Hey guys! So a player of mine is playing a monk and is wanting to be able to waterbend to some extent like from Avatar the Last Airbender. Now i have some ideas of how I want this to work, but I'm not sure how to execute it. I'm imagining that my player will be able to train with masters or find scrolls to learn new abilities. But I'm waning the first thing they learn to be Water Manipulation.
Description from Avatar Wiki: Almost all forms of waterbending involve moving and shaping a body of water to the waterbender's desire. By simply levitating a large mass of water, waterbenders can move water anywhere they wish, even parting it under the surface of a lake or sea, allowing them to walk along the bottom of a basin without the need to swim. These large bodies of water can also be used as weapons, either by shaping them into gigantic whips, swung repeatedly at a target as a snake-like body, formed momentarily into a razor-sharp edge that can cut through even metal, or simply dropped onto an opponent to smother them or put out a fire. On the sea or ocean, waterbending can be used to create giant maelstroms. Aang and Katara used this to set off a giant sea serpent.
Now this is a very powerful and I want the player to be able to get creative with it. I am probably going to limit it by Ki and by the somatic/material components. However, I'm not sure how I should be able to handle attacks, damage and the mechanics of it. Like should I limit the damage by how much water is nearby? How much water should they be able to manipulate? This should be quite powerful and versatile, but I don't want it to be game breaking. Thoughts?
"The relevant equation is: Knowledge = power = energy = matter = mass; a good bookshop is just a genteel Black Hole that knows how to read." - Terry Pratchett
I understand that those abilities exist and I'm more interested in home-brewing something new (hence i'm in the homebrew part of the forum) that matches exactly like what a water bender could do in the show. Those abilities that exist feel very elementalist and would be better to have paired with other elemental abilities. Like Shape water is a party trick, Tidal wave is a conjuration and water benders cannot conjure water, malestorm fits in alright, but they wouldn't get that ability until later in the game, and benders cant really control the weather. What I'm looking to try and do is create from scratch a monk Ki ability that allows them to be creative with water, learn new skills from scrolls and require a water source.
I understand that those abilities exist and I'm more interested in home-brewing something new (hence i'm in the homebrew part of the forum) that matches exactly like what a water bender could do in the show. Those abilities that exist feel very elementalist and would be better to have paired with other elemental abilities. Like Shape water is a party trick, Tidal wave is a conjuration and water benders cannot conjure water, malestorm fits in alright, but they wouldn't get that ability until later in the game, and benders cant really control the weather. What I'm looking to try and do is create from scratch a monk Ki ability that allows them to be creative with water, learn new skills from scrolls and require a water source.
Funnily enough I'm doing a Water based monk myself. Unfortunately I think conjuring water may be a necessity, just to keep gameplay to be less clunky. Of you Wanna take a look and add suggestions feel free!
though, maybe a water bender like avatar in 5e could spend a free action to draw water like katara does in the show...
I don't think I would limit the water source to bodies of water. Katara carries around a water skin that she uses when she isn't near a body. there is also water in just about any living thing too, so plants, humidity and rain could help. I'm not to worried about the monk not having access to water. but limiting it to no conjuration, helps keep it less powerful.
There is an item kinda like that. Its the decanter of endless water, I believe, and you could do a thing where instead of this big, clunky decanter, they can carry around a water skein.
I understand that those abilities exist and I'm more interested in home-brewing something new (hence i'm in the homebrew part of the forum) that matches exactly like what a water bender could do in the show. Those abilities that exist feel very elementalist and would be better to have paired with other elemental abilities. Like Shape water is a party trick, Tidal wave is a conjuration and water benders cannot conjure water, malestorm fits in alright, but they wouldn't get that ability until later in the game, and benders cant really control the weather. What I'm looking to try and do is create from scratch a monk Ki ability that allows them to be creative with water, learn new skills from scrolls and require a water source.
We can work with this. Are you looking to have the abilities in spell form, or as new options for the four elements monk, or even a new subclass? The easiest thing to do would be to mimic the four elements monk and specify that a quantity of water is needed as a component to power the spells that they are granted.
Hey guys! So a player of mine is playing a monk and is wanting to be able to waterbend to some extent like from Avatar the Last Airbender. Now i have some ideas of how I want this to work, but I'm not sure how to execute it. I'm imagining that my player will be able to train with masters or find scrolls to learn new abilities. But I'm waning the first thing they learn to be Water Manipulation.
Description from Avatar Wiki: Almost all forms of waterbending involve moving and shaping a body of water to the waterbender's desire. By simply levitating a large mass of water, waterbenders can move water anywhere they wish, even parting it under the surface of a lake or sea, allowing them to walk along the bottom of a basin without the need to swim. These large bodies of water can also be used as weapons, either by shaping them into gigantic whips, swung repeatedly at a target as a snake-like body, formed momentarily into a razor-sharp edge that can cut through even metal, or simply dropped onto an opponent to smother them or put out a fire. On the sea or ocean, waterbending can be used to create giant maelstroms. Aang and Katara used this to set off a giant sea serpent.
Now this is a very powerful and I want the player to be able to get creative with it. I am probably going to limit it by Ki and by the somatic/material components. However, I'm not sure how I should be able to handle attacks, damage and the mechanics of it. Like should I limit the damage by how much water is nearby? How much water should they be able to manipulate? This should be quite powerful and versatile, but I don't want it to be game breaking. Thoughts?
shape water, tidal wave, control water, maelstrom, and control weather all spring to mind. There is also the Way of the Four Elements as that matches the flavor you're looking for.
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"The relevant equation is: Knowledge = power = energy = matter = mass; a good bookshop is just a genteel Black Hole that knows how to read." - Terry Pratchett
I understand that those abilities exist and I'm more interested in home-brewing something new (hence i'm in the homebrew part of the forum) that matches exactly like what a water bender could do in the show. Those abilities that exist feel very elementalist and would be better to have paired with other elemental abilities. Like Shape water is a party trick, Tidal wave is a conjuration and water benders cannot conjure water, malestorm fits in alright, but they wouldn't get that ability until later in the game, and benders cant really control the weather. What I'm looking to try and do is create from scratch a monk Ki ability that allows them to be creative with water, learn new skills from scrolls and require a water source.
I don't think I would limit the water source to bodies of water. Katara carries around a water skin that she uses when she isn't near a body. there is also water in just about any living thing too, so plants, humidity and rain could help. I'm not to worried about the monk not having access to water. but limiting it to no conjuration, helps keep it less powerful.
There is an item kinda like that. Its the decanter of endless water, I believe, and you could do a thing where instead of this big, clunky decanter, they can carry around a water skein.
We can work with this. Are you looking to have the abilities in spell form, or as new options for the four elements monk, or even a new subclass? The easiest thing to do would be to mimic the four elements monk and specify that a quantity of water is needed as a component to power the spells that they are granted.