Building a Bender Guide. A bit of Homebrew for D&D 5e

Where to Start.

Building a Bender

Calculating an attack bonus: Add your ability modifier to your proficiency bonus.

Calculating your save DC: Add 8 plus your ability modifier and your proficiency bonus.

Hit Die

All benders have a d8 as their hit die.

Element’s Types

Element   Damage Types

Fire-Fire

Water- Slashing

Air- Force

Earth- Bludgeoning

Lightning- Lightning

Ice- Cold

Proficiencies and Traits

Each of the elements gain specific proficiencies and traits at 1st level. At level 1, you gain two proficiencies in skills associated with your starting elements modifier. If you take the Ice element, you can take two proficiencies in any skill of your choosing, or “Expertise” in one skill. Each time you level up and choose a new element, you can add the armor and weapon proficiencies, but not the tool proficiencies, instruments, or additional languages. Additionally, once you learn an element, you gain proficiency with the saving throws associated with its modifier as well as one skill associated with that same modifier. For example: if you chose Fire, you gain proficiency with Charisma saving throws and one Charisma skill. However, if you take Ice as an additional element, you can choose one skill proficiency of your choice.

Fire: Light and Medium armor. Martial weapons. One additional language. One tool.

Water: Medium Armor. Simple weapons. One tool. One instrument.

Air: Light armor. Four weapons of your choice that have the finesse or versatile property. Additionally, Air benders have the unarmored defense ability. They can add 10 plus their dexterity and wisdom modifiers to their armor class as long as they are not wearing armor.

Earth: Heavy armor. Shields. Martial and simple weapons. One additional language. One tool.

Lightning: Light and Medium armor. Martial and simple weapons. Two tool proficiencies.

Ice: Medium and Heavy armor. Shields. Martial weapons. Two additional Languages.

Creating and Manipulating Elements

By choosing a starting element, or picking up an element later, you gain the ability to both manipulate and create that element at will. At level 1, you can create or manipulate up to a five-foot sphere of any of your chosen elements. The sphere increases in diameter by five feet at levels 5, 10, 15, and 20. Any attacks made with that element will have a set damage type, a range of 60 feet, and will deal 1d8, plus your ability modifier, of that type of damage. This increases to 2d8 at level 5, 3d8 at level 10, 4d10 at level 15, and 5d12 at level 20. At level 10 the range of your attacks increases to 120 feet. For the purposes of attacking, all attacks made with elements are considered ranged attacks.

Additionally, you also gain either the Mold Earth, Produce Flame, Gust, or Shape Water cantrips if you were to choose Earth, Fire, Air, or Water as one of your starting elements. You could also flavor each of the cantrips to work with some of the other elements. For example, the Create Flame cantrip could also be applied to the Lightning element, or the Mold Earth cantrip could be applied to the Ice element. Alternatively, additional Ice and Lightning Cantrips can be found in the “Cantrips” section of this guide.

Element Features

Listed below are the element features, and in parenthesis is the casting modifier. Whenever you take a new element, you can choose to replace your current level 1 element feature with the first level feature of your new element. Element Features can be used a number of times equal to your proficiency bonus per long rest. For example, if your proficiency bonus was +3 and you had three element features, then you could use a feature of each of your chosen elements one time before exhausting your uses, or a single element feature three times.

Fire (Charisma)

Level 1: Lingering Flames- When you attack an enemy, they must make a constitution saving throw, or take fire damage equal to your charisma modifier at the start of each of your turns. They can reattempt the saving throw at the start of each of their turns.

Level 6: Passionate Flames-As a bonus action, you can maximize your damage dice for a round. This can only be applied to attacks that deal fire damage.

Level 10: Leaping Flames- As a bonus action, you can cause your flames to leap from one creature to another and deal fire damage equal to your charisma modifier plus 1d6. The creatures that the flames leap to must be within 30 feet of the original creature, and you can only target a number of creatures equal to your proficiency bonus.

Level 15: Burning Aura- As a bonus action, you surround yourself in an aura of fire that deals 3d4 fire damage to any creature that starts or ends its turn within five feet of you.

Level 18: Conqueror- You can ignore a creature’s fire resistances. If a creature attacks you with fire and has a CR lower than your player level, you take half damage from its attacks.

Water (Dexterity)

Level 1: Liquid Movements-You can use a bonus action to give other creature’s attacks against you disadvantage.

Level 6: Adaptive Strikes-You can use a bonus action to give yourself advantage on attacks against any hostile creature for that round.

Level 10: Water shell- As an action, you can create a ten-foot bubble of water around any creature. Any creatures caught inside the bubble must make a constitution saving throw at the start of each of their turns. On a failed save, they have their movement speed reduced to zero and all of their attacks and Dexterity saving throws are done with disadvantage. If they spend more than three rounds of combat inside the bubble, they are reduced to zero hit points and fall unconscious. If they are not freed from the bubble by the start of their next turn, they die. If they succeed the save, they escape the bubble.

Level 15: Underwater Movement-For one hour, you gain a swimming speed equal to your movement speed or can choose to walk on water. You can also create a space underwater that holds enough air for you and three other creatures to survive one hour, or one person for four hours.

Level 18: Water Wall- As a reaction, you can create a wall of water to absorb damage from attacks aimed at your or any creature that is within 10 feet of you. The damage absorbed is equal to your damage dice for a single attack. 4d10 at level 15, and 5d12 at level 20.

Air (Wisdom)

Level 1: Quick Dodge- You can use your reaction to add your proficiency bonus to your armor class.

Level 6: Speed of the Wind- You can double your movement speed as a free action.

Level 10: Uncanny Dodge- You can use your reaction and choose to take half damage from an attack once per round.

Level 15: Float- As a bonus action, you gain a flying speed of 30 feet for one minute.

Level 18: Tornado- As an action, you can summon a tornado that takes up a space of ten feet by ten feet. Any creature caught within the tornado must succeed a dexterity saving throw. On a failure, the creature is picked up and can be deposited anywhere within 100 feet from the tornado’s starting point. They do not need to be deposited on solid ground or in a place that you can see. Additionally, the creatures cannot be deposited within five feet of each other.

Earth (Strength)

Level 1: Forceful Strike- When you attack an enemy, they need to succeed a strength saving throw or be forced back ten feet.

Level 6: Stubborn Stillness-If you are hit with an attack that would cause you to become prone or get pushed back, you can choose to stay in place and on your feet instead.

Level 10: Stun Strike- Once per round as a bonus action, you can attack a creature and attempt to stun them. This attack fails if the creature is immune to both magical and nonmagical bludgeoning damage.

Level 15: Earthen Armor- As a reaction, you create a barrier around your body that gives you resistance to all nonmagical damage for one round.

Level 18: Rock Hammer- As a bonus action, and after an attack with a melee weapon, you create a floating hammer from the ground around you and attack a creature within ten feet of you. On a hit, the creature takes the damage from a normal attack, as well as an additional 5d8 bludgeoning damage. This attack is treated as magical in nature and will ignore both magical and nonmagical bludgeoning damage resistances.

Lightning (Intelligence)

Level 1: Lock up- When you attack an enemy, they need to make a constitution saving throw. On a failed save, they cannot use their movement until the start of their next turn. This ability cannot be applied more than once per round.

Level 6: Stun Bolt- After you have attacked an enemy, you can use a bonus action to attack them again and attempt to stun them for one round. The second attack does damage equal to your Intelligence modifier. This ability cannot be applied to more than one enemy at a time, and it cannot be applied to the same enemy multiple times in a single round.

Level 10: Shocking Touch- As a free action, you can make attacks with lightning within melee attack range (five feet) without disadvantage.

Level 15: Distant Bolt- As a bonus action, you can increase your attack range for one round to 360 feet without imposing disadvantage.

Level 18: Lightning Storm- As an action, you can create several bolts of lightning and attack up to five creatures at a time, or attack an unspecified number of creatures up to five times (For example: you could attack one creature three times, and another twice, or one creature up to five times), as long as they are within 50 feet of you. Each creature takes the damage of a normal attack for your level. After using this feature, you will be stunned for the rest of the round.

Ice (Constitution)

Level 1: Ice Floor- As a bonus action, when you attack an enemy, the ground at their feet in a five-foot square around them is frozen and is treated as difficult terrain. Any creature that starts or ends its turn in this area needs to make a Dexterity saving throw or fall prone. The ground unfreezes at the start of your next turn.

Level 6: Cold Shoulder- As a bonus action, you can create an icy aura around a creature within 30 feet of you that dissipates at the end of your next turn. The creature has disadvantage on all saving throws, ability checks, and attacks until the effect ends.

Level 10: Cold Presence- As a bonus action, you create an aura around you that deals 1d6+ your constitution modifier cold damage to any creatures within ten feet of you. In addition, any creature that starts or ends its turn within your aura must succeed a constitution saving throw. On a failure, the creature becomes frightened of you.

Level 15: Heart of Ice- As an action, you point at a creature and force it to make a constitution saving throw. On a failure, the creature’s heart is frozen, and they are reduced to zero hit points, but do not need to make death saving throws. They can retry the saving throw at the start of each of their turns. On a success, they are revived with 1 hit point. The saving throw is automatically succeeded if the creature is immune to cold damage.

Level 18: Blizzard- As a bonus action, you choose a spot within 100 feet of you and create a snowstorm that blinds any creature within 50 feet of its center.

Feats

Patient Striker: All of your attacks gain advantage for the first round of combat if an enemy attacks you, or an ally, before the start of your first turn.

Thunder Touch:

Cantrip Transmutation, Damage.

Casting time: 1 action.

Range: Touch.

Target: Any nonliving object within 5 feet.

Components: S

Duration:1 minute.

Classes: Wizard, Sorcerer, Bender.

Description: You touch a nonliving object, no greater in size than a five-foot cube, and imbue it with an electric charge. If a creature touches the object, they take lightning damage equal to the damage of your ranged lightning attack. The object can be picked up and retain its charge if it is first wrapped in rubber or the creature is wearing rubber gloves. The caster is immune to the shock and cannot trigger its activation. Once a creature is shocked, the charge dissipates and the spell ends.

Bender

Level 1: Element Manipulation: At level one you choose one of the starting elements to learn to manipulate at will.

Level 1: Element Feature: you gain the level one starting feature of your chosen element.

Level 3: Additional Element: You gain the ability to manipulate an additional element.

Level 4: Ability score improvement. +2 to one stat or +1 to two stats.

Level 5: Extra Attack: If you take the attack action, then you can take an additional attack with a bending element. This does not need to be the same element that the first attack was made with.

Level 6: Element Feature: You gain the level six element feature of one of the elements that you already know how to manipulate.

Level 7: Magical Manipulation: Any attacks made with an element you can control are now treated as magical attacks.

Level 8: Ability score improvement. +2 to one stat or +1 to two stats.

Level 10: Element feature: You gain the level ten element feature of one of the elements that you already know how to manipulate.

Level 12: Ability score improvement. +2 to one stat or +1 to two stats.

Level 14: Element Feature: You gain the level fourteen element feature of one of the elements that you already know how to manipulate.

Level 15: Additional Element: You can choose a third element to manipulate.

Level 16: Ability score improvement. +2 to one stat or +1 to two stats.

Level 17: Extra Attack: If you take the attack action on your turn, you can now make a third attack element attack. This attack does not need to be the same element as any of your previous attacks on you turn.

Level 18: Element Feature: You gain the level eighteen element feature of one of the elements that you already know how to manipulate.

Level 19: Ability score improvement. +2 to one stat or +1 to two stats.

Level 20: Element Master: You can maximize any damage made with your elements on an attack. This can be done a number of times equal to starting element’s attack modifier per long rest.