Level Up (A5E) Brainstorming: Elemental Bending (AtlA-Style)

[xiphumor]

Another question with this kind of thing is which elements to make available. The classical four, obviously, but aether? metal? wood?

 

[Fareed]

I'm not sure how helpful it is, but this is one of the best versions of an AtLA-style bending class. With all the options provided, you can create almost any bender character from AtLA.
{OAP} The Elementalist Class
Additional subclass and options

 

[Faolyn]

Another question with this kind of thing is which elements to make available. The classical four, obviously, but aether? metal? wood?

I'd go with all seven. It might be complicated, but it fits a wide variety of cultures and styles.

Edit: You could simplify it just by saying to choose a damage type (fire, cold, force, magical bludgeoning, whatever) and then having your powers be things like "you use your element to make a strike of whatever type, and it inflicts X damage of the chosen type" rather than have a big description for each element.

 

[xiphumor]

Edit: You could simplify it just by saying to choose a damage type (fire, cold, force, magical bludgeoning, whatever) and then having your powers be things like "you use your element to make a strike of whatever type, and it inflicts X damage of the chosen type" rather than have a big description for each element.

True, but then you don’t really lean into the theme of ATLA all that much. The goal today is not to be as simple as possible.

 

[Faolyn]

True, but then you don’t really lean into the theme of ATLA all that much. The goal today is not to be as simple as possible.

Sure, OK. But, from what little I know of ATLA (got as far as meeting Toph and then just kind of forgot to watch the rest of the show--I've never really been into that genre), each element was very discrete--you didn't get air benders who could use fire. Which means that you're effectively creating four or seven lists of abilities, at four different levels, for a single archetype. Which would take up a lot of room. (Of course, you could just create that many separate archetypes, in the way that pyromancer is an archetype for wizards, with presumably aquamancer, aeromancer, and geo/terramancer still to come.)

It could also be a class, as @VenerableBede already mentioned, with each element being an archetype (and room for non-traditional elements like Death or Heart or whatever, go go Captain Planet). But then the non-archetype parts would have to be distinct enough from the adept to be worth it, even if they use the same exertion and martial arts die. As I said, I don't know enough about the show and each type of bender to know if they have enough stuff.

But also, as @Steampunkette said, this could be a Martial Arts tradition. But perhaps it could also be a series of Techniques instead of an archetype. If your shtick is bending aether, does it matter if you do so by beating the snot out of people (Bruiser), through trained use of weapons (Weapon Master), or through wise philosophy and tea (Tranquil Master)? In this case, the the Techniques could allow for spell use or spell-like abilities that are more utility or defense-oriented, while the Maneuvers could be more damage-oriented abilities.

 

[DeviousQuail]

Bending arts

Bending is the ability to manipulate an element and is significant to many aspects of life in the world. There are five known bending arts; four of them bend a specific physical element while the fifth bends the energy within the human body itself. The only case of any one person being able to...

avatar.fandom.com

One of the best resources when building Avatar stuff.

 

[RangerWickett]

I tinkered for a few hours yesterday, and while I'm far from having a full class yet, I think I've got a workable baseline.

Anima
At first level the Anima picks an anima blast (the base options are air, earth, fire, and water, but you also pick an archetype at first level that might give you a different option). The blast is pretty straightforward, but you learn a variety of techniques -- infusions to enhance attacks, guards that provide defense, and arts that cover the rest of the options.

Some techniques are available to multiple elements, or might be limited to one or two, or might be better with some elements than others. Like, fire can't be used to shove the water the other elements can, but fire can easily do ongoing damage (air and earth cannot, while water can if you've learned to create ice blasts). Earth is great at barriers that stay on their own, while other elements require your concentration if you want to keep up a wall.

At first, you have to spend a bonus action to 'harness energy' which prepares one of your techniques. But you also get a combat poise, which offers a way for you to freely harness energy without spending a bonus action. One poise rewards you if you stay in one place and 'draw upon the root,' while another rewards if you're constantly in motion, 'gathering from the flow.'

At higher levels there are more techniques, more poises, and the ability to learn advanced techniques (like blood puppeting, astral projection, controlling metal or lava, and yes, learning additional elements.) Plus all sorts of other neat stuff I haven't worked out yet.

The archetypes I'm planning are Ardent, Elemental Warrior, and Exalten. The ardent can use their body and spirit to fuel masterful displays of power (think elemental wizard, more like Avatar Roku). The elemental warrior joins the thick of the fight, weaving together channeling and martial arts (this is more like Avatar Korra). The exalten turns the environment around them into a reflection of their will and emotions, and are talented at creating a favorable battleground for their allies (which doesn't really have an analog in the cartoons, but I wanted a controller, a striker, and a leader).

Now I need to spend a lot of time filling out the specifics and making the class choice options fun.

 

[Micah Sweet]

There a 3pp product on DMGuild or Drive-thru (not sure which, and can't look it up at the moment), called the Last of the Lacers, which is an  excellent, well playtested, 5e take on the AtLA universe, with the serial numbers filed off of course.