Avatar: The Last Airbender - Bending styles as classes?

[Cwheeler]

And just as a spear can be used to deflect attacks so can magic missiles, basically allow players to describe how they use "any" of there powers defensively.

Well explained, Garth!

If you really want the benders to be role independent, then make it a Multi-class like spelled scarred, so that you can have whatever role you feel you need and then tag on the bender powers.

Otherwise it goes against some major tenets in class design from what I can gather from the way Wizards wants to balance the game. Cause you can have let's say Firebender that could almost be all 4 roles, what's the point of the other classes?

The idea isn't to have each character covering all roles, but for each class to allow for benders of different roles to be made.

Perhaps rather than trying to make each bending role work as a single class with variable options, we should construct a separate class writeup for each option, and allow the player to choose from the appropriate bending list (with warlock-esque modifications to powers, as hobbit was suggesting.)

If you really want the benders to be role independent, then make it a Multi-class like spelled scarred, so that you can have whatever role you feel you need and then tag on the bender powers.

The multiclass system is too limited in scope and flavor, and, while it is good for specializations in a character (such as the chain fighter), it would not capture the feel of bending. It takes just as much training and dedication to become a master bender as it does a master swordsman.

Martial source has quite a few classes that could work well in it,

Well, I definitely agree with you there .



A few extra ideas that might work:

• Rather than using power-source - 'elemental', use the different elements as the different power sources.
  
• Allow Shamans to be played, if a player wishes (or if you are running a spirit-based campaign
  
• Use the Ki-Focus rules for benders.

 

[hobbitguy1420]

And just as a spear can be used to deflect attacks so can magic missiles, basically allow players to describe how they use "any" of there powers defensively.

Er... either I'm not quite following what your intent is, you're not quite following what my intent is, or both. How do *you* mean to allow people access to defensive powers?

What I'd meant was to have specific powers written for defense, for example:

Balletic Avoidance: Airbender Defense ?
Borrowing the wind's swiftness, you dart out of the way of an attack, using speed to avoid what others would have to take
Encounter • Air
Immediate defense
Trigger: An enemy targets you with an attack normally resisted via Fortitude or Will
Effect: You resist the attack with Reflex instead. Until the end of your next turn, you gain a +1 to Reflex.
Quickstrike Monk style: After the attack is resolved, you may shift one square as a free action.
Hurricane Eye style: In addition to the bonus to Reflex, you gain a +1 to AC until the end of your next turn.

or

Invigorating Block: Earthbender (Granite Bulwark style) defense ?
You stand your ground against the enemy's strike, opening yourself to damage but relishing the rush as the effects slough off you like so much rubble.
Immediate defense
Daily • Earth, Healing
Trigger: You are targeted by an attack vs. Fortitude.
Effect: You take a -2 to your Fortitude defense for this attack. If you successfully defend, you may spend a healing surge, gaining extra HP equal to your Constitution modifier.
Failed defense: You may spend a Healing Surge to reduce the amount of damage taken in the attack by an amount equal to your Constitution modifier. If the attack inflicts a negative status effect that a save may end, you can instead choose to forgo this resistance in order to make an immediate saving throw against the effect at -1.

or

Push and pull: Waterbender (Rushing Tides style) Defense ?
You absorb the energy of the enemy's attack, instantly swinging around and using it against him.
Immediate Defense
Encounter • Water
Trigger: You are targeted by an attack
Target: The enemy which attacks you
Effect: Once the enemy's attack is resolved, you may immediately make a melee basic attack against that enemy as a free action.

Or

Inciting Ember Stance: Firebender Defense ?
You stagger back, leaving yourself open to the enemy's strike - and placing him in just the position you'd planned for your followup.
Immediate defense
Encounter • Fire
Trigger: You are targeted by an attack
Target: The enemy which attacks you
Effect: You take a -2 penalty to the defense targeted by the attack. The enemy grants you combat advantage until the end of your next turn.


Other thoughts and notes:

Magic items should probably be rare, if they exist. I would use the rules in the DMG 2 for a low-to-no magic item game.

Likewise, as most Avatar combatants appear to be unarmored or lightly armored, classes should include a level-based AC bonus (that doesn't stack with armor), and relatively few Bender classes should be proficient in standard armor. I'd limit Bender-classes' weapon proficiency, but grant each class an at-will melee attack, ranged attack, or one of each that can be used as a basic attack, and/or improve the bending classes' unarmed attack so that it's roughly equivalent to a weapon attack from another class.

I'd be open to the thought of having 16 classes (four or so for each element, counting each element as a power source rather than a distinct class), but I'd say there should still be power selections available to all benders from a particular element, indicating the foundations of that element's bending arts. After all, Iroh said the basics *are* the greatest weapons, right? Perhaps one or two of each type at the appropriate levels, to supplement the standard class layout.

 

[hobbitguy1420]

<cricket>

 

[Primitive Screwhead]

hobbitguy1420, I like the ideas you have, but I think the cleanest way to incorperate a bending campaign would be to use multi-class only classes, one for each element, and a couple of paragon/epic paths related to each element.

The powers in the classes would lean towards stances and a bender would be a bit more powerful than a 'normal' multi-class. Much as benders are more powerful than non-benders in the storyline.

I think the ideas above could be implemented in this kind of setup, and using multi-class would allow a group to be made from the same bending style.

 

[Zaphling]

Well, I also had the idea of making this Avatar class (don't we all?).
My idea was the class' role would be Controller using Wisdom as primary attribute.
Fire and Earth benders would have Strength as secondaries.
Air and Water will have Dexterity.
But I do believe that Earth will do better with Constitution since Earthbenders will be Defenders as second roles most likely.
Leader, yes, Waterbenders.
Strikers will be Air and Fire as what others in this thread strongly agree upon.

but if you think about it, just because Saka's sister (was it Kitiara?) healed Aang using the north pole healing water can vie her for the leader role. It doesn't justify at all. We can see her whipping her enemie's butts most of the time and not buffing or debuffing people.

If possible (trust me, I'm having a hard time imagining this too) maybe Waterbenders, using dex as secondary attribute, can be a defender too in their own way.

Like this:
Firebenders str striker
Earthbenders str defender
Airbender dex striker
Waterbender dex defender

 

[knightofround]

Okay, so I haven't read the books at all, but after seeing the movie I would be against pigeonholing benders to a specific role. In the movie I saw airbending used as controller, defender, and striker. Waterbending as striker and defender (not really leader). Earth was used as defender and striker. Fire was used as striker and controller. In short, benders do not really fit into the 4E leader/striker/defender/controller structure. The only thing they do have in common is the striker element.

Multiclass feats might also work, I'd just bend the rules (no pun intended) so you can only select non-[W] powers of matching element from any class out there. But this approach would be somewhat unsatisfying because the base class has such a heavy influence in 4E, particularly the at-will powers.

Thankfully, in 4E we a perfect place for flavored strikers: Warlocks. After all, in the PHB it says: You gain your magical power from a pact you forge with a powerful, supernatural force or an unnamed entity. Bender "spirits" would certainly classify, although you might substitute "arcane" for "primal".

So if I were to go about putting benders into 4E, I'd make each of them Warlock pacts. Earth would be striker flavored with defender, Water would be striker flavored with leader, Air would be striker flavored with controller, and Fire would be the striker specialist. Of course each pact would have some powers that fill other roles though.

Then all you'd have to do is reflavor the eldritch blast to something more appropiate, generate the four pact boons, yoink [Fire/Air/Earth/Water] powers from already existing classes, and you'd be good to go. The only thing you'd need to wave away are the necessity of elements being present in order to use them, and the lack of military weapon/armor proficiency...but those can always be explained away by boon/feat/multiclass.

The only downside is that if you wanted to run an all-bender campaign, you couldn't play D&D very well with four strikers, no matter how flavored. But I think that's going to be the only thing that will work easily within the 4E structure, unless you want to create 4 elements x 4 roles = 16 new classes. Or make 4 classes and pigeonhole each element to a role. The pdf linked above is a great example of that, and the four classes are well statted out...but they don't capture the "feel" of bending very well. Running a all-bender 4E campaign just doesn't work because benders are not specialized enough, especially the lack of "leader" role. If you don't want to compromise you'd be better off looking for a different system, or making your own.

 

[Primitive Screwhead]

An all striker party can work...its just a different dynamic and a change to how the encounters need to be built. I would like to see a write up of warlock pacts!

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