Air Elemental
Tempestuous Spirits of the Endless Sky
When the primal winds of creation gather consciousness and fury, they birthed the Air Elementals — living tempests. These mercurial beings are formed from writhing columns of storm-dark clouds shot through with crackling lightning and howling gales. One moment they appear as towering humanoid silhouettes carved from thunderheads, hollow eyes gleaming with electric malice; the next, they dissolve into whirling maelstroms that could scatter armies or gentle zephyrs that barely rustle grass.
To witness an Air Elemental in its full fury is to understand why the ancestors worshipped the storms. They are the embodiment of the sky's life-giving breath and apocalyptic tempest. Their voices carry the fury of a thousand winds, the whispered promises of a summer breezes, and the bone-deep rumble of thunder that heralds the storm's arrival.
Yet for all their terrible power, Air Elementals remain creatures of pure, chaotic freedom. They cannot be truly bound by mortal will or caged by earthly barriers. The merest crack in stone becomes a highway; the smallest gap beneath a door, an escape route. They are the wind made manifest - and like the wind, they bow to no master save their own ever-shifting whims.
Air Elemental Lore
- Air Elementals spontaneously coalesce where the boundaries between planes grow thin — at storm-wracked mountain peaks, above roiling seas during tempests, or near ancientley lines where primal energy bleeds into the material world
- They are drawn to places where winds gather power: the eye of hurricanes, the downdrafts of great waterfalls, and the thermal columns above desert sands
- Unlike their earthbound cousins, Air Elementals can never be truly imprisoned - they dissolve into mist to escape any earthly bonds
- Sailors pray to them for favorable winds while simultaneously fearing their wrath; a single Air Elemental's displeasure can dash ships against rocks or strand vessels in deadly doldrums
Air Elemental Powers
Storm's Fury: Air elementals wield the raw power of tempests and lightning. They may unleash Lightning Bolt to strike foes with deadly precision, create Thunderwave attacks that push and stun nearby enemies, or channel Shocking Burst that explodes with electrical energy when struck in melee combat.
Wind Mastery: These aerial beings command the very air around them, using Gust and Gale to knock enemies prone or push them into hazards, manifesting Whirlwind attacks to lift and batter multiple foes, or employing Pushing Attack and Prone Attack techniques to control the battlefield with wind-enhanced strikes.
Ethereal Agility: Air elementals possess unique mobility and defensive abilities tied to their gaseous nature. They can activate Wind Walk to blast away nearby foes and reposition, use Swift as the Wind to move with supernatural speed after dodging attacks, employ Flyby to strike without provoking retaliation, or use Deflect Missile to turn aside projectiles with gusts of wind.
Elite Storm Powers: The most powerful air elementals command devastating storm abilities, including Lightning Impetus to strike first with shocking speed, Drown Out the Noise to disrupt spellcasters with thunderous roars, and enhanced Lightning Affinity that grants them mastery over electrical damage.
Air Elemental Statblocks
From gentle zephyrs that barely disturb the grass to apocalyptic hurricanes that level cities, Air Elementals manifest across the full spectrum of the wind's power. Each carries the fury of storms and the freedom of endless skies.
Air Elemental Breezeling
This small but swift Air Elemental Breezeling appears as a miniature whirlwind, manifesting as gentle breezes that can quickly turn violent when threatened or provoked.
Air Elemental Breezeling
Summoned with Foe FoundrySmall Elemental
AC 12 Initiative +2 (12)
HP 22 (5d6 + 5)
Speed 10 ft., fly 60 ft.(hover)
| Mod | Save | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Str | 8 | -1 | -1 |
| Dex | 14 | +2 | +2 |
| Con | 12 | +1 | +1 |
| Mod | Save | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Int | 6 | -2 | -2 |
| Wis | 10 | +0 | +0 |
| Cha | 6 | -2 | -2 |
Resistances Thunder
Immunities Lightning, Poison; Exhaustion, Grappled, Paralyzed, Petrified, Poisoned, Prone, Restrained, Unconscious
Senses Darkvision 60 ft., Passive Perception 10
Languages Auran
CR 1/2 (100 XP; PB +2)
Traits
Lightning Affinity. The elemental gains immunity to lightning damage. It gains advantage on its attacks while it is in an environment where sources of lightning damage are prevalant.
Actions
Gust. Melee Weapon Attack: +4 to hit, reach 5ft., one target. Hit 5 (1d6 + 2) bludgeoning damage and 3 (1d6) lightning damage.
Bonus Actions
Wind Walk (1/day). All creatures within 20 feet of the elemental must make a DC 12 Strength saving throw. On a failure, they're pushed 20 feet away and knocked Prone. The elemental can then move up to half its speed.
Air Elemental
The classic Air Elemental is a large, powerful force of nature that embodies the wild fury of wind and storm, appearing as a swirling vortex of wind capable of hurling enemies aside or lifting them to deadly heights.
Air Elemental
Summoned with Foe FoundryLarge Elemental
AC 15 Initiative +5 (15)
HP 97 (13d10 + 26)
Speed 10 ft., fly 90 ft.(hover)
| Mod | Save | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Str | 11 | +0 | +0 |
| Dex | 20 | +5 | +5 |
| Con | 14 | +2 | +2 |
| Mod | Save | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Int | 8 | -1 | -1 |
| Wis | 12 | +1 | +1 |
| Cha | 8 | -1 | -1 |
Resistances Thunder
Immunities Lightning, Poison; Exhaustion, Grappled, Paralyzed, Petrified, Poisoned, Prone, Restrained, Unconscious
Senses Darkvision 60 ft., Passive Perception 11
Languages Auran
CR 5 (1,800 XP; PB +2)
Traits
Lightning Affinity. The elemental gains immunity to lightning damage. It gains advantage on its attacks while it is in an environment where sources of lightning damage are prevalant.
Actions
Multiattack. The elemental makes two Wind Lash attacks.
Wind Lash. Melee Weapon Attack: +7 to hit, reach 5ft., one target. Hit 12 (2d6 + 5) bludgeoning damage and 7 (2d6) lightning damage.
Bonus Actions
Shocking Smite (Recharge 5-6). Immediately after hitting with an attack, the elemental deals an additional 10 (3d6) lightning damage to the target and forces the target to make a DC 15 Dexterity saving throw. On a failure, the target is Shocked until the end of its next turn. A Shocked creature is Dazed and drops whatever it is carrying.
Reactions
Deflect Missile. When the elemental is hit by a ranged attack, it can use its reaction to reduce the damage taken by 10.
Air Elemental Electral
This massive Air Elemental Electral crackles with electrical energy and represents a living storm given sentience, capable of summoning devastating lightning bolts and hurricane-force winds that can level entire buildings.
Air Elemental Electral
Summoned with Foe FoundryHuge Elemental
AC 15 Initiative +6 (16)
HP 152 (16d12 + 48)
Speed 10 ft., fly 120 ft.(hover)
| Mod | Save | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Str | 13 | +1 | +1 |
| Dex | 23 | +6 | +6 |
| Con | 16 | +3 | +3 |
| Mod | Save | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Int | 8 | -1 | -1 |
| Wis | 12 | +1 | +5 |
| Cha | 8 | -1 | +3 |
Resistances Thunder
Immunities Lightning, Poison; Exhaustion, Grappled, Paralyzed, Petrified, Poisoned, Prone, Restrained, Unconscious
Senses Darkvision 120 ft., Passive Perception 11
Languages Auran
CR 11 (7,200 XP; PB +4)
Traits
Drown Out the Noise. Any creature that begins to cast a spell with a verbal component within 10 feet of the elemental must choose to either take 15 (6d4) thunder damage or be unable to cast the spell.
Lightning Affinity. The elemental gains immunity to lightning damage. It gains advantage on its attacks while it is in an environment where sources of lightning damage are prevalant.
Actions
Multiattack. The elemental makes two Hurricane Strike attacks.
Hurricane Strike. Melee Weapon Attack: +10 to hit, reach 10ft., one target. Hit 23 (5d6 + 6) bludgeoning damage and 17 (5d6) lightning damage. On a hit, the target must make a DC 18 Constitution saving throw or be Shocked. A Shocked creature is Dazed and drops whatever it is carrying. A creature that is immune to being Stunned cannot be Shocked
Reactions
Swift as the Wind (2/day). When an opponent misses the elemental with an attack, the elemental can move up to half its speed without provoking opportunity attacks and make one attack. The attack deals an additional 4 lightning damage if it hits.
Air Elemental Encounter Ideas
These immediate air elemental encounters showcase the diverse ways these tempestuous beings can challenge adventuring parties across different tiers and environments.
- An Air Elemental Breezeling has "adopted" a group of missing children, lifting them into its swirling embrace where they dance through the air like living kites, unaware of the deadly drop below.
- Two Air Elementals battle over territory in a canyon, their conflicting winds creating a deadly maze of crosscurrents and lightning strikes that trap travelers below.
- A grief-stricken Air Elemental haunts an autumn mountain pass, its sorrowful wails carried on winds that tear trees from their roots and hurl stones with deadly precision.
- Sky pirates have chained an Air Elemental Electral beneath their flying ship, using its anguished winds for propulsion and its lightning to power their weapons. The creature's rage grows stronger with each passing hour.
Air Elemental Adventure Ideas
These air elemental adventure hooks provide larger story arcs and campaign opportunities that integrate storm-powered creatures into extended storylines and multi-session scenarios.
- Three Air Elemental Breezelings have begun "playing" with the town's windmill, spinning it so fast it threatens to tear apart. The local miller begs the party to convince the innocent creatures to find a new playground before they destroy the harvest.
- A Conjurer Mage desperately seeks the party's help to break the binding ritual holding an Air Elemental Electral captive. The creature's imprisonment is poisoning the local weather patterns, creating devastating storms that threaten nearby settlements.
- A Cultist Fanatic and his Storm Herald followers believe an Air Elemental is the key to summoning their tempest god. They've built a tower of lightning rods to "capture" the creature, not realizing their ritual will instead tear open a permanent storm portal.
- A merchant prince offers a fortune to anyone who can capture an Air Elemental alive. He claims he needs its winds to power his flying ship, but the party soon discovers he plans to use the creature as a weapon against his trading rivals.