Stormbender (5e Class)
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Stormbender[edit]
These rare masters of the element of storms learned to use their inner capability to manipulate the energies around them to create storm-like effects. This allows for astounding electrical, air-based, and weather changing capabilities that can be done on the stormbender's whim.
Creating a Stormbender[edit]
Stormbenders are a flexible, sustainable, and speedy all-range spellcaster, just as happy to launch spells as a distance as they are unleashing devastating storms while right in the fray. Races accustomed to high elevations, constant storming, and other storm-like conditions are best suited (half air-elemental is a great idea) but really any race may have a stormbender or two show up in it. Stormbenders are one with whatever environment they find themselves in, so most are neutral.
Quick Build[edit]
You can make a stormbender quickly by following these suggestions. First, Wisdom should be your highest ability score, followed by Dexterity. Second, choose the Hermit or Outlander background.
Class Features
As a Stormbender you gain the following class features.
- Hit Points
Hit Dice: 1d8 per Stormbender level
Hit Points at 1st Level: 8 + Constitution modifier
Hit Points at Higher Levels: 1d8 (or 5) + Constitution modifier per Stormbender level after 1st
- Proficiencies
Armor: Light
Weapons: Simple Weapons, Simple Ranged Weapons
Tools: None
Saving Throws: Wisdom, Dexterity
Skills: Choose 3: Acrobatics, Arcana, Insight, Medicine, Nature, Perception, Survival
- Equipment
You start with the following equipment, in addition to the equipment granted by your background:
- (a) Club or (b) Quarterstaff
- (a) 2 Daggers or (b) Sling or Bow, with 10 ammunition included
- Leather armor
- (a) explorer's pack or (b) dungeoneer's pack
- 125 (or 5d4*10) gold coins
Spellcasting[edit]
You were born with the innate ability to manipulate energies related to the tempestuous storms of nature.
- Cantrips
At 1st level, you know one cantrip from the stormbender's spell list, and the Zap cantrip. You learn additional stormbender cantrips of your choice at higher levels, as shown in the Cantrips Known column of the Stormbender table.
- Spell Slots
The Stormbender has a specialized slot casting system. See The Gathering Storm.
- Spells Known of 1st Level and Higher
You know two 1st-level spells of your choice from the stormbender spell list. The Spells Known column of the Stormbender table shows when you learn more stormbender spells of your choice. Each of these spells must be of a level equal to or less than your maximum spell level allowed, as shown in the Max Spell Level Known column of The Stormbender table. For instance, when you reach 3rd level in this class, you can learn one new spell of 1st or 2nd level. Additionally, when you gain a level in this class, you can choose one of the stormbender spells you know and replace it with another spell from the stormbender spell list, which also must be of an appropriate level.
- Spellcasting Ability
Wisdom is your spellcasting ability for your stormbender spells, as you must be one with your environment. You use your Wisdom whenever a spell refers to your spellcasting ability. In addition, you use your Wisdom modifier when setting the saving throw DC for a stormbender spell you cast and when making an attack roll with one.
Spell save DC = 8 + Wisdom modifier + proficiency bonus
Spell attack modifier = Wisdom modifier + proficiency
- Spellcasting Focus
You can use an arcane focus as a spellcasting focus for your stormbender spells. The only objects you may use as an arcane focus are those that have been exposed to the elements of the storms, however it may be any such item of sufficient size and or value, such as a branch struck by lightning or a pendant left out in a hurricane. Your DM decides what is acceptable.
A Favorable Wind[edit]
Your base movement speed is a minimum of 30 feet, regardless of race. Some particularly bizarre race choices may not suit this ability, so check with your DM before hand if your race would gain 10 or more feet of movement through this trait.
One With the Storm[edit]
You may learn any spell that fits any one of the following criteria: only deals lightning or thunder damage (lightning bolt), only deals damage via a mostly wind or cold focused effect, has to do with manipulating natural weather type affects (gust of wind, ice storm), evokes the theme of a storm at sea or a watery/rainy theme (freedom of the waves, watery sphere), or could conceivably have its effect's flavor altered to fit a weather theme without changing the actual effect of the spell in any way (blade ward could be done through air manipulation, some elements of control flame could also work). The stormbender spell list is not a comprehensive list, but rather a list of examples. Speak with your DM if you're not sure a particular spell matches the requirement.
The Gathering Storm[edit]
You cast spells by expending natural energy you gather over time through movement. This comes in two forms, potential charge and kinetic charge.
- Potential Charge
At level 1, you start with a maximum of two potential charges. Upon finishing a long rest, you regain all of your potential charges. These charges function as spell slots that may be used to cast any level of spell you know. You do not need to prepare spells before casting them. Spells cast this way are considered to have been cast using a spell slot of the minimum level needed to cast the spell (for example, an 11th level stormbender can only cast lightning bolt as a 3rd level spell). You gain an additional maximum potential charge at level 10.
- Kinetic Charge
At level 1, you start with a maximum of three kinetic charges. You gain an additional maximum kinetic charge at level two and every 2nd level thereafter. Kinetic charges are used to perform stormbending.
Your powers come from motion and nature, and as such you grow in strength when your blood really gets pumping. Kinetic charges are only gained during encounters, such as combat, or any hectic situation where you're in an elevated state of mind, such as trying to survive a deadly gauntlet or sparring with an ally. Charges are 'not' gained when you are trying to be cautious, such as sneaking around a dungeon, nor when thinking hard, such as when answering a sphinx's riddle with deadly consequences, nor during mindless everyday activities, such as exercising. Use the DM's judgement for when to stop accumulating charges, but essentially a player shouldn't be trying to "cheese" staying at maximum kinetic charges all the time.
You gain one kinetic charge after walking, running, falling, or flying 25 feet, and for every 25 feet after that. You must move in a forward focused, momentum building motion. Do not count teleporting. Do not count any spaces you have already been in that turn. Movement should be either mostly straight lines, around the walls of a room, or while moving around a target. S-shaped movement intended only to increase the number of squares you travel does not gain charges as you have to make too many small turns, losing momentum. Tight spaces are your worst enemy. DMs should use their best judgement for what motions build charges, and you should discuss with your DM your planned motion if you think it might not build charge.
Your movement is not lost between actions and turns. If you move 40 feet in one turn then you'll gain 1 kinetic charge with 15 movement recorded. If you then move 35 feet the next turn, you'll gain 2 kinetic charges as that movement brings you to 50 feet.
After completing a short rest, or starting a long rest, all your kinetic charges are lost. You also lose all of your kinetic charges when knocked unconscious.
Surging Spirit[edit]
At 5th level, and every five levels after, your movement speed is increased by 5 feet.
Stormbending[edit]
Stormbending techniques are ways you make use of kinetic charges to realize your power in the world around you. You learn these techniques as you gain levels in the class. Activating a stormbending technique requires a standard action, unless stated otherwise or if triggered as part of another action.
At level one, you gain the Kinetic Casting stormbending technique, and any one other stormbending technique. Every 3rd level, you choose another stormbending technique to learn permanently, and may choose to replace a previously learned stormbending technique with a different one.
- General Stormbending
- Kinetic Casting: You are constantly channeling the natural energy within and around you into weather based magic. By expending a number of kinetic charges equal to twice a spell's level, you may cast that spell as if you had expended a potential charge.
- Decreased Resistance: You gather electric energy more easily, needing to travel 5 feet less to gain a kinetic charge.
- Windmill: The wind catches in your movements and is channeled into your power. You need to travel 5 feet less to gain a kinetic charge.
- Storm Weaving: You may expend three kinetic charges to select a number of creatures up to your Wisdom modifier (minimum one). Those creatures are immune to the negative effects of your stormbender spells and features for the next minute as you weave the danger around them.
- Lightning Stormbending
- Internal Current: You have learned to manipulate an internal, electrical energy within yourself. When you succeed on an unarmed attack, or a melee attack with a metal weapon, you may expend one kinetic charge to add 1d6 + your Wisdom modifier lightning damage to the attack. This damage increases to 2d6 + your Wisdom modifier lightning damage at level 10.
- Static Overflow: While at maximum kinetic charges, if you would gain a kinetic charge you may immediately expend that kinetic charge, rather than lose it, to release a Zap at a random target within 30 feet. This costs no action, and leaves you still at full kinetic charges, but does half the normal damage, rounded down to a minimum of 1.
- Electric Aura: You may expend four kinetic charges to suffuse your aura with lightning for one minute. Your hair stands on end and currents of electricity visibly arc an inch off your body. Any enemy that attempts to grapple you, starts its turn while grappling you or grappled by you, or successfully hits you with a melee attack is shocked for 1d6 + your Wisdom modifier lightning damage. In addition, the heavily charged field around you turns away attacks, increasing your AC by 1.
- Arcing Field: You may expend six kinetic charges to cause the area around you to constantly draw in electrical energy, arcing out at any foolish enough to stand before you. For one minute, any creature (other than you) that comes within 5 feet of you, or begins its turn within 5 feet of you, must succeed on a Dexterity saving throw against your Spell Save DC or take an amount of lightning damage equal to your current number of kinetic charges + your Wisdom modifier, half as much if they succeed. The range of this area extends 5 feet in all directions for every two kinetic charges you currently have.
- Zap Shield: When an enemy attacks you with an attack of opportunity, you automatically expend two kinetic charges, if you have them, to attempt to interrupt their attack with a surprise electric shock. The enemy attacking you must succeed on a Reflex saving throw against your Spell Save DC or lose their attack of opportunity. You cannot forgo use of this technique if you have it learned.
- The Spark of Life: You may expend six kinetic charges, or one potential charge, to kickstart the life of someone on the verge of death with a powerful shock to the heart. Touch a creature who has died by failing their Death Saving Throws, within one minute of their death, to return them to life. The target will still be at 0 hit points and will not be stable, therefore having to continue making Death Saving Throws, however they will return to 0 failures and keep their successes minus one. This stormbending technique cannot be used on the same target more than once per day.
- Wind Stormbending
- Gust Runner: During any action where you are walking, running, falling, or flying, you may cast Gust on a target within 5 feet of you without using an action by expending a kinetic charge. You may use this technique multiple times per turn, but you cannot cast Gust on any one individual target more than once per turn.
- Impenetrable Squall: While at maximum kinetic charges, a powerful vortex guards you from all but the most carefully launched attacks, granting you a bonus to your AC equal to half your maximum kinetic charges rounded down. This bonus is only effective against weapon attacks, not spell attacks.
- Wind Wrapping: When you would be hit by a ranged weapon attack, you may spend one or more kinetic charges, as a reaction, to reduce the damage of the attack by your Wisdom modifier for each charge spent + your Stormbender level. If you would reduce the damage to 0, you may instead redirect the attack to any target within 60 feet of you. That target takes the attack's damage instead. You must choose to use this technique, and how many charges to spend, before knowing how much damage the attack deals.
- Hurricane Force: When you cast a spell that can push a target using wind, or deals damage to a target using wind, you may expend one kinetic charge to increase the Spell Save DC of the spell by 2, and the pushing distance by 5 feet. You may do this at most twice at the casting of the spell, as part of the spell's action.
- Winter Stormbending
You can choose to absorb the natural energy around you, without giving any back, to create terrible cold effects that evoke the might of a winter storm.
- Chilling Aura: When you expend one or more kinetic charges, you gain that many temporary hit points as your aura chills and hardens, forming protective shards of ice that float and linger around you. You may choose to expend all of your kinetic charges as a bonus action to gain twice that many temporary hit points.
- Personal Blizzard: When you both start and end your turn at zero kinetic charges, your presence evokes a horrid, icy wind with piercing snow. All creatures within 5 feet of you must succeed on a Constitution saving throw against your Spell Save DC at the start of their turn or take cold damage equal to your maximum kinetic charges, and lose half of their movement until they start their turn outside of the blizzard. On a success, they instead take half as much damage, rounded down, and keep their movement speed. The radius of this effect is increased by 5 feet for every two maximum kinetic charges you have, rounded up. You must have gained at least one kinetic charge within the last minute to activate this ability.
- Freezing Field: When you expend any number of kinetic charges that leaves you at zero kinetic charges left, the sudden difference in natural energy may freeze those around you in place. All creatures within 10 feet of you must succeed on a Strength saving throw against your Spell Save DC or lose their movement speed as ice roots them to the ground. Creatures may escape the ice by spending an action on their turn to attempt a Strength saving throw against your Spell Save DC. You must expend at least four kinetic charges to trigger this technique.
Unlimited Power[edit]
At level 20, whenever you cast a stormbender spell of 4th level or less, through any means, you may cast that spell a second time immediately and make different choices for the second spell. If that spell requires concentration, the second casting counts as part of the first, so both may be concentrated on at one time as if they were one spell. Make a single concentration check for both spells when required. If that spell allows you to alter its properties during its duration through the use of any action, you may alter both spells as if you had used that action on them each separately.
Stormbender Spell List[edit]
This is not a comprehensive list. Feel free to add any spells that clearly fit the requirements for this class's spell list (see One With the Storm). Spells marked as "(limited uses)" may only be used in certain ways as your DM allows.
- Cantrips
- Blade Ward
- Booming Blade
- Control Flame (limited uses)
- Druidcraft (limited uses)
- Frostbite
- Gust
- Lightning Lure
- Mage Hand (hand made of air)
- Message (not through solids, only if air can reach the target)
- Shape Water (limited uses)
- Shillelagh
- Shocking Grasp
- Thaumaturgy (limited uses)
- Thunderclap
- Zap
- 1st Level
- Absorb Elements (cold, lightning, or thunder only)
- Armor of Agathys
- Catapult
- Chromatic Orb (cold, lightning, or thunder only)
- Create or Destroy Water
- Expeditious Retreat
- Feather Fall
- Fog Cloud
- Frost Fingers
- Ice Knife
- Jump (as an evocation)
- Longstrider (as an evocation)
- Shield (does not stop magic missile)
- Thunderous Smite
- Thunderwave
- Witch Bolt
- Zephyr Strike
- 2nd Level
- Dragon's Breath (cold or lightning only)
- Dust Devil
- Gust of Wind
- Icingdeath's Frost
- Levitate (as an evocation)
- Misty Step
- Rime's Binding Ice
- Shatter (as the sound of thunder)
- Skywrite
- Snilloc's Snowball Storm
- Warding Wind
- 3rd Level
- Call Lightning
- Elemental Weapon (cold, lightning, or thunder)
- Fly
- Freedom of the Waves
- Gaseous Form
- Haste
- Lightning Arrow
- Lightning Bolt
- Protection from Energy (cold, lightning, thunder)
- Sleet Storm
- Thunder Step
- Tidal Wave
- Wall of Water
- Water Breathing
- Water Walk
- Wind Wall
- 4th Level
- Conjure Minor Elementals (air, water)
- Control Water
- Elemental Bane (cold, lightning, thunder)
- Ice Storm
- Storm Sphere
- Summon Elemental (air, water)
- Watery Sphere
- 5th Level
- Commune with Nature
- Cone of Cold
- Conjure Elemental (air, water)
- Control Winds
- Freedom of the Winds
- Maelstrom
- Planar Binding (elementals of air or water only)
- Steel Wind Strike
- 6th Level
- Chain Lightning
- Find the Path
- Investiture of Ice
- Investiture of Wind
- Otiluke's Freezing Sphere
- Planar Ally (you must know a powerful elemental being of storm, wind, water, or lightning)
- Primordial Ward
- Wall of Ice
- Wind Walk
- 7th Level
- Plane Shift (plane of air or water)
- Whirlwind
- 8th Level
- Control Weather
- Tsunami
- 9th Level
- Storm of Vengeance
Multiclassing[edit]
Prerequisites. To qualify for multiclassing into the stormbender class, you must meet these prerequisites: 15 Wisdom, been struck by lightning or fallen through two miles of upper troposphere in one fall.
Proficiencies. When you multiclass into the stormbender class, you gain the following proficiencies: Nature, Perception, Wisdom saving throws
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