Water and ice are actually fairly different, actually. Things that live in water are streamlined, learning to go with the world around them, not against it.
Things that live in ice, on the other hand, are usually bulkier. They're used to fighting against the ice, trying to stay warm, not actively inviting the warmth into them.
It leads to completely different attitudes in life.
There are too many toasters in my chimney!Some clarification: When a Shade changes, it is normally for at least a decade. However, their environment when they change eventually forces the Shade to develop a different, more 'normal' (by Shade standards) personality. Elemental changes only happen once or twice in a Shade's life, three being extremely uncommon. Only one Shade in existence, their spiritual leader, can go through all four in their lives, and they go through other changes afterwords.
I guess the elements do have a singular approach, but I wanted to get the negatives down. Fire might be more courageous and spontaneous, Forest would be more caring and sympathetic than normal Shades, Water would be more dynamic and peaceful, while Ice might be philosophic and meditative, like monks.
I am drawing inspiration from Bionicle, where 'Water' had control over most liquids and 'Ice' was control over cold.
Me and my friend's collaborative webcomic: Forged MenOkay, so I'm gonna put the relevant fragments in quoteblocks:
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I'm just bothered by having Water and Ice as if they were truly separate elements, perhaps because I just don't see what schema you're using for your elemental pattern. It might help to establish their relationships among each other, and why they're different. Otherwise it just seems a weird distinction. Perhaps if you flavored the water as more of the tides/waves/currents kind of thing?
Other similar concepts besides Bionicle are Shadow Raiders/War Planets, the Genasi of D&D and the colors of Magic: the Gathering. Some of those might have ideas to offer. Not to mention their classical concepts. You do seem to have left off Air and Earth, is there some reason for that?
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1) Yes and yes.
2) Tradition, ease. Umber Shades, by themselves, are nomadic and stealthy, so daggers (For ease and stealth) would make sense, and polearms in that they prefer being farther away from their kills.
3) Fire Shades leave for the Islands of Fire (that is what I'm calling them now) because of tradition, and an undeniable draw to the area. It was basically set up by one of their gods.
4) Well, they can use fire, but prefer not to, because they draw their strength from the cold around them. Using fire messes that up for them (Plus melts ice, which is a big no-no), but other heat sources, like body heat and furs are fine.
Yeah, the water is not just water, but tides and currents and sea creatures. Ice just controls cold, and is the philosophic opposite with water, being introverted and philosophical. Now that you mention it, the normal Shades kinda embody the earth and air mentality, they just don't have powers.
Insulation, heat, close enough. I thought I had given it a lot of structure, but what I hav in my head does not necessarily translate to writing, but I have given it a lot of structure.
Me and my friend's collaborative webcomic: Forged MenWell, I asked mostly because I don't know what's in your mind, and if you've posted it here, I can't say I've read it.
But since you are going to have furs in this ice domain, you will want to have a source for it, which means some large animals, who have to eat something. Make sure you have a reasonable food chain.
This race is interesting. I think I would like reading about them. Some notes:
- The name reminds me too much of D&D's Umber Hulk. It also seems odd for their name to have a color in it, since they change color.
- I think you can have any elements you want in your elemental system. Just because earth/fire/air/water has history doesn't make it the only option.
- Preferred weapon also seems D&D-ish. Usually in real life what weapon you use is determined by the type of combat (phalanx has different requirements than guerilla) and by the available materials and manufacturing skill. I'd also expect individual preference, but just having the entire race all prefer one weapon is hard to explain.
That is a good question. I would imagine they put their personal lives on hold when they change, do whatever they want in their Domain, and wen they come back, they resume their normal lives.
Me and my friend's collaborative webcomic: Forged Men

Well, my last topic's purpose was served, so I'm going to work on an aspect of the Islands that I have thought long and hard about: the Umber Shades (or Umber Demons, depending on someone's in-universe religion)
Basic Physiology: Humanoid, vary in height between 4 to 5 feet, basic skin color is gray/dark brown. Most defining feature is tentacle hair, which is a spiritual/status symbol to them. Race is overtly feminine, and mostly matriarchal. Thought of basically as a 'feminine' race. Normally are nomadic, occasionally travelling between islands if deemed necessary by their band's leader.
Abilities: Each Shade has an affinity towards elemental magic; see Adaptations.
Adaptations: Once or twice in a Shade's lifetime, their personality becomes greatly aligned to one of four aspects: Fire (Anger, Hot-Blooded) Forest (Sorrow, emotionally sensitive), Water (Vanity, Gossipy), and Ice (Guess. Okay, fine, cold personality). Each of these emotional phases has a corresponding physical change, along with the affected individual going off to live with one of several domains.
Basic: Normal. Nomadic. Prefer polearms and daggers.
Fire: Glowing cracks emerge in the skin and hair, dark red replaces dark brown skin color. Live in volcano islands. Prefer bladed forged weapons such as swords.
Forest: Grow twigs on body, dark green replaces gray skin color. Live in large forests. Prefer clubs and cudgels.
Water: Grow fins on limbs and back (They look kinda like Zoras from the Lo Z games), dark blue replaces brown skin. Live around islands and in underwater ruins near coasts. Prefer tridents and weaponized whips if they fight at all.
Ice: Light blue replaces dark brown, hair freezes into ice crystals occasionally. Live in tall mountains. Prefer to generate their own weapons (Members are more proficient at elemental magic).
Personalities: Strangely, when an Umber Shade is drawn into an elemental aspect, their change works against them.
Basic: Withdrawn, mysterious, avoids extreme emotions.
Fire: Fiery, hot-headed, charges recklessly into danger. Not a good trait when you are surrounded at all times by lava.
Forest: Easily upset tree-huggers. Emotional frailty is not kind to those who live in the forest, where death comes in many forms. (As in they might cry if they find a dead squirrel. In nature.)
Water: Gossipy, vain. It is not wise to spread rumors when there is Always a Bigger Fish. (Imagine a high school entirely filled with Libbys, and that will give you a small hint of what Water Shade alcoves are like)
Ice: Cold, unfriendly. Being a loner is not a good thing when the best source of heat is the body heat of someone else.
Politics: An interesting case, as bands of normal Shades rarely meddle with humans unless it serves their own interest or they are feeling sympathetic, but Elemental domains constantly inter-fight, kidnapping, pillaging, but not really fighting wars. (Think Greek city-states in the myths.)
So, any comments? I was trying not to make a Mary Sue race, so I played up the emotional turmoil.
edited 9th May '11 12:33:02 PM by Ninjaxenomorph
Me and my friend's collaborative webcomic: Forged Men