[World] The World of the Avatar

[Holocron Coder]

Now, I know not everyone is interested in this sort of deal, but I hoped enough would that they could help me create this world and make it balanced :)

First off, I would like to create the 4 bending classes. I particularly want each one separate because I believe that they are different enough that they shouldn't be contained all in one class. Also, I want things to follow the Avatar setup a bit more than they would a normal d20. So, even if it doesn't make sense that a firebender's number of techniques per day bases off his constitution according to DnD, it makes sense in the Avatar's world (General Ihro mentioning that a firebender's power comes from his breath, not his fists)

With that said, I have a few basic ideas so far...

Airbender- monk-style class. Possibly have the wisdom ac bonus, etc. Not as heavy into casting, but probably more so than a paladin. good BAB, good reflex
Waterbender- caster-style class. Some healing powers, needs access to water all times. bad BAB, good will
Earthbender- melee class: defense. no healing powers, but a good bit built into defensive maneuvering. excellent BAB, good fort. low 'magic'
Firebender- melee class: offense. very limited magic, most of it built into 'fiery' weapons. excellent BAB, not sure on saves

I was hoping to do some sort of point-based casting system, similar to psionics, but completely built on its own here (seeing as most of the spells will be built from scratch or modified from original versions).

Once the 4 classes are out of the way, we (whoever is in on this) can start on some feats, possibly 'racial' races (ie water tribe, air nomads, etc, as different 'variant humans').

An 'Avatar' PrC will come later on, as will 'Master ___bender' classes, once we have a basis.

Hope we get some people in on this :) I'll start putting together some ideas of the classes....

[Holocron Coder]

Airbender

Table 1-1: The Airbender
{table]
LevelBase Attack BonusFortRefWillSpecial
10020AC Bonus(+0), Friendly Currents, Unarmed Strike
21030
32131Movement of the Wind
43141
53141AC Bonus(+1)
64252Updraft
75252Lesser Air Shield
86/1262
97/2363Cushioned Fall
107/2373AC Bonus(+2)
118/3373
129/4484
1310/5484
1410/5494Greater Air Shield
1511/6/1595Flight, AC Bonus(+3)
1612/7/25105
1713/8/35105
1813/8/36116
1914/9/46116
2015/10/56126AC Bonus(+4)
[/table]
Table 1-2: Medium Airbender Unarmed Damage
{table]
LevelsUnarmed Strike Damage
1-31d8
4-72d6
8-112d8
12-153d6
16-193d8
204d8
[/table]
Table 1-3: Airbender's Movement of the Wind
{table]
LevelsUnarmored Speed Bonus
3-5+10 ft.
6-8+20 ft.
9-11+30 ft.
12-14+40 ft.
15-17+50 ft.
18-20+60 ft.
[/table]

Game Rule Information
Airbenders have the following game statistics
Abilities: Wisdom is important to an airbender's class abilities as well as their ability to airbender. Dexterity is important for a good defense as well as some airbender abilities. A good Strength score can help an airbender with damage.
Alignment: Lawful Neutral, True Neutral, Chaotic Neutral, Neutral Good, Neutral Evil
Hit Die: d8

Class Skills
The airbender's class skills (and the key ability for each skill) are Balance (Dex), Climb (Str), Concentration (Con), Craft (Int), Diplomacy (Cha), Escape Artist (Dex), Jump (Str), Knowledge (all skills taken individually) (Int), Listen (Wis), Sense Motive (Cha), Spot (Wis), and Tumble (Dex)
Skill Points at 1st level: (4 + Int modifier) x 4
Skill Points at Each Additional Level: 4 + Int modifier

Class Featues
All of the following are class features of the airbender.
Weapon and Armor Proficiency: Airbenders live the life the ascetic, training in meditative forms with certain peasant weapons and a few martial weapons, including club, dagger, handaxe, kama, kukri, nunchaku, quarterstaff, sai, shuriken, siangham, sling, and spear. (See Players Handbook, Chapter 7: Equipment for descriptions of these weapons.) Airbenders are not proficient in the use of any armor or shield. In fact, several class abilities depend on the airbender to not be wearing any armor or shield, and to be carrying at most a light load.
AC Bonus: An airbender trains from a young age to dodge attacks and sense air currents coming from attacks. When unarmored and unencumbered, an airbender may add his Wisdom bonus (if any) to her AC. This armor bonus increases by 1 for every 5 levels after (+1 at 5th, +2 at 10th, +3 at 15th, and +4 at 20th).
This bonus applies even against touch attacks or when the airbender is flat-footed. She loses this bonus if she is immobilized or helpess, when she wears any armor, when she carries a shield, or when she is carrying a medium or heavy load.
Friendly Currents: All airbenders learn, at a young age, to manipulate streams of wind in many different ways. At will, an airbender may use her airbending to do minor acts, such as with a Prestidigitation spell restricted to air movement. This may not be used to attack or otherwise directly harm anyone, as the breeze created is not strong enough to affect even the weakest creatures.
Unarmed Strike: Airbenders are highly trained in fighting unarmed, giving them considerably advantages when doing so. At 1st level, an airbender gains Improved Unarmed Strike as a bonus feat. A monk's attacks may be with either fist interchangeably or even from elbows, knees, and feet. This means that an airbender may even make unarmed strikes with her hands full. There is no such thing as an off-hand attack for an airbender striking unarmed. An airbender may thus apply her full Strength bonus on damage rolls for all her unarmed strikes.
Usually an airbender's unarmed strikes deal lethal damage, but she can choose to deal nonlethal damage isntead with no penalty on her attack roll. She has the same choise to deal lethal or nonlethal damage while grappling.
An airbender's unarmed strike is treated both as a manufactured weapon and a natural weapon for the purpose of spells and effects that engance or improve either manufactured weapons or natural weapons.
An airbender also deals more damage with her unarmed strikes than a normal person would, as shown in Table 1-2: Medium Airbender's Unarmed Damage.
Movement of the Wind: As an airbender becomes stronger, she develops the ability to use her airbending skills to push herself faster along the ground, increasing her speed. At level 3, an airbender gains an enhancement bonus to her speed, as shown on Table 1-3: Airbender's Movement of the Wind. This bonus is lost if the airbender is wearing any armor or is carrying a medium or heavy load.
Updraft: As her skill increases, an airbender learns to boost her speed in directions other than across the ground. At level 6, an airbender is able to use her bending skills to give herself a great boost to jumping. An airbender's Jump skill check is no longer restricted by height and she also gains a +5 enhancement bonus on her skill check. This bonus is lost if the airbender is wearing any armor or is carrying a medium or heavy load.
Lesser Air Shield: Airbenders focus heavily on defense. It comes as no surprise, then, that their bending is often used as a shield, of sorts. As often as her airbender level divided by 2, an airbender may use her bending to deflect incoming projectiles for a number of rounds equal to 1 + her Wisdom modifier, minimum 1 round. All light projectiles are deflected. Such weapons as cannons, catapults, and ballista are not deflected.
Cushioned Fall: An airbender learns, over time, to further boost her skills with her airbending skills. At 9th level, an airbender may cast Feather fall, as the spell, on herself with a caster level of half her airbender level. This is cast as a swift action at will. At 12th level and every 3 levels after, an airbender may extend this rush of saving wind to an additional ally within 15 feet of herself. An airbender loses the ability to use this skill while wearing any armor or carrying a medium or heavy laod.
Greater Air Shield: As she gains experience, an airbender's defensive bending becomes even stronger. Up to her airbender level divided by 5 per day, an airbender may surround herself completely with a shield of near-tornadic air. Anyone in the squares surrounding the airbender is pushed back 10 ft and knocked prone. The airbender is completely protected from small projectiles and gains a +4 deflection bonus to her AC. This ability lasts for a number of rounds equal to 1 + the airbender's Wisdom modifier, minimum 1 round.
Flight: Some airbenders learn to use their bending skills to an even more extreme advantage. If an airbender uses any item capable of gliding, she may use this to fly instead. She gains flight at her normal movement speed with average maneuverability. While flying, an airbender may not use her hand or feet for any purpose. Taking off and landing are both full-round actions, although landing may be used as a unarmed charge or bullrush attempt. Doing so provides a +2 circumstance bonus to such checks for that round. An airbender loses the ability to use this skill while wearing any armor or carrying a medium or heavy laod.

[Holocron Coder]

Earthbender

{table]
LevelBase Attack
BonusFortRefWillSpecial
11200
22300
33311
44411
55411
66/1522
77/2522
88/3622
99/4633
1010/5733
1111/6/1733
1212/7/2844
1313/8/3844
1414/9/4944
1515/10/5955
1616/11/6/11055
1717/12/7/21055
1818/13/8/31166
1919/14/9/41166
2020/15/10/51266
[/table]

[Holocron Coder]

Firebender

{table]
LevelBase Attack
BonusFortRefWillSpecial
11
22
33
44
55
66/1
77/2
88/3
99/4
1010/5
1111/6/1
1212/7/2
1313/8/3
1414/9/4
1515/10/5
1616/11/6/1
1717/12/7/2
1818/13/8/3
1919/14/9/4
2020/15/10/5
[/table]

[Holocron Coder]

Waterbender

{table]
LevelBase Attack
BonusFortRefWillSpecial
10002
21003
31113
42114
52114
63225
73225
84226
94336
105337
115337
126/1448
136/1448
147/2449
157/2559
168/35510
178/35510
189/46611
199/46611
2010/56612
[/table]

[Holocron Coder]

Spells / Feats

[Holocron Coder]

Prestige Classes

[Void]

I dont think you can split them in classes. If you do I think you have to make them just variants of the same class.

In the world of the Avatar each bender type is based on a specific type of martial arts. And each bender is an able martial artiest.

Air - Bogwa(circle fighting)
Earth - Hungar(tiger & crane style)
Fire - Northern Sholin
Water - Ti Chi

As each bender can only manipulate elements you can not really give them spells that do stuff that cause illusions or alter peoples thoughts and what not. So you must either design each individual power or some how restrict the ones already designed to there class.

You of course can make prestige classes that would increase BAB of the bender and possibly limit there ability to bend. Showing a bender focus on martial skills and less of the spiritual side, however I do not feel you can increase bending with out focusing on the martial art. Thus I think the base BAB has to be medium like monk.

Perhaps use the d20 Variants (http://www.d20srd.org/srd/variant/classes/variantCharacterClasses.htm#monkVariantFightingSty les) for Monk and augment them with bending ability per said element so they are balanced.

Air - Denying Stance
Earth - Overwhelming Attack
Fire - Cobra Strike
Water - Passive Way

Or something of the like. I also think they should be Wisdom based as bending is spiritual. Thus at least good will saves if not fort and possibly reflex as they are focused on mind and body.

Personally I think it is far more important to stay true to the world design then to build them based on the concept of other arcane casters.

Regards,

Void

[Holocron Coder]

I agree on many of your points :) Though, perhaps I wasn't completely clear about the 'caster' reference I make...

No, the bending classes will NOT have illusions, teleportations, etc. All those spells go out the window. The only 'magic' will be of the 4 elements, with the occasional 'speak with spirits' type of spell, which will probably be Avatar-only.

Yes, they can all be variants of the same class or PrCs in that regard, but that ends up with a person playing a avatar d20 choosing between really two classes, a fighter or a bender, and then choosing an element. The bending classes, imho, should be unique enough on their own to make people want to play them and not just be 'i wanna throw FIRE'. play for the class, not the element.

Of course constructive criticism and alternate views are still welcome :)

[Holocron Coder]

Update.

I'd really appreciate some help with creating this world. Even if you have no interest in the avatar world or show yourself, I'd still appreciate a comment or suggestion, especially pertaining to balancing a class.

In hopes that someone replies, I have an idea or two to add to the airbender class:
Some wind attack that may be used to add damage to each swing / strike. Progress by level (like 1d6 base at 2nd level + 1d6 per 4 levels?)
Some way to knock opponents back and prone, at some level
One or two higher level skills to really destroy things. Such as hurricane/tornado force winds at 18th level
A 'class capper'. Some skill at 20th level to show the epitome of the class. No 'becoming half elemental' things.

Any ideas or suggestions? :)

[Randomman413]

Maybe give the airbenders the ability to make ranged trip and eventually bullrush attacks.
The firebenders could have soemthin like eldricth blast, but with fire and only through melee damage, unless they take a feat to give them the ability to project it outward (like the guards and the more skilled firebenders do).
Waterbenders...a number of dice equal to their level to use in healing each day, with the type of die starting at D4, and increasing by one step every 4 levels (D6, D8, D10, D12).
Earthbenders...hmm...eldritch blast, limited to the ground, no more than 10 feet up in the air, damage identical to the warlock ability, but with whatever their main stat is as a bonus. Give the classes bending bonus feats every so many levels, and make a list of feats that grant new bending abilities. For example, the earth and air benders could take a movement feat, that grants them the ability to bend a form of transportation x/times per day and grant...say..+20ft movement speed. Other examples would be the fire cone and water whip.
That's all I've got for now.
*YAWN* Time for sleep.

[cokefiend]

I think this is a brilliant idea, but it really does require a drastic reworking of the d20 system. You've perhaps rushed in a little too quickly, since you should probably decide on the mechanics before you start the classes themselves.

Your two main options would probably be to either base benders off the warlock, as suggested above, or to use a d20 Modern style system, with classes progressing from Base -> Advanced -> Prestige.
Either way, I think benders should all be variants of the same class.
Which raises another possibility, that benders could be like clerics without normal spellcasting but unlimited domain spells, and each element can have a number of domains.
For example: Water benders could have access to a Healing style domain, an Ice domain, a Moon domain and so on. Earth could have Sand, Rock etc. Perhaps limit them to one domain at the start and allow extra domains via feats or prestige classes. The granted powers of the domains could be expanded to allow for great variety between benders even of the same element in terms of skill choice, or even armour and weapon proficiency.

Weigh up the pros and cons of each method and go with what you think works best. The d20 Modern system would require more effort, but probably suits the style of the world more.

With regards to non-benders, there is probably still a lot of potential besides just fighters and rogues.
I can see rangers or a druid variant being a lot of fun considering all the hybrid creatures and magical beasties that show up. Spirit touched people who aren't actual benders are also possible, like the Water Princess whose name I forget (and probably couldn't spell properly anyway).

Hope that helps.