Air Elemental
Large Elemental · · CR 5
- Elemental
- Large
- Tier 2
Ranges across desert and mountain; Air Elemental lists at CR 5 as a large elemental (neutral). Sourced from Monster Manual (5e 2014) and Monster Manual (5.5e 2024).
Stat Block
- Challenge Rating
- 5
- Type
- Elemental
- Size
- Large
- Alignment
- —
- Speed
- —
- Habitats
- Desert, Mountain
- Sources
- Monster Manual (5e 2014), Monster Manual (5.5e 2024)
Ecology
Air Elementals are fragments of the Elemental Plane of Air made manifest, bound by summoning circles or rifts torn between planes. They have no biological needs, sustained by the eternal winds of their home plane, but on the Material Plane they slowly dissipate without anchor. They do not eat, sleep, or reproduce, instead being drawn or birthed from cyclones, hurricanes, and the high mountain gales where elemental boundaries thin. Their essence resonates with thunderstorms and any place wind howls perpetually.
Behaviour
Mindless or near so, an Air Elemental obeys whoever bound it, until that binding fails. Free elementals seek high places, drawn to storms and clouds. They communicate in primal pressure shifts, recognized only by druids and elementalists. When unbound, they grow restless and destructive, scattering livestock, tearing roofs, and pursuing anyone who carries the scent of a previous summoner. Their wrath is brief but merciless, ending only when distracted by stronger winds elsewhere.
Origin
Whether truly mindless or merely alien, Air Elementals predate the gods, formed when the four primal planes condensed from primordial chaos. Some sages claim each is a fragment of a slumbering elder elemental being, others that they spontaneously form wherever wind concentrates power. Powerful druids and djinn-aligned wizards summon them through pacts with elemental archomentals like Yan-C-Bin. A small few have grown sapient through long Material exposure, becoming dao or djinn over centuries.
Related Monsters
Frequently Asked Questions about Air Elemental
- What is the challenge rating of Air Elemental?
- Air Elemental has a challenge rating of 5. It fits levels 5-11.
- What type of creature is Air Elemental?
- The bestiary type for Air Elemental is elemental, large size.
- Where does Air Elemental live?
- Air Elemental's listed habitats include Desert, Mountain.