Adaptable, Soothing

                The people of the Water Tribes go with the flow. They are adaptable and receptive to the flow of life around them. They move fluidly from one moon to the next, trusting in life and each other to provide.  They tend to have a comforting, soothing aura about them; the best healers in the world come from the Water Tribes. Canoeing, sailing, and fishing are ways of life, some people of the Water Tribes live on the water, only coming to land if they must.

                The clothing of the Water Tribes tends to be plain and practical, typically dyed in shades of blue, purple, white, and gray, with furs and the skins of marine animals incorporated for warmth and water resistance. Braids and short ponytails are typical hairstyles, often styled as a warrior’s wolf tail for men and hair loopies for women. The people of the Water Tribes tend to have a light brown skin tone, though this can vary from tribe to tribe. Their eyes range from bright, glacier blue to cool, crisp black, more rarely a child will be born with eyes of seafoam green. 

By Moon and By Sea

                The people of the Water Tribes share in their deep spiritual connections. The Moon and Ocean spirits provide, protect, sustain and balance all things in the Water Tribes. When the world was but a chaotic and barren wasteland, devoid of life, the moon set the seas into motion, soothing the land and giving birth to first forms of life. The people of the Water Tribes trust in the flow of life that the spirits set into motion and trust in their guidance and protection. 

                The people of the Water Tribes also idolize regional animal spirits, often wearing tokens of appreciation or admiration for the animals. They hold spirits in the reverence and honor them in their cultural practices. The winter solstice is a holy day for the Water Tribes, as it brings the natural world and the Spirit World together, the overlap of which allows for powerful spiritual events. The water tribes also pay close attention to the lunar cycle, celebrating and gaining power from the full moon.

The Water Way

                People of the Water Tribes hold the utmost respect for elders. Most tribes are led by an elder, elders, or a chieftain who is selected by the tribe elders. Fighting between Water tribes is rare, as nearly all conflicts of interests are mediated by tribe elders long before they result in bloodshed. Since the Water Tribes share a cultural history and understanding, they typically do everything in their power to keep one another’s best interest at heart.

                In international dealings, the Water Tribes are quick to answer the call of a sister tribe. Often acting as a single unit, the combined force of the Water Tribes is the most dominant force on the sea. Since Water Tribes are most often isolated from other nations, separated by one body of water or another, their prowess on the water is more than sufficient to keep them safe. For an unwelcome outsider to even make it to land in order to stage an attack on a Water Tribe is all but unheard of.

In the Flow

            The people of the Water Tribe respect the flow of life and will follow that flow wherever it takes them. Water moves in many ways; sometimes it is rough and choppy, sometimes it is clear and still. The people of the Water Tribes do not question the flow of life, they simply take it as it comes, learning and growing along the way. Everything that they do is for the good of the tribe, understanding that they are all a part of a larger whole.

Before setting out on a journey, a person of the Water Tribes will seek the blessing of the spirits and their elders. Those who do not are considered free-radicals and are no longer welcomed by the tribe without having once again proven their allegiance and devotion to the tribe.  For a person of the Water Tribes to become a free-radical, a force stronger than the moon has to pull them out of the flow. This tends to leave them feeling detached and cold, without any sense of direction or purpose, a lone droplet floating through the air, waiting to see where they’ll come down.

Your Water Nation character has a number of natural abilities, characteristics of living the water way.

Ability Score Increase

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

Age

The people of the Water Tribes consistently live to be 80 years old. One is considered to be an adult at the age of 22.

Alignment

Growing up in a society dedicated to providing for the whole, people of the Water Tribes tend to be focused on the communal good.

Size

People of the Water Tribes are neither tall nor short, the majority ranging from 5’5” to 5’10”.

Speed

Your base walking speed is 30 feet.

Language Arts

The people of the water tribes use their bodies to communicate subtly, giving them an intuitive understanding of body language.

Aquatic Adept

Fully adapted to life in and around water, swimming is second nature to you. Your base swim speed is 30 feet.

Life Guard

When you are reduced to 0 Hit Points but not killed outright, you can drop to 1 hit point instead. You can’t use this feature again until you finish a long rest.

The nature of the Water Tribes reflects the state of the water that surrounds them. Determine the nature of your character or their home tribe from the options below.

Frozen

Water Tribes in the far north and south tend to be colder and more insular. They live in more rigid societal structures and are more set in their ways; developing customs and tradition to ensure their survival. By relying on one another to provide and offer assistance when necessary, they are able to survive the harsh, deadly winter. In the warmer seasons, they can grow, gather, travel, meet and commune, but in the cold season, they find their place and stay put. Water Tribes in the coldest regions stick together year-round, as it is the only way to survive; only the most adventurous souls will float off to see other regions.

Rigid

Survival in the cold regions requires routine and tradition, which you are not easily convinced to change. You have advantage saving throws against being charmed.

Resilient

You have advantage on saving throws against poison, and you have resistance to poison damage.

Fluid

The warmer the climate, the less icy and cold people of the Water Tribes tend to be. People in these tribes go with the flow and tend to be a little more relaxed and free-spirited. Tribes move with the rains, rivers and tides, travelling together or in family units. Because of their ability to pull water from many sources, Water Tribes in warmer climates are able to secure themselves a constant abundance of food for their people, so much so that they are often able to help supply food for their sister tribes in colder regions.

Flowing

Your Dexterity score increases by 1.

Adaptable

You find a way to fit in everywhere you go. You have advantage on Dexterity (Stealth) checks to blend into a crowd.

Free

In exceptional circumstances, individuals or families will leave their tribes, making themselves sparse, fading from the tribal way, disappearing from the communal life. This is an uncommon choice; sometimes it’s not a choice. But those who leave the tribe tend to be the most independent-minded folks of the Water Nation. They tend to be more self-sufficient, as they have to learn to fend for themselves. Those who live alone in the Water Nation are often seen as outcasts by tribal folk and are regarded with suspicion or mistrust.; or they’re simply given the cold-shoulder. Amongst the tribes, the common term for these individuals is “free radical” but they prefer to call themselves free spirits.

Untethered

You are able to sense the presence of spirits within 120 feet of you.

Independent

You have proficiency in the Survival skill.

Being a descendent of the Water Nation lineage, your character might be a waterbender. If they are, you can learn techniques on the waterbending technique list in chapter 11. The general rules of bending can be found in chapter 10.

Manipulation

Connecting with a body of water, you are able to freeze an amount that reflects your own pool of energy. Frozen water maintains a similar size to its liquid state, and you are able to control the shape that it takes when frozen. As a bonus action, you can freeze or thaw water under your control.

You are able to manipulate a Tiny amount of water over a range of 15 feet. Using motions that reflect the pushing and pulling of water, you are able to hold, move, control, and shape the water as long as you maintain Concentration. If you release control over the water or lose concentration, it reverts to its natural behavior.

If you attempt manipulate water in excess of your size and/or range limit, or that requires special fluidity, sensitivity, or skill (that is not already covered by an existing technique or skill), your GM may ask you to make a Waterbending 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 waterbending. 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 water manipulation in combat, the GM decides whether it requires an action, bonus action or reaction.

            The amount of water you are able to control and range over which you are able to control it increase by one size category and 30 feet 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 water, you are also able to learn waterbending techniques.

You know two basic techniques of your choice from the waterbending technique list. These techniques are the first accumulations of the formation of your bending style. As you acquire new techniques over the course of your adventure, your understanding of waterbending will get broader and deeper.

If you learn techniques through your class, you may choose techniques from the waterbending 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 waterbending 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

Dexterity is your bending ability for your waterbending techniques, since the key to waterbending is to have the flexibility to receive your opponent’s energy and turn it against them. You use your Dexterity modifier when making an attack roll or the saving throw DC for a waterbending technique. 

Waterbending save DC = 8 + your proficiency bonus + your Dexterity modifier

Waterbending attack modifier = your proficiency bonus + your Dexterity modifier

These modifiers apply only to waterbending techniques. Your waterbending 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. A typical waterbending stance typically has the user’s weight balanced or slightly toward the back foot and the arms raised, ready to receive and return attacks. 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 Constitution modifier. 

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

Alternate Ability. You gain one feat of your choice.