Air Elemental - How solid are they?

[Saker]

Since they're made of air I assume they can pass through things like someone in gaseous form, but there is no mention of that.

What I'm wanting to do is create a whirlwind and bang creatures against a force cage by passing through it. It'll just do slam damage and drop them, but I was wondering if that was possible.

[Nefreet]

They're solid. They can even be grappled and pinned.

Also their slams wouldn't have much effect if they weren't.

[Ascalaphus]

Disappointingly solid, in fact.

I remember running into entirely vaporous air elementals in Shadowrun that could stop you from breathing. That was scary.

[Saker]

So, it can't pass through a force cage even in whirlwind form? The way I see whirlwind is you're an air swarm. The fact that you don't provoke AoO and can freely pass through enemy squares like a swarm means that you're insubstantial, but not incorporeal like gaseous form. The limits in this form seem to confirm that, but don't actually say it.

[Ascalaphus]

You can still spank the whirlwind. I don't think air elementals are well-written really. They'd have been best off using some cross between swarm and incorporeal rules I guess.

[Nefreet]

The Amorphous and Compression qualities would have been ideal, IMO.

[Charon's Little Helper]

Amorphous wouldn't have done anything for it as - being an elemental - it's already immune to SA & crits. While I like the fluff - it'd be one more thing for GMs to look up before running them.

I agree with Compression though.