The Waterbender
Waterbending, one of the four elemental bending arts, is the hydrokinetic ability to control water in all of its various forms. Water is the element of change. The fighting style of waterbending is mostly fluid and graceful, acting in concert with the environment. Foggy Swamp style waterbending, however, is more rigid and straight. Waterbenders deal with the flow of energy; they let their defense become their offense, turning their opponents' own forces against them. Even when waterbenders do take an attack stance, their moves always appear to flow from one to the other.
Origins and Culture
During the era of Raava, the power of water was first granted by the water lion turtle, who would temporarily provide it as protection to those venturing into the Spirit Wilds. The descendants of the people living atop the water lion turtle eventually learned to waterbend by observing how the moon pushed and pulled the tides of the ocean; they learned how to simulate the effect themselves. As such, they have a strong spiritual connection to the Moon and its counterpart, the Ocean. In fact, waterbending is the only bending art to originate from spirits instead of animals, though the Moon and Ocean Spirits took the form of koi fish in the mortal world near the beginning of the Avatar World. Additionally, any adverse effect on these spirits detrimentally affects waterbenders. The Water Tribes are divided into the Southern, Northern, and lesser known Foggy Swamp tribes, as well as those of the United Republic, each with their own unique bending style.
Opposed Bending Art
Waterbending is a fluid bending art, based on redirecting energy, graceful movements and healing spirit energies. Firebending is the opposite of this. Waterbenders are generally indirect or elusive with their attacks, while Firebenders are aggressive and straightforward. Waterbenders are generally passive and peaceful, preferring to stay within their tribal lands. Firebenders are passionate and always eager to expand their influence.
Like all of the bending arts, Waterbending is balanced out as to not be more or less powerful than the other arts, though it is easily the most dynamic and agile of the four. It is the skill and power of the user that determines victory.
The Waterbender
| Level | Proficiency Bonus | Features | Cantrips Known | Chi Points | Max Bending Move Level |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1st | +2 | Waterbending, Ritual Casting, Natural Spring, Tidal Conduit | 3 | 4 | 1st |
| 2nd | +2 | Bending Circle, Circle Feature | 3 | 6 | 1st |
| 3rd | +2 | ─ | 3 | 14 | 2nd |
| 4th | +2 | Ability Score Improvement | 4 | 17 | 2nd |
| 5th | +3 | ─ | 4 | 27 | 3rd |
| 6th | +3 | Circle Feature | 4 | 32 | 3rd |
| 7th | +3 | ─ | 4 | 38 | 4th |
| 8th | +3 | Ability Score Improvement | 4 | 44 | 4th |
| 9th | +4 | ─ | 4 | 57 | 5th |
| 10th | +4 | Circle Feature | 5 | 64 | 5th |
| 11th | +4 | ─ | 5 | 73 | 6th |
| 12th | +4 | Ability Score Improvement | 5 | 73 | 6th |
| 13th | +5 | ─ | 5 | 83 | 7th |
| 14th | +5 | Circle Feature | 5 | 83 | 7th |
| 15th | +5 | ─ | 5 | 94 | 8th |
| 16th | +5 | Ability Score Improvement | 5 | 94 | 8th |
| 17th | +6 | ─ | 5 | 107 | 9th |
| 18th | +6 | Chi Mastery | 5 | 114 | 9th |
| 19th | +6 | Ability Score Improvement | 5 | 123 | 9th |
| 20th | +6 | Purifying Waves | 5 | 133 | 9th |
Class Features
As a Waterbender, you gain the following Class Features:
Hit Points
- Hit Dice: 1d6 per Waterbender level
- Hit Points at 1st Level: 6 + your Constitution modifier
- Hit Points at Higher Levels: 1d6 (or 4) + your Constitution modifier per Waterbender level after first.
Proficiencies
- Armor: None
- Weapons: Daggers, Quarterstaff, Spear, Trident, Net
- Tools: Navigator’s OR Leatherworker’s Tools
- Saving Throws: Constitution, Intelligence
- Skills: Choose two skills from Arcana, History, Investigation, Nature, Animal Handling, Survival
Equipment
You start with the following equipment, in addition to the equipment granted by your background:
- A Quarterstaff or a Spear and Net
- An Explorers pack or a Scholar’s Pack
- Thick furs and leather coats representative of the water tribe
- A large waterskin slung over your shoulder to carry water to bend with
Bending
Your training on the oceans with the Waterbending masters has allowed you to become one with the current around you.
Cantrips
Cantrips are basic Waterbending moves that don’t require a significant amount of Chi use, and therefore can be used at will. At level 1, you know the Shape Water cantrip and two other cantrips of your choice from the Waterbender move list. You learn additional Waterbender Cantrips of your choice at higher levels as shown in the Waterbender table.
Bending Scroll Book
At 1st level, you have a scroll book containing six 1st level Waterbender bending moves of your choice.
Preparing and using bending moves
The Waterbender table shows how many chi points you have to use your more powerful bending abilities. The table also shows what the maximum bending move level those moves can be at your level. To use one of your bending abilities you must expend the amount of Chi points required to use a bending move of that level (Table Below). You regain all your expended Chi points when you finish a long rest.
| Bending Move Level | Chi Point Cost |
|---|---|
| 1 | 2 |
| 2 | 3 |
| 3 | 5 |
| 4 | 6 |
| 5 | 7 |
| 6 | 9 |
| 7 | 10 |
| 8 | 11 |
| 9 | 13 |
Bending moves of 6th level and higher are particularly taxing to use. You can use Chi points to use one of each level of 6th or higher. You can’t use another bending move of that same level until you finish a long rest.
You prepare the list of Waterbender moves that are available to you each day by choosing a number of bending moves from your Bending Scroll Book equal to your Intelligence Modifier + your Waterbender Level. The bending moves must not be of a level higher than the maximum bending move level for your level (listed in the Waterbender Table above).
Bending known at 1st level or Higher
Each time you gain a Waterbender level, you can add two Waterbender moves of your choice to your Bending Scroll Book. Each of these bending moves must be of a level equal to or less than the maximum bending move level for your level.
On your adventures, you may find other bending scrolls that you can add to your Bending Scroll Book. For each level of the bending move on the scroll, it costs 50gp and takes two hours to copy the found scroll into your Scroll Book.
Bending ability
Intelligence is your bending ability for your Waterbender moves, so you use your Intelligence whenever a bending move refers to your bending ability. In addition, you use your Intelligence modifier when setting the saving throw DC for a Waterbender move you use and when making an attack roll with one.
- Bending Save DC = 8 + your proficiency bonus + your Intelligence modifier
- Bending Attack modifier = your proficiency bonus + your Intelligence Modifier
Ritual Casting
You can use a Waterbender move as a ritual if that bending move has the ritual tag, and you have the move in your Bending Scroll Book. You don’t need to have the move prepared.
Natural Spring
You are able to draw on the revitalizing nature of water to replenish some of your Chi. Once per day, after you finish a short rest, you can regain a number of Chi points equal to your Waterbender level rounded up to the nearest even number.
Tidal Conduit
At first level you learn to bend water around yourself, constantly flowing in a ring as a conduit between yourself and the Chi all around you.
As a bonus action, you can begin bending water around you to initiate the conduit. This conduit lasts for 1 minute and ends early if you are incapacitated or don any armor or shield (impeding your connection to the spirits). You can also end this connection at any time you choose.
While your Tidal Conduit is active, you gain the following benefits:
- You gain a bonus to your AC equal to your Intelligence modifier + 2
- Your swim speed is equal to your walking speed
- You gain a bonus to any Constitution saving throw to maintain concentration on a bending move. The bonus equals your Intelligence modifier.
- You can use bending moves with a range of “Touch” through your Conduit. You are considered to have a reach of 10 when your Tidal Conduit is active.
- You can also lash out with your conduit and make attacks with it as if it were a held weapon you are proficient with:
Conduit Tendril
- Range: Reach 10 ft
- Attack: Proficiency Bonus + Intelligence Modifier
- Damage: 1d8 + Intelligence Modifier Bludgeoning damage
You can use your Tidal Conduit twice. You regain all expended uses of it when you finish a short or long rest.
Ability Score Improvement
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. You can’t increase an ability score above 20 using this feature.
Chi Mastery
At 18th level, you have achieved such a mastery over certain bending techniques that you can use them at will. Choose a 1st level Waterbender move and a 2nd level Waterbender move that are in your Bending Scroll Book. You can use those bending moves at their lowest level without expending Chi points when you have them prepared. If you want to use either at a higher level, you must expend Chi points as normal.
By spending 8 Hours in study, you can exchange one or both of the bending moves you chose for different bending moves of the same levels.
Purifying Waves
At 20th level, you are in perfect harmony with the currents of the oceans. Once per day, you can call upon those waves to aid you and hamper your enemies.
As an action, you release a large wave of cleansing waters outward. Any allies within 30 feet are affected by these waters and are cured of one disease, or one condition from this list: Blinded, Charmed, Deafened, Frightened, Grappled, Paralyzed, Petrified, Poisoned, Restrained or Stunned.
In addition, until the end of your next turn the affected area is considered difficult terrain for anyone hostile to you.
Bending Circle
Beginning at level 2, you choose to join either the cleansing Circle of the Moon, or the dominating Circle of Blood.
Circle of the Moon
Yue's Favor
At level 2, when travelling at night and not during a new moon, you have advantage on survival, stealth and perception checks.
Kya's Defense
At 6th level, when any creature makes a melee or ranged attack against anyone (including yourself) within your reach, you can choose to use your reaction to have your Tidal Conduit reach out and attempt to block the attack. The attacker must make a dexterity saving throw against your Bending Save DC.
On a failed save, the attack misses its target, and your Tidal Conduit absorbs the blow, weakening it so that you can’t use this ability again until the next time you initiate a new Tidal Conduit.
On a successful save, the attack happens as normal, and you do not expend your use of Kya’s Defense.
Overflow
At 10th level you become empowered by the surges of the tides. While your Tidal Conduit is active, whenever you use a bending move that heals a single target, you can have it target a second creature.
Frozen Stasis
Starting at 14th level, when a creature within 30 feet of you goes unconscious, you can use your reaction to encase that creature in a shield of ice. The ice shield has hit points equal to your Waterbender level, and any attack against the creature hits the ice shield first. While the ice shield still has at least 1 hit point, the frozen creature does not have to make death saving throws. As soon as all of the shield’s HP is depleted, the creature continues making death saving throws as normal.
If the frozen creature becomes conscious again, the shield around them melts, and they can act as normal.
Once you use this feature, you are unable to use it again until you complete a short or long rest.
Circle of Blood
Hama’s Draining Presence
Starting at level 2, you are able to pull the water out of the plants, objects, even the air around you. You always have water available to you to drink, regardless of where you are.
Ice Floes
Beginning at 6th level, whenever you hit a target with a 1st level bending move or higher, or have a target fail a saving throw against a 1st level bending move or higher. You can spend 1 extra Chi point to slow that target until the end of its next turn, in addition to any other effects of the bending move
Controlling Tides
At 10th level, you learn how to empower your Tidal Conduit with Chi to perform some new attacks. Whenever you would make an attack with your Tidal conduit you can instead spend 2 Chi points use one of the following attacks:
Blinding Whip. You whip your enemy with a lash of salt water from your Tidal Conduit across its eyes. As an action, make a melee bending attack. If the attack hits, the creature is blinded until the end of your next turn.
Constricting Grasp. You reach out and attempt to crush your enemy with a tendril of water. As an action make a melee bending attack. If the attack hits, the enemy is considered Grappled.
If the target is already grappled by your Constricting Grasp, the target is now Restrained.
On their turn, the target can spend an action to try to escape your grasp with a strength or dexterity check vs your Bending Save DC.
This feature requires you to maintain concentration to hold your grasp.
Amon’s Blood Severing
At level 14, you gain the ability to sever an enemy’s connection to their Chi. As an action you touch a creature within your reach. That creature has to make a constitution saving throw against your Bending Save DC to resist your blood bending. On a failed saving throw, the creature is unable to use or concentrate on any bending moves until the end of your next turn.
Once you use this feature, you are unable to use it again until you complete a long rest.
Waterbender Bending List
Cantrips (0 Level):
- Snap Freeze**
- Chill Touch (Cold Damage)
- Frostbite
- Mage Hand (Globe of water)
- Ray of Frost
- Freezing Grasp**
- Spare the Dying (Cold slowing death)
- Dancing Lights (4 little spirits)
1st Level
- Absorb Elements (Shield of water)
- Armor of Agathys
- Arms of Hadar (Tendrils of water, bludgeoning damage)
- Bless (Aid from spirits)
- Create or Destroy Water
- Cure Wounds
- Detect Poison and Disease (Contact spirits)
- Ensnaring Strike (Tendrils of water, bludgeoning damage)
- Entangle (Tendrils of water)
- Fog Cloud
- Healing Word
- Ice Knife
- Mage Armor (Armor of Ice)
- Puppet (Done with bloodbending)
- Purify Food and Drink
- Shield of Faith (Shield of ice)
- Shield (Shield of ice)
2nd Level
- Aid
- Blur (blurred by layer of water, light distortion)
- Calm Emotions
- Cloud of Daggers (Ice shards, Cold damage)
- Enhance Ability (Bolstered by spirit energy)
- Gentle Repose (Cryogenically Frozen)
- Healing Spirit (Small pool of water)
- Hold Person (Bloodbending)
- Lesser Restoration
- Prayer of Healing (Wave of healing waters)
- Ray of Enfeeblement (Dehydrate target to weaken)
- Snilloc’s Snowball Swarm
- Spike Growth (Ice spikes)
3rd Level
- Aura of Vitality
- Counterspell (Interrupt flow of Chi during bending move)
- Dispell Magic (Remove Chi)
- Mass Healing Word (Waves of healing water)
- Plant Growth
- Revivify (Returning spirit energy to body)
- Slow (Covered in frost)
- Sleet Storm
- Tidal Wave
- Wall of Water
- Water Breathing
- Water Walk
4th Level
- Aura of Life (Protected by mist of water/spirit energy)
- Aura of Purity (Protected by mist of water/spirit energy)
- Blight
- Compulsion (Strength Saving Throw, Bloodbending)
- Control Water
- Evard’s Black Tentacles (Tendrils of water)
- Grasping Vine (Water Tendril)
- Ice Storm
- Otiluke’s Resilient Sphere (Globe of water)
- Watery Sphere
5th Level
- Bigby’s Hand (Giant fist made of water)
- Cone of Cold
- Dominate Person (Bloodbending)
- Greater Restoration
- Hold Monster (Bloodbending)
- Maelstrom
- Mass Cure Wounds (Waves of healing water)
- Telekinesis (Objects lifted by tendrils of globes of water)
- Scrying (Visions from spirit world)
6th Level
- Globe of Invulnerability (Globe of water)
- Heal
- Investiture of Ice
- Otiluke’s Freezing Sphere
- Wall of Ice
- True Seeing (Gifted by spirits)
7th Level
- Finger of Death (Drain body of blood)
- Ressurection
- Regeneration
- Mordenkainens Sword (Sword of ice, cold damage)
- Plane Shift
- Teleport (Step through the spirit world)
- Geyser**
8th Level
- Abi-Dalzim's Horrid Wilting
- Anti-Chi Field**
- Control Weather
- Dominate Monster (Bloodbending)
- Feeblemind (Change bloodflow in the brain)
- Tsunami
9th Level
- Power Word Heal
- True Ressurection
- Mass Heal
- Blizzard**
- Arctic Shockwave**
Re-flavored Bending Moves
Snap Freeze
Waterbending Cantrip
- Casting Time: 1 Action
- Range: 10 Feet
- Components: V, S
- Duration: 1 Round
As part of the action to use this bending move, you must make a melee attack with a weapon against one creature within the bending move's range, otherwise the move fails. On a hit, the target suffers the attack’s normal effects, and it becomes enshrouded in a chilled mist. If the target willingly moves before then, the mist instantly freezes, the creature immediately takes 1d8 cold damage, and the bending move ends.
This bending move’s damage increases when you reach higher levels. At 5th level, the melee attack deals an extra 1d8 cold damage to the target, and the damage the target takes for moving increases to 2d8. Both damage rolls increase by 1d8 at 11th level and 17th level.
Freezing Grasp
Waterbending Cantrip
- Casting Time: 1 Action
- Range: Touch
- Components: V, S
- Duration: Instantaneous
Frost drifts from your hand to chill to a creature you try to touch. Make a melee bending attack against the target. You have advantage on the attack roll if the target is wearing armor made of metal. On a hit, the target takes 1d8 cold damage, and it can't take reactions until the start of its next turn.
The bending move's damage increases by 1d8 when you reach 5th level (2d8), 11th level (3d8), and 17th level (4d8).
Geyser
7th-Level Waterbending
- Casting Time: 1 Action
- Range: 100 ft
- Components: V, S
- Duration: Concentration, up to 1 minute
This bending move briefly expands a small amount of water into a 100-foot high, 50 ft radius cylindrical geyser centered on a point within range. All creatures and objects that aren't somehow anchored to the ground in the area are pushed upward and reach the top of the area when you use this bending move. A creature can make a Dexterity saving throw to grab onto a fixed object it can reach, thus avoiding being pushed upwards.
If some solid object (such as a ceiling) is encountered during the initial push, objects and creatures strike it just as they would during a normal downward fall (Use the fall damage chart to calculate damage). If an object or creature reaches the top of the area without striking anything, it remains there, oscillating slightly, for the duration.
At the end of the duration, the surge of water dissipates quickly and affected objects and creatures fall back down.
Anti-Chi Field
8th-Level Waterbending
- Casting Time: 1 Action
- Range: Self
- Components: V, S
- Duration: Concentration, up to 1 hour
You bend a sphere of water in a 10 ft radius around you. This sphere disrupts the flow of all Chi within the area. Within the sphere, bending moves can't be used, summoned creatures disappear, and even Chi-infused items become mundane. Until the bending move ends, the sphere moves with you, centered on you.
Bending moves and other Chi-based effects, except those created by an artifact or a deity, are suppressed in the sphere and can't protrude into it. Any resources expended to use a suppressed bending move are consumed. While an effect is suppressed, it doesn't function, but the time it spends suppressed counts against its duration.
Targeted Effects. Bending moves and other Chi-based effects, such as Gust and Hold Person, that target a creature or an object in the sphere have no effect on that target.
Areas of Chi. The area of another bending move or Chi-based effect, such as fireball, can't extend into the sphere. If the sphere overlaps an area of a Chi-based effect, the part of the area that is covered by the sphere is suppressed. For example, the flames created by a wall of fire are suppressed within the sphere, creating a gap in the wall if the overlap is large enough.
Bending Moves. Any active bending move or other Chi-based effect on a creature or an object in the sphere is suppressed while the creature or object is in it.
Chi-infused Items. The properties and powers of Chi-infused items are suppressed in the sphere. For example, a longsword, +1 in the sphere functions as a regular longsword.
A Chi-infused weapon's properties and powers are suppressed if it is used against a target in the sphere or wielded by an attacker in the sphere. If a Chi-infused weapon or a piece of Chi-infused ammunition fully leaves the sphere (for example, if you fire a Chi-infused arrow or throw a Chi-infused spear at a target outside the sphere), the power of the item ceases to be suppressed as soon as it exits.
Spirit Travel. Teleportation and planar travel fail to work in the sphere, whether the sphere is the destination or the departure point for such travel. A portal to another location, world, or plane of existence, as well as an opening to an extradimensional space temporarily closes while in the sphere.
Creatures and Objects. A creature or object summoned or created by Chi temporarily blinks out of existence in the sphere. Such a creature instantly reappears once the space the creature occupied is no longer within the sphere.
Dispel Magic/Remove Chi. Bending Moves and Chi-based effects such as dispel magic have no effect on the sphere. Likewise, the spheres created by different antimagic field bending moves don't nullify each other.
Blizzard
9th-Level Waterbending
- Casting Time: 1 Action
- Range: Sight
- Components: V, S
- Duration: Concentration, up to 1 minute
You manipulate the clouds and freeze the moisture in the air over a massive area to cause a blizzard that consumes an area centered on a point that you can see and spreading to a 360 ft radius. Freezing winds gust through the newly created arctic wasteland. Each creature within the blizzard when it appears must make a Constitution saving throw. On a failed save, a creature takes 2d6 cold damage and becomes deafened for 5 minutes.
Each round you maintain concentration on this bending move, the blizzard produces additional effects on your turn.
Round 2. Freezing rain falls from the cloud. Each creature and object under the cloud takes 1d6 cold damage.
Round 3. The temperature and air pressure drops sharply around 6 creatures of your choice. Each of the 6 creatures you chose must succeed on a Constitution saving throw or take 6d6 damage and be frozen (paralyzed) until the end of their next turn. The creature takes half damage and isn't paralyzed on a successful saving throw.
Round 4. The freezing rain turns to large hailstones. Each creature under the cloud takes 2d6 bludgeoning damage.
Round 5–10. Gusts and freezing rain assail the area under the cloud. The area becomes difficult terrain and is heavily obscured. Each creature there takes 1d6 cold damage. Ranged weapon attacks in the area are impossible. The wind and rain count as a severe distraction for the purposes of maintaining concentration on bending moves. Finally, gusts of strong wind (ranging from 20 to 50 miles per hour) automatically disperse fog, mists, and similar phenomena in the area, whether mundane or magical.
Arctic Shockwave
9th-Level Waterbending
- Casting Time: 1 Action
- Range: 90 ft
- Components: S
- Duration: Instantaneous
You snap freeze the very air around up to ten creatures of your choice that you can see within range.
Each target must make a Constitution saving throw. On a failed save, a target takes 18d6 cold damage and is frozen (stunned). On a successful save, a target takes half as much damage and isn’t stunned. If a target is killed by this damage, its body, now frozen, shatters into several pieces and falls to the ground.
A stunned target can make an Constitution saving throw at the end of each of its turns. On a successful save, the stunning effect ends.