Quick, Responsive, Sporadic

                Air Nomads live free-spirited, uninhibited lives. They travel light and take time to enjoy the breeze. Many spend time in thought or meditation, focused on their study and the rest of their time in practice, putting their ideas into motion. Air Nomads are simultaneously teachers, philosophers, students, and humble servants. 

                Air Nomads traditionally shave their heads, allowing them to better feel the movement of the air around them. Their eyes range from blue gray to hazel, and they tend to have lighter toned skin. They typically wear plain, loose-fitting clothes of yellow, orange, and brown, with ornaments made from wood. Many monks bear tattoos, traditional markings given in Air Temples as a symbol of mastery.

Leaves on the Wind

                Air Nomads are constantly on the move, whether it’s physically or mentally. They stay in perpetual motion, allowing the world to move them, looking ahead, always on the lookout for the next step in their path. Because of this, the Air Temples always keep their doors open, allowing people to come and go as they please. Many Nomads search down a path for years then find that it takes a turn, and that in order to keep learning and growing, they need to make a change and move on. A Nomad may stay in one place for an hour or a lifetime, avoiding any feeling of attachment or identification with a single place, constantly seeking freedom from the heavy, burdensome material world. The wind may blow an Air Nomad from place to place for years, and they will accept each movement as another step on their path. 

Lofty Ideals

                Air Nomads take inspiration from past gurus and strive to follow in their footsteps. In the modern Air Temples, a number of paths described by these gurus are taught to help guide those who seek the pinnacle of human experience, to be free from earthly attachment, to allow the pure cosmic energy to flow in and through oneself, to reach the state of cosmic enlightenment. These paths were uncovered and described by Air Nomads throughout history, each one with a different emphasis and method for reaching the state of enlightenment. Every temple has their own foci and practices, but all temples teach some version of one of these paths.

                Every Nomad is free to follow the path of their choice and is never beholden to one path or one temple, but those who have committed themselves to a path believe strongly in the rightness of its way.  Some monks believe that they have been on their path for many lifetimes, and that enlightenment requires focus and dedication. Others believe that enlightenment can be accomplished in a single lifetime through practice and good living. Some Air Nomads find their paths early on, and some are left untethered and unknowing for many years; but even on the most twisting and winding path, an Air Nomad will take comfort in knowing that each step they take is one step closer to their destination.

As the Wind Blows

An Air Nomad’s path can change course at any time, for many different reasons. If something catches their interest or needs their attention, they trust that their path will lead them in that direction. They are quick to entertain their curiosities, and driven to see them through, but as soon as they lose interest, they have no problem walking away, moving on to the next curiosity. When an Air Nomad gets overwhelmed by the infinite possibilities of their path, the most common defense mechanism is to flee.

                Most nomads strive to stay completely open to the possibilities of the next step in their paths. Those who are dedicated to their paths will weigh their options, giving favor to experiences that they feel will unlock their energy and bring them closer to their state of enlightenment. It is rare for a head monk of a temple to leave their practices and studies, but they should not feel attachment to the temple itself.  If their path takes them away, they are to take their study with them, always practicing, always moving to the next step on their journey to enlightenment. 

Your Air Nation character has a variety of natural abilities, the result of generations spent on the path to enlightenment.

Ability Score Increase

Choose two from your Dexterity, Intelligence, Wisdom, and Charisma scores to increase by 1.

Age

The average lifespan of Air Nomads is unrecorded and there is no definitive age at which they are considered adults. become adults when they prove themselves mature.

Alignment

Air Nomads stay in constant motion, moving from place to place as often as the wind blows. While some are loyal to their path, this untethered way of life tends to foster a chaotic nature.

Size

Air Nomads tend to be shorter than people from other nations. A tall Air Nomad is around 5’ 9”.

Speed

Your base walking speed is 30 feet.

Language Arts

The Air Nation is the most widely and diversely educated society. You learn one human language of your choice.

Nimble

You can move through the space of any creature that is size medium or larger.

Light Feet

Your footsteps do not make a sound. Wisdom (Perception) checks made to hear your movement or location are made with disadvantage, and your footsteps cannot be heard by a creature’s passive perception.

Three paths are followed by Air Nomads to reach enlightenment. Every individual is free to choose the path that suits them best, though history, birthplace, and tradition do factor into their choice.

Heavenly Path

Nomads who follow this path seek freedom in heaven. They seek to detach themselves from worldly attachment in order to focus on attaining peace in the afterlife. Followers of the Heavenly Path are purists who believe the only focus in life should be to live for transcendence, which in some philosophies can take many lifetimes to achieve.

Ability Score Increase

Your Intelligence score increases by 1. 

Ancient Tradition

Whenever you make an Intelligence (Religion) check related to major world religions, you are considered proficient in the History skill and add double your proficiency bonus to the check, instead of your normal proficiency bonus.

Extra Language

You have proficiency in writing High Script.

Path of Worldly Balance

This path emphasizes a respect for the four elements and posits that one cannot achieve personal enlightenment without caring for the enlightenment of all. Those who follow this path believe enlightenment is only fully realized when it is shared with others and that there is value in having attachment to the world in order to help others along their paths. 

Worldly Hospitality

You are seen around the world as a bearer of good fortune. You have advantage on Charisma checks when interacting with commoners.

Helpful

You can use a bonus action on your turn to take the Help action.

Path of the Higher Self

Those who follow this path believe that the purpose of life is to live to the maximum potential of the higher self, and that each person walks their own path to enlightenment where as long as they are true to themselves they will remain on their path. Visualization of the higher self serves as their moral compass, intuition is their guide.

Self-Confidence

Your Charisma score increases by 1.

Self-Determination

When you roll a 1 on an attack roll, ability check, or saving throw, you can reroll the die and must use the new roll.

Almost any person of Air Nation ancestry can unlock the ability to airbender. If your character is an airbender, you can learn techniques on the airbending technique list in chapter 11. The general rules of bending can be found in chapter 10.

Manipulation

Using your body to draw and move the air around you, you are able to create currents and movement in the air. If you swirl the air into a ball and maintain concentration, the air will stay in motion, and the ball will stay in place. As a bonus action, you can create and hold a ball of air.

You are able to consistently manipulate an amount of air equal to a sphere of size Tiny or smaller within a range of 15 feet. You can move, control, and direct the air as long as you maintain concentration. If you lose concentration or stop manipulating the air, it returns to its natural state.

                If you attempt perform an air manipulation that exceeds the limits of your normal size and range, or that requires extra finesse, creativity, or skill (that is not already covered by an existing technique or skill), your GM may ask you to make an Airbending check. You can add your proficiency bonus to these checks, which might utilize any ability score, depending on the situation. Alternatively, your GM may ask you to make a skill check using your airbending. In this case, you may only add your proficiency bonus to the check if you are proficient in that skill. If you perform a non-combative air manipulation in combat, the GM decides whether it requires an action, bonus action or reaction.

                The amount of air you are consistently able to control and the range over which you are able to control it increases as you gain levels, changing when you reach 4th level (Small, 30 feet), 8th level (Medium, 75 feet), 12th level (Large, 125 feet), 16th level (Huge, 200 feet) and 20th level (Gargantuan, 300 feet).

Techniques

In addition to your ability to manipulate air, you are also able to learn airbending techniques.

You know two basic techniques of your choice from the airbending technique list. These techniques are the first moves you learn in the development of your personal bending style. As you learn new techniques through the course of your adventure, your style will get more dynamic and complex.

If you learn techniques through your class, you may choose techniques from the airbending technique list. Otherwise, you can pick up new techniques organically through your adventure. Each new technique that you learn must be of a level no higher than what you are allowed to learn through your class or, if your class does not grant you bending, a level equal to your character level divided by four.

If you learn basics through your class, your airbending basics do not count toward the number of basic techniques granted to you by your class.

See chapter 10 for more details on using, learning, and mastering bending techniques.

Abilities

Your airbending techniques rely on both Dexterity and Wisdom, since the key to airbending is the ability to move with freedom and flexibility, intuitively following the path of least resistance. You use your Dexterity modifier when making an attack roll with an airbending technique, and your Wisdom modifier when setting the saving throw DC for an airbending technique. 

Airbending save DC = 8 + your proficiency bonus + your Wisdom modifier

Airbending attack modifier = your proficiency bonus + your Dexterity modifier

These modifiers apply only to airbending techniques. Your airbending ability modifiers do not apply to bending techniques learned through your class.

Stance

Some bending techniques require you to be in your bending stance to perform them. An airbender’s stance should be defensive and reflexive, light on their feet, ready to change directions at any moment. Entering your stance costs half of your movement, and each foot of movement costs 1 extra foot while in your stance.

When you are in your bending stance, you are more prepared to use your bending to block, redirect, or avoid attacks. Your stance defense represents your character’s ability to perform these defensive maneuvers. While you are in your stance, your Armor Class equals 10 + your Dexterity modifier + your Wisdom modifier. 

If your character is not a airbender, you have spent time training or learning other skills or abilities.

Alternate Ability. You gain one feat of your choice.