Pathfinder Player Companion: Elemental Master's Handbook (PFRPG)

3.40/5 (based on 5 ratings)
Pathfinder Player Companion: Elemental Master's Handbook (PFRPG)
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Seize Primal Power!

The earth, flames, waves, and wind that make up all natural landscapes might seem like mere backgrounds for characters' heroics, but those who understand the fundamental makeup of nature know that these core elements can lend incredible power. Learn how to harness the building blocks of existence with breathtaking feats, magic items, spells, and much more. Plus, characters with an affinity for the elements can train in one of the many archetypes and other character options presented in Pathfinder Player Companion: Elemental Master's Handbook.

Inside this book, you'll find:

  • The genie binder prestige class, which grants elemental maestros a pool of charismatic gumption when cowing genies to their will and allows them to create elemental seals of power.
  • New archetypes, from the weapon-enhancing flamesinger bard and the breathless Abendego diver ranger to the mystical stone-wielding earthshadow rogue and the hurricane-punching windstep master monk.
  • New kineticist feats, infusions, and utility wild talents that coalesce the power of the elements, including those that harness the esoteric void and wood elements.

This Pathfinder Player Companion is intended for use with the Pathfinder Roleplaying Game and the Pathfinder campaign setting, but it can easily be incorporated into any fantasy world.

ISBN-13: 978-1-60125-965-3

Other Resources: This product is also available on the following platforms:

Hero Lab Online
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Great options, need more kineticist

4/5

This book is full of crunchy, interesting options, including options to "cyborg" yourself with elemental matter. Almost all of them are pretty well written and worth considering.

However, I have to remove one star from the lack of kineticist options. The community has a large demand for more kineticist talents. Many elements have a crippling lack of talents at various levels, and people hoped this volume would help solve that. Unfortunately, the book only got two pages of content.


3/5

The Elemental Master’s Handbook has some great concepts and good executions that look into some interesting design space, but suffers from a few options that feel like they needed another editing pass after rewrites.

The first half of this book, divided in four, covers what the Player Companion calls the Masters of the elements (Fire, Water, Earth and Air. Each of these sub-sections contain a different mix of Archetypes, character rules elements and feats, as well as four locations within the Golarion setting that ties thematically with that element, and a rules element associated with that location.

Masters of Fire is first, giving us the Firebrand Gunslinger and Flamesinger Bard. The Firebrand is a bomb-throwing, fire spitting gunslinger, that runs it’s grit pool and bombs of it’s charisma score. They can also can add their Charisma to the DCs of dragon’s breath cartridges. They also count direct hits with bombs as firearm shots with regard to grit regeneration.

The Flamesinger gains Fire Music as a bonus feat, and automatically gains summon monster spells as she levels up, and replaces her ability to inspire courage to add stacking fire damage to her allies weapons, toasty!

Masters of Fire also includes the Salamander bloodline for both Sorcerers and Bloodragers. Both bloodlines gain transformational augments that make them more akin to their Salamander ancestors. Bloodragers can enhance their weapons and armor when they bloodrage, while Sorcerers focus on crafting and augmenting magical items.

The last standout in Masters of Flame is Sunblade, which lets Paladins with Word of Healing spend uses of lay on hands to use the blast of flame as a kineticist! (although at a reduced effective kineticist level), opening up a weapons-free ranged attack for Paladins.

The Earthshadow rogue was the first entry in Masters of Stone that caught my eye. It’s a subterranean-themed rogue archetype that gains a pseudo-ki pool, named Earthcraft points which allows an Earthshadow to cast spell-like abilities, including stone tell and dimension door, replacing half you rogue talents. One thing to note is that it doesn’t list whether or not Unchained Rogue’s can take this archetype.

This section also includes some very nice rogue/investigator/slayer talents: ‘Fortified position’ lets you apply cover bonuses to fortitude saves, ‘castling’ improves cover granted by enemies, and Unbalancing trick gives you the Improved trip feat AND qualifies you for Greater Trip once you’ve hit sixth level!

Masters of the Water gives us the Abendego Diver, which drops out their wild empathy of greater breath holding, locks them into aquatic favored terrain. Instead of woodland stride they gain a natural a natural swim speed, and swift tracker goes in favor of scent while underwater. While it’s very niche, it doesn’t give up much you’d miss. Benthic spell lets you add one to the spell level to either replace, or split a damaging spells damage with bludgeoning via torrents of water.

Moving on past the four classical elements, the book goes on to expand on Wizard schools in Masters of the Esoteric Elements, introducing the Aether elemental school, and the Ice, Magma, Mud, and Smoke focused elemental arcane schools, which provide alternative school powers for elemtal school wizards.

Wielders of Elemental power provides seven blast infusions, talents wild talents, as well as two feats. One allows a kineticist to counter spells with a certain subset of keywords (Generally those that correspond with elemental damage types), and the other provides some mobility while gathering power.

Next up, Elemental Augmentations are a new type of slotless magical item, sort of like an elemental magic prostheses. These are all very interesting, but also quite expensive, and successful or not, Inflicts of constitution damage when integrated (which also requires a fortitude save.

Next up is the Genie Binder Prestige Class. The Genie Binder is a five level, that advances spell-casting three levels out of five. The meat and potatoes of this class are elemental seals, a multi-purpose spell-like ability creating a rune on an object or creature. Each ‘classical’ element has seal, and each seal acts differently when placed on an object, a genie, or a creature other than a genie. Placing a seal costs 1 point from the Genie Binder’s Binding Pool (which contains two times her level, and refreshes daily. It can also be used to give +1d6 on a charisma check or skill against a genie), and the Genie Binder can maintain one seal per day at first level, a second at 3rd level, and a third at 5th. Placing a seal on a genie forces it to save versus charm monster, and if it fails it is affected as long as the seal remains in effect. (Seals remain in effect for 24 hours, and can be refreshed every day by spending a further point from the binding pool). When placed on a non-genie creature, it offers 10 points of energy resistance corresponding with the seal’s element, and a constant spell like ability associated with that element. Finally, when placed on an object, it acts as a blasting Glyph of Warding, dealing damage corresponding with the elemental type. The seals available to the Genie Binder are spaced out across levels, and the more powerful Spell-like abilities are tied to higher level seals. Lastly, a fifth level Genie Binder can raise the DC of their Seals by spending an additional binding point.

The Genie Binder also adds the common types of genie to the list of available summon monster spells. The caveat is that summoning them this way costs points from her binding pool, and the summoned creature cannot cast wish, a perfectly reasonable caveat, preventing Efreeti wishes from [/i]Summon Monster VI. Sadly, the last two features are where things come apart at the seams, a little, and I suspect this archetype may have had some growing pains through development, editing and/or copyfitting. At first level the Genie Binder gains Genie Mastery , at which point the Genie Binder must choose to pursue spellcasting power or bind a genie minion. Choosing spellcasting results her ‘gain[ing] the benefits of her alignment spellcasting class feature at 3rd level, in addition to other indicated levels). Unfortunately the Aligned spellcasting feature is absent from the class entry. Alternatively, the Genie binder may gain a Genie Unchained Eidolon, with an effective summoner level equal to her Genie Binder level plus any other summoner levels they may have, meaning while it’s certainly a possibility to choose for Wizard (for example), a wizard is getting very little from this choice. Overall, I do like this prestige class, though it seems to have suffered some growing pains between writing and publishing.

As mentioned, Elemental master’s handbook also offers the Genie Eidolon subtype. Genie Eidolons are proficient with martial weapons, and as their master increases in level, they can increase their size, gain a movement mode based on their type, gain an array of Spell-like abilities. Overall a decent addition, and the fills a space that was in retrospect waiting to be filled.

Oracles get both a new Mystery and a new Curse: The Elemental Mystery and the Elemental Imbalance Curse. Elemental Imbalance afflicts you with energy vulnerability to one element and bonus spells known based on that elements opposite. Elemental Mystery Oracles gain powers from a variety of different elements, and their bonus spells are suitably broad elemental spells. such as the [i]elemental body line of spells, and they gain a nice mix of familiar and new revelations, with plenty of interesting and useful twists.

Finally, Elemental Alchemy is touch upon. The Energy Scientist is an archetype for the Alchemist which attunes to an element every day, and gains save bonuses against spells with the matching keyword. In addition, his bombs automatically deal that type of damage (discoveries can still alter this on the fly, but the bomb die size is reduced). Lastly, the Energy Scientist is also able to turn dead elementals into alchemical items, although they cannot be sold and become inert after 24 hours.

Development lead for Elemental Master’s Handbook were Amanda Hamon Kunz and Ron Lundeen. John Compton, Eleanor Ferron, Mikko Kallio, Jason Keeley, Isabelle Lee, and Christopher Wasko are credited as authors. The Cover art is by Igor Grechanyi, and the interior art is by Alyssa Davis, Graey Erb, and Kent Hamilton.


Elemental Fun

4/5

I found this book to be a good product, not great, but still solid.


Good stuff

4/5

This book has a lot of options, as most Player Companion books do. Reading through it, I liked most of the options from a flavor and mechanical standpoint. While nothing stood out as 'NEW OP MUST HAVE', I thought a lot of it was fairly good and not totally useless.

As an example, there is an advanced rogue talent that gives DR 2/Adamantium and can be taken multiple times. While not the best rogue talent of all time, it certainly has its uses, especially for enemy NPC rogues.

Overall, this book is a solid entry.


Lot of elemental flavors

2/5

Good points: Lots of different character options that are elemental flavored for most classes. (Ranger, Rogue, Alchemist, Gunslinger, Bard, Cleric, Summoner, Monk, Wizard/Sorcerer, Oracle and Kineticist. It really feels like this book is a perfect Companion for PFS groups that are just starting Season 8 a year late.

BAD points: I think most people (including myself) expected a lot of options for the Kineticist class - the masters of the elements. It is very regretfully only ~1 page of talents. (7 infusions and 3 utilities, only 1 is universal)

Positive thing for Kineticist is a feat that allows you to move half speed while gathering power.


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Both of those sound like interesting ideas.


Hopefully this will provide the still missing Basic Phytokinesis, Void and Wood Wysps for familiars (and greater elemental whispers). The last one may be a stretch.


andygal wrote:
I'd like to see some alternate racial traits that make elemental races better at elemental things besides sorcerer bloodlines, like the keneticist as people have said.
Dragon78 wrote:
Alternate racial traits for the genie-kin to make them better at being kineticist would be cool.

This would excellent! And if it hasn't already been mentioned, it would be awesome for more racial archetypes and favored class options for the genekin as well. I just feel like they don't get enough love.


5 people marked this as a favorite.
Pathfinder Maps, Starfinder Adventure Path, Starfinder Maps, Starfinder Roleplaying Game, Starfinder Society Subscriber; Pathfinder Roleplaying Game Superscriber
Dragon78 wrote:
Alternate racial traits for the genie-kin to make them better at being kineticist would be cool.

See Psychic Anthology, p. 24, Kinetic Invocation feat. Genie-kin don't actually have to select that feat to gain its benefits.

So that one came out a bit earlier than expected.

Grand Lodge

Very nice!


I really hate that feat and I will not use abilities that require spell components for the kineticist. The main reason I like the class is because they use spell-like and supernatural abilities.


Why is the estimated shipping cost for this one so much higher then the previous companions?


2 people marked this as a favorite.
Magentawolf wrote:
Why is the estimated shipping cost for this one so much higher then the previous companions?

the excess elements make it denser?


dharkus wrote:
Magentawolf wrote:
Why is the estimated shipping cost for this one so much higher then the previous companions?
the excess elements make it denser?

ROFLMAO......

Shadow Lodge

1 person marked this as a favorite.

Still really hoping Elemental Clerics get a good looking at here as well as some Earth based attack spells that do not do Acid Damage. There are a few out there.

A Feat that helps bypass Energy Resistance (but not completely) would be great as well. Something like 1/Day for every 5 CL, your <Fire> spells ignor up to 10 Fire Resistance all targets in the area might have. Targets are treated as having 10 points less of resistance. Energy immunity is not affected, nor is Energy Resistance from spells, such as Resist Energy. Not a metamagic Feat, just an ability to make your Energy spells stronger a few times a day.

Dark Archive

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DM Beckett wrote:
Still really hoping Elemental Clerics get a good looking at here as well as some Earth based attack spells that do not do Acid Damage. There are a few out there.

Definitely could use some Earth, Air and Water domain abilities / spells that throw rocks, wind and jets of water at people, and not acid, electricity or cold/ice. Water, in particular, could be versatile enough to include bludgeoning water jets, piercing icicles, cold attacks *and* even a spell or two that function as 'fire' attacks (superheated steam).

Quote:
A Feat that helps bypass Energy Resistance (but not completely) would be great as well. Something like 1/Day for every 5 CL, your <Fire> spells ignor up to 10 Fire Resistance all targets in the area might have. Targets are treated as having 10 points less of resistance. Energy immunity is not affected, nor is Energy Resistance from spells, such as Resist Energy. Not a metamagic Feat, just an ability to make your Energy spells stronger a few times a day.

That sounds pretty cool, and could apply to any chosen energy type, when the feat is taken, allowing a pyromancer to take it to make their fire spells less likely to be resisted, while a winter witch takes it for their cold spells, etc.

Shadow Lodge

That was my intent, if it wasnt clear. Not just fire spells, but any energy type. Fire is just the one that most things have resistance to, I think.

Liberty's Edge

I could see a magic item doing this :-)

Liberty's Edge

The Raven Black wrote:
I could see a magic item doing this :-)

Make that two of them. A consumable for low levels and a permanent magic item for higher levels


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I think a great way to shoehorn rogues into an elemental type role would be to have an archetype called the promethean (after the greek titan prometheus who stole fire from the gods and gave it to men), have them be kineticist type people who instead of focusing on harnessing their elemental inclinations toward flashy/destructive powers they focused on harnessing the elements to more "practical" (READ: thieving) applications, like using fire as a blow torch to bypass the need for picking locks and disabling traps, or the earth element to perform reconnaissance and eventually entry, like being able to look through stone walls ala gloves of reconnaissance, gain tremor sense, and eventually a limited earth glide that can basically only get you either through a stone wall, or around a non-stone wall by passing under ground. Water could have uses involving gathering information or getting into hard to reach places via fluidy forms, so you could pose as a puddle in that secluded alleyway that the enemy conspirators are planning to meet up in, or for flowing under a door crack (obviously these would be higher level things, a lower level form could involve not being able to go full fluid, but becoming more fluid, like bonuses to stealth from turning mostly translucent, and bonuses to escape artist and acrobatics from turning less solid, like you have water instead of bones, or something). Air could be utilized to pick pockets and make speedy getaways (I swear officer, the wind pulled my wallet from my back pocket, and over into the hand of some weirdo a block away, who then grinned at me, turned as if to run, and then simply vanished!)

Dark Archive

psychie wrote:
I think a great way to shoehorn rogues into an elemental type role would be to have an archetype called the promethean (after the greek titan prometheus who stole fire from the gods and gave it to men), [SNIP]

That's a neat concept!

Another way to run with it would be to make a Kineticist archetype along this theme that 'steals' elemental energy/force from environmental affects or incoming attacks and then redirects them and uses them, vaguely like the Spellfire concept in the Forgotten Realms (or the mutant Bishop, of the X-Men). It would be a much more reactive sort of Archetype, and while able to use all sorts of different energy types (unlike a traditional Kineticist), the GM (and other PCs) would be the sources of energy this character would need to 'charge his batteries,' and therefore the character themself wouldn't necessarily be able to bust out the optimal energy type for a given encounter. Indeed, some days it would seem like the world was conspiring against them. Sure, they can charge up to full with a white dragon's breath weapon, but the white dragon isn't going to be terribly impressed when they throw cold blasts back at it...


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I would prefer elemental themed rogue talents over a archetype any day.


Dragon78 - For this particular concept, I rather agree, I was just on a kick of "let's see how many future books that have a cool concept that lacks an obvious means of including a rogue archetype (my favorite class) and come up with a concept to force one, try including mechanical suggestions as well as flavor ones so people can better see how it would work!" And this was the best I could come up with here, hence why I started off by saying it was a way to shoe horn rogues in.


Since rogues can get spell powers through their rogue talents then why not other magical abilities. How about adding d6 energy damage or changing sneak attack damage into energy damage. Maybe gaining energy resistance while hiding, sneak attacking, or just steal the energy resistance from an enemy and granting it to oneself or another close by.


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More spells with elemental descriptors please!


That would be nice.


I can't wait to find out more about this one.

I wonder what classes get archetypes.

Contributor

Hoping for more spells and options for winter witches before we begin Reign of Winter.

Liberty's Edge

well i hope the elements will recieve proper representation. WE NEED MORE SPELLS THAT STAB ROCKS INTO PEOPLE, AND MORE SPELLS TO FREEZE PEOPLES BLOOD. hopefully this will at least beat some of those expectations.


Well it is only a 32 page book, so we might want to keep expectations somewhat reasonable.


I would sell a small village worth of souls if we could get in this book, or any other, different, *interesting* capstones for the elemental mysteries, as opposed to 'add some metamagic feats' to all 4. And they're all the same exact feats!

Dark Archive

ErisAcolyte-Chaos jester wrote:
well i hope the elements will recieve proper representation. WE NEED MORE SPELLS THAT STAB ROCKS INTO PEOPLE, AND MORE SPELLS TO FREEZE PEOPLES BLOOD. hopefully this will at least beat some of those expectations.

More Air, Earth and Water spells that involve air, earth and water, and not electricity, acid and cold, would indeed be nice. I want to chuck rocks at people, create tremors, or blow them away, or wash them off their feet, etc. and not have to fanwank how acid relates to earth ("I, uh, earth represents stability and solidity, and acid takes that solidity away, making the stuff it melts not-solid, which is exactly like using fire magic to remove heat from something and do cold damage... so, uh, look, Elvis!" <runs away>).

And non-spell effects, for that matter. The elemental earth domain having powers like acid ray and acid resistance is just kind of weird. At least the elemental wizard specialization abilities are more thematically appropriate.


I would love different capstone abilities for each kineticist element.

It would be nice to see more air, earth, and water spells and abilities.


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Distant Scholar wrote:
deuxhero wrote:
Iammars wrote:
Rysky wrote:
Well it has mental in the title so I'm guessing it has to do with Psychics.
It also has "mast" in the title, so I'm going to assume that it's a book entirely about ships.
It also has "Master' Hand", so clearly it's a martial arts focused book.
It also has "Lem" in the title, so it's obviously about halfling bards.

Please. That requires at least a full hardback to fit everything.


Anyone know where the mock cover art is from?


1 person marked this as a favorite.
Dragon78 wrote:
Anyone know where the mock cover art is from?

Pathfinder Adventure Path #23: The Impossible Eye, page 21.

Legacy of Fire and Second Darkness had amazing art. ^_^


Thanks for the info Isabelle Lee.


zergtitan wrote:

Ok so the one problem that I would like to be addressed is one I believe a lot of people have asked about,

If you are playing a solo element Fire kineticist, how can you deal with Non-elemental creatures, Non-spell resistant enemies who have resistance or immunity to fire?

I mean for crying out load, The Healer's Handbook has spells AND and archetype for cleric that allows them to do a fire attack that deals half untypical damage that can bypass such things!

Even if you need to have primary element fire and expanded element fire TWICE to get such an infusion for your fire blasts, there would be many of us who would appreciate it.

Including Yoon by the way, just saying....

I mean for crying. Out loud we got so many options for cold, why not fire.....

You forgot that Flame Strike is in the basic rule book.


Are we even getting kineticist wild talents in this one?

Silver Crusade Contributor

1 person marked this as a favorite.
Dragon78 wrote:
Are we even getting kineticist wild talents in this one?

Well, nothing's confirmed yet. But it seems to me that this book not having some sort of kineticist content would be like Masked Hero's Handbook* not having any vigilante content. ^_^

*not an actual product

Silver Crusade

1 person marked this as a favorite.
Kalindlara wrote:
Dragon78 wrote:
Are we even getting kineticist wild talents in this one?

Well, nothing's confirmed yet. But it seems to me that this book not having some sort of kineticist content would be like Masked Hero's Handbook* not having any vigilante content. ^_^

*not an actual product

*yet


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I would prefer to see a "Kinetic Powers Handbook" before the "Masked Heroes Handbook" one;)


1 person marked this as a favorite.

Why not both?


Kalindlara wrote:
Dragon78 wrote:
Are we even getting kineticist wild talents in this one?

Well, nothing's confirmed yet. But it seems to me that this book not having some sort of kineticist content would be like Masked Hero's Handbook* not having any vigilante content. ^_^

*not an actual product

O rly?


Since this is an August release we should be getting a product art/description update in the next week or two, can't wait.

Shadow Lodge

Balabanto wrote:
zergtitan wrote:

Ok so the one problem that I would like to be addressed is one I believe a lot of people have asked about,

If you are playing a solo element Fire kineticist, how can you deal with Non-elemental creatures, Non-spell resistant enemies who have resistance or immunity to fire?

I mean for crying out load, The Healer's Handbook has spells AND and archetype for cleric that allows them to do a fire attack that deals half untypical damage that can bypass such things!

Even if you need to have primary element fire and expanded element fire TWICE to get such an infusion for your fire blasts, there would be many of us who would appreciate it.

Including Yoon by the way, just saying....

I mean for crying. Out loud we got so many options for cold, why not fire.....

You forgot that Flame Strike is in the basic rule book.

Or that that archetype outright sucks, even above and beyond your typical Cleric Archetype's low bar.

Silver Crusade

2 people marked this as a favorite.

Angelfire Apostle? That's debatable.


3 people marked this as a favorite.

I LOVED Angelfire Apostle myself.

Shadow Lodge

Glad you enjoyed it. I felt it came online far, far too late for what it says on the tin.


I wonder wich iconic(s) made the cover this time.

Dark Archive

2 people marked this as a favorite.
Dragon78 wrote:
I wonder which iconic(s) made the cover this time.

Yoon and either Seoni (casting a fire or lightning spell) or Lini (using flame blade and / or produce flame) would make sense.

Something out of the blue, like Sajan using elemental fists of fire, or Seltyiel conducting lightning through his sword, or Amiri on fire because she's entered an 'elemental rage' could be a bit more of a surprise.

Has the Arcanist appeared on a cover yet? She'd be another one that could be shown throwing some elemental spell, perhaps even something less fire-and-lightning like gust of wind (blowing a swarm or some Tiny creatures like fey away) or riptide.

That might be cool, to have any elemental effects on the cover be air (gust of wind), earth (magic stone? from the Shaman?) or water (riptide), or cold or lightning, to highlight something other than the more commonly depicted fire spells / effects.


Or maybe they will use only iconics with classes that do not get elemental themed abilities to show new archetypes;)


maybe shifter girl doing some thing awesome

Liberty's Edge

I hope there will be goodies for wood elemental specialists

Contributor

Ylania Greenbriar wrote:
I hope there will be goodies for wood elemental specialists

Ultimate Wilderness will be where you're likely to get most of that. Mark Seifter confirmed wood is getting a full reprint in that for kineticists. Should be really nice wood based stuff even aside from that. This companion is looking a lot like it's just for the traditional four elements.

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