Although the setting is, for the most part, the sort of standard pseudo-Europe you have in D&D, I decided to use Chinese elements rather than Western ones because... they're cooler?
There are only five intelligent races in the setting (not counting undead, magic constructs, outsiders like fae and demons etc), and each is linked to one of the elements.
Humans are linked to Fire.
- Prone to fiery passions
- Spread quickly
- Capable of captivating beauty
- ...but also mindless destruction
- Warm but dangerous
- Brief lives
- Ruddy or dark skin, yellow or red or ash-white hair, orange or red eyes
Elves are linked to Wood.
- Long-lived
- Flexible but strong
- Think of themselves as part of nature
- Deep continuity to the past
- Never in a hurry, make generational plans
- Brown or green skin, leaf coloured hair, green or amber eyes
Dwarves are linked to Earth.
- Very tough and hard to move
- Practically ageless
- Value foundation and structure before ornamentation
- Seem simple on the surface but have many hidden layers
- Grey or black skin, brown or grey hair, black or brown eyes
Goblins are linked to Water.
- Always on the move
- Find a niche and exploit it
- Seem weak individually, but relentless en masse
- Change their values to match the environment
- Blue or sea-green skin, green or grey hair, aquamarine or clear eyes
Gnomes are linked to Metal.
- Sharp and bright
- Usually found embedded within other groups
- Great tool-makers
- Mix well with others
- Tend towards either shiny glamour or dull reliability
- Skin hair and eyes are all metallic colours - gold, silver, bronze etc
You get the idea!
Elementalists tend to specialise in the element linked to their race but aren't necessarily limited to it. The diagram above shows how they interact. For example Dwarves would usually use Earth magic but they can potentially learn Wood or Metal magic. They can't use magic from the diametrically opposed element, Water. Elves usually use Wood magic, can opt for Earth or Water, can't use Metal. And so on.
Fire is the odd one out. It's greedy. Fire magic acts in opposition to all the other elements, so it can only be used by Humans. And Humans can only use Fire. This is part of the reason that Human communities have often encouraged the other races to live among them. One of an Elementalist's abilities is to create physical manifestations of their element - having regular access to "free" supplies of metals, lumber, stone, safe drinking water etc is a boon to any settlement.
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