How can I create a elemental bender, without becoming a full caster?

[metabolicjosh]

So I have been thinking about creating a character that can bend the elements, like in avatar. Are there anyways so get close to this?

[(Un)Inspired]

Do you mean like taming horse-creatures and dragons and stuff? Was that called bending?

[LTwerewolf]

Do you mean like taming horse-creatures and dragons and stuff? Was that called bending?

I assume they're talking about the last airbender, not the one on pandora.

[Trundlebug]

There is a D20 bending system that seemed neat and balanced. On phone or would link.

[Extra Anchovies]

The Kineticist from the upcoming Occult Adventures is exactly what you are looking for. It's Avatar: TLA with a touch of Carrie thrown in. The playtest doc is available for free on Paizo's store.

Other than that, monk of the four winds maybe?

[Forrestfire]

I recommend the Kineticist. It's Avatar: The Last Airbender combined with this, basically:
http://i.imgur.com/cqqlLyP.gif

If I'm remembering correctly, they have something that's basically Eldritch Glaive, but any weapon. Shape a gauntlet or unarmed strike and go to town.

[GreenZ]

The Watersinger (http://www.d20pfsrd.com/races/other-races/featured-races/arg-undine/watersinger) Bard archetype is the most simple and obvious way to create a Waterbender. Use Perform (Dance) and bend that water. You can even turn it to ice. I think they may have had Waterbending in mind when making the archetype.

Monk of the Four Winds (http://www.d20pfsrd.com/classes/core-classes/monk/archetypes/paizo---monk-archetypes/monk-of-the-four-winds) + Qinggong Monk (http://www.d20pfsrd.com/classes/core-classes/monk/archetypes/paizo---monk-archetypes/qinggong-monk) can make a decent Firebender. Fire punches + Scorching Ray shots + Dragon’s breath fire cones = pretty flameo.

[JusticeZero]

Out of curiosity, what is that gif from, Forrest?

[Forrestfire]

A Certain Magical Index or A Certain Scientific Railgun. I'm not sure which. Supposedly pretty decent anime (I read some of the light novels of the former story).

The character in question has electrical powers, and uses them to magnetically accelerate stuff at things. It's neat. The Air Kineticist gets it as an eldritch blast variant, iirc.

[Psyren]

Thirding Kineticist, you picked a good time to want to do this in PF.

[Red Fel]

Disclaimer: I'm still learning PF Psionics.

From what I've read, I agree with others that Psion (Kineticist) is pretty on-target. If you want something more martial in nature, the Martial Kineticist (http://www.d20pfsrd.com/psionics-unleashed/classes/psychic-warrior/archetypes/dreamscarred-press/martial-kineticist) archetype for the Psychic Warrior (http://www.d20pfsrd.com/psionics-unleashed/classes/psychic-warrior) allows you to fire an energy ray by expending your focus, or to manifest ranged touch attack powers as melee touch attacks while maintaining your focus. Another option that I explored previously (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?359631-Unlimited-Fireworks-Help-with-a-PF-Pyrokineticist-Build) was a Soulknife (http://www.d20pfsrd.com/psionics-unleashed/classes/soulknife)/Pyrokineticist (http://www.d20pfsrd.com/psionics-unleashed/psionic-prestige-classes/pyrokineticist).

I also agree that Watersinger (http://www.d20pfsrd.com/races/other-races/featured-races/arg-undine/watersinger) makes for a fantastic Waterbender, right down to bloodbending (the Lifewater ability).

You could also take Eldritch Heritage (http://www.d20pfsrd.com/feats/general-feats/eldritch-heritage) to gain a daily-use Sorcerer bloodline power, if you just want blastiness.

[Psyren]

^ Just to avoid confusion - the Kineticist that Anchovies, Forrestfire and myself are recommending above is the one from the Occult Adventures playtest (http://paizo.com/pathfinderRPG/occultAdventuresPlaytest) going on right now over at the Paizo forums. It has 4 elemental variants with at-will powers and Dex/Con-based casting, for a very "bending" feel.

You could do something like this with the psionic kineticist too but it lacks the same feel since you have to manage resources and such. (The psionic one also deals far more with "cold, electricity and acid" than with "water, air and earth.")

[Terazul]

Disclaimer: I'm still learning PF Psionics.

From what I've read, I agree with others that Psion (Kineticist) is pretty on-target.

...While Psionics is great, they aren't talking about a Psion discipline (as this also explicitly goes against what the OP is asking for). There is straight up a class called Kineticist in this playtest PDF (http://paizo.com/products/btpy9a0i?Pathfinder-Roleplaying-Game-Occult-Adventures-Playtest), that straight up gets bending as its thing, reminiscent of a Warlock. You can even get some of the wackier ones like Blue Flames, Metalbending, Sandbending, Lavabending, (Earthbending is the best) and all sorts of other things via elemental combinations too.

Edit: Dai Li'd!

[Taveena]

Keep in mind that their melee Wild Talents are non-actions made as part of an attack action, and thus you can TWF with them. (Aaaand being Light weapons, you could use DSP's Deadly Agility feat with them for an eventual 10d6+con+dex damage. And with Entangling Infusion and Greater Trip, you can root them to a surface AND trip them for the cost of two AoOs when they enter your threatened area - goddamnit Kineticist is way too much fun.)

[gorfnab]

There is a D20 bending system that seemed neat and balanced. On phone or would link.
Well, there is this one. It seems fairly well balanced. Avatar D20 (http://www.scribd.com/doc/58731271/Avatar-the-Last-Airbender-D20)

[Abd al-Azrad]

If you just want a light investment in this sort of thing, the Combat Style feats (https://sites.google.com/site/pathfinderogc/feats/style-feats) offer you a load of flavourful choices.

Djinni, Efreeti, and Marid style offer you lightning, fire and cold-based special attacks based on your martial arts. Shaitan style is the earth-based variant, but it's more about spewing acid, which is a little far from the Earthbending I remember.

[Red Fel]

^ Just to avoid confusion - the Kineticist that Anchovies, Forrestfire and myself are recommending above is the one from the Occult Adventures playtest (http://paizo.com/pathfinderRPG/occultAdventuresPlaytest) going on right now over at the Paizo forums. It has 4 elemental variants with at-will powers and Dex/Con-based casting, for a very "bending" feel.


...While Psionics is great, they aren't talking about a Psion discipline (as this also explicitly goes against what the OP is asking for). There is straight up a class called Kineticist in this playtest PDF (http://paizo.com/products/btpy9a0i?Pathfinder-Roleplaying-Game-Occult-Adventures-Playtest), that straight up gets bending as its thing, reminiscent of a Warlock. You can even get some of the wackier ones like Blue Flames, Metalbending, Sandbending, Lavabending, (Earthbending is the best) and all sorts of other things via elemental combinations too.

Yeah... See, hence my disclaimer. I dun goofed. Yeah, the Psion is okay, but the one they're describing is a lot better. (I still like the Martial Kineticist PsyWar archetype, but I can't say how it stacks up with the new Kineticist.)

[(Un)Inspired]

I don't remember any of this stuff from the movie with those blue cat people...

[Psyren]

Yeah... See, hence my disclaimer. I dun goofed. Yeah, the Psion is okay, but the one they're describing is a lot better. (I still like the Martial Kineticist PsyWar archetype, but I can't say how it stacks up with the new Kineticist.)

The new one is shaping up to be T4 at the moment. It can dish out lots of damage if you optimize (much like a Barbarian or Slayer) and has a few tricks like flight, but can do little else at the moment. Sadly it lacks the Warlock's crafting acumen, though of course everyone can craft to an extent now.

[Extra Anchovies]

Keep in mind that their melee Wild Talents are non-actions made as part of an attack action, and thus you can TWF with them. (Aaaand being Light weapons, you could use DSP's Deadly Agility feat with them for an eventual 10d6+con+dex damage. And with Entangling Infusion and Greater Trip, you can root them to a surface AND trip them for the cost of two AoOs when they enter your threatened area - goddamnit Kineticist is way too much fun.)

Hm, that's an interesting take on it - now that I think about it, this makes me want to play the Kineticist again. They're not a ranged class, they're a melee character! All that without taking any points of Burn... yes, yes I like.

[Waddacku]

Does Deadly Agility work even when the attack it's applied to doesn't get Str to damage in the first place?


I don't remember any of this stuff from the movie with those blue cat people...

Not too surprising. I expect it's because no one has been talking about it.

[Barbarian Horde]

I know of a Earth bending build you could do.

Requires you to be a warblade X / Deepstone Sentinel x / Druid X

[Taveena]

If you're willing to eat the Burn from Composite Blasts, 20d6 ahahaha.

[metabolicjosh]

Is there anything that is simple, and not too powerful?

[Extra Anchovies]

Is there anything that is simple, and not too powerful?

Kineticist for sure. Select Form Infusions for your 5th and 8th level Infusion Specialization, and you can fire/air/earth/water/lightning/ice punch at-will from level 5 and your melee attacks have reach by level 8. The TWF chain lets you double your attacks, and if you stick to the touch-attack blasts (ice, lightning, or fire) you won't have to-hit problems. Then pick up some other Talents for flight, extraordinary senses, etc. All that without taking a single point of burn, which is a very big plus. You'll be able to pour out a lot of damage, but that's most of what you'll be able to do.

That may sound like a pile of gibberish, but it's actually not a very complex class.

Alternately, if you don't want to learn a new system at all, Monk of the Four Winds + some damage-dealing SLAs acquired via Qinggong can do the trick.

ETA: Just checked the Paizo forums; you can't TWF with Kinetic Blade. There goes about half of my renewed interest in the class (along with half of its potential attacks).

[Taveena]

Damnit, Paizo.

... Miiiind, you can still totally use the blast in one hand and a Conductive weapon in the other. >_> Still a huge letdown.

[Extra Anchovies]

Damnit, Paizo.

... Miiiind, you can still totally use the blast in one hand and a Conductive weapon in the other. >_> Still a huge letdown.

Hm. Interest moderately restored. Is there any way we can get a guaranteed Conductive property on a weapon (e.g. feats/class features that add weapon properties), or do we have to rely on crafting/purchasing? A one-level dip into Occultist for the Transmutation resonant power Legacy Weapon would do it, but that means setting back the Kineticist stuff by one.

ETA: Conductive is only 1/round. Eh.

[Telonius]

Tome of Battle has a couple of good ones. Deepstone Sentinel (as previously mentioned) would be a pretty good Earthbender. Something like a Warlock/Swordsage multiclass (focus on Desert Wind) could probably make a good Firebender.

[Chronos]

A straight swordsage with Desert Wind is already a near-perfect representation of a firebender, and Stone Dragon is a pretty good approximation of earthbending even without other classes. I don't know if Pathfinder included them (or things like them) in Path of War, though, or how permissive your DM is of 3.x material.

[Extra Anchovies]

A straight swordsage with Desert Wind is already a near-perfect representation of a firebender, and Stone Dragon is a pretty good approximation of earthbending even without other classes. I don't know if Pathfinder included them (or things like them) in Path of War, though, or how permissive your DM is of 3.x material.

A 3.P combo of Desert Wind and Solar Wind (which is Desert Wind but with thrown/ranged weapons) would be awesome and I want to try this now.