Ever since I got my hands on the Bestiary 4 and read the Oceanid's Water Telekinesis ability, I have been wondering what an elemental version of the 5th level Telekinesis spell would look like.
For those of you who don't have access to the Bestiary 4, here is what the Water Telekinesis of the Oceanid looks like:
Water Telekinesis (Su): When immersed in water, an oceanid can manipulate water to affect creatures and objects within 500 feet that are in contact with the same body of water. This functions as the combat maneuver form of the telekinesis spell (caster level 9th, combat maneuver bonus +14), including the need to maintain concentration. This ability also allows her to create a small waterspout as a standard action once per round, striking an opponent within 100 feet with a blast of water as a ranged attack that deals 7d6 points of bludgeoning damage.
As a spell or a spell-like ability, I can imagine this ability being reworded to say that the caster would have to be near a source of water for it to work properly. But in every other way it work like a limited version of telekinesis.
Fire telekinesis pretty much work the same way as Water telekinesis. The real issue for Elemental telekinesis would how such a spell or spell-like ability works for Earth or Air telekinesis whose source is more common than either fire or water.
Then there is the question of spell level for elemental telekinesis. On the one hand, it's more limited in what it can or cannot affect. Telekinesis can affect just about anything. Elemental telekinesis can affect only one of the four elements. So it sounds to me like it ought to be at a lower spellcasting level. Perhaps 4th level at best. But on the other hand, elemental telekinesis sounds like it could mimic other spells that have the air, earth, fire or water descriptors. Someone using Fire Telekinesis could manipulate the fire he's playing around with and create something that looks like a fireball or a wall of fire spell. In this case, it sounds like the spellcasting level would be higher than 5th level.
Thoughts on this conundrum?
P.S. If elemental telekinesis is lower than 5th level, imagine how fun it would be to have it as a spell-like ability usable a few times per day. Benders, anyone?
