TV to Tabletop is a series where we take ideas from popular fantasy TV and movies and translate them to D&D terms. Use them as-is, rename them to hide your sources, or get inspiration for your own new ideas!

Avatar: The Last Airbender originally aired on Nickelodeon in 2005 and remains a hit TV show on streaming platforms. The show features characters who “bend” the elements of air, earth, fire, and water.

Monk Subclass: Way of Air

The Way of Air is a monk subclass based on the monastic tradition of airbenders. Monks who practice the Way of Air tend to focus on defensive capabilities, preferring to find the path of least resistance to solve problems.

One with the Breeze

At 3rd level, your connection with the air and wind allows you to channel your ki to heighten your abilities. 

• When you use your Flurry of Blows, you can cause a creature hit by one of your attacks to make a Strength saving throw. On a failure, the target is pushed up to 15 feet away from you by a blast of wind.
• When you use your Patient Defense, whenever a creature misses you with an attack, you may move up to 5 feet (no reaction required) until the start of your next turn.
• When you use your Step of the Wind, you summon a sphere of air that you can ride. You hover just above the ground on the sphere until the end of your turn. The sphere moves at your speed and can propel you upward as high as you can jump. While riding the sphere, you ignore the effects of difficult terrain.

Light-Hearted Breath

At 6th level, your patience and breathing practices allows you to further manipulate the air around you to heighten your abilities.

• When you use your Slow Fall, you can choose to hover in the air for up to 1 minute instead of falling.
• When you use your Patient Defense, and a creature within 5 feet of you misses you with a melee attack, you can use your reaction to force that creature to make a new attack roll against a creature of your choice within 5 feet of you.
• When you use your Step of the Wind, your jump distance is tripled for the turn instead of doubled.

Building Gale

At 11th level, your deepening connection with the wind allows you to protect yourself and your allies better. When you or a creature within 15 feet of you is targeted by a ranged attack or forced to make a Dexterity saving throw, you can use a reaction to summon a 15-foot sphere of strong wind centered on yourself. The sphere moves with you and lasts until the start of your next turn. Creatures within the sphere gain the following benefits:

• A bonus to Dexterity saving throws equal to your Wisdom modifier.
• Ranged attack rolls against them have disadvantage if the attack originates from outside of the sphere.

While the wind sphere is active, you may use Deflect Missiles without using a reaction. If you do so, the sphere effect immediately ends.

You can use this feature a number of times equal to your proficiency bonus, and you regain all expended uses when you finish a long rest.

Living Whirlwind

At 17th level, you gain the ability to manifest a cyclone in the shape of a 10-foot cylinder that extends 60 feet above and below you. As a bonus action, you can spend 5 ki points to gain the following benefits for 1 minute: 

• You gain a flying speed of 60 feet.
• Any other creature of your choice that enters the area for the first time on a turn or starts its turn there, must make a Strength saving throw. A creature takes 2d12 bludgeoning damage on a failed save, or half as much on a successful one. If a Large or smaller creature fails the save, that creature is also pushed up to 15 feet in a direction of your choice.
• You can cause a willing creature within the area to move with the cylinder as you move. You can use a bonus action to cause the creature to move up or down 60 feet within the cyclone.

Elemental Bending Spells

The following spells are based on common elemental bending maneuvers from Avatar: the Last Airbender.

Air Scooter

2nd-Level Evocation
Casting Time: 1 action
Range: Self
Component: V, S
Duration: Concentration 1 minute

You create a spherical ball of air that you can ride on as you hover 1 foot above the ground. While riding on the ball, you have a movement speed of three times your spellcasting ability score, rounded to the nearest 5 feet, and you ignore the effects of difficult terrain. In addition, opportunity attacks made against you have disadvantage.

Earth Column

1st-Level Evocation
Casting Time: 1 action
Range: 60 feet
Component: S
Duration: Instantaneous

You create a sudden 5-foot tall pillar of earth or stone beneath a creature’s foot in range. The target must make a Dexterity saving throw. On a failed save, the target takes 2d8 bludgeoning damage and is pushed a number of feet based on its size in a direction of your choice.

• A Small or smaller creature is pushed 30 feet.
• A Medium creature is pushed 15 feet.
• A Large or larger creature is pushed 5 feet.

On a successful save, the target takes half as much damage and isn’t pushed.

At Higher Levels. When you cast this spell using a spell slot of 2nd level or higher, the damage increases by 1d6 for each slot level above 1st.

Lightning Redirection

3rd-Level Abjuration

Casting Time: 1 reaction (which you take when you are hit by an attack or fail a Dexterity saving throw against an effect that deals lightning damage)
Range: 60 feet
Component: S
Duration: Instantaneous

You carefully absorb lightning through one arm, guide it through your stomach, and fire it out the other arm at a creature within range. You gain immunity to lightning damage until the end of the current turn. A creature that you can see within range must make a Dexterity saving throw or take lightning damage equal to the damage you would have taken on this turn had you not been immune.

Water Whip

3rd-Level Conjuration
Casting Time: 1 action
Range: 30 feet
Component: V, S
Duration: Instantaneous 

You create a lashing tendril of water to swipe at a creature. The target must make a Dexterity saving throw. On a failed save, the target takes 4d10 bludgeoning damage. If it is Large or smaller, it is either knocked prone or pulled up to 25 feet closer to you (your choice). On a successful save, it takes half as much damage and isn’t knocked prone or pulled.

At Higher Levels. When you cast this spell using a spell slot of 4th level or higher, the damage increases by 1d10 for each slot level above 3rd.

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