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Archives of Nethys

Archives of Nethys

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Elemental, Wisp

Source Bestiary 3 pg. 90
Wisps are tiny elemental beings that emerged during the creation of the Elemental Planes. The first wisps roamed the Inner Sphere in shifting symphonies that traded members with their every meeting. These symphonies of free wisps created music out of their combined resonances, but when the evil Elemental Lords realized the value of the wisps' resonance, they captured whole symphonies for use as servants.

Wisps attune to each other and to those they surround themselves with. This attunement makes them naturally supportive allies. Free wisps still roam the Inner Sphere and the Material Plane, but they're usually shy and hide themselves from strangers. However, they happily offer their service to those who show them kindness. They especially find themselves drawn to spellcasters who practice elemental magic; these wisps usually watch from afar but sometimes approach those who seem safe to become familiars or comrades.

Free wisps who find one another become close almost immediately. They get especially excited when they find wisps of elements other than their own, showing none of the animosity some elementals exhibit toward other types. Instead, they join in an excited dance, emitting resonances that faintly echo the symphonies of ancient days.

Members

Air Wisp (Creature 0), Earth Wisp (Creature 0), Fire Wisp (Creature 0), Metal Wisp (Creature 0), Water Wisp (Creature 0), Wood Wisp (Creature 0)

Sidebar - Advice and Rules Wisp Conductors

Wisp conductors are the leaders of wisp symphonies. Conductors are usually at least 3 levels higher than the wisps presented here and have a Charisma modifier to reflect their leadership. They're also typically trained in Performance and command basic spellcasting abilities as well as other special abilities, similar to a bard.

Sidebar - Related Creatures Wisp Symphonies

Dozens or even hundreds of wisps of all types can gather in a wisp symphony, usually with one or more wisp conductors. These groups are rare now that the majority of their kind exists in servitude to the Elemental Lords, but a few free symphonies still roam the Elemental Planes, and legends tell of the transcendent songs they produce together. These groups of wisps use the rules for a swarm and can't Accord Essence, but collectively they can produce damaging area effects or cast certain spells

Elemental

Related Groups Elemental, Air, Elemental, Air, Elemental, Earth, Elemental, Earth, Elemental, Fire, Elemental, Fire, Elemental, Mephit, Elemental, Metal, Elemental, Scamp, Elemental, Water, Elemental, Water, Elemental, Wood
The Elemental Planes—primordial realms defined by aspects of air, earth, fire, or water—are home to a diverse group of beings known as elementals. Spellcasters on the Material Plane call upon elementals for aid, though these enigmatic creatures can also travel to the world of mortals via interplanar gateways and rifts. The elementals on these pages exemplify the creatures of the Elemental Planes, but this list is by no means exhaustive.

Sidebar - Additional Lore Elemental Beings

The Elemental Planes—primordial realms defined by aspects of air, earth, fire, metal, water, or wood—are home to a diverse group of beings known as elementals. Spellcasters in the mortal Universe call upon elementals for aid, though these enigmatic creatures can also travel to the world of mortals via interplanar gateways and rifts. The elementals on these pages exemplify the creatures of the four best-known Elemental Planes, but this list is by no means exhaustive.

Sidebar - Related Creatures Elemental Connections

Many creatures from the mortal Universe, although not technically elementals, take on the essences of the elements and often work together with elementals or struggle against them for territory. Some of these include giants, oni, and phoenixes.

Sidebar - Additional Lore Elemental Fauna

Not all elementals are lumbering, humanoid-shaped creatures. Some take on the forms and natures of animals and beasts from the mortal Universe. These creatures often behave in ways similar to their animal counterparts, even though as elementals they lack the animalistic instincts mortal creatures have when it comes to hunting, reproducing, and the like. Elemental fauna are favorites of conjurers due to their small size, relative ease of summoning, and varied abilities.

Sidebar - Additional Lore Elemental Lords

The most powerful elementals are demigods known as elemental lords. In ages past, a conspiracy of four vicious lords imprisoned their counterparts. However, during recent events, their prisoners were able to escape, along with the reappearance of the long-lost lords of metal and wood.

Sidebar - Locations Elemental Vortexes

Where the boundary between planes wears thin, elementals manifest in the world through churning vortexes. Such gateways might lie at the heart of a volcano, a deep ocean trench, in regions beset with earthquakes, or within great storms

Sidebar - Related Creatures Other Elementals

In addition to the four elements described here, the planes of Metal and Wood are in the process of returning from their long absence, along with their own elementals and genies. The churning mixture of elements where planar borders blur only rarely produces hybrid elementals, but the jann cherish such strange and beautiful regions.

Sidebar - Additional Lore Primal Elementals

The most well-known of all elementals are the primal elementals, creatures composed entirely of air, earth, fire, or water with roughly humanoid shapes. Many primal elementals are named after natural disasters, ranging from those relatively small in scale (roughly the size of Medium humanoids) to much larger ones (often the size of small buildings). Primal elementals can often be found in areas where their namesake disasters have recently struck.

Sidebar - Additional Lore Sanctified Elements

As long as gods have existed, they have worked their influence over the elements. Along with holy water and unholy water, for example, celestials and fiends often fight with sanctified fire. Elementals experience this divine influence as an unpleasant but generally harmless contaminant, although many acquire a taste for the influence of the elemental lords.