[Avatar d20 Project] Bending System and Bending Classes - Thread II

[Eighth_Seraph]

The reason I called for such a drastic DC decrease to Blue Fire rather than increasing the benefits is because it's a template meant to be added to firebending forms in general. At the end of The Chase, Azula does what appears to be a Blue Fire Burst right after taking out Iroh. That's a DC 55 as written, or 50 with Template Mastery. A template with a high modifier like that also eliminates the possibility of using bending forms to greater extents, like increasing the radius of Fire Burst, the range of a Fire Sweep, and makes Flamethrower outright impossible at pre-epic levels.

The DC needs to be lowered substantially at any rate, though an increase of benefits wouldn't hurt, either. +10 is the very lowest we can reasonably set it at, and +20 is the maximum I would set, with substantial increase in benefits for applying the template being in order.

As for the Sun Warriors: they're an entire culture. From the very little we've seen, they appear to have their own firebenders, bards, and warriors. I see no reason for there to be PrCs for any of these; they would just be colorfully fluffy characters. On the other hand...they're probably different enough from the Fire Nation at large to merit a precedent for a Regional Trait system...

[Pirate_King]

I'd just let it deal damage to non-flammable objects, or count half the damage as bludgeoning or something. It's definitely canonical, azula pulverizes rock with blue fire.

[Lord Tataraus]

I'd just let it deal damage to non-flammable objects, or count half the damage as bludgeoning or something. It's definitely canonical, azula pulverizes rock with blue fire.

I like the dealing full damage to objects idea, it is supported by the show.

[Vadin]

It could bump the damage up a die type and make the blast ignore hardness and DR, making it very effective against Golems and Golem Armor, but not too much else, really.

[Darkbane]

Fire damage (all energy damage, in fact) already ignores DR. Full object damage and hardness ignoring sound good, though.

[Vadin]

Energy damage ignores a Barbarian's DR X/-?

[Ceiling009]

As far as I know, all non-physical damage bypasses DR...
I'd probably cap at +15 and make it up the die size in damage, and make it able to full damage objects and shouldn't it already catch flammable objects on fire anyway? I don't think ignoring hardness is too important, though that whole blowing up rocks though...

[mdusty]

Where is the description of the Windshaping ability given to a 2nd level airbender?

[Mephibosheth]

Where is the description of the Windshaping ability given to a 2nd level airbender?

Thanks for the catch, mdusty. That's an oversight on my part. I've added the text of the ability to the front page and the website.

Blue Fire Debate:

So, is the consensus on Blue Fire something like this:

Blue Fire (Template
Base DC: 20
Instead of the normal reds, yellows, and oranges associated with conventional firebending, the fire produced by this seed glows blue and is exceptionally hot.
• Applications: Damage dice for firebending forms using this seed increase by one step (for example, from d6 to d8, or d4 to d6). Additionally, blue fire deals full damage to objects. Finally, blue fire is more effective at deflecting attacks and the attack roll penalty for Deflect Bending is reduced to -2.

I think I could get behind a form like this. It sticks to canon, is relatively powerful, gives the firebender a little bit of ability to manipulate the environment (by blasting holes in it), and is relatively powerful.

Thoughts?

[Ceiling009]

If added with the Feat... ummm one of the Bender Study feats, would it give a +2 to deflection, or would it just reduce any penalty, Minimum 0?

[Eighth_Seraph]

The new template write up seems good to me, though I'd drop the DC to 15...I'll accept the 20 if everyone else is okay with it.

Now, I have a question on the airbender: do we have any way for the airbender to do this? Hand of Air only works on objects 5 pounds or less, and we might have to make it scale by level in order to represent this...

[Mephibosheth]

If added with the Feat... ummm one of the Bender Study feats, would it give a +2 to deflection, or would it just reduce any penalty, Minimum 0?

I would say no. Both the seed and the feat (Airbending Study) reduce the penalty, with the feat explicitly reducing it to 0. In the same way that armor check penalties can never become bonuses (MW padded armor doesn't give a bonus to skill checks), firebender's can't gain a bonus to Deflect Attack attempts by taking the Airbending Study feat and using Blue Fire.

The new template write up seems good to me, though I'd drop the DC to 15...I'll accept the 20 if everyone else is okay with it.

My only worry if we reduce the DC to 15 is low-level benders being able to use it. In the show, Azula is the only one who can use blue fire, and she’s supposed to be one of the most powerful firebenders on the planet. With a 15 DC, a 2nd level firebender with a 14 Wisdom can successfully create a blue fire blast every time by taking 10. Why wouldn’t every bender take the seed? Even with a 20 DC, it can be done by taking 10 at 5th level. I realize that a higher DC makes combining Blue Fire with more complex seeds more difficult, but I’d rather make higher-level benders actually roll than make Blue Fire a legitimate seed choice for a low level firebender. I’d support 20 or even 25.

Now, I have a question on the airbender: do we have any way for the airbender to do this? Hand of Air only works on objects 5 pounds or less, and we might have to make it scale by level in order to represent this...

Apparently not. Perhaps we should make the weight it can handle scale with DC the way Manipulate does.

[Pirate_King]

Perhaps we should make the weight it can handle scale with DC the way Manipulate does.

I don't know if we can realistically have a progression like that, because air doesn't work the same way as telekinesis; it has to have a certain kind of shape. for example, strong wind will knock down a tree branch, but won't do a thing to blow papers off a picnic table if my stein(which probably doesn't weigh more than half a pound) is holding them down. How finely can Aang manipulate air? Appa's saddle is shaped in such a way that would make such manipulation easier than, say, flinging a crate full of junk at someone.

and I'd make the deflect bending from blue fire a +1 instead of +2, just so the other feat isn't pointless. Maybe even get rid of the deflection advantage all together; it might be canon, but we can and have sacrificed the canonical for the purpose of the playable.

[Mephibosheth]

I don't know if we can realistically have a progression like that, because air doesn't work the same way as telekinesis; it has to have a certain kind of shape. for example, strong wind will knock down a tree branch, but won't do a thing to blow papers off a picnic table if my stein(which probably doesn't weigh more than half a pound) is holding them down. How finely can Aang manipulate air? Appa's saddle is shaped in such a way that would make such manipulation easier than, say, flinging a crate full of junk at someone.

Sure, a strong wind won't blow your stein off the table, but a strong wind can't do this or this or this either. Bent air doesn't behave like normal air. If you have an alterative to a weight-based system by all means suggest it, but I can't think of any.

and I'd make the deflect bending from blue fire a +1 instead of +2, just so the other feat isn't pointless. Maybe even get rid of the deflection advantage all together; it might be canon, but we can and have sacrificed the canonical for the purpose of the playable.

First (and I only bring this up because of Ceiling009's comments earlier), Blue Fire doesn't give a bonus to deflect attack attempts. Rather it reduces the penalty imposed by normal firebending. Second, I'm fine with removing the penalty reduction, if that's what the group says. I personally don't think that Blue Fire makes Airbending Study redundant, if only because Airbending Study provides an option for improving a firebender's ability to deflect that doesn't require Blue Fire.

[Eighth_Seraph]

Since we have decidedly few things to discuss until a new episode is finally released, I'd like to bring forth another seed for review. Specifically, the Waterbender's Propel seed. Its mechanics seem sound overall, but it makes no mention of what kind of vessels it can affect, and if larger vessels change the way the seed behaves. As written, I could munchkin the seed in my Savage Tides campaign to propel a galleon all by my lonesome. Make the DC scale with craft size, and make it a communal bending-able seed and I think we're good to go. I'll look for more potential breaks in the system as I try to overpower my waterbender for a magic-based world in the near future.

EDIT: Just a minor error in the Golem seed. Change 'hardness' to 'reach' in the Reach subsection. Just a carryover from the earthbender's version. Also, all of the airbender sub-seeds have their HTML codes for color with a "/" at the beginning, so that the color doesn't show.

Meph, it may be a good idea to update all of these changes we agree on sooner rather than later, because I tended to forget about them after putting it off for a week or so.

[Mephibosheth]

Since we have decidedly few things to discuss until a new episode is finally released, I'd like to bring forth another seed for review. Specifically, the Waterbender's Propel seed. Its mechanics seem sound overall, but it makes no mention of what kind of vessels it can affect, and if larger vessels change the way the seed behaves. As written, I could munchkin the seed in my Savage Tides campaign to propel a galleon all by my lonesome. Make the DC scale with craft size, and make it a communal bending-able seed and I think we're good to go. I'll look for more potential breaks in the system as I try to overpower my waterbender for a magic-based world in the near future.

Actually, the Propel mechanic already takes this into account by limiting the size category of craft you can navigate. The base DC allows you to navigate a Huge or smaller craft (pretty much the smallest craft available), while larger craft can be propelled by increasing the DC by 10 for each size increment.

EDIT: Just a minor error in the Golem seed. Change 'hardness' to 'reach' in the Reach subsection. Just a carryover from the earthbender's version. Also, all of the airbender sub-seeds have their HTML codes for color with a "/" at the beginning, so that the color doesn't show.

I made the change. Good catch.

Meph, it may be a good idea to update all of these changes we agree on sooner rather than later, because I tended to forget about them after putting it off for a week or so.

True. Are we agreed on the above changes to Blue Fire (including the 20 DC)? I think that's the only update that needs to be made, at least at the moment.

Mephibosheth

[ErrantX]

I say change it, make it worth getting earlier and much more worth having later.

Also, good job on updating all of the class tables and such. Much better :)

-X

[Pirate_King]

First (and I only bring this up because of Ceiling009's comments earlier), Blue Fire doesn't give a bonus to deflect attack attempts. Rather it reduces the penalty imposed by normal firebending. Second, I'm fine with removing the penalty reduction, if that's what the group says. I personally don't think that Blue Fire doesn't make Airbending Study redundant, if only because Airbending Study provides an option for improving a firebender's ability to deflect that doesn't require Blue Fire.

I understood that, I just thought that if it reduced the penalty at all, it would have to reduce it by less, a reduction by 1 instead of 2. I'd still leave out the reduction, though. The increased damage and the damage to non-flammable objects seems enough for a DC 20 or 25

[hacim]

I'm sorry to repost this, but i feel like the issue was sort of glossed over. The air bender's air blast, starting at tenth level they can do 20 dice worth of damage to creatures weighing less than 100 pounds. Against any small light creature (remember most of the show's main characters are not finished growing yet, and light) they could do massive amounts of damage with a basic attack. It would only be DC 5 to use, making it so that at mid-levels, if they combine it with other seeds, they can insta-kill any light creature. By 20th level they can use this on any creature less than or equal to 200 pounds. Considering that most characters in the avatar world focus on Dex, defense bonuses and feats, as opposed to physical armor they generally would be lighter than standard D&D characters. This would give air-benders an extraordinarily powerful weapon for nearly nothing. Besides that, it reduces, or even removes a DM's option of adding in a halfling-like race, because it would give the defensively minded air-bender, an attack to rival a fire-bender. Sorry if this is just redundant.

also just a minor thing, on the site where the actual one is posted http://avatar.d20.googlepages.com/bending-version2.0 it says that the benders learn forms not seeds

[Eighth_Seraph]

Huh. I checked it out, and you, good sir, are quite correct. you might've wanted to specify what use of Air Blast, though. Anyway, Air Blast (Fling) can indeed do all of that, and more. If a waterbender spends a few rounds using Ice Shards (Weapon) to make massive amounts of arrows, an airbender could easily be doing 60d8 damage with a DC 5 Air Blast at level 1.

Now the question becomes: What do we do about it? Before we can answer that, I'd like to know if there is a precedent for "launching large quantities of inert objects" use of the Air Blast. If there isn't, then we can just cut the Fling function altogether. If there is, then it'll be time for a revision. I, for one, get uncomfortable when low-DC forms use class levels to determine power, rather than using Bending DCs. For the Blasts, however, I'd like to keep it that way to reflect that they're the basic offensive application of the bending arts. Before we go on that vein, though, does anyone have a precedent for this use of the blast?

Also, I think it would be a good idea to amp up Air Blast (Push), allowing it to be used as iterative attacks and placing a clause allowing for knockdowns after a certain distance of being pushed, like the Pressure and Explosion seeds, as well as dealing damage for hitting walls. In fact, we might even be able to replace the Fling function if we did that. Thoughts?

[ErrantX]

Agreed. I'd say drop fling because I can't think of a precedent where fling was used as such. Hand of Air could be used for some of it, or a combo of Hand of Air and Air Blast (push) to do the object fling. I don't like grabbing people and flinging them with low DC forms either.

I also second Eighth Seraph's suggestion of putting in a knockdown clause into Air Blast, say, if they get pushed more than 20ft?

-X

[Eighth_Seraph]

Agreed. I'd say drop fling because I can't think of a precedent where fling was used as such. Hand of Air could be used for some of it, or a combo of Hand of Air and Air Blast (push) to do the object fling. I don't like grabbing people and flinging them with low DC forms either.

Make it Air Blast (Throw) instead of (Push) and I think we're in business.

I also have a request for the Hand of Air fix for weight scaling: make it based on DC, not level. This allows for overbending applications, and the image of a boulder tumbling wantonly towards a peasant woman at the base of a mountain, and airbender readying an action to create a cushion of air beneath it, and then passing out from the strain of holding the weight long enough for the woman to run just seems right to me.

[FlyMolo]

Hey everyone. Sorry I've been gone for a while, but real life and running my own campaign intervened.

Glad to see that ice shards craziness was fixed. It was fun, but seriously borked.

[Mephibosheth]

Air Blast:

Airbending forms and Air Blast have always been the trickiest abilities to craft, in my opinion. We want it to be an ability that (similar to the other bending blasts or the Warlock’s Eldritch Blast) can form the backbone of the airbender’s combat strategy and serve as a simple, reliable weapon. At the same time, it’s clear that an Air Blast doesn’t deal direct damage and that its utility comes from throwing opponents into solid barriers, forcing them prone or into untenable situations (over the edges of cliffs or into water), or throwing stuff at opponents. With this in mind, I suggest we start over on the Air Blast and build from the ground up, using the show and the previous versions of the ability as guides.

Because I’m a creature of habit, here’s a list of things for which the show depicts an Air Blast (or similar ability) being used:

• Hurling opponents backwards (screenshot)
• Accelerating projectiles (screenshot)
• Hurling single objects (screenshot)

With this in mind, I propose that Air Blast function as follows:

Air Blast
Base DC: 5

Spoiler

Show

The first offensive ability an airbender learns is to focus air currents around himself into a quick stream, forcefully pushing objects in its path. An Air Blast is a ranged touch attack, and an airbender can use as many Air Blasts in a full-round attack as her base attack bonus allows.

If a creature is struck by an Air Blast, it resolves as a bull rush attempt, with the airbender’s Airbending check opposed by the target’s Strength or Dexterity check (whichever is greater). Additionally, creatures successfully blasted by an Air Blast must make a Reflex save or be knocked prone at the end of the blast. Creatures blasted into a solid object (a wall, large rock, cliff face, or similar massive object) take 1d6 points of nonlethal bludgeoning damage for every 5 class levels the airbender has.

An airbender can affect creatures or objects weighing 10 lbs/2 levels with her Air Blasts. Weapons hurled by an Air Blast deal their standard damage and do not benefit from bonuses to damage from a high Strength score or weapon-based feats. Hard, dense objects hurled by an Air Blast deal 1d6 points of bludgeoning damage for every 25 pounds of weight. Less dangerous objects deal 1 point of bludgeoning damage for every 25 pounds of weight. The Airbender must succeed on a ranged attack roll to hit a creature with a projectile in this manner.

Now, having submitted this version of Air Blast, allow my to explain my reasoning. First, having an Air Blast resolve as a ranged touch attack accomplishes three things. It prevents the kind of cheese that being able to hurl three quivers of arrows at 1st level brings (given that an airbender needs to target the object, and thus can only hurl a single projectile), facilitates the use of Deflect Attack, and it makes room for other seeds to expand the uses of the Air Blast (giving seeds like Palm Bow and Engulfing Winds more clearly defined roles). Second, I included the knock-down clause requested. It makes sense and is clearly supported by the show. Third, I allowed creatures to use either Dex or Strength to oppose the bull rush, which I feel more appropriately represents strategies like this, where the target uses his limbs to cause the air to slip around him instead of knocking him backwards. I also based the bull rush on an Airbending check. This means that an airbender will win the opposed check more often than not (especially at higher levels) and allows for benders to throw creatures and objects longer distances. Thus, the blast can be a reliable weapon, but it isn’t overwhelming. Additional balancing factors include the limitation to nonlethal damage, the fact that it can only target a single object or creature, and the slow damage progression (maxing out at 4d6 for either thrown projectiles or blasting creatures into walls).

If I’ve missed anything, please let me know.

Wind Shaping:

How ‘bout this for new text (relevant change in bold):

Wind Shaping
Base DC: 5
With minor effort an Airbender may bend the air around him to create minor effects.
• Body Burst: The Airbender may force the air around his body to rush away from him and push small things away. Be they circling insects, dirt and mud on his clothes, or annoying lemurs, the Airbender may make an Airbending check to move things away from him in a 5 foot radius, pushing them 5ft. Creatures of size Tiny or larger may resist with a Strength check opposed by the Airbender's Wisdom check, provided they weigh more than one pound.
• Hand of Air: A technique of convenience, the Airbender learns to move objects by manipulating the air pressure and wind currents around an object. So long as an object that weighs less than 5lbs is within his bending range, an Airbender may move it anywhere within his bending range. For every 5 by which his Airbending check exceeds the DC, the maximum weight an airbender can manipulate with this ability increases by 5 lbs. This object does not travel fast enough to cause damage. This may also be used to simply blow small amounts of air over and around objects, such as to perform minor acts of mischief or to cool hot food.

I hope these changes address the issues under discussion. Any thoughts?

[ErrantX]

I don't have a problem with the change so long as we can get the other Airbender seeds that exist as templates to function again, because changing Air Blast has rendered them unusable.

The seeds that are affected by this are: Palm Bow, Air Burst, Air Thrust, and Engulfing Winds.

-X

[Mephibosheth]

I don't have a problem with the change so long as we can get the other Airbender seeds that exist as templates to function again, because changing Air Blast has rendered them unusable.

The seeds that are affected by this are: Palm Bow, Air Burst, Air Thrust, and Engulfing Winds.

How about the following changes:

Palm Bow (Template)
Base DC: +10

Spoiler

Show

By moving your hands in a rapid spiraling motion, you bring in existence a tunnel of rushing winds between your palms. This wind tunnel is able to propel small projectiles with heightened force and accuracy.
• Applications: By adding +10 to the Airbending DC of an Air Blast, an airbender may launch a number of small projectiles (Arrows, bolts, shurikens, stones, etc) equal to 1/2 his class level. The projectiles must be within a 5 ft radius of the airbender to be used in ths seed, though other characters can supply the airbender with ammunition while he is maintaining the seed. Inititating this seed is a standard action, and an airbender can maintain the tunnel by taking a full-round action each round for a maximum number of rounds equal to his class level (requiring an Airbending skill check each round to maintain the tunnel). The projectiles are launched in a line, the length of which is equal to the airbender's bending range. Creatures caught in the line take 1d6 points of damage for each projectile launched, and are allowed a Reflex save for half damage. If the line deals enough damage to a barrier to break through it, it continues on past the barrier if the range permits; otherwise, it stops at the barrier. An airbender must only make one Airbending check for all projectiles thrown.

Air Burst (Template)
Base DC: +10

Spoiler

Show

By adding an additional +10 to the bending check, the airbender may apply this template to his Air Blast. The Air Blast will now be applied to all targets (friend or foe) within five feet of the airbender’s location, hurling them in a straight line away from the airbender. The airbender may bend this airflow around targets caught in the burst radius by increasing the DC by a further +5 per target ignored by the airburst and may increase the radius of the form by 5 ft for every 5 points by which the bending check exceeds the DC.

Air Thrust (Template)
Base DC: +10

Spoiler

Show

You create an outline of his body composed of compressed air and send it charging toward your target.
• Applications: The airbender sends a blast of air similar to that of the Air Blast towards a target within a line 50 feet. The target takes 1d4 points of bludgeoning damage and is knocked back as if hit by an Air Blast (taking additional damage if applicable). The seed deals an additional 1d4 damage for every 5 by which the airbender's skill check exceeds the DC of the form (to a maximum of 1d4/level).

Engulfing Winds
Base DC: 30

Spoiler

Show

An airbender learns to manipulate the air currents to create a fast moving channel of turbulence, impeding movement. The current of air is 5ft wide and starts directly in front of the airbender, following a path the airbender specifies that continues away from her but may make any turns up to a 45 degree angle at any point along the path. The total length of the path cannot exceed 10ft per airbender level. The use of this seed takes a full-round action that provokes attacks of opportunity and requires a full-round action to concentrate each round or the effect is lost. Creatures within the area of the current are allowed a Reflex save to avoid being caught.
• Push: All objects and creatures in the area of the path are effected as if by the Air Blast. Creatures and objects caught in the current are pushed along the path of the current until they reach the end. If the end is reached and the creature or object would be moved further, they are pushed out of the current in a line. Additionally, any creature attempting to move against the path of the wind must succeed in a strength check DC10 + the airbender's wisdom modifier to move at quarter speed. To move at half speed increases the strength check DC by +10 and another +10 to move at full speed. Creatures that are more stable such as dwarves or creatures with more than two legs or are of large size gain a +4 bonus to their strength check. Creatures of huge size gain a +10 bonus and creatures greater than huge are unaffected by the seed. Moving with the flow of the current is just as difficult, requiring a strength check as if moving against the current at quarter speed. Success means the creature may move at half speed, failure means the creature is affected by the Air Blast effect even if they normally would not be affected.
• Containment: Just as creatures cannot easily move against the currents, a creature cannot exit the current easily once caught. A creature can exit the current only by taking a move action to make a DC 15 strength check, resulting in the creature standing adjacent to the path.
• Updraft: An airbender is not limited to making the path flow parallel to the ground, but may also have the path flow upwards at any point along the path. The path may bend upwards at a 90 degree angle, costing one 5ft of the length. Any creature in an upward bend gains a bonus to their jump check equal to twice the airbender's level and are considered to have a running start. The updraft can hold 20lb per airbender level in place along the updraft and slow downward movement to 5ft per round for objects of up to 40lb per airbender level or 10ft per round for objects up to 80lb per level.
• Downdraft: A downdraft works just like an updraft except the 90 degree bend is downward, forcing creatures down. Creatures in this area take a penalty to jump checks equal to the bonus given for updraft and fall twice as fast, so a 10ft fall would deal damage as a 20ft fall.
• Quick Draft: An airbender may take a standard action to create a temporary updraft that sends objects and creatures into the air along a straight upward path. The path follows the rules as normal, but can only have one 90 degree upward or downward bend and no other turns.

[ErrantX]

Well then consider me appeased. Great job, as usual!

As an aside, what of the topics on the OP have we resolved, like, have we resolved the communal bending stuffs? Or lavabending? I'd love to see that stuff get scratched off that OP :)

-X

[Mephibosheth]

Well then consider me appeased. Great job, as usual!

As an aside, what of the topics on the OP have we resolved, like, have we resolved the communal bending stuffs? Or lavabending? I'd love to see that stuff get scratched off that OP :)

-X

Aw, shucks.

Thanks for reminding me to update the OP. I've scratched communal bending off the list. Still to be resolved are lavabending, quickening bending, bending and extra attacks (TWF, FoB, Rapid Shot, etc.), and weapon and armor proficiencies.

[Eighth_Seraph]

It all looks good to me, even if the fix does make Engulfing Winds a much better seed. I do have three things to suggest, as a touch of flavor and practicality. First, that Air Blast have a clause similar to Fire Blast, allowing airbenders to channel the blast through an unarmed strike. The second is an idea I've been tossing around for a while.

• Hand of Air: A technique of convenience, the Airbender learns to move objects by manipulating the air pressure and wind currents around an object. So long as an object that weighs less than 5lbs is within his bending range, an Airbender may move it anywhere within his bending range. For every 5 by which his Airbending check exceeds the DC, the maximum weight an airbender can manipulate with this ability increases by 5 lbs. Objects shaped so as to catch air (such as an airtight bag) may grant bonuses to this check, and objects specifically designed to be transported in this way halve the DC of Airbending checks used to move them.This object does not travel fast enough to cause damage. This may also be used to simply blow small amounts of air over and around objects, such as to perform minor acts of mischief or to cool hot food.

I worded it awkwardly, and you're welcome to rewrite it; but I think that Appa's saddle weighs too much for a simple application of this ability as written; it's made of wood or leather and weighs at least 200 pounds, yet Aang used airbending to remove it in The Chase. Maybe it was actually creative use of Updraft... Thoughts?

The third suggestion is that opponents only need to make a Reflex save to avoid a knockdown from Air Blast after being pushed back at least ten or twenty feet. The reason for this is to avoid situations where an opponent actually wins the opposed Bull Rush, but is knocked down anyway.

[Pirate_King]

First, that Air Blast have a clause similar to Fire Blast, allowing airbenders to channel the blast through an unarmed strike.

I'm not sure that makes much sense, either practically or in canon. We've seen fire blasts with a single strike, shooting from a fist, where as whenever Aang does any airbending, there seems, for the most part, to be a lot more complex motions. Even with Aang's simpler stuff, it still comes from outside (with the exception of exhaling powerfully). With that exception, Firebending is unique in that the element comes directly from the bender.