Boat Campaign 3.5e

[Tuki Tuki]

I'm playing campaign where we are on a boat and I was really considering a water bending class based on the water benders from Avatar: the last bender. The only way I see that I can do this is if i go into elemental savant in Complete Arcane and do all the substitutions to water. I was wondering if there was anyway that I could control the water around me like a water bending that isn't homebrew.

[ArcturusV]

Druid would probably be the way to go in general. A lot of it's nature manipulating powers. Control Water is a spell on their list. I wouldn't go for arcane casting because the Water Bender ideal is not that they create water out of nothing (Like a Wizard would), but that they manipulate water as it already exists to do something (Which clerics and druids can do typically, but not until level 7).

It's a hard concept that doesn't necessarily exist in DnD until higher level. But I'd suggest Druid as the way to go. As you get higher in level it would be possible to pull off that type more. Turning into a Water Elemental as some of the close defense water bending styles. Control water, sure. Might ask your DM if you can slightly alter some of the spells. Like instead of Magic Stones being rocks that deal damage, you can have it as beads of water you freeze and chuck at the enemy (Say a Waterskin provides enough for 4 ice bullets when full).

It'd require a lot of working with your DM no matter what you do. But I do think the druid chassis is the right basis to start with.

[Tuki Tuki]

I'm actually looking at a druid like class in complete divine pg.11 called shugenja. So far its like a druid but it focuses on a certain element when choosing spells.

[ArcturusV]

Shugenjas are okay. But the Water Shugenja doesn't necessarily fit the Water bender ideal. Instead it tends to focus on the concept that "Water = Defensive and healing". So you end up feeling more like a Healbot Cleric than a Water bender who can lay the smack down on people. Least in my experience.

[Arcanist]

I'm actually looking at a druid like class in complete divine pg.11 called shugenja. So far its like a druid but it focuses on a certain element when choosing spells.

I like refluffing things to meet my demands... Fireball instead becomes a ball of steam.

[Tuki Tuki]

Yep, I'm reading it like that :smallconfused:
I'm wondering if I should make druid/elemental sevant and focus on water spells.
I might just roleplay like a water bender and not worry so much about the actual accuracy of the class.

[Tuki Tuki]

I like refluffing things to meet my demands... Fireball instead becomes a ball of steam.

Yes but thats all DM discretion. I don't know if he will allow that.

[Arcanist]

Yes but thats all DM discretion. I don't know if he will allow that.

It's fluff, it doesn't change anything towards the game so there isn't really much of a problem with it :smallconfused:

[ArcturusV]

Well, it matters because it often gets used to backdoor stuff.

So a guy might just say "oh, it's fluff".

Then he uses his "Steamball" on an enemy. And if it was a normal fireball you'd go, "Well all his items need to make a saving throw, and those flasks of Alchemist Fire/Acid might burst, and that Wand of X might Final Strike..." etc.

Then the guy who cast the Steamball goes "But it's just steam, why would that destroy a wand?!" Because they want the loot. And it's not like they don't have a basis for arguing it, as different damage types impact items in different ways.

I mean as much as we say "It's just fluff", almost all mechanics in DnD are based off Fluff, and thus changing fluff changes mechanics.

[Tuki Tuki]

Yeah, thats the only problem I have with fluff. Anyways my DM is going to let me use the water bending class from the avatar tabletop d20 thing.

[Seharvepernfan]

Yes but thats all DM discretion. I don't know if he will allow that.

They already can; DMG pg 93 bottom left paragraph.