A New Take on the Classic Elemental

[Cardinal]

I've been mulling something over for a while and wanted to throw it out to the great and good minds on the boards.

 

I am a big fan of characters based on the classic elements (i.e. Earth, Fire, Air and Water). I've also been watching a bunch of Avatar: the Last Airbender re-runs recently and it has been getting me thinking about the elements.

 

However, I must say that I am getting sick of cliche powersets. It seems that every elemental group has a walking mountain / thing and human torch clone. It seems that most examples tend to fall into certain limited powersets (i.e. earth = brick; fire=flight, EB, FF, etc.).

 

I would love to hear alternative takes that people have done that have taken the concept of the elements, but take a different cut at the powerset.

 

For example, I've always thought that Reed and Sue Richards were very creative takes on water and air...

 

What is the best you've seen in your travels? What do you recommend for someone looking for a fresh take?

 

Here are the couple that were noodling over:

 

Fire: Thinking of fire in the metaphorical sense of the emotional spark, I was thinking a neat fire alternative would be a poison ivy style emotional manipulator (with Marvel's copyright Red Hair / Green Eye combo natch). A firey and willful personality.

 

Earth: I've always like Terra from the Teen Titans as an Earth form. She breaks all the cliches. She is small, agile, EBer with Flight who is a bit flaky and fickle rather than solid and dependable. It is a nice twist on the normal brick mode that you see.

 

...which lead me to think about...

 

Water: water characters always seem to focus on water in its fluid state. As a twist, how about water in its solid form: ice. Combined with the above Terra example, I was thinking of a small lithe character that had the ability to create ice by condensing water moisture (ie CE, Barrier, entangle, etc) and then telekinetically manipulate it. For example he/she could ride a large ice bolder (flight w/ physical manifestation), hurl ice bolders (AOE EB), spikes (RKA), smaller chunks (EB), etc. Obviously you could not have this character if you had a terra type clone for Earth, but it is a way to get the idea in.

 

Air: I don't have a anything particularly novel here...

 

Anyway, I would love to hear feedback, alternative ideas, or the best examples you have seen in practice.

 

Thanks for your feedback.

[Utech]

Re: A New Take on the Classic Elemental

 

You might want to test your search-fu on the "classical elements" and "Empedocles".

 

Just a couple notes from them:

• Air is primarily wet and secondarily cold, its opposite is Earth, Hera is the associated goddess (majestic, solemn, jealous, vengeful, bestows curses).
  
• Fire is primarily hot and secondarily dry, its opposite is Water, Zeus is the associated god (thunderbolt, horny, condemns and curses).
  
• Earth is primarily dry and secondarily cold, its opposite is Air, Aidoneus (Hades) is the associated god (passive, stern, unpitying, just, wrathful when crossed, maintains balance, helmet of darkness makes wearer invisible, Cereberus is associated with him).
  
• Water is primarily cold and secondarily wet, its opposite is Fire, Nestis (Persephone) is the associated goddess (fertility, rules ghosts and spectres as queen of the underworld, carries curses into effect).
  

You might consider basing the Air elemental's powers on rain, cold, and fog.

...basing the Fire elemental's powers on dry heat the sucks the moisture from targets and heat lightning.

...basing the Earth elemental's powers on invisibility and a spirit-draining chill.

...basing the Water elemental's powers on the summoning of water creatures that freeze and suffocate.

[mattingly]

Re: A New Take on the Classic Elemental

 

I've always liked making teams based on the para-elements -- those elements made by combining the classical four.

 

Earth + Water = Mud

Earth + Fire = Lava

Air + Water = Steam

Air + Fire = Smoke

[Odraude]

Re: A New Take on the Classic Elemental

 

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/c/ce/Four_elements_representation.svg

That should help. I did a huge project on alchemy and how the elements were used.

 

http://www.levity.com/alchemy/reid1-3.html

 

Thats a good site to get some inspiration. Fire was a Catalyst, Water was a solvent, Air nourishes, and Earth repairs and was a foundation.

[Duke Bushido]

Re: A New Take on the Classic Elemental

 

Broaden your view of the "elements" to see what else might be associated with them, SFX-wise.

 

An "Earth Elemental" that, instead of the brute force of stone, used softer-themes, like perhaps floral themes or insect swarms, or whose SFX revolved around shifting sands-- or even a combination of the three or even beyond.

 

"Fire" perceived as the "spark of life" that provides Aids and Drains, or even the ability to freeze through _removing_ "Fire" as opposed to adding it.

 

such as that.

 

Good luck!

[Lord Liaden]

Re: A New Take on the Classic Elemental

 

I remember Bruce Lee's famous quotation comparing his concept of martial arts to water:

 

"Be like water making its way through cracks. Do not be assertive, but adjust to the object, and you shall find a way round or through it. If nothing within you stays rigid, outward things will disclose themselves.

 

Empty your mind, be formless. Shapeless, like water. If you put water into a cup, it becomes the cup. You put water into a bottle and it becomes the bottle. You put it in a teapot it becomes the teapot. Now, water can flow or it can crash. Be water my friend."

 

I can see a character with a "water elemental" motif also being a master martial artist, probably with an akido-like style of turning an opponent's force against them, and finding the weaknesses in an opponent's defenses; a master of stealth and concealment, of bypassing locks and barriers and escaping from restraints; and with zen-like physical and mental discipline and control, and ability to find what's hidden or perceive deception.

[Hyper-Man]

Re: A New Take on the Classic Elemental

 

I remember Bruce Lee's famous quotation comparing his concept of martial arts to water:

 

"Be like water making its way through cracks. Do not be assertive, but adjust to the object, and you shall find a way round or through it. If nothing within you stays rigid, outward things will disclose themselves.

 

Empty your mind, be formless. Shapeless, like water. If you put water into a cup, it becomes the cup. You put water into a bottle and it becomes the bottle. You put it in a teapot it becomes the teapot. Now, water can flow or it can crash. Be water my friend."

 

I can see a character with a "water elemental" motif also being a master martial artist, probably with an akido-like style of turning an opponent's force against them; a master of stealth and concealment, of bypassing locks and barriers and escaping from restraints; and with zen-like physical and mental discipline and control, and ability to find what's hidden or perceive deception.

 

I like that take.

 

It could be expanded to fit existing comic characters as well.

 

Captain America = Water (Adaptable)

Iron Man = Air (Intellectual -> technology)

Hulk = Fire (Emotion)

Ant-Man/Wasp = Earth (Nature - Insect size and control)

[Enforcer84]

Re: A New Take on the Classic Elemental

 

Not quite the same but I had a GM who made a 3 man team all based on Fire. They were Firewing's flunkies

 

Hellraiser - Pyrokinetic

Hellraizer - Flaming Sword

Hellrazor - Giant Brick with a Fire damage shield (we actually called him Hill bruiser)

[Cardinal]

Re: A New Take on the Classic Elemental

 

I remember Bruce Lee's famous quotation comparing his concept of martial arts to water:

 

"Be like water making its way through cracks. Do not be assertive, but adjust to the object, and you shall find a way round or through it. If nothing within you stays rigid, outward things will disclose themselves.

 

Empty your mind, be formless. Shapeless, like water. If you put water into a cup, it becomes the cup. You put water into a bottle and it becomes the bottle. You put it in a teapot it becomes the teapot. Now, water can flow or it can crash. Be water my friend."

 

I can see a character with a "water elemental" motif also being a master martial artist, probably with an akido-like style of turning an opponent's force against them; a master of stealth and concealment, of bypassing locks and barriers and escaping from restraints; and with zen-like physical and mental discipline and control, and ability to find what's hidden or perceive deception.

 

Great quote.

 

Thanks for the suggestions.

 

What are the most creative element or para element teams that you guys have seen?

[Cardinal]

Re: A New Take on the Classic Elemental

 

I like that take.

 

It could be expanded to fit existing comic characters as well.

 

Captain America = Water (Adaptable)

Iron Man = Air (Intellectual -> technology)

Hulk = Fire (Emotion)

Ant-Man/Wasp = Earth (Nature - Insect size and control)

 

I like those first three a lot, especially hulk as fire. Intereting perspective.

[Duke Bushido]

Re: A New Take on the Classic Elemental

 

Another thought on Fire might revolve around energy as a whole. Absorbing radiation, electricity, etc-- or perhaps simply the ability to perceive such energy, or travel _as_ energy: electricity through a power line, etc.

 

Or a simple speedster, with a motif of "Fire" as a life energy," perhaps gaining her power through drawing life energy of things around her: Sprinting across a field, leaving a wake of dead vegetation, etc. Oh-ho! Drain as a Damage Shield!

 

Break with tradition completely. Under the "life energy" schtick, Fire could be the group's Brick, charged with the "fire of life" to gain a Brick's Standard Set and a few novel tricks.

 

I really like the Water as martial artist suggestion above. Truly inspired!

[teh bunneh]

Re: A New Take on the Classic Elemental

 

There was a short-lived comic series back in... oh, the late 80s or early 90s, called Meta-4. Four humans were chosen by the powers that be to possess the powers of the elements, but they were odd interpretations of the elements.

 

It's been a while, so I don't completely remember them, but IIRC:

 

Fire: A beautiful but flighty young woman who could control emotions (especially the "hot" emotions like anger and lust).

Air: A socially withdrawn young man who could invent and build machines (because technology comes from ideas, and ideas are nothing but "air").

Earth: The most conventional of them; he was a football player who gained the power to animate the earth and create these sort of golems.

Water: I cannot remember water. I think it had something to do with controlling bodies (because your body is 75% water)...

 

I wonder if I still have my copies of these?

 

Edit: Here's a link to the cover of the first issue: http://www.comiccollectorlive.com/LiveData/Issue.aspx?id=495fecbd-c613-42aa-b375-a8dac419e74f

 

And that stirred my memory. The chick with the Water powers could control crystals. All the new-agey stuff that they say about crystals, how they can heal and whatnot, she could do.