Air Bender (5e Class)
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Air Bender[edit]
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| A simple example of Air bending form |
The air swirls around a human with arrow tattoos, shoving enemies away. She leaps high into the air, pulls out her glider, and flies away.
A wood elf senses the arrow flying towards him through the air. He calmly sidesteps it as it flies past, and with a rush of wind, he spins to face his opponent.
The halfling’s tattoos glow as he meditates, his spirit traveling into the Spirit World.
Air Benders, also known as Air Nomads, have the ability to bend the air to their will through intricate movements. They prefer peaceful or evasive measures over aggressive ones. They seek enlightenment and detachment from the earth, and to live peacefully with one another.
Freedom[edit]
Air Benders draw on their sense of freedom for their bending. Air flows in any way it chooses, and the Air Nomads attempt to imitate that freedom when they bend. Air Bending movements tend to take on circular motions and spins, much like how wind swirls around. They are also said to have a great sense of humor!
Raising and Training[edit]
The original Air Benders were the Sky Bison. The early Air Benders studied their ways and developed their techniques to what they are today.
Basically every Air Bender is raised and taught in one of the four Air Temples. There is one temple for each cardinal direction. The Northern and Southern Air Temples were made for males, and the Eastern and Western Air Temples for females.
Each Air Bending child has a mentor who was already an Air Bending master. They would teach them how to bend, as well as raise them like their own children. When they are considered to have mastered Air Bending, they receive their Air Bending tattoos, which are light blue arrows that flow through the chi paths of the body, and end at the hands, feet, and forehead.
Air Benders don't live only in these temples. They often go out to see the rest of the world and its people. They tend to enjoy traveling, especially on Sky Bison.
For an Air Bender to become an adventurer, there must be a reason for them to do so. They may have had a vision from the spirit world, or perhaps have heard of a great calamity somewhere in the world that they believe they can fix.
Creating an Air Bender[edit]
As you make your Air Nomad, think about how you were raised and taught in the Air Temple and what you think about the outside world. Were you slow to learn new Air Bending techniques, or the opposite? Do you often see creatures from the spirit world? Does the materialistic life of the physical world beckon you?
Consider why you left the Air Temple. Did you sense a great danger? Were you simply out traveling and these events started happening around you? Did you just leave the Temple, deciding to move out on your own?
Most Air Benders lean towards a Chaotic or Neutral Good alignment because of their love of freedom and teachings of the Air Bending masters. Some may be Lawful by sticking close to the rules and ways of the Air Nomads.
- Quick Build
You can make an Air Bender quickly by following these suggestions. First, Dexterity should be your highest ability score, followed by Intelligence. Second, choose the acolyte background.
Class Features
As a Air Bender you gain the following class features.
- Hit Points
Hit Dice: 1d8 per Air Bender level
Hit Points at 1st Level: 8 + Constitution modifier
Hit Points at Higher Levels: 1d8 (or 5) + Constitution modifier per Air Bender level after 1st
- Proficiencies
Armor: —
Weapons: Simple weapons
Tools: Choose one set of artisan's tools or one musical instrument
Saving Throws: Dexterity, Intelligence
Skills: Choose two from Acrobatics, History, Insight, Nature, Religion, and Stealth
- Equipment
You start with the following equipment, in addition to the equipment granted by your background:
- (a) Priest's Pack or (b) Scholar's Pack
- (a) One set of artisan's tools or (b) One musical instrument
- A glider (acts as a quarterstaff in combat)
| Level | Proficiency Bonus |
Features | Shove Distance | Chi Points | Extra Speed | Bending Mastery |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1st | +2 | Gentle Defense, Elemental Arts | 10 ft. | — | 5 ft. | — |
| 2nd | +2 | Chi | 10 ft. | 10 | 5 ft. | 10 |
| 3rd | +2 | Aerial Senses | 10 ft. | 15 | 5 ft. | 12 |
| 4th | +2 | Ability Score Improvement | 10 ft. | 20 | 5 ft. | 14 |
| 5th | +3 | Extra Attack | 15 ft. | 25 | 10 ft. | 16 |
| 6th | +3 | Billowing Blow | 15 ft. | 30 | 10 ft. | 18 |
| 7th | +3 | Aerial Senses improvement | 15 ft. | 35 | 10 ft. | 20 |
| 8th | +3 | Ability Score Improvement | 15 ft. | 40 | 10 ft. | 22 |
| 9th | +4 | Air Bending Style | 15 ft. | 45 | 10 ft. | 24 |
| 10th | +4 | Evasion | 15 ft. | 50 | 15 ft. | 26 |
| 11th | +4 | Understanding | 20 ft. | 55 | 15 ft. | 28 |
| 12th | +4 | Ability Score Improvement | 20 ft. | 60 | 15 ft. | 30 |
| 13th | +5 | Air Bending Style feature | 20 ft. | 65 | 15 ft. | 32 |
| 14th | +5 | Aerial Senses improvement | 20 ft. | 70 | 15 ft. | 34 |
| 15th | +5 | Air Bending Style feature | 20 ft. | 75 | 20 ft. | 36 |
| 16th | +5 | Ability Score Improvement | 20 ft. | 80 | 20 ft. | 38 |
| 17th | +6 | Extra Attack (2) | 25 ft. | 85 | 20 ft. | 40 |
| 18th | +6 | Air Bending Style feature | 25 ft. | 90 | 20 ft. | 42 |
| 19th | +6 | Ability Score Improvement | 25 ft. | 95 | 20 ft. | 44 |
| 20th | +6 | Air Bending Master | 25 ft. | 100 | 25 ft. | 46 |
Gentle Defense[edit]
Beginning at 1st level, while you are wearing no armor and not wielding a shield, your AC equals 10 + your Dexterity modifier + your Intelligence modifier.
Elemental Arts[edit]
At 1st level, your attacks are gently empowered by your bending. You can use Dexterity instead of Strength for the attack and damage rolls of your unarmed strikes and simple weapons.
- Shove - Whenever you move a creature with a shove attack, you may move the target up to 5 additional feet in the same direction. This distance increases when you reach certain air bender levels, as shown in the Shove column of the Air Bender table. Additionally, you may make a shove attack as a bonus action immediately after you hit a creature with a melee attack or with an Air Bending Technique.
- Extra Speed - your speed increases by 5 feet while you are not wearing armor or wielding a shield. This bonus increases when you reach certain air bender levels, as shown in the Extra Speed column of the Air Bender table.
Chi[edit]
At 2nd level, you can focus your bending into powerful techniques. The amount of energy that you have to bend is measured by your number of chi points. Your Air Bender level determines the number of chi points you have, as shown in the Chi Points column of the Air Bender table.
When you spend a chi point, it is unavailable until you finish a short or long rest, at the end of which you draw all of your expended chi back into yourself. You must spend at least 30 minutes of the rest meditating to regain your chi points.
Some of the Air Bending features require you to make a ranged spell attack to hit your target or your target to make a saving throw to resist the feature’s effect. The bending attack bonus and save DC are calculated as follows:
- Techniques - chi's main application is in the form of various bending techniques. You know a number of Air Bending techniques whose combined Bending Level is 10 or lower. Your Air Bender level determines the combined Bending Level of techniques you have, as shown in the Bending Mastery column of the Air Bender table. Certain techniques can only be taken if you have their requisite Air Bending Style. Additionally, when you gain a level in this class, you can choose up to two air bending techniques you know and replace them with techniques with an equal combined Bending Level.
Techniques function identically to spells, with the exception of only having Somatic and Material (4 pints of oxygen) components and spending your chi points, as indicated in the technique's cost, instead of spell slots.
- Spellcasting Ability
Intelligence is your spellcasting ability for your techniques, as air bending is refined through restraint and meditation, rather than emotion. You use your Intelligence whenever a technique refers to your spellcasting ability. In addition, you use your Intelligence modifier when setting the saving throw DC for a technique you cast and when making an attack roll with one.
Spell save DC = 8 + your proficiency bonus + your Intelligence modifier
Spell attack modifier = your proficiency bonus + your Intelligence modifier
Aerial Senses[edit]
Starting at the 3rd level, you can use your reaction to sense and evade when you are targeted by a ranged weapon attack, granting the attack disadvantage. If the attack lands, you can expend 1 chi point to make a Dexterity saving throw contested by the attack roll. If you win the contest, you take half as much damage from the attack. You may make this reaction while surprised, but you may not make this reaction if the attack is a critical hit.
At 7th level, you may use this feature against any melee or ranged attack made within 15 feet of you that is not a critical hit.
At 14th level, when you make a Dexterity Saving throw using this feature, you take no damage on a success, and half as much damage on a failure, and you may use this feature on a critical hit.
Ability Score Improvement[edit]
When you reach 4th level, and again at 8th, 12th, 16th and 19th level, you can increase one ability score of your choice by 2, or you can increase two ability scores of your choice by 1. As normal, you can't increase an ability score above 20 using this feature.
Extra Attack[edit]
Beginning at 5th level, you can attack twice, instead of once, whenever you take the Attack action on your turn. This increases to thrice at 17th level.
Billowing Blow[edit]
Starting at 6th level, your attacks are naturally enhanced by your air bending. Your unarmed strike uses a d4 for damage and count as magical for the purpose of overcoming resistance and immunity to nonmagical attacks and damage.
Air Bending Style[edit]
At 9th level, you choose in what direction to train your air bending. Choose between Traditional, Spiritual, and Heretical, all detailed at the end of the class description. Your style choice grants you features at 9th level and then again at 13th, 15th, and 18th level.
Evasion[edit]
At 10th level, your instinctive agility lets you dodge out of the way of certain area effects, such as a blue dragon’s lightning breath or a fireball spell. When you are subjected to an effect that allows you to make a Dexterity saving throw to take only half damage, you instead take no damage if you succeed on the saving throw, and only half damage if you fail.
Understanding[edit]
Starting at 11th level, you gain a greater understanding of the world, as well as the invisible strings that tie everything together. You gain proficiency in Nature and Religion. If you are already proficient in one or both of these skills, your proficiency bonus is doubled for any ability check you make that uses the chosen proficiency.
Air Bending Master[edit]
At 20th level, you gain resistance to thunder damage, as well as bludgeoning, piercing, and slashing from nonmagical attacks. When you cast an air bending technique, you may double its cost to double its range or damage, gain advantage on its attack roll, or grant the target disadvantage on its saving throws.
Air Movement[edit]
Starting at 18th level, you’ve mastered the art of using the air to aid your movement in tight situations. You can rise up from being prone without losing movement. You also gain advantage on avoiding and breaking out of being grappled or restrained.
Traditional Style[edit]
Traditional air benders seek to learn the ways of the air nomads; monks with a connection to both the physical and spiritual world.
- Pacifism
At 9th level, your virtues lead you away from the path of violence. When you deal bludgeoning or thunder damage equal to or above half of the target's remaining hit points, you may knock them unconcious for 1 minute as a bonus action immediately after dealing the damage for 1 chi point. If they take any damage while unconscious in this way, they immediately wake up.
- Battle Meditation
At 13th level, just as you may focus chi into blasts of wind, you may focus the movement of the wind back into chi. As an action, you may regain chi points equal to your air bending level + your Intelligence modifier. You may use this feature once, regaining use at the end of a long rest.
- The Spirit World
At 15th level, your mastery of ancient arts allows you to enter another; the Spirit World. You may cast astral projection for 10 chi points without physical components. You must be prone and blind for the spell's casting duration. While astral projecting in this way, you can not use your bending, you do not leave behind a silver cord, with your body and soul being connected by the winds between dimensions. If your spirit body enters the same plane your body is in, it becomes invisible and can not interact with anything in any way, allowing for it to pass through objects.
- Nomadic Master
At 18th level, you have mastered the ancient ways of the nomads. You become immune to the frightened and charmed conditions. As an action, you may bless a creature you can touch, allowing them to reroll one d20 they roll of their choice within 1 hour. You may use this feature a number of times equal to your Intelligence modifier, regaining all uses at the end of a long rest.
Spiritual Style[edit]
Spiritual air benders attempt to release their worldly attachments, attaining the powers of the original air benders, who directly gained their powers from the lion turtle.
- Soul Sight
At 9th level, your spirit is naturally connected to the unseen actors in the world. As an action for 5 chi points, you gain the ability to see creatures benefiting from the invisible condition. This does not let you see otherwise unseen attackers and targets.
- The Spirit World
At 13th level, your detachment from the world allows you to enter another; the Spirit World. You may cast astral projection for 10 chi points without physical components. You must be prone and blind for the spell's casting duration. While astral projecting in this way, you can not use your bending, you do not leave behind a silver cord, with your body and soul being connected by the winds between dimensions. If your spirit body enters the same plane your body is in, it becomes invisible and can not interact with anything in any way, allowing for it to pass through objects.
- Synchronous Meditation
At 15th level, you can bring other people into the Spirit World when you use this feature. When a creature spends The Spirit World's casting time prone and blind within prone within 15 feet of you, both you and the creature may attempt a DC 15 Intelligence (Religion) check. On a success, they gain its effects as well. Each additional creature you bring with you increases the DC for your Religion check by 2.
- Detachment
At 18th level, you have fully severed yourself from your earthly connections, putting yourself in a continuous state of flight. Your maximum chi points decrease by 10 and you gain a flying speed equal to your movement speed. If you knew the True Flight air bending technique, your Bending Mastery increases by 5.
Heretical Style[edit]
Heretical air benders completely forgo their predecessors' connection to the spirit world, utilizing their bending as a weapon of power and death rather than one of balance and harmony.
- Falling Wind
At 9th level, your blasts of wind strike to kill. When you knock a creature prone with a shove attack or an air bending technique, they take non-magical bludgeoning damage equal to your Dexterity or Strength modifier.
- Material Force
At 13th level, you wield the wind as you would any other weapon. When you gain this feature, choose Strength or Dexterity. The chosen ability becomes your air bending casting ability.
- Killing Blow
At 15th level, Asphyxiation's range is doubled. You may increase any Heretical Style air bending technique's Bending Level to increase its range by 5 times as many feet.
- Suffocation Field
At 18th level, when you use Asphyxiation, you may spend 5 additional chi points to target an additional creature within range.
Multiclassing[edit]
Prerequisites. To qualify for multiclassing into the air bender class, you must meet these prerequisites: Intelligence 13, and you may not be an earth bender, water bender, or fire bender.
Proficiencies. When you multiclass into the air bender class, you gain the following proficiencies: Intelligence (Religion), simple weapons
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