Avatar: The Last Airbender - Bending styles as classes?

[Engilbrand]

Has anyone looked at the Swordsage preview? It looks like that class is going to be full of useful things. You should even be able to extrapolate out even more abilities based on what's given.
I'd also recommend looking at the Genasi races for each type of bender. Just reflavor them so that they look human. All that you really want are the powers.

 

[Athildur]

I'd go so far as to say bender isn't just a class.
Benders are unique. You can't learn to bend if you don't have the ability to in the first place.

In that respect, bender could be a template, with or without any modifiers, that allows the user to replace a number of powers at certain levels for bending powers. (I thought for a split second about races, but that'd complicate things needlessly since you'd need some form of bender for every race out there, since 'bender' is just an addition to your race)
Although, somehow I think some kind of penalty should be included for this to be fair. Strictly spoken, without looking at game balance, bending is just something people can do aside from whatever else they can do.
However, if a character spends much time learning to bend (which you can assume a bender does), this should be reflected in the rules.

It could be a reduction in skills, feats, or limitations on powers gained or the acquisition of class features (and by 'limitations' I mostly mean that a character's level would count as less for purposes of acquiring powers and/or class features for their classes. Effectively, they learn the traits of their classes slower as they have to spend time and energy and experience learning to become a powerful bender).

Even though it's now not a class, there's still the option of creating Paragon Paths and possibly Epic Destinies for benders, such as a Lightning Bender (for those already skilled in fire bending) and Blood Bender (for those skilled in water bending) and perhaps Metal Bender (for those skilled in earth bending). Or you can just take paragon paths from your normal class rather than develop your bender abilities with added features.

I also don't think it would do the benders much justice to copy paste mechanics and powers to create them. Honestly, if you want to play an Avatar game, spellcasters aren't going to be present, for one. Bending is unique in that it technically doesn't have any predefined powers or moves. Predefined powers and moves can be made if no proper or balanced alternatives can be found, but using power acquisition such as normal classes do is strange, at the very least. It would be strange to find earth benders that could shove a building aside like it was nothing, yet wouldn't be able to send some earth spikes in the enemy's direction. (This goes against what I said of bender templates and power acquisition and such, but I'm just spouting the ideas that popped into my head as I read the posts in the topic and such...)

But that's my view on things.

 

[shinobi_guyver]

Having "Bender" be a template doesn't make sense to me, Athildur. Going by what you said, Psionics (in 3E and when released in 4E) would also require the user to have an "innate spark," as well as Wizards.

For storytelling purposes, it does make sense but not mechanics-wise to me. I had a DM that required all his players write a backstory for their characters before they could play a certain character, a habit that has stuck with me. As a generalization, you could say that all characters have the ability to learn to use magic, master Psionics, and bend elements. All that is needed is the proper stimulus, such as apprenticing under a mage (for wizards), grow up in a Psionic Monastary (Psions), or descend from a long line of benders (Bending).

I feel that Bending should be similar to the Warlock class.

When you take the Warlock class you have to choose a Pact (Infernal, Fey, or Star) that determines what special abilities you get and whether or not you gain an additional effect from powers.

Each element could be like a Pact, in which a character's background/home region helps to determine the chosen element. This is good for Roleplaying.

Also, the elements can have different roles like the classes do.

Air = Mobility/Defense
Earth = Defense/Offense
Fire = Offense
Water = Healing/Offense
​

This can allow for a group of PCs to all be Benders and still fulfill different functions in the group.



I may have repeated some of the stuff people have posted before me, but that generally means it is a good idea.

When I have time, I might work out some details for the method I described above.

 

[shinobi_guyver]

After going through the DMG, I can see how a template could work, Athildur.

Especially after seeing the "Frost Adept" and "Scion of Flame" templates, it could be easily done.

Frost Adept Elite Controller
Humanoid or magical beast (elemental) XP Elite
Defenses +2 AC; +2 Fortitude
Resist 5 cold at 1st level, 10 cold at 11th level, 15 cold at
21st level
Saving Throws +2
Action Point 1
Hit Points +8 per level + Constitution score
Powers
Body of Ice
Any creature that hits the frost adept with a melee attack
is slowed until the end of that creature’s next turn.
Ice Master
The frost adept can convert any attack power it has to
cold. Change a power’s energy keyword to cold, or add
cold energy to an attack power that doesn’t normally deal
energy damage.

Scion of Flame Elite Controller
Humanoid or magical beast (elemental) XP Elite
Defenses +1 AC; +2 Fortitude, +2 Reflex
Resist 5 fire at 1st level, 10 fire at 11th level, 15 fire at 21st
level
Saving Throws +2
Action Point 1
Hit Points +8 per level + Constitution score
Powers
Body of Flame
Any creature that hits the scion of flame with a melee
attack takes fire damage equal to 2 + one-half the scion’s
level.
Fire Master
The scion of flame can convert any attack power it has
to fire. Change a power’s energy keyword to fire, or add
fire energy to an attack power that doesn’t normally deal
energy damage.

To tone it down, and make it easier to use without overpowering characters, removing the Action Point and HP bonuses should do it. An Earthbender (and Airbender) version are below.

Earthbender
Humanoid
Defenses +2 AC; +2 Fortitude
Resist 5 earth at 1st level, 10 earth at 11th level, 15 earth at
21st level
Saving Throws +2
Powers
Body of Earth
Any creature that hits the Earthbender with a melee attack
is restrained until the end of that creature’s next turn.
Ice Master
The Earthbender can convert any attack power it has to
earth. Change a power’s energy keyword to earth, or add
earth energy to an attack power that doesn’t normally deal
energy damage.

Airbender
Humanoid
Defenses +1 AC, +2 AC vs Ranged; +2 Reflex, +2 Will
Resist 5 wind at 1st level, 10 wind at 11th level, 15 wind at
21st level
Saving Throws +2
Powers
Body of Air
Any creature that hits the Air with a melee attack
is dazed until the end of that creature’s next turn.
Air Master
The Airbender can convert any attack power it has to
air. Change a power’s energy keyword to air, or add
air energy to an attack power that doesn’t normally deal
energy damage.

 

[Hawke]

I think that for a homebrew a template or special-multiclassing-rules works best. I like those templates.

If I were put in charge of writing an official sourcebook (even if it was just elemental rather than Avatar) I'd go with the fully fleshed out classes with one role per element perhaps.

 

[Primitive Screwhead]

Given the range of abilities displayed on the show, either full blown classes or paragon classes would be best to emulate the show.

A template would be a quick fix but could only provide the feel of the show, not the details.

 

[Hawke]

There's talk about them continuing the show but looking at a different avatar maybe after Aang... If this is the case I'm hoping we'll get a different perspective and get some good ideas. I wonder how much the PHB with the elemental characters will really pull from the avatar ideas instead of just being super-element-themed wizards.

 

[Dodavehu]

I like the idea of full blown classes better, especially if you are replicating the setting (if adding benders to an existing campaign, templates would work fine).

I think that splitting elemental into four separate sources would be best. Then you could create classes as appropriate.

Your class line up could look something like this:

Air
Controller
Striker

Earth
Defender
Leader (?)

Water
Leader
Controller

Fire
Striker

Martial
Defender
Leader

I can argue all of these save the Earth leader--but that one makes the most sense balance-wise.
--

 

[Xeviat]

Air
Controller
Striker

Earth
Defender
Leader (?)

Water
Leader
Controller

Fire
Striker

Martial
Defender
Leader

This is almost exactly what I was going to suggest; I've been thinking about this in a non-Avatar fashion. As for Earth, Earth would be Defender/sub-controller (difficult terrain, holding people in place). Fire would also be sub-controller.

Now, the show doesn't opperate under strict rules of what people can and cannot do with their powers; it's more free form. Thus I don't feel the 4E power structure would work best for it; something more like the Mutants and Masterminds system would work best (power stunts to do random tricks, alternate power feats to refine one's regular techniques).

As for the Martial characters, I'd just leave the 4 PHB martial classes alone and then introduce the 4 bending classes.

 

[Minigiant]

Well if you look at the show, benders are clearly tiered.

"I'm a bender!" benders (no real combat bending NPC)
Basic Soldier Benders (blast at-will Minions and templated soldier NPCs)
Benders with names (bending class)
Main characters (bending class plus paragon path)
Avatar (epic bender)

I'd go for 1 class per element and paragon paths for the unique stuff (water healing, lightning bending, metal bending, plant bending)