Path of the Elements (Work in Progress!)

Many barbarians live their lives fighting against the elements, but some find a way to become one with them. Path of the Elements barbarians are typically found in places in which the elements are at their most fierce, such as a windswept mountain top, within an underground cavern, at the base of an active volcano, or voyaging the turbulent seas. These barbarians are able to channel the fierce power of the elements into their bodies, granting them empowered agility, hardened skin, eternal warmth, and even the ability to regenerate.

Elemental Skin

Starting when you select this primal path at 3rd level, whenever you enter into a rage, your skin takes on the properties of one of the four elements (air, earth, fire, and water). 

Choose air, earth, fire, or water. The resulting effect of your elemental skin depends on that chosen element, as detailed below. If you wish to attune to a different element, you must spend time at the end of a long rest connecting with the elements around you before attuning to a new element. 

Air

While your elemental skin is active, a shroud of buffeting air envelopes you, making you difficult to hit. Ranged weapon attacks are made with disadvantage when targeting you, and once per rage when you are hit by a melee attack, you can use your reaction to impose disadvantage on the roll. 

Earth

While your elemental skin is active, your exterior hardens to a rocklike substance, protecting you from harm. When you are hit by an attack, you can use your reaction to gain a +2 bonus to your AC until the start of your next turn. 

When you use this feature, you're movement speed is reduced by half until the end of your next turn.

Fire

While your elemental skin is active, you are hot to the touch, as flames dance your skin, burning those that wish to bring you harm. When an enemy is within 5 feet and hits your with a melee attack, you can use your reaction to deal 1d6 fire damage to the attacker as flames leap out from you.  The damage increases when you reach certain levels in this class, increasing to 2d6 at 5th level, 3d6 at 11th level, 4d6 at 17th level. 

Water

When your elemental skin is active, soothing water coats the surface of your skin, healing your wounds. You can use your bonus action to regain a number of hit points equal to half your barbarian level.

Elemental Essence

At 6th level, your elemental skin grants you are able to gain power from the elements even when you are not raging. The benefits are based on the element you chose for your elemental skin and are described below.

Air

You're movement speed and jump distance are increased by 10 feet, and you are able to dash or disengage as a bonus action. 

Earth

Your unarmored defense AC is increased by 2. You have tremorsense out to a range of 10 feet, provided you are on stone, dirt, or another natural surface. 

Fire

You are able to shed bright light in a 10-­foot radius and dim light for an additional 10 feet. You also gain resistance to fire and cold damage and you don’t suffer the effects of extreme heat and extreme cold, as described in the Dungeon Master’s Guide.

Water

Whenever you receive healing, you regain the maximum number of hit points possible. Additionally, if you have a lost a limb or body part, it will regenerate in 1d4+4 days. You are also able to breath underwater and you gain a swimming movement speed equal to your walking movement speed.  You are able to speak, read, and write Aquan. 

Avatar of the Elements

At 10th level, you are able to expend two uses of your rage to transform into an elemental at the start of your rage, or one use of your rage while you are already raging. The type of elemental you can transform into is determined by the element in which you are attuned. The duration of the transformation lasts as long as your rage persists.

The elementals that can be transformed into include air elemental, earth elemental,  fire elemental, and water elemental. Your DM may permit you to transform into an elemental that is closely related to the element of your Elemental Skin, as long as its CR rating is 5 or lower. 

While you are transformed, the following rules apply:

• Your game statistics are replaced by the statistics of the elemental, but you retain your alignment, personality, and Intelligence, Wisdom, and Charisma scores. You also retain all of your skill and saving throw proficiencies, in addition to gaining those of the creature. If the creature has the same proficiency as you and the bonus in its stat block is higher than yours, use the creature’s bonus instead of yours. If the creature has any legendary or lair actions, you can’t use them.
• When you transform, you assume the elemental’s hit points. When you revert to your normal form, you return to the number of hit points you had before you transformed. However, if you revert as a result of dropping to 0 hit points, any excess damage carries over to your normal form. For example, if you take 10 damage in elemental form and have only 1 hit point left, you revert and take 9 damage. As long as the excess damage doesn’t reduce your normal form to 0 hit points, you aren’t knocked unconscious.
• You can’t cast spells, and your ability to speak or take any action that requires hands is limited to the capabilities of your t form. Transforming doesn’t break your concentration on a spell you’ve already cast, however, or prevent you from taking actions that are part of a spell, such as call lightning, that you’ve already cast.
• You retain the benefit of any features from your class, race, or other source and can use them if the new form is physically capable of doing so. However, you can’t use any of your special senses, such as darkvision, unless your elemental form also has that sense.
• You choose whether your equipment falls to the ground in your space, merges into your new form, or is worn by it. Worn equipment functions as normal, but the DM decides whether it is practical for the new form to wear a piece of equipment, based on the creature’s shape and size. Your equipment doesn’t change size or shape to match the new form, and any equipment that the new form can’t wear must either fall to the ground or merge with it. Equipment that merges with the form has no effect until you leave the form.

Primal Elementalist

At 14th level, you are so in tune with the four elements that you are able to harness their power readily. You are now able to attune to an element by taking a short rest or whenever you enter into a rage. You then benefit from the elemental skin, essence, and avatar associated with that element until you attune to a different element at the start of a rage or after a short or long rest.