This week we continue our exploration of ancestry in Realm of Runes with the Elemental-Kin, and its art by Nikki Smith-Cielo. Like Dhampir, Elemental-Kin is a hybrid ancestry that can be added to any of the basic ancestries through Ancestry Feats. Unlike the Dhampir, however, Elemental-Kin actually represent four distinct sub-types of creatures - one for each of the four traditional elements of air, earth, fire and water. This ancestry therefore has two different portraits representing it in the Ancestry section of the book, a Sylph and an Undine. The Ifrit and Oread are not represented here, but will instead be represented as examples in class portraits.
From the rulebook: "Elemental-Kin are a result of an infusion of elemental energy during pregnancy. They are typically born to casters that specialize in elemental energies, or those spend considerable amounts of time visiting or living in an elemental plane, or that consort with elemental beings. Whatever the source of the energy, the resulting baby is forever marked and affiliated with the element it bears.
"Elemental-Kin appear primarily like the ancestry of their birth, but have distinct signs of their elemental heritage. This can often cause suspicion and distrust in many communities, though elemental-kin tend to be more accepted in areas that have a strong relationship with their element, such as water elemental-kin in coastal areas. Elemental-Kin that use their natural talents to do difficult or hazardous tasks that others might be unable to attempt often carve out a well-respected niche in their communities.
"Unlike other hybrid ancestries, elemental-kin comprise four separate genetic divergences and manifest different characteristics depending on which element is responsible for the variation. Despite their differences, elemental-kin tend to live about as long as their parent ancestries and are therefore the hybrid ancestry most capable of building and maintaining normal relationships with those around them as they grow up."
Since Elemental-Kin are not one, but four, each of their Ancestry Feats have multiple different variations for each possible type. These feats operate similarly across the different elements, which allows them to exist as one versatile feat. This way the Elemental-Kin has extreme versatility for player choice without being required to take up the same amount of rules space as if each one were treated as a separate category. Elemental-Kin feats tend to have a strong focus on manipulating or protecting against the energy type associated with the character's inherent element and therefore have strong synergy with class options that also focus on elements, like the Elemental Sorcerer, Evocation Wizards, Storm Druids, and Elemental Domains offered to Clerics and Paladins by various deities. Let's take a closer look at each of the options available to an Elemental-Kin.
HYBRID ANCESTRY ANCESTRY FEAT
(ELEMENTAL-KIN)
[Ancestry, Biology, Elemental-Kin, Hybrid]
Choose Air, Earth, Fire or Water. You gain the trait you chose, plus low-light vision and additional benefits from your element listed below. You can select elemental-kin ancestry feats. All elemental-kin ancestry feats have abilities that vary based on the type of element of your heritage. Once chosen, this element cannot be changed later.
Air: You gain an ability flaw to Endurance and a free ability boost. This boost does not stack with other boosts from ancestry. You also have a +1 un-typed bonus to Legerdemain and when you improve your fluency with Auran, improve it by one more step. An air elemental-kin is typically called a Sylph.
Earth: You gain an ability flaw to Agility and a free ability boost. This boost does not stack with other boosts from ancestry. You also have a +1 un-typed bonus to Athletics and when you improve your fluency with Terran, improve it by one more step. An earth elemental-kin is typically called an Oread.
Fire: You gain an ability flaw to Wisdom and a free ability boost. This boost does not stack with other boosts from ancestry. You also have a +1 un-typed bonus to Intimidation and when you improve your fluency with Ignan, improve it by one more step. A fire elemental-kin is typically called an Ifrit.
Water: You gain an ability flaw to Strength and a free ability boost. This boost does not stack with other boosts from ancestry. You also have a +1 un-typed bonus to Acrobatics and when you improve your fluency with Aquan, improve it by one more step. A water elemental-kin is typically called an Undine.
This is the Hybrid Feat your character must take in order to be an Elemental-Kin, and it serves as a prerequisite for taking any of the others that we'll look at. In addition to a few overall benefits common to each type of Elemental-Kin, each one gives your character a free ability boost - but this boost also comes with a corresponding drawback. While you get to choose where your boost goes, including off-setting the flaw if necessary, the flaw is always fixed for each element. Each element also gives you an edge with a particular skill that has strong association with the nature of its element, and your elemental biology makes it easier for you to learn and use the elemental language associated with your type.
ELEMENTAL ALACRITY ANCESTRY FEAT
[Ancestry, Biology, Elemental-Kin]
You are practiced at moving in ways that most others can only dream of, with benefits depending on your element.
Air: You have a fly speed equal to your Speed.
Earth: You have a burrow speed equal to your Speed.
Fire: If you are swift, increase the value by 3.
Water: You have a swim speed equal to your Speed.
Additional movement types can make a huge difference to a character's versatility both in and out of combat. Sylphs, Undines and Oreads all have existing movement types that fit their elemental theme in an obvious way. Ifrits instead take any form of speed increase and accelerate it dramatically, letting them zip around with whatever movement types they already have or can gain through magic.
ELEMENTAL POTENCY ANCESTRY FEAT
[Ancestry, Biology, Elemental-Kin]
Whenever you deal damage associated with your element, increase the damage by half your level, minimum 1. You also increase your resistance to the same damage type by your level. Air is associated with electric, earth is associated with acid, fire is associated with fire, and water is associated with cold.
This feat is especially useful to characters that specialize in one particular form of elemental damage, whether that be through magic, alchemical items, magic Runes on weapons, or even the bonus damage added by the upcoming Infused Attacks Elemental-Kin Ancestry Feat. Even if you don't typically make use of elemental damage yourself, having an increased innate resistance to your element can come in handy. Better still, as un-typed increases, the extra damage and resistance naturally stack with any other damage or resistance you might gain through other options throughout your career. Even if the party wizard casts resist energy on your party, you'll still be more protected from your element than anyone else can be.
INFUSED ATTACKS ANCESTRY FEAT
[Ancestry, Biology, Elemental-Kin]
Your unarmed attacks deal an additional 1d8 energy damage associated with your element type. This damage increases by 1d8 if you are a master with brawling weapons, and by another 1d8 if you are legendary. Air is associated with electric, earth is associated with acid, fire is associated with fire, and water is associated with cold. You can choose to add or suppress this damage at will each time you make an unarmed attack.
Everyone has access to a basic unarmed attack, so everyone can make use of this feat to some degree. Some ancestries, like Goblins and Orcs, have their own special unarmed attacks, and shape-shifting spells almost always provide unique unarmed attacks that are only available while in the altered form. This feat works however you gain your unarmed attacks, and also gets better with you over time the more you focus on Brawling Weapons - the weapon group that governs you proficiency with every unarmed attack.
INFUSED EVOLUTION ANCESTRY FEAT
[Ancestry, Biology, Elemental-Kin]
Your connection with your element is so strong that you can perform extraordinary deeds. The benefits depend on your element.
Air: The very wind protects you. You have concealment against ranged attacks and are immune to falling damage.
Earth: Your body is strong and hard like stone. Increase your resistance to physical damage by your level.
Fire: Fire hides you but does not inhibit your senses. Your line of sight is never blocked by fire, smoke or mist, and the flat check DC to target you if you are concealed is increased by 2.
Water: You are equally at home in water or air and recover swiftly from persistent damage. You have the amphibious trait and your flat check DC to remove persistent damage is 5 less.
This feat is the most varied across the different possible elements, and each one gets its own toys that allows it to stand apart from all the others. Concealment against ranged attacks and immunity to falling damage are especially helpful for a Sylph that can fly. Increasing physical damage resistance can turn an Oread into a difficult beast to hurt, since it covers all of bludgeoning, piercing and slashing damage. As with the resistance gained through Elemental Potency, it stacks with any other source of resistance to those damage types you might get in play. Being able to see through common types of obstacles lets you make use of them more frequently yourself, and a +2 to the DC of the check to target you means any attempt to target you is 10% less likely to succeed. The amphibious trait lets you breathe water as easily as air, and being 25% more likely to remove persistent damage (of any type) helps prevent you from being overwhelmed by all of the possible types there are. Go with the flow.
Every character can benefit from having some elemental blood to draw on, and with four different element types to choose from you can play many different combinations of elemental hybrids before ever having to repeat yourself. Next week we'll continue our exploration of ancestry with the longest-lived, and yet frailest of options, Elves.
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