Quote from Plaguescarred >>

A PC can't attack an Earth Elemental in the ground, it has to wait until it come out of total cover to do so.

 That’s my point. There is no reason for it to ever leave total cover if it can attack from underground. Hence I wouldn’t allow it. 

Quote from ThriKreenWarrior >>

Quote from Plaguescarred >>

A PC can't attack an Earth Elemental in the ground, it has to wait until it come out of total cover to do so.

 That’s my point. There is no reason for it to ever leave total cover if it can attack from underground. Hence I wouldn’t allow it. 

 But my character IS the elemental. I just needed clarification before I tell my GM what I want to do.

Quote from Wysperra >>

Quote from ThriKreenWarrior >>

Quote from Plaguescarred >>

A PC can't attack an Earth Elemental in the ground, it has to wait until it come out of total cover to do so.

 That’s my point. There is no reason for it to ever leave total cover if it can attack from underground. Hence I wouldn’t allow it. 

 But my character IS the elemental. I just needed clarification before I tell my GM what I want to do.

Well, would you want the DM using that tactic against you and the rest of your party?

Why not? I can turn into an earth elemental so I can counter it.

Quote from Wysperra >>

Why not? I can turn into an earth elemental so I can counter it.

YOU can. What if it's three earth elementals on one, and you're the only one in the party who can do anything?

Then the GM needs help with encounter balance. Unless the party can fly. 

Two elementals would be appropriate.

Quote from Wysperra >>

Then the GM needs help with encounter balance

As a DM, I would say a player insisting on a very sketchy rules interpretation is waiving their right to complain about encounter balance

Quote from AntonSirius >>

Quote from Wysperra >>

Then the GM needs help with encounter balance

 

As a DM, I would say a player insisting on a very sketchy rules interpretation is waiving their right to complain about encounter balance

 This is just an example of GM vs player negativity. If it were my players I would let them have their moment and enjoy their cleverness. I would let them know that it might be possible for future foes to return the favor but I wouldn't target them as a means of punishment. That's not cool.

Quote from Wysperra >>

Quote from ThriKreenWarrior >>

Quote from Plaguescarred >>

A PC can't attack an Earth Elemental in the ground, it has to wait until it come out of total cover to do so.

 That’s my point. There is no reason for it to ever leave total cover if it can attack from underground. Hence I wouldn’t allow it. 

 But my character IS the elemental. I just needed clarification before I tell my GM what I want to do.

 Player or monster, if I was the DM I wouldn’t allow it. But talk to your DM and maybe they would be onboard with it. 

Quote from Wysperra >>

Quote from AntonSirius >>

Quote from Wysperra >>

Then the GM needs help with encounter balance

 

As a DM, I would say a player insisting on a very sketchy rules interpretation is waiving their right to complain about encounter balance

 This is just an example of GM vs player negativity. If it were my players I would let them have their moment and enjoy their cleverness. I would let them know that it might be possible for future foes to return the favor but I wouldn't target them as a means of punishment. That's not cool.

What I wouldn't consider cool, or clever, is looking for a way to make the rest of your party irrelevant in combat

The ground provides total cover. You can't attack through it

Piggybacking on Anton, doesn’t total cover work both ways? If one can’t target the elemental because of total cover then the elemental can’t attack above ground because of total cover. And can the elemental see the target? Just because they can move through the cover (ground) doesn’t mean the cover isn’t there. 

Normally, a target in the ground has total cover and can't be targeted directly by an attack while one on the surface has no cover and thus can.

A DM can always rule against it though, and say none of them can see and attack each other.

The DMG offer tips for grid play touching on line of sight and coverl

Line of Sight: To precisely determine whether there is line of sight between two spaces, pick a corner of one space and trace an imaginary line from that corner to any part of another space. If at least one such line doesn’t pass through or touch an object or effect that blocks vision — such as a stone wall, a thick curtain, or a dense cloud of fog — then there is line of sight

Cover: To determine whether a target has cover against an attack or other effect on a grid, choose a corner of the attacker’s space or the point of origin of an area of effect. Then trace imaginary lines from that corner to every corner of any one square the target occupies. If one or two of those lines are blocked by an obstacle (including another creature), the target has half cover. If three or four of those lines are blocked but the attack can still reach the target (such as when the target is behind an arrow slit), the target has three-quarters cover.