Steam Elemental (3.5e Monster)

Author: Sulacu (talk) Date Created: November 25, 2015 Status: Pending Editing: Clarity edits only please

Ratings for this homebrew: Average: NA / 4  1 users favored it (4/4).  0 users liked it (3/4).  0 were neutral on it (2/4).  0 users disliked it (1/4).  0 users opposed it (0/4).

Rate this article Your rating for this article: Favor Like Neutral Dislike Oppose Submit | Cancel Discuss this article

	Steam Elemental, Small	Steam Elemental, Medium	Steam Elemental, Large
Size/Type:	Small Elemental	Medium Elemental	Large Elemental
Hit Dice:	3d8+3 (16 hp)	6d8+12 (39 hp)	12d8+36 (90 hp)
Initiative:	+8	+10	+12
Speed:	Hover 100 ft. (perfect)	Hover 100 ft. (perfect)	Hover 100 ft. (perfect)
Armor Class:	18 (+1 size, +4 Dex, +3 natural), touch 15, flat-footed 14	21 (+6 Dex, +4 natural, +1 dodge), touch 17, flat-footed 14	22 (-1 size, +8 Dex, +5 natural, +1 dodge), touch 18, flat-footed 14
Base Attack/Grapple:	+2/-2	+4/+5	+9/+15
Attack:	Slam +7 melee (1d4 plus boil)	Slam +10 melee (1d6+1 plus boil)	Slam +16 melee (2d6+2 plus boil)
Full Attack:	2 slams +7 melee (1d4 plus boil)	2 slams +10 melee (1d6+1 plus boil)	2 slams +16 melee (2d6+2 plus boil)
Space/Reach:	5 ft./5 ft.	5 ft./5 ft.	10 ft./10 ft.
Special Attacks:	Boil (1d6; DC 11), improved grab, inhabit machine, steam cloud	Boil (2d6; DC 13), improved grab, inhabit machine, steam cloud	Boil (3d6; DC 16), improved grab, inhabit machine, steam cloud
Special Qualities:	Darkvision 60 ft., elemental traits, evasion, resistance to cold 10 and fire 10	Darkvision 60 ft., elemental traits, evasion, resistance to cold 15 and fire 15	Darkvision 60 ft., elemental traits, evasion, DR 5/-, resistance to cold 20 and fire 20
Saves:	Fort +2, Ref +7, Will +1	Fort +4, Ref +12, Will +2	Fort +9, Ref +17, Will +4
Abilities:	Str 10, Dex 19, Con 12, Int 4, Wis 11, Cha 11	Str 12, Dex 23, Con 14, Int 4, Wis 11, Cha 11	Str 14, Dex 27, Con 16, Int 6, Wis 11, Cha 11
Skills:	Listen +5, Spot +5	Listen +7, Spot +6	Listen +10, Spot +9
Feats:	Alertness, Flyby Attack, Improved Initiative B, Weapon FinesseB	Alertness, Dodge, Flyby Attack, Improved Initiative B, Weapon FinesseB	Alertness, Combat Reflexes, Dodge, Flyby Attack, Great Fortitude, Improved Initiative B, Weapon FinesseB
Environment:	The quasi-elemental plane of steam	The quasi-elemental plane of steam	The quasi-elemental plane of steam
Organization:	Solitary	Solitary	Solitary
Challenge Rating:	2	4	6
Treasure:	None	None	None
Alignment:	Always neutral	Always neutral	Always neutral
Advancement:	4-5 HD (Small)	7-11 HD (Medium)	13-17 HD (Large)
Level Adjustment:	—	—	—

	Steam Elemental, Huge	Steam Elemental, Greater	Steam Elemental, Elder
Size/Type:	Huge Elemental	Huge Elemental	Huge Elemental
Hit Dice:	18d8+72 (153 hp)	24d8+120 (228 hp)	30d8+180 (315 hp)
Initiative:	+14	+16	+18
Speed:	Hover 100 ft. (perfect)	Hover 100 ft. (perfect)	Hover 100 ft. (perfect)
Armor Class:	25 (-2 size, +10 Dex, +6 natural, +1 dodge), touch 19, flat-footed 14	28 (-2 size, +12 Dex, +7 natural, +1 dodge), touch 21, flat-footed 15	31 (-2 size, +14 Dex, +8 natural, +1 dodge), touch 23, flat-footed 16
Base Attack/Grapple:	+13/+29	+18/+36	+22/+42
Attack:	Slam +21 melee (2d8+4 plus boil )	Slam +28 melee (2d8+6 plus boil)	Slam +34 melee (2d8+8 plus boil)
Full Attack:	2 slams +21 melee (2d8+4 plus boil)	2 slams +28 melee (2d8+6 plus boil)	2 slams +34 melee (2d8+8 plus boil)
Space/Reach:	5 ft./5 ft.	5 ft./5 ft.	10 ft./10 ft.
Special Attacks:	Boil (4d6; DC 19), improved grab, inhabit machine, steam cloud	Boil (5d6; DC 22), improved grab, inhabit machine, steam cloud	Boil (6d6; DC 25), improved grab, inhabit machine, steam cloud
Special Qualities:	Darkvision 60 ft., elemental traits, evasion, DR 5/-, resistance to cold 25 and fire 25	Darkvision 120 ft., elemental traits, evasion, DR 10/-, resistance to cold 30 and fire 30	Darkvision 120 ft., elemental traits, evasion, DR 10/-, immunity to cold 30 and fire
Saves:	Fort +12, Ref +23, Will +8	Fort +15, Ref +27, Will +10	Fort +18, Ref +32, Will +12
Abilities:	Str 18, Dex 31, Con 18, Int 6, Wis 11, Cha 11	Str 22, Dex 35, Con 20, Int 8, Wis 11, Cha 11	Str 26, Dex 39, Con 22, Int 10, Wis 11, Cha 11
Skills:	Listen +13, Spot +11	Listen +16, Spot +15	Listen +19, Spot +18
Feats:	Alertness, Combat Reflexes, Dodge, Flyby Attack, Great Fortitude, Improved Grapple, Improved Initiative B, Iron Will, Weapon FinesseB	Alertness, Combat Reflexes, Dodge, Flyby Attack, Great Fortitude, Improved Grapple, Improved Darkvision, Improved Initiative B, Iron Will, Mobility, Weapon FinesseB	Alertness, Blind-Fight, Combat Reflexes, Dodge, Flyby Attack, Great Fortitude, Improved Grapple, Improved Darkvision, Improved Initiative B, Iron Will, Mobility, Power Attack, Weapon FinesseB
Environment:	The quasi-elemental plane of steam	The quasi-elemental plane of steam	The quasi-elemental plane of steam
Organization:	Solitary	Solitary	Solitary
Challenge Rating:	9	12	14
Treasure:	None	None	None
Alignment:	Always neutral	Always neutral	Always neutral
Advancement:	19-23 HD (Huge)	24-15 HD (Huge)	17-23 HD (Huge)
Level Adjustment:	—	—	—

Always preceeded by a hissing puff of blistering heat, the steam elemental is as dangerous to aspiring adventurers as it is exceedingly lucrative to industrial ventures.

Steam elementals are creatures indigenous to the quasi-elemental plane of steam. Their bodies are comprised of water vapour heated to the point of boiling, settled around a nucleus that draws in essence from their home plane. Their scalding heat can cause intense pain and bodywide burns to adventurers unlucky enough to cross their path, but when properly harnassed a steam elemental is capable of supplying large amounts of steady and reliable steam power. Steam elementals speak Aquan, though rarely choose to do so.

Combat

Steam elementals are as rapid as air elementals, though comprised of matter, they are still relatively ground-bound. Their scalding heat does not lose to fire elementals in damaging quality, and has a nasty habit of lingering.

When observed with detect heat, a steam elemental shows up as the higher end of the yellow band.

Boil (Ex): Upon touching, being hit by or otherwise coming into direct physical contact with a steam elemental, a creature incurs boil. It immediately takes the indicated boil damage, and takes additional boil damage at the start of subsequent turns for 2 rounds after last being in contact with the source of a boil effect. A creature only takes damage from boil once per round. Boil overlaps (does not stack); if a creature is subject to boil from two different sources, only the strongest effect is counted.

Boil is incredibly painful. Upon taking 1 or more points of boil damage, a creature becomes sickened and must make a Fortitude save at the indicated DC or become nauseated until its next turn.

Boil only affects living or dead organic creatures. Creatures that are neither living nor organic, such as constructs are generally unaffected by the condition.

A creature's effective resistance to boil is twice its resistance to fire.

Improved Grab (Ex): To use this ability, a steam elemental must hit with its slam attack. It can then attempt a grapple as a free action without provoking an attack of opportunity.

When a creature starts its turn grappled by a steam elemental, it takes double boil damage.

Inhabit Machine (Ex): As a full-round action, a steam elemental is capable of slipping inside of a mechanical creature or object. Potential targets for a steam elemental are mechanical constructs, including but not limited to all Bot subtype creatures, machines, and mechanical vehicles. Attended objects or autonomous constructs are allowed a Will save to resist (DC equal to boil DC), but unattended ones or inactive constructs automatically fall under the steam elemental's control. A construct under control of a spellcasting master may use its master's Will save instead of its own to resist a steam elemental's inhabiting.

A steam elemental can only inhabit a mechanical construct, machine or vehicle with a CR no higher than listed on this table, and if the inhabiting is resisted, the steam elemental cannot act except to expel itself from its target as a move action.

When in control of an inhabited machine, the steam elemental may make use of all on board features to the best of its intelligence and ability, though since the link is direct no Pilot or Program skills are required to do anything the machine was intended to be able to do.

Any attacks performed against the steam elemental will check against the inhabited machine's AC and defenses, and do damage to the machine. Upon the inhabited being destroyed, the steam elemental is immediately freed to do battle.

A dismissal or banishment effect, or (in the case of a summoned steam elemental) a successful dispelling can forcibly expel and remove an inhabiting steam elemental.

Steam Cloud (Ex): When encountering dangerous enemies, a steam elemental will often blanket the surrounding area with steam. This counts as an obscuring mist effect centered on the steam elemental with a radius as per the below table. Any creature starting its turn within the area of the steam cloud is subject to boil, allowing a Reflex save to halve the damage dealt.

A steam elemental can see normally inside its steam cloud or the steam clouds of other steam elementals.

Table: Steam Elemental Sizes

Elemental	Height	Boil		Steam Cloud
		Damage	DC		Radius
Small	4 ft.	1d6	11		10 ft.
Medium	8 ft.	2d6	13		15 ft.
Large	16 ft.	3d6	16		20 ft.
Huge	32 ft.	4d6	19		25 ft.
Greater	36 ft.	5d6	22		30 ft.
Elder	40 ft.	6d6	25		40 ft.

Steam Elementals in the World

Being incredibly useful and powerful creatures, steam elementals have pervaded many different facets of arcane and technological society. In societies where steam power is emergent, caged steam elementals are the perfect power source to create powerful and long-lasting machines with. Certain mages will employ steam elementals as servants and familiars, and some particularly welfaring civilizations might even use smaller ones as steam cleaners, steam cookers and all other sort of performers of mundane tasks.

Steam Elementals as Familiars

A wizard or sorcerer with 7 class levels and the Improved Familiar feat may gain a small steam elemental familiar. A spellcaster with a steam elemental familiar is not affected by any airborne miasma that blocks his vision; he can see right through the vision-impairing effects of obscuring mist, solid fog and other effects based on steam, fog, haze or smoke, but is still affected normally by things like darkness, effects that bestow the blinded condition, and sufficiently solid barriers that remove line of sight.

Steam Elementals and Summoning

A spellcaster of any alignment can use the summon monster or summon nature's ally line of spells to summon a steam elemental, as per Table: Steam Elementals as a Resource.

Steam Elementals and Steam Power

When trapped and compacted in a boiler with the help of a planar binding spell, or physically imprisoned in one with the help of another spell that prevents dismissal or return, a steam elemental boiler can be used to generate locomotive steam power which can then be used for locomotion or to convert to electrical power, effectively creating a very compact and lasting power source for a steam engine. The amount of power generated ranges from 10 to 1000 horsepower (see Table: Steam Elementals as a Resource).

Steam Elementals as Trade Goods

As written above, steam elementals are high-value goods and are often traded as such. In remote locations where technology and power are highly sought after, a good, reliable source of energy like a steam elemental boiler is worth its weight in gilded platinum, often literally (see Table: Steam Elementals as a Resource).

Steam Elementals and Construct Crafting

Many constructs are animated by elemental spirits, and steam elementals are doubly effective at powering and animating a construct. This works somewhat akin to a steam elemental's ability to inhabit machines, except the elemental and its boiler become an integral and intended part of the construction, and the elemental is not in control of the construct in question. The maximum CR of construct a steam elemental can power and animate is listed in the table below, under Animate CR.

Table: Steam Elementals as a Resource

Elemental Age	Summoning Spell Level	Power		Engine Size	Animate CR1	Value (gp)
		Horsepower	kW
Small	3rd	10	7.5	2 ft. (Tiny)	5	500
Medium	4th	40	30	2½ ft. (Tiny)	8	1,500
Large	6th	160	120	3 ft. (Small)	11	4,000
Huge	7th	360	270	4 ft. (Small)	14	11,500
Greater	8th	640	480	5 ft. (Medium)	17	32,500
Elder	9th	1,000	750	6½ ft. (Medium)	20	72,000
The maximum CR of construct, vehicle or machine it is capable of powering.

---

Back to Main Page → 3.5e Homebrew → Monsters