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Eighth_Seraph
2008-11-27, 01:14 AM
That's right, folks, an official version is now up! Let's be clear, though. I do not plan to resurrect the Avatar project (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?t=67493). I do however, plan to fix up each of the classes as I see fit, as the largeness of the project eventually made some of the mechanics kind of clunky, in my opinion. For those of you who aren't familiar with how bending works under our system, check out the ol' Bending and Base Classes thread. (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?t=68630)

The Sandbender is playable just as it is here, though I would prefer it to have some sort of offensive punch and some more special abilities. Any ideas for filling in the dead levels or for more sand-related seeds are much appreciated, in addition to any other critiques you might have. Without further ado, I give you....

The Sandbender

Creativity, versatility, support, and control of a unique element characterize a sandbender. Born with the gift of controlling the flow and motion of sand, sandbenders dominate their native desert environment, as the only substance to be seen in any direction is theirs to control by sheer force of will.
Adventures – As most sandbenders belong to the bandit clans of the Si Wong desert, they are often on some mission to rob one foolish caravan or another. Conversely, a sandbender may be sent on a mission of particular importance to villages on the outskirts of the desert, though it is unlikely that they will receive a particularly warm welcome.
Characteristics – Sandbenders are versatile warriors, though not particularly resilient. Possessing control of a solid yet malleable element, sandbenders can greatly hamper opponents’ effectiveness in battle and grant strategic advantages, though they do not make particularly powerful front-line fighters. Sandbenders are also completely dependent on the presence of sand or loose dirt in their environment, and are nearly helpless without it nearby.
Alignment – A sandbender may be of any alignment, though the cultural influence of banditry leads most to be chaotic as a means of survival in their harsh environment. Some may become “honorable thieves” and lean towards good, while others grow into cutthroat villains willing to kill or ransom every member of a passing caravan, if necessary.
Background – Sandbenders are part of an ancient tradition of banditry as a means to survival, and are often taught basic thieving skills from birth. Being raised in a nomadic culture with a harsh environment, sandbenders seldom find much value in material things. Sand benders generally have mundane, repetitive lives scratching their existence from the desert and trading with merchants who will take their (mostly stolen) goods.
Races – All sandbenders (with the exception of the Avatar, who is able to master all four elements) are members of the group known as the Earth Kingdom, and almost all have come from a few tribes of bandits within the Si Wong desert.
Other Classes – Sandbenders work well with nearly all classes while in their natural habitat, as their abilities control visibility, footing, and position of those on the battlefield. Because of this and their ability to eliminate the major penalties of desert warfare from allies, sandbenders are a powerful addition to any team expecting to battle on loose sand.

Abilities – A high Wisdom score is essential to a sandbender as it determines the save DC’s for many of his best forms and abilities. A high Dexterity is also important, as it affects many of a Sandbender’s best skills and provides additional AC. High Intelligence can augment the sandbender’s role as a skill-monkey.
Alignment – Any
Hit Die – d8


Note: This class may be taken by any character that has the potential to become an earthbender, and a character can freely multiclass between the earthbender class and this one.

Class Skills – Appraise (Int), Balance (Dex), Bluff (Cha), Climb (Str), Craft (Int), Decipher Script (Int), Diplomacy (Cha), Disable Device (Int), Disguise (Cha), Escape Artist (Dex), Forgery (Int), Gather Information (Cha), Hide (Dex), Intimidate (Cha), Jump (Str), Knowledge (local) (Int), Listen (Wis), Move Silently (Dex), Open Lock (Dex), Perform (Cha), Profession (Wis), Sandbending (Wis), Search (Int), Sense Motive (Wis), Sleight of Hand (Dex), Spot (Wis), Survival (Wis), Swim (Str), Tumble (Dex), and Use Rope (Dex).
Skill Points at 1st Level – (6 + Int Modifier) x4
Skill Points at Each Additional Level – 6 + Int Modifier

{table=head]
Level|
Base Attack Bonus|
Fort Save|
Ref Save|
Will Save|Special|
Forms Known|
Defense Bonus

1st|+0|+0|+2|+2|Sand blast 1d6, Manipulate, Dune Stride|1|+3

2nd|+1|+0|+3|+3|Deflect Attack|2|+3

3rd|+2|+1|+3|+3|Improved Unarmed Strike|2|+4

4th|+3|+1|+4|+4|Sand blast 2d6|3|+4

5th|+3|+1|+4|+4| |3|+4

6th|+4|+2|+5|+5| |4|+5

7th|+5|+2|+5|+5| |4|+5

8th|+6/+1|+2|+6|+6|Sand blast 3d6|5|+5

9th|+6/+1|+3|+6|+6| |5|+6

10th|+7/+2|+3|+7|+7| |6|+6

11th|+8/+3|+3|+7|+7| |6|+6

12th|+9/+4|+4|+8|+8|Sand blast 4d6|7|+7

13th|+9/+4|+4|+8|+8| |7|+7

14th|+10/+5|+4|+9|+9| |8|+7

15th|+11/+6/+1|+5|+9|+9| |8|+8

16th|+12/+7/+2|+5|+10|+10|Sand blast 5d6|9|+8

17th|+12/+7/+2|+5|+10|+10| |9|+8

18th|+13/+8/+3|+6|+11|+11| |10|+9

19th|+14/+9/+4|+6|+11|+11| |10|+9

20th|+15/+10/+5|+1|+12|+12|Sand blast 6d6|11|+9[/table]


Class Abilities

Weapon and Armor Proficiency – A sandbender is proficient with all simple weapons, short swords, light crossbows, sandbender capture cords, and padded and leather armor, but no shields.

Improved Unarmed Strike – A sandbender gains Improved Unarmed Strike as a bonus feat at third level.

Sand blast
Base DC: 5
The first ability a sandbender learns is Sand blast. The sandbender draws a ball of loose sand into has hand and unleashes it in a scathing torrent. A blast deals 1d6 slashing damage at 1st level (dealing half damage to objects) and increases in power as the sandbender gains levels, as shown above. A blast is a ranged attack, and a sandbender can use a number of blasts in one round equal to the number of iterative attacks he can make (as determined by his BAB).

Dune Stride – Sandbenders train to be the ultimate warriors of desert. As such, they begin to use their sandbending passively and no longer consider loose sand as difficult terrain.

Deflect Attack
Base DC: 5
Early in their training, sandbenders learn to block or deflect attacks directed at them and their companions. Once per round, a sandbender can attempt to negate a ranged attack whose line of effect passes within 5 feet +5 ft/3 class levels. Negating this attack requires the sandbender succeed in an opposed attack roll. If your attack roll is less than his opponent’s, the attack is unaffected by the deflection attempt and is resolved as normal. Using this initial Deflect Bending attempt counts as an immediate action.

Additionally, a sandbender has the option of reserving iterative attacks in order to gain more Deflect Attack attempts. Whenever he makes a full-round attack, a sandbender may choose to forgo a number of iterative attacks, gaining a number of additional Deflect Attack attempts equal to the number of attacks the sandbender reserved. Regardless of how many attacks a sandbender forgoes, he cannot use more Deflect Attack attempts than he has iterative attacks due to high Base Attack Bonus. These subsequent Deflect Attack attempts are immediate actions, and can be used any time before your next turn.

If a sandbender is caught flat-footed, he can make a Reflex save (DC 10 + ˝ the attacker’s BAB + the attacker’s Dexterity modifier) to still make a Deflect Attack attempt. A flat-footed sandbender can never make more than a single Deflect Attack attempt.

For example, a 15th level sandbender’s Base Attack Bonus allows him to make 3 iterative attacks. If he decides to make a full-round attack, he can reserve as many as 2 of these attacks in order to gain 2 additional Deflect Attack attempts (bringing you total to 3 for that round).

Manipulate
Base DC: 5
• Control: A sandbender learns to finely manipulate fine particles of sand. The base DC is for moving a 5-foot cube of sand up to 5 ft per round in any direction. Adding another 5-foot cube of sand to a seed increases the Sandbending DC by +4 per cube, and moving the sand an additional 5 feet adds +2 to the DC. This use of the seed is a move action. You can manipulate sand you can't see but knows is there by adding +10 to the Sandbending DC.
• Repair: A sandbender may repair damage done to a structure made of sand, particularly those he controls through his sandbending. The sandbender may repair 1 hp per 2 points of his Sandbending check as a move action to any sandy structure within his bending range.

Sandbending Seeds

Compact
Base DC: 5
Drawing upon the potential for earth in its various forms, you provide an arsenal for yourself.
• A place to stand: You may use this form to fuse any loose soil or sand into a more solid form. You may create one 5-foot cube, plus another for every 4 points by which the Sandbending check beats the DC. These cubes must all be touching at least one other affected square and at least one must touch you. This negates the penalties for standing on loose dirt and the movement penalties for rough ground, as well as those for using the Tremorsense seed. Also, you may use this seed as part of any sandbending form that requires concentration in order for the sand to stay in place. If you do this and continue to concentrate on the form, the DC of Strength checks to break loose is increased by 2 and the sand gains hardness equal to your Wisdom modifier. If you solidify the sand but then leave it unattended, the DC of Strength checks is reduced by 2 due to the weakness of sandy earth, and any structures have half the usual hit point total.
• Soften earth: Earth’s abilities to hamper opponents are often just as valuable as those to directly attack or defend. By using this seed, wet earth becomes thick mud and dry earth becomes loose sand or dirt. You affects a 5-foot square within you bending range, plus another for every 2 points by which the Sandbending check beats the DC to a depth of 1 to 4 feet, depending on the toughness or resilience of the ground at that spot. Creatures made of earth or stone are not affected. A creature in mud must succeed on a Reflex save or be caught for 1d2 rounds and unable to move, attack, or cast spells. A creature that succeeds on its save can move through the mud at half speed, and it can’t run or charge. Loose dirt is not as troublesome as mud, but all creatures in the area can move at only half their normal speed and can’t run or charge over the surface. Loose dirt and sand made from this seed can be used for any other application of sandbending.
• Soften Landing: Similar to Soften Earth, this use of the seed allows a falling earthbender to soften the ground below you before you lands as an immediate action once per round, taking damage as if you had fallen half the actual distance.

Sand’s Tail
Base DC: 10
Manipulating a quantity of sand into a lithe, cohesive cord, you wield it masterfully, lashing out at your opponents.
• Whip:You may, as a move action that does not provoke an attack of opportunity, shape a small quantity of sand into a functional whip. This whip has all the statistics of a normal whip with the exception that it can be used to deal lethal damage even to armored opponents and counts as a light weapon for purposes of two-weapon fighting. Additionally, you may treat it as a normal whip for purposes of weapon-based feats. You gain an additional bonus of +2 per 5 levels towards trip and disarm attempts when making use of sand’s tail. You can increase damage done by the whip by one step (from 1d4 to 1d6, etc.), increasing the Sandbending DC by +4 per step. The whip can also be extended an additional 5 feet by increasing the Sandbending DC by +10. Sandbenders are considered proficient with the sand’s tail, even if they are not proficient with normal whips. Unlike normal whips, the sand’s tail threatens squares and can be used to make attacks of opportunity. Using a sand’s tail does not provoke an attack of opportunity.
•Disjoin: By adding +10 to the base DC, you may cease wielding the whip in your hand and control it with your bending, effectively wielding it anywhere within your bending range and moving it with the Manipulate ability. While doing this, you may attack using your base attack bonus normally, or else may use a standard action to attack one opponent per square of the tail’s length (A basic tail is 3 squares long)


Tentacle
Base DC: Varies
This seed involves making, as is implied, a thin tentacle of sand to serve various purposes.
• Tentacle (Base DC 10): You can create a 5-foot-long tentacle from sand anywhere within your bending range as a standard action. This tentacle can make a single slam attack dealing 1d8+X damage to any opponent in its range, and can also make trip attempts, with the you Wisdom score acting as its Strength score and using you base attack bonus. If you have the Improved Trip feat, you may apply the benefits of the feat to your tentacles as well. Creating more than one tentacle at a time increases the Sandbending DC by +4 per tentacle. Also, increasing a tentacle to Large size (changing reach to 10 ft., adding size bonus to Trip attempts, increasing slam damage to 1d10 and granting a +4 Strength bonus) adds +4 to the DC per tentacle. Maintaining the tentacles is a move and controlling them is a standard action (all the tentacles may be manipulated by the same action). Changing the position of the tentacles can be done through the Manipulate ability, and the tentacles can enter squares already occupied by other creatures. If attacked, a tentacle effectively has an AC of 10 and 10 hp, or AC 9 and 20 hp if Large-sized. In order to create a tentacle in a square, there must be sufficient sand within the square. A layer of ankle-deep sand would suffice, for example.
• Octopus (Base DC 15): By adding +5 to the base DC, you may maneuver your tentacles to serve a defensive purpose. When using this seed, you may choose to forgo a tentacle’s in order to attempt to negate a melee or ranged attack that passes within 5 feet of it(spells requiring ranged touch attacks are counted as ranged attacks for this purpose). Each tentacle can make an opposed attack roll and negates the attack if it exceeds the opponent’s roll. Adding with additional tentacles adds +3 to the DC per tentacle, and maintaining the seed for more than three rounds requires a Sandbending check every round, with the DC increasing by +1 per round.

Sand Shield
Base DC: 10
You raise up a plane of sand before you, protecting you form assault.
• Plane: By bending a five-foot square of sand to hover vertically before you, granting cover or full cover (use a line of effect to determine this). You can use the Manipulate ability to control and you may increase the width of the square by 5 ft. adds +5 to the DC. The shield has hardness 0 and 10 hp per inch and ignores piercing damage. A basic sand shield is 1 inch thick, but its thickness may be increased by 1 inch by increasing the Sandbending DC by +5. Creating the shield is a standard action and you may rotate the shield around yourself as a swift action.
•Push: You can push your plane of sand in order to knock opponents back as a move action. You may push the wall back 20 ft in a straight line, plus another 5 ft for every 4 points by which the Sandbending check exceeds the DC. Any opponent caught behind the wall must make a Reflex save or be carried with the wall. The DC for this save increases by +5 for every 5 feet away from the nearest gap to the wall. A successful Reflex save means the creature is able to avoid the wall and jump to the nearest unoccupied square, provoking attacks of opportunity while doing so.
• Hemisphere: Conversely, you can make a complete 360 degrees of sand anywhere within your bending range, granting whoever is inside full cover from those outside the hemisphere, and vice-versa. The base DC is for a sphere with a 5-foot radius, though this can be increased by adding +5 for every additional 5-foot increase in radius.

Steady Stance
Base DC: 10
By wrapping your feet in pliable sand, you anchor yourself against those that would move your, or else strand opponents where they stand.
• Defensive: Stabilizing yourself with feet solidly connected to the ground, you gains a +2 to saves or checks to stay in place, +1 for every 2 points by which the Sandbending check exceeds the DC. You may also encase the feet of allies within you bending range in this way by adding +4 to the DC per ally. You may allow those affected by this seed to move from their square if they want, but doing so removes the bonuses. Maintaining this seed is a swift action each turn.
• Offensive: When using this seed on an unwilling target, the target receives a Reflex save to avoid it altogether, or remain trapped in place. Those who failed the Reflex save can make a Strength check to break free as a standard action. The DC of the Strength check is equal to half your Sandbending check. Maintaining this seed is a swift action each turn.

Pillar
Base DC: 10Gathering sand from around your feet, you rise into the air, claiming the high ground.
• Pillar: As a move action you lift sand in a swirling, spiraling pillar with yourself at the top. This allows you to move straight up or down at a rate of up to 20 ft per round. A pillar lasts as long as you concentrate (a swift action each round, during which you make a Sandbending check equal to the first), and you can move up or down as you desire. The maximum height of the pillar is equal to 5 ft times your class level. Every 10 ft, of height requires approximately one five-foot cube of sand. The pillar’s shape and your position within it can be changed through the use of your Manipulate ability, and it can also be moved in this manner.
• Spire: You may use the seed against another creature. If the target of the seed is unwilling, it receives a Reflex save to avoid being swept up in the sand. Once this save is failed, the target can break out with a Strength check equal to half your Sandbending check +4, falling to the ground. Maintaining this use of the seed is a move action each round.

Drive (template)
Base DC: 10
Compacting the sand you propel, you bear into your opponent, knocking them backwards.
• Repel: This template is compatible with any targeted Sandbending form. Through this application you may initiate a bull rush through you form in place of damage, with your Wisdom score acting as the seed's Strength score. Also, for every 2 points by which the Sandbending check beats the DC, you gain a +1 on the bull rush attempt. If the blast moves the opponent back more than ten feet, the opponent must make a Reflex save or be knocked prone.
• Slice:Focusing your sand into a single plane, you can deal full damage to objects when using your Sand Blast.

Armor
Base DC: 15
Drawing sand around your legs and up to surround your whole body, you protect yourself from assault.
• Sandy Skin: By covering you entire body in a thick layer of sand, you gain DR 3/piercing, and +2 to AC (including touch AC). Maintaining the armor for more than two rounds gives a -4 penalty to all Sandbending checks until you end the seed, increasing by -1 every two turns. If this penalty actually makes the difference that causes you to fail a Sandbending check, you may choose to end the seed and remove the penalty at that time. The bonuses to AC and DR increase by +1 for every four points by which you Sandbending check exceeds the base DC.

Wave
Base DC: 15
By forcibly undulating the sand at your feet, you bring an enormous wave of sand to sweep opponents away.
• Breaker: The wave created by this seed travels in a straight line from a large pile of sand (at least 5 5-foot cubes of sand) within you bending range as a standard action, and can move a number of feet equal to double the Sandbending check (rounded up to the nearest 5 ft.). The wave initiates a bull rush against any creatures in its path, counting as a Large creature (with a 10-foot face) with a Strength score equal to your Wisdom score+2 for the purposes of resolving bull rush attempts. You may increase the wave’s size to Huge (Giving an additional +4 size bonus and a 15-foot face, but requiring 10 5-foot cubes of sand) by adding +10 to the DC. You may try to turn the wave 45 degrees two times during its motion, but because of the great mass of sand used; each requires another Sandbending check at the same DC as the one to make the wave turn. Any creature pushed back more than 10 feet by the wave is also knocked prone at the end of its motion. You may move with the wave at its crest, ending your movement wherever the wave ends.
• Transport: Rather than make a destructive force against you opponent, you may make a smaller wave to carry you quickly from one place to another as a standard action. This wave has a 5-foot face and only requires a single 5-foot cube of sand to utilize, and still moves a number of feet up to double your Sandbending check, rounded up to the nearest 5 feet.

Golem
Base DC: 10
By molding a large mass of sand into a vaguely humanoid shape, you can create a powerful proxy to fight in you place.
• Creation and control: As a full round action, you can create a golem that you can direct in combat. The golem is a Medium animated object made of sand. You must direct its actions in combat by making a Sandbending check equal to the original Sandbending DC as a full-round action, with the golem essentially mimicking your movements. For example, your golem makes a slam attack against an adjacent object at the same time that you make an unarmed strike in the same direction. If you do not concentrate on maintaining and directing the golem or fail the Sandbending check to control it, the golem collapses. The golem's attack rolls use your base attack bonus and are modified by your Wisdom modifier instead of the golem's Strength modifier. Also, the golem has hardness 0, but has double the usual hit points for an animated object of the same size. You cannot see through the golem, and thus are limited to the vision range of your current location, including penalties for concealment and otherwise.
• Attacks: Because the golem is essentially a reflection of its bender’s actions, it can use its slam attack at the same rate as the bender’s unarmed strikes, along with whatever extra modifiers gained therein (Weapon Focus, etc.).
• Size: You can increase the size of the golem by adding 5 to the DC for every size increase desired, creating an animated object of the appropriate size. For example, increasing the DC to 30 allows you to create a Huge golem. To make a golem larger than Huge size, the DC increases by +10 per size increment, so that creating a Colossal Golem has a Sanbending DC of 50.
• Reach: If you have taken the Sand’s Tail seed, you can increase the reach your golem by adding +5 to the Sandbending DC for every 5 ft of reach you wishes to add.
• Enhancement: You can increase the golem’s physical ability scores by adding 2 to the DC for every +1 to a single score. You cannot increase a single ability score by an amount greater than you Wisdom modifier. For example, if you have a Wisdom modifier of +5, you could increase the golem’s Strength score by a maximum of 5, increasing the Sandbending DC by 10 in the process.

Sand Storm
Base DC: Varies
• Ice Storm (Base DC 35): You may create an ice storm with a radius of 20 ft. anywhere within you bending range. Everything within this radius takes damage equal to half your Sand Blast damage each round from the scything grains of sand. You may move this cloud at a rate of 20ft per round upon a successful DC 30 Sandbending check. You must have at least a 20ft range of existing sand, roughly a foot deep, in the surrounding area to use this technique. The area within the storm is treated as under the effects of Sever winds.

Conceal
Base DC: 10
By using limited control over small particles of earth, you obscure vision and blind you foes.
• Dust cloud: You may make a hemisphere of dust anywhere within you bending range with a radius of 10 ft. The dust obscures all sight, including darkvision, beyond 5 feet. A creature within 5 feet has concealment (attacks have a 20% miss chance). Creatures farther away have total concealment (50% miss chance, and the attacker can’t use sight to locate the target). A moderate wind (11+ mph) disperses the dust in 4 rounds; a strong wind (21+ mph) disperses the dust in 1 round, though you may choose to focus on the cloud in order to maintain it. This seed even functions underwater. Increasing the radius of the cloud adds +5 to the Sandbending DC per 5-foot increase.
• Blind: By aiming a spray of sand or dust at an opponent’s eyes, you can try to temporarily blind the creature. You make a ranged touch attack against a target’s AC. If the attack is successful, the target creature is rendered blind until the end of its next round. The target creature can make a Reflex save to negate this effect. The blindness lasts for one additional round for every 5 points by which your Sandbending check exceeds the DC. A creature can spend a full-round action to wash the sand from its eyes with water in order to negate the blindness.

Sand Cyclone
Base DC: 15
Swirling the sand at your feet, you create a cyclone that rages in your ears.
• Whirlwind: Spinning sand rapidly like a tornado, you cause the grains to give off powerful winds within their presence. The roughly cylindrical twister has a diameter of 5 ft and grants a deflection bonus to AC of +4 against all attacks entering from outside the whirlwind. Creatures within the whirlwind also gain 20% concealment, even against each other. You may increase the radius or the height of the whirlwind by 5 ft for every 5 points by which the base DC, and you may create an additional whirlwind by adding +10 to the base DC. The deflection bonus to AC may also be increased by +1 for every 4 points by which your Sandbending check exceeds the DC. You must spend a move action each turn to maintain this seed, or else the grains of sand settle to the ground.
• Dust Devil: Accelerating the motion of your whirlwind violently, you cause the sand to bite into your opponents. If you choose to add +5 to the base DC, any creature trapped within your cyclone is dealt damage equal to your Sand Blast damage each turn.

Sand Ski
Base DC: 20
Sand slides beneath your feet smoothly, giving you remarkable speed.
• Running Snail: By covering your feet in a thick layer of sand and letting it roll below you, you may now move for extended periods of time at an accelerated rate. Forming these “skates” is a full-round action. You may now run for 1 minute per sandbender level. Additionally, your running speed is increased as if you had the Run feat. You may improve you base speed by +10ft by increasing the DC of the form by +10. While moving in this manner, you are also considered a Large creature for the purposes of Overrun actions. When utilizing this power to make a forced march, you receive a circumstance bonus equal to your Sandbender level to Constitution checks to continue the forced march.

Excavate
Base DC: 20
Oftentimes, the ability to manipulate sand simply isn’t enough to make a proper tunnel or trench. Using this seed pushes earth aside, as opposed to taking it and dumping it elsewhere.
• Hole: This seed can make a hole approximately the shape of a 5-foot cube as a standard action, plus another such cube for every 4 points by which the Sandbending check beats the DC. The sand used in this seed is piled around the edges of the excavation, adding a loose wall of earth three feet high around the sides.
• Tunnel: By digging directly into the earth, in which case you begins by making a hole (as above) and then making it deeper, or making it horizontal beneath the ground. The earth moved aside by this seed is compacted around the sides of the excavation, making a noticeable bulge in the ground if the tunnel is within 5 ft of the surface. Because sand does not provide much support, you must make a Concentration check equal to five times the amount of 5-foot cubes you wish to support each round, or have them collapse.

Earthquake
Base DC: Varies
You send a jarring shockwave of earth along the ground, knocking opponents to the floor.
• Tremor (Base DC 20): By creating a quick, local tremor to violently shake the ground below, you can knocks opponents to the ground and hampers their movement. You create an earthquake in a five-foot radius. All creatures within the area of effect must succeed on Balance check opposed by the bender’s Sandbending check -5 or fall prone. The radius increases by 5 feet for every 5 points by which the Sandbending check beats the DC. Using this seed also dislodges loose soul and rocks on slopes, possibly causing avalanches in appropriate areas. Creatures climbing within a quake must make a Climb equal to the Climb DC of the surface they’re on + half the bender’s Sandbending check.
• Quake (Base DC 20): By using a full-round action when using a tremor, as above, you can create a quake that lasts as long as you focuses on it. Doing this forces anyone in the affected area to make a Balance check (as above) in order to enter or move within the affected radius or fall prone. Furthermore, each square of movement through the affected area counts as 2 squares.
• Ripple (Base DC 30): By creating a sort of wave along the ground before you , you can cause opponents to lose their balance and be launched into the air. The wave takes effect in a cone up to your bending range. Opponents within the cone must succeed on a Reflex save or be knocked 5 feet into the air or 5 being shoved 5 feet backwards (bender’s choice) for every 10 points of the Sandbending check, taking falling damage if appropriate.

Immobilize
Base DC: 30
Stomping the ground aggressively, you causes packed sand or clay to burst upwards, trapping your target
• Immobilize: Sheets of sand burst from the ground and wrap around a single medium-sized or smaller target within your bending range. The target must make a Reflex save or be immobilized. An immobilized target may not move, attack, bend, or take any action that requires movement, but is not considered helpless. Those who fail the Reflex save can make a Strength check (DC equals half of your Sandbending check) or Escape Artist check as a full-round action to break free. They can also be dug out by dealing 50 points of damage to the earth. Increasing the Sandbending DC by +5 for each size category above medium allows you can capture larger creatures. You may capture 1 additional creature for every 10 by which your Sandbending check exceeds the DC.

Zak Crimsonleaf
2008-11-27, 01:44 AM
I cannot thank you enough for finally settling the whole sandbender issue. I've mentioned it before. I like what you have here a great deal. I'll look through the forms in detail later on, but everything looks good so far, though there's some parts where they still say 'water' where you mean sand. Oh, and the skill pts for levels after 1st need to be increased, if you're putting it up to six + Int modifier. Also, I thought benders now had a d8 hit die. If I think of special abilities, I'll definitely put them up here. Congratulations on your triumphant return. (kind of) I look forward to seeing your ideas for the other classes, though I do hope they aren't too different, as I'm playing an earthbender right now, and I think I finally have a good grasp on his capabilities.

All right, I've thought of a few ideas.

Burrow Speed: Obviously an analogy to the earthbender's climb speed. The only difference is, a sandbender would have to hold their breath when traveling like that, and traveling through solid rock would substantially cut down on the speed or require a bending check. Any other kind of speed doesn't seem to fit.

Improved Dune Stride
Superior Dune Stride: I haven't the faintest idea what these would be, but the original dune stride seems like it could be improved in some way. I don't have the Sandstorm sourcebook, so I can't say what.

Bonus on Checks of some kind, like a bonus on some kind of movement checks when on a sandy surface, or something like the Dai Li Agent's obscure passage, or on survival checks on desert environments

Twisting Defense: The soft and shifting nature of sand lends itself to a bender that is equally good at getting out of danger's way, rather than meeting it head-on like a traditional earthbender. They use their Dexterity Modifier for Fortitude Saves.

Evasion: Just what it says. It would fit with their good reflex save and the nature of sand.

Sand Shaping: I think that the Manipulate ability for this class should be called Sand Shaping instead. I like the sound of it better.

Anybody else is welcome to add ideas of their own.