Techniques and monsters have one or two types (also called elements), reflecting their nature, behavior and structure. Tuxemon has thirteen types, although older versions of the game were limited to just five.

Thirteen Elements

Monsters have one or two elements, but techniques would have a maximum of one element (except as a special feature, perhaps).

		Target
		Earth	Fire	Frost	Heroic	Lightning	Cosmic	Metal	Normal	Shadow	Sky	Venom	Water	Wood
Technique	Cosmic				2					0.5		2
	Earth		2			2					0.5			0.5
	Fire	0.5	0.5	0.5				2				2	0.5	2
	Frost	2		0.5				0.5		0.5	2		0.5	2
	Heroic			2			0.5		2	2		0.5
	Lightning	0.5				0.5		2			2		2	0.5
	Metal	2	0.5				2	0.5					0.5
	Normal							0.5
	Shadow	0.5			0.5		2				2
	Sky	2	0.5		2									2
	Venom	0.5						0.5	2			0.5	0.5	2
	Water		2	0.5									0.5	0.5
	Wood	2	0.5									0.5	2	0.5

		Target
		Cosmic	Earth	Fire	Frost	Heroic	Lightning	Metal	Normal	Shadow	Sky	Venom	Water	Wood
Technique	Cosmic					2				0.5		2
	Earth			2			2				0.5			0.5
	Fire		0.5	0.5	0.5			2				2	0.5	2
	Frost		2		0.5			0.5		0.5	2		0.5	2
	Heroic	0.5			2				2	2		0.5
	Lightning		0.5				0.5	2			2		2	0.5
	Metal	2	2	0.5				0.5					0.5
	Normal							0.5
	Shadow	2	0.5			0.5					2
	Sky		2	0.5		2								2
	Venom		0.5					0.5	2			0.5	0.5	2
	Water			2	0.5								0.5	0.5
	Wood		2	0.5								0.5	2	0.5

Icons

	Default12px	Default24px
Aether
Cosmic
Earth
Fire
Frost
Heroic
Lightning
Metal
Normal
Shadow
Sky
Venom
Water
Wood

Physical and Energy Sides to Elements

The element system allows for thematic variation, meaning techniques of the same element may draw from different power sources. For example, two Wood techniques might differ in style—one rooted in physical plant growth, the other in magical nature manipulation.

Below is a breakdown of each element's physical and magical interpretations:

Element	Physical Theme	Magical Theme
Earth	Ground	Rock
Heroic	Martial Arts	Light
Sky	Bird	Wind
Water	Fish	Flowing Water
Frost	Ice	Cold
Cosmic	Energy	Psychic
Wood	Plant	Nature Magic
Normal	Physical Force	Sound
Shadow	Trickery	Shadow Magic / Specter

Note: These themes are conceptual and can guide technique design, monster aesthetics, and elemental lore without affecting core mechanics.

Type Cycles

The elemental system includes strategic relationships between types, organized into cycles that define strengths and weaknesses. These cycles help determine how techniques interact with monsters of different elements.

There are eight type triangles, where type A is strong against type B, type B is strong against type C, and type C is strong against type A. These form closed loops of advantage.

Reciprocal Triangles

Four of these triangles are reciprocal, meaning the reverse direction consistently results in a weakness (x0.5 damage). These cycles are symmetrical and easy to memorize:

Fire → Water → Wood: Each element deals x2 damage to the next. In reverse, each deals x0.5 damage.
Fire → Earth → Wood: Each element deals x2 damage to the next. In reverse, each deals x0.5 damage.
Shadow → Cosmic → Heroic: Each element deals x2 damage to the next. In reverse, each deals x0.5 damage.
Sky → Heroic → Frost: Each element deals x2 damage to the next. In reverse, all interactions are neutral (x1).

These cycles reflect thematic contrasts drawn from each element’s physical and magical sides:

Fire → Water → Wood transitions from destructive flame (Fire) to fluid adaptability (Water) to organic growth (Wood).
Shadow → Cosmic → Heroic contrasts deception and trickery (Shadow) with psychic energy (Cosmic) and radiant martial prowess (Heroic).
Sky → Heroic → Frost blends aerial agility (Bird/Wind), valor (Martial Arts/Light), and elemental chill (Ice/Cold).

Non-Reciprocal Triangles

The remaining four triangles are non-reciprocal: each element deals x2 damage to the next, but the reverse direction does not consistently result in x0.5 damage. These are directional and asymmetrical:

Metal → Earth → Fire
Lightning → Metal → Earth
Lightning → Sky → Earth
Shadow → Sky → Heroic

These cycles emphasize tactical flow rather than mirrored weakness. For example:

Lightning → Metal → Earth reflects the progression from raw energy (Lightning), to forged strength (Metal), to grounded resilience (Earth).
Shadow → Sky → Heroic contrasts illusion and stealth (Shadow), aerial movement (Sky), and disciplined power (Heroic).

Type Squares

There are also three type squares, where four elements form a loop of advantage. Each element deals x2 damage to the next in the sequence:

Venom → Wood → Earth → Fire
Venom → Wood → Water → Fire
Lightning → Sky → Wood → Earth

These squares offer more complex strategic layering. For example:

Venom → Wood → Water → Fire blends toxic disruption (Venom), natural growth (Wood), fluid motion (Water), and destructive force (Fire).
Lightning → Sky → Wood → Earth transitions from raw energy (Lightning), to aerial finesse (Sky), to organic strength (Wood), to grounded defense (Earth).

Note: These cycles do not affect technique composition directly, but they define elemental effectiveness in combat. Combined with the physical vs magical themes of each element, they offer rich tactical and aesthetic diversity.

The Five-Type System

Originally, Tuxemon had five types - Fire, Earth, Metal, Water and Wood, with a "sixth" type (Aether) to represent the absence of a type.

	TXMN ID	Default12px	Default24px	Default32px	Default64px
Aether	0
Wood	1
Fire	2
Earth	3
Metal	4
Water	5

Background

The five types are based on the five-element/five-agent theory of Wu Xing. The doctrine of five phases describes this:

Overcoming Cycle

Wood parts Earth (such as roots; or, Trees can prevent soil erosion)
Earth dams (or muddles or absorbs) Water
Water extinguishes Fire
Fire melts Metal
Metal chops Wood

Generating Cycle

Wood fuels Fire
Fire leaves behind Earth (ash)
Earth produces Metal
Metal fortifies Water (minerals in water)
Water nourishes Wood

Associations

Fire: Includes creatures associated with energy, like electricity, light and heat, dragons and other legendary beings, and poison.
Water: Includes creatures associated with the sea, lakes and swamps, ice and snow, the weather, liquids like blood, and fish and amphibians.
Wood: Includes creatures associated with plants, lichen and fungi, poison and venom, forests, the natural environment, the wind and flying, and the wilderness.
Earth: Includes creatures associated with the ground and underground, dirt and soil, mountains and rocks, caves, and ancient and buried things.
Metal: Includes creatures associated with steel, light and darkness, mechanical and robotic things, psychic powers and other unnatural things, humankind, and the undead.

How it works

An attack is weak against the element that it Generates and strong against the element that it Overcomes.

tech/target	Wood	Earth	Water	Fire	Metal
Wood		2		0.5
Earth			2		0.5
Water	0.5			2
Fire		0.5			2
Metal	2		0.5

Dual types/Pseudo-types

While the game only has five types, the existence of two-type monsters and techniques allows for different vulnerability and resistance profiles. We can therefore represent other "types".

For example, Earth-Fire techniques do half damage to Earth monsters and double damage to Water monsters. Electricity-themed techniques like Electrical Storm can be given the types Earth and Fire, to reflect the idea that water conducts electricity well, but it is earthed when it hits the ground.

Earth-Fire

Earth-Fire ("Lightning") techniques do half damage to Earth monsters and double damage to Water monsters.

Earth-Fire monsters take half damage from Fire techniques and double damage from Water techniques.

Example Earth-Fire monsters:

Example Earth-Fire techniques:

Earth-Water

Earth-Water ("Frost") techniques do half damage to Wood and Metal monsters and double damage to Fire and Water monsters.

Earth-Water monsters take half damage from Fire and Metal techniques and double damage from Wood and Earth techniques.

Example Earth-Water monsters:

Example Earth-Water techniques:

Earth-Wood

Earth-Wood ("Toxin/Fungus") techniques do half damage to Fire and Metal monsters and double damage to Earth and Water monsters.

Earth-Wood monsters take half damage from Fire and Water techniques and double damage from Wood and Metal techniques.

Example Earth-Wood monsters:

Example Earth-Wood techniques:

Fester

Earth-Metal

Earth-Metal ("Vermin") techniques do half damage to Metal monsters and double damage to Wood monsters.

Earth-Metal monsters take half damage from Earth techniques and double damage from Wood techniques.

Example Earth-Metal monsters:

Fire-Water

Fire-Water ("Cosmic") techniques do half damage to Earth and Wood monsters and double damage to Fire and Water monsters.

Fire-Water monsters take half damage from Metal and Wood techniques and double damage from Water and Earth techniques.

Example Fire-Water monsters:

Fire-Wood

Fire-Wood ("Battle") techniques do half damage to Fire monsters and double damage to Metal monsters.

Fire-Wood monsters take half damage from Wood techniques and double damage from Metal techniques.

Example Fire-Wood monsters:

Fire-Metal

Fire-Metal ("Psionic") techniques do half damage to Earth and Water monsters and double damage to Wood and Metal monsters.

Fire-Metal monsters take half damage from Earth techniques and double damage from Fire techniques.

Example Fire-Metal monsters:

Example Earth-Fire techniques:

Water-Wood

Water-Wood techniques do half damage to Wood monsters and double damage to Earth monsters

Water-Wood monsters take half damage from Water techniques and double damage from Earth techniques.

Example Water-Wood monsters:

Water-Metal

Water-Metal ("Darkness") techniques do half damage to Water monsters and double damage to Fire monsters.

Water-Metal monsters take half damage from Metal techniques and double damage from Fire techniques.

Example Water-Metal monsters:

Wood-Metal

Wood-Metal ("Heaven") techniques do half damage to Fire and Water monsters and double damage to Earth and Wood monsters.

Wood-Metal monsters take half damage from Water and Earth techniques and double damage from Metal and Fire techniques.

Example Wood-Metal monsters:

Alternative systems

Other element systems

List

This category uses the form Type.

Pages in category "Type"

The following 14 pages are in this category, out of 14 total.

Category:Type