Buy me a coffeeEarth Elementals: Masters of Stone and Soil
“Meet the unstoppable guardian forged from rock and soil, wielding the primal power of the Earth itself!”
Earth Elementals are towering beings formed entirely of natural stone, soil, and minerals. Their bodies are irregular, with jagged edges of crystalline quartz, embedded gemstones, and moss-covered boulders. Some have glowing cracks of molten lava running through their core, while others exude an ancient stillness, as if sculpted by time itself. Their eyes shimmer with an unearthly light, often green or golden, radiating a deep connection to the planet’s core.
Behavior:
Earth Elementals are deliberate and stoic, moving slowly but with immense purpose. They are silent watchers of the natural world, rarely interacting with creatures unless provoked or their domain is threatened. Despite their imposing size, they exude an aura of calm, only breaking into action when the balance of nature is disturbed. They are fiercely protective of their surroundings, reacting with unrelenting force against miners, deforesters, or those who desecrate sacred grounds.
Habitat:
These beings are found in places of great geological or ecological significance. They often dwell in deep caves, ancient mountain ranges, dense forests, or hidden beneath the earth’s surface near ley lines. Their presence is marked by an almost sacred stillness, where plants thrive, and animals seem unnaturally calm. Some are rumored to guard entrances to forgotten temples or the heart of volcanoes.
Modus Operandi:
Earth Elementals prefer defense over aggression. When confronted, they manipulate the terrain, causing the ground to quake, walls to rise, and fissures to open beneath intruders. They can summon rock and debris to shield themselves or hurl at enemies, their strength matched only by the unyielding earth they embody. In battle, their movements are methodical, crushing foes with overwhelming power rather than speed or precision.
Motivation:
At their core, Earth Elementals are protectors of the natural world, driven by an ancient bond to the planet itself. They act to preserve the balance of nature, guard sacred spaces, or fulfill the will of forgotten gods or primordial forces. While seemingly indifferent to mortal concerns, they are sometimes compelled to aid those who align with their purpose, such as druids or nature spirits, acting as reluctant allies in times of great need.
Earth Elemental 5e
Earth Elemental 3.5
Earth Elemental
Large Elemental, Neutral
Armor Class: 15 (Natural Armor)
Hit Points: 85 (10d10 + 30)
Speed: 30 ft., burrow 20 ft.
| STR | DEX | CON | INT | WIS | CHA |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 18 (+4) | 8 (-1) | 16 (+3) | 6 (-2) | 10 (+0) | 7 (-2) |
Saving Throws: Strength +6, Constitution +5
Damage Resistances: Bludgeoning, Piercing, and Slashing from Nonmagical Attacks
Damage Immunities: Poison
Condition Immunities: Exhaustion, Paralyzed, Petrified, Poisoned, Prone
Senses: Darkvision 60 ft., Tremorsense 30 ft., Passive Perception 10
Languages: Terran
Challenge Rating: 5
Traits
Earth Glide: The elemental can move through nonmagical, unworked earth and stone as if it were difficult terrain. It leaves no tunnel or trace of its passage.
Siege Monster: The elemental deals double damage to objects and structures.
Actions
Multiattack: The elemental makes two Slam attacks.
Slam: Melee Weapon Attack: +6 to hit, reach 5 ft., one target.
- Hit: 13 (2d8 + 4) bludgeoning damage.
Ground Tremor (Recharge 5–6): The elemental causes the ground in a 10-foot radius around it to quake. Creatures in that area must succeed on a DC 14 Strength saving throw or be knocked prone.
Boulder Toss (Recharge 4–6): The elemental hurls a boulder at a target within 30 feet. Ranged Weapon Attack: +6 to hit, range 30 ft., one target.
- Hit: 14 (2d10 + 3) bludgeoning damage.
Tactics
- The elemental starts combat with Ground Tremor, aiming to knock enemies prone for an advantage in melee.
- It focuses its Slam attacks on nearby foes, leveraging its strength in close combat.
- Against distant opponents, the elemental uses Boulder Toss to stay effective at range.
- If overwhelmed, it uses Earth Glide to retreat underground and ambush enemies later.
This hulking, roughly humanoid creature of dirt and stone explodes up from the earth, faceless save for two glowing gemstone eyes.
When summoned to the Material Plane, an earth elemental consists of whatever types of dirt, stones, precious metals, and gems it was conjured from.
Earth elementals speak but rarely choose to do so.
| Earth Elemental | |||
| Earth Elemental, Small | Earth Elemental, Medium | Earth Elemental, Large | |
| Small Elemental (Earth, Extraplanar) | Medium Elemental (Earth, Extraplanar) | Large Elemental (Earth, Extraplanar) | |
| Hit Dice | 2d8+2 (11 hp) | 4d8+12 (30 hp) | 8d8+32 (68 hp) |
| Initiative | -1 | -1 | -1 |
| Speed | 20 ft. (4 squares) | 20 ft. (4 squares) | 20 ft. (4 squares) |
| Armor Class | 17 (+1 size, -1 Dexterity, +7 natural), touch 10, flat-footed 17 | 18 (-1 Dexterity, +9 natural), touch 9, flat-footed 18 | 18 (-1 size, -1 Dexterity, +10 natural), touch 8, flat-footed 18 |
| Base Attack/Grapple | +1/+0 | +3/+8 | +6/+17 |
| Attack | Slam +5 melee (1d6+4) | Slam +8 melee (1d8+7) | Slam +12 melee (2d8+7) |
| Full Attack | Slam +5 melee (1d6+4) | Slam +8 melee (1d8+7) | 2 slams +12 melee (2d8+7) |
| Space/Reach | 5 ft./5 ft. | 5 ft./5 ft. | 10 ft./10 ft |
| Special Attacks | Earth mastery, push | Earth mastery, push | Earth mastery, push |
| Special Qualities | Darkvision 60 ft., earth glide, elemental traits | Darkvision 60 ft., earth glide, elemental traits | Damage reduction 5/-, earth glide, Darkvision 60 ft., elemental traits |
| Saves | Fort +4, Ref -1, Will +0 | Fort +7, Ref +0, Will +1 | Fort +10, Ref +1, Will +2 |
| Abilities | Strength 17, Dexterity 8, Constitution 13, Intelligence 4, Wisdom 11, Charisma 11 | Strength 21, Dexterity 8, Constitution 17, Intelligence 4, Wisdom 11, Charisma 11 | Strength 25, Dexterity 8, Constitution 19, Intelligence 6, Wisdom 11, Charisma 11 |
| Skills | Listen +3, Spot +2 | Listen +4, Spot +3 | Listen +6, Spot +5 |
| Feats | Power Attack | Cleave, Power Attack | Cleave, Great Cleave, Power Attack |
| Environment | Elemental Plane of Earth | Elemental Plane of Earth | Elemental Plane of Earth |
| Organization | Solitary | Solitary | Solitary |
| Challenge Rating | 1 | 3 | 5 |
| Treasure | None | None | None |
| Alignment | Usually neutral | Usually neutral | Usually neutral |
| Advancement | 3 HD (Small) | 5-7 HD (Medium) | 9-15 HD (Large) |
| Level Adjustment | – | – | – |
| Earth Elemental, Huge | Earth Elemental, Greater | Earth Elemental, Elder | |
| Huge Elemental (Earth, Extraplanar) | Huge Elemental (Earth, Extraplanar) | Huge Elemental (Earth, Extraplanar) | |
| Hit Dice | 16d8+80 (152 hp) | 21d8+105 (199 hp) | 24d8+120 (228 hp) |
| Initiative | -1 | -1 | -1 |
| Speed | 30 ft. (6 squares) | 30 ft. (6 squares) | 30 ft. (6 squares) |
| Armor Class | 18 (-2 size, -1 Dexterity, +11 natural), touch 7, flat-footed 18 | 20 (-2 size, -1 Dexterity, +13 natural), touch 7, flat-footed 20 | 22 (-2 size, -1 Dexterity, +15 natural), touch 7, flat-footed 22 |
| Base Attack/Grapple | +12/+29 | +15/+33 | +18/+37 |
| Attack | Slam +19 melee (2d10+9) | Slam +23 melee (2d10+10) | Slam +27 melee (2d10+11/19-20) |
| Full Attack | 2 slams +19 melee (2d10+9) | 2 slams +23 melee (2d10+10) | 2 slams +27 melee (2d10+11/19-20) |
| Space/Reach | 15 ft./15 ft. | 15 ft./15 ft. | 15 ft./15 ft. |
| Special Attacks | Earth mastery, push | Earth mastery, push | Earth mastery, push |
| Special Qualities | Damage reduction 5/-, earth glide, Darkvision 60 ft., elemental traits | Damage reduction 10/-, earth glide, Darkvision 60 ft., elemental traits | Damage reduction 10/-, earth glide, Darkvision 60 ft., elemental traits |
| Saves | Fort +15, Ref +4, Will +7 | Fort +17, Ref +6, Will +9 | Fort +19, Ref +7, Will +10 |
| Abilities | Strength 29, Dexterity 8, Constitution 21, Intelligence 6, Wisdom 11, Charisma 11 | Strength 31, Dexterity 8, Constitution 21, Intelligence 8, Wisdom 11, Charisma 11 | Strength 33, Dexterity 8, Constitution 21, Intelligence 10, Wisdom 11, Charisma 11 |
| Skills | Listen +10, Spot +9 | Listen +14, Spot +14 | Listen +29, Spot +29 |
| Feats | Awesome Blow, Cleave, Great Cleave, Improved Bull Rush, Iron Will, Power Attack | Alertness, Awesome Blow, Cleave, Great Cleave, Improved Bull Rush, Improved Sunder, Iron Will, Power Attack | Alertness, Awesome Blow, Cleave, Great Cleave, Improved Bull Rush, Improved Critical (slam), Improved Sunder, Iron Will, Power Attack |
| Environment | Elemental Plane of Earth | Elemental Plane of Earth | Elemental Plane of Earth |
| Organization | Solitary | Solitary | Solitary |
| Challenge Rating | 7 | 9 | 11 |
| Treasure | None | None | None |
| Alignment | Usually neutral | Usually neutral | Usually neutral |
| Advancement | 17-20 HD (Huge) | 22-23 HD (Huge) | 25-48 HD (Huge) |
| Level Adjustment | – | – | – |
Combat
Though an earth elemental moves slowly, it is a relentless opponent. It can travel though solid ground or stone as easily as humans walk on the earth’s surface. It cannot Swim, however, and must either walk around a body of water or go through the ground under it. An earth elemental can move along the bottom of a body of water but prefers not to.
Earth Mastery (Ex): An earth elemental gains a +1 bonus on attack and damage rolls if both it and its foe are touching the ground. If an opponent is airborne or waterborne, the elemental takes a -4 penalty on attack and damage rolls. (These modifiers are not included in the statistics block.)
Push (Ex): An earth elemental can start a bull rush maneuver without provoking an attack of opportunity. The combat modifiers given in Earth Mastery, above, also apply to the elemental’s opposed Strength checks.
Earth Glide (Ex): An earth elemental can glide through stone, dirt, or almost any other sort of earth except metal as easily as a fish swims through water. Its burrowing leaves behind no tunnel or hole, nor does it create any ripple or other signs of its presence. A Move earth spell cast on an area containing a burrowing earth elemental flings the elemental back 30 feet, stunning the creature for 1 round unless it succeeds on a DC 15 Fortitude save.
| Earth Elemental Sizes | |||||
| Elemental | Height | Weight | Elemental | Height | Weight |
| Small | 4 ft. | 80 lb. | Huge | 32 ft. | 48,000 lb. |
| Medium | 8 ft. | 750 lb. | Greater | 36 ft. | 54,000 lb. |
| Large | 16 ft. | 6,000 lb. | Elder | 40 ft. | 60,000 lb. |