them.

Like I mentioned earlier in this thread, I can see a particular Genasi gift dictating which element a Genasi can shape with this ability. So if you decided to play a Fire Genasi by picking up the Gift of Flames (?), you would get the ability to shape any existing flame around you. I also think that the size of the affected element could increase at 5th, 11th and 17th level. When a Genasi reaches 5th level, they could shape their given element that exists in a 10-foot cube. By 11th level, it would be a 15-foot cube and by 17th level, it would be a 20-foot cube.

Thanks for the assist, Faolyn.

Note that Faolyn’s versions are just the Gust, Control Flames, Mold Earth, and Shape Water cantrips from O5e, which are WotC’s IP.

I am just going to bring up a few things that the more generic Shape Elements would allow as written, even if condensed into a 5 ft cube.

- There’s no restriction on being able to see the element, so you could do things like suffocate someone or blind them by pulling the moisture out of their eyes.

- Earth isn’t defined, so does stone count? Does metal? Can I blitz through most dungeons by just bulldozing my way through the walls?

- Casting takes a minute, but how fast does the element move once it’s been cast? Can I quietly create a million tiny bullets for a minute and then unleash them? Could velocity carry them outside of the cube of my control?

- Does the fire start doing normal amounts of damage when the spell ends? Could I condense an inferno into a mote and deal massive damage when someone steps on it accidentally?

- How strong is a moderate wind? Can I use it as an air cushion when I fall? Can it block projectiles? How large of a thing can it push? How far?

- Can I separate the air to create a vacuum to cause thunder damage? Can I rub the air against itself and generate static electricity?

For such reasons, while I like the premise of shape elements, I think it needs to be defined more strictly if you’re going to make it an ability available to Level 1 players.

 

[Corinnguard]

What restrictions do you have in mind for the spell and the special ability for the A5e Genasi? curious

 

[xiphumor]

Here’s a draft of a Control-Flames style cantrip. I don’t have drafts for everything, but this can give you an idea:

Pyrokinesis​

cantrip (transmutation; fire, arcane, nature, utility)
Classes: Druid, Sorcerer, Wizard
Casting Time: 1 action
Range: Short (30 feet) or Self
Target: Special
Components: S
Duration: Special
Saving Throw:Dexterity negates

You perform special gestures which bring fire under your sway. Choose one of the following effects. All effects except Blowtorch target an object, space, or fire that you can see no larger than a 5-foot cube within range. If you target an object that is being worn or carried by a creature that can see you cast the spell, the creature can make a saving throw against the effect.

• Blowtorch. You conjure a tiny but concentrated flame which hovers an inch from your finger for 1 round. It sheds bright light in a 5 ft. radius and dim light for an additional 5 ft. The flame is hot enough to melt or burn most materials but not adamantine, glass, mithral, platinum, steel, or stone. This flame does not damage you or any of your equipment, and you may vary its intensity down to that of a candle flame.
• Direct. You instantaneously extend or move a non-magical fire up to 5 ft. in any direction. If fuel is not present in the new space, you must concentrate on the spell to prevent the fire from going out. Additional castings of this spell do not break your concentration.
• Enchant. You instantaneously create a minor, harmless sensory effect relating to fire, such as a small fireworks display, the sound of a crackling flame, or the smell of something burning.
• Extinguish. You instantaneously extinguish a non-magical fire.
• Ignite. You instantaneously ignite a readily combustible object such as a torch, a black powder charge, a small campfire, or loose wool.
• Manipulate. You animate a flame, change its color, change its shape, or any combination thereof. Any shapes you create must be simple and vague, and any animations must no longer than 1 minute long before repeating themselves. This change lasts for 1 hour.
• Regulate. You instantaneously warm an object or cool it down as far as the temperature of its environment.

If you cast this spell multiple times, you can have up to three of its non-instantaneous effects active at a time, and you can dismiss such an effect as an action.

Flames controlled by this spell deal 1d6 fire damage. This damage increases by 1d6 when you reach 5th level (2d6), 11th level (3d6), and 17th level (4d6).

 

[Baron Opal II]

Yes, this for anyone who wants their Genasi character to bend their respective element. But how to improve Shape Element without making it too powerful. Increasing the size of the cube at 5th, 11th and 17th is one possibility. Having it affect magical versions of each element is also possible, but I feel like this could be their Paragon gift at 10th level.

As always, thoughts here are appreciated.

I started out with one gallon volume at first level, and then used the Fibonacci progression.
4th level - 5 gallons, a campfire, smallish boulder.
8th level - 34 gallons, a mostly full bathtub.
12th level - 233 gallons, a bit more than a cubic yard.
16th level - 1600 gallons, Passenger van cargo.
20th level - 11,000 gallons, 1/3rd of a tractor trailer.

 

[Corinnguard]

A couple minutes ago I came across these three homebrewed feats on D&D Wiki that reminded me of Xiphumor's pyrokinesis cantrip. Shaper of Earth (5e Feat) - D&D Wiki

Shaper of Fire (5e Feat) - D&D Wiki

www.dandwiki.com

Shaper of Water (5e Feat) - D&D Wiki

www.dandwiki.com

Sad to say there is no Shaper of Air feat. While it would be interesting to see the A5e Genasi have them, are they a little too OP for a heritage?